AUBURN, ALA. — BWE has provided a $42.3 million Fannie Mae loan for The Glenn, a 270-unit garden-style apartment community located at 2568 E. Glenn Ave. in Auburn. The property comprises 14 residential buildings and offers studio, one-, two- and three-bedroom apartments, as well as a fitness center, beach-entry pool, grilling areas, pet park and a business center. Paul Harbor, Caleb Carter and Libby Davis of BWE originated the loan on behalf of the borrower, an undisclosed development firm based in Georgia. The borrower will use proceeds of the 10-year loan, which features a 35-year amortization schedule, to pay off construction debt obtained before The Glenn opened in 2022.
CHARLOTTE, N.C. — As the clock struck midnight on New Year’s Eve, the 2025-2026 academic year moved further into focus. What can the industry expect to see this year from a preleasing perspective? Are rents expected to keep growing? And by how much? All of these questions and more were discussed during a kick-off panel at the 2024 LeaseCon/TurnCon conference by InterFace Conference Group, which took place this past December in Charlotte. As of Dec. 3, student housing properties across the country were 36.6 percent preleased on average — a 1.3 percent decline from rates seen at the same time in 2023, according to moderator Charlie Matthews, founder and CEO of data provider College House. Editor’s note: InterFace Conference Group, a division of France Media Inc., produces networking and educational conferences for commercial real estate executives. To sign up for email announcements about specific events, visit www.interfaceconferencegroup.com/subscribe. Of markets across the United States, the Southeast led the way with the highest preleasing percentage at 43.5 percent. Asking rents have congruently grown by 4.9 percent across the country as of early December, according to Matthews, with average rents at $990. Leading the way in rent growth for the 2025-2026 academic year …
SHORT PUMP, VA. — Wafra Inc. has sold Short Pump Station, a 91,369-square-foot shopping center in Short Pump, located roughly 10 miles northwest of Richmond. Nuveen Real Estate acquired the property for nearly $55 million, making the center the investor’s second acquisition in the Richmond metro area. Situated on 147 acres, the retail development is anchored by Trader Joe’s. Other tenants at the property include Ulta Beauty and Petco. John Owendoff of Cushman & Wakefield, along with Catharine Spangler of Cushman & Wakefield | Thalhimer, represented Wafra in the transaction. The New York City-based investor has owned Short Pump Station since acquiring it from a joint venture affiliate of AmCap in 2021. Nuveen has retained Cushman & Wakefield | Thalhimer to lease and manage the shopping center.
WASHINGTON, D.C. — Clear Investment Group has purchased Marbury Plaza, a 681-unit apartment community located in southeast Washington, D.C. The Chicago-based investment firm plans to rebrand the property to Langston Views and upgrade the amenity package to include a new fitness center, onsite convenience store and renovated pools and locker rooms. This is the fifth investment for the buyer’s Clear Opportunities Fund I. The seller and sales price were not disclosed.
KENNESAW, GA. — JLL has negotiated the sale of Bixby Kennesaw, a 656-bed student housing community located near the Kennesaw State University campus in metro Atlanta. Completed in 2020, the property offers 179 units in a mix of studio through five-bedroom configurations. Shared amenities include a rooftop sky deck overlooking the university’s football stadium, resort-style swimming pool, fitness center and multiple study spaces. Teddy Leatherman, Scott Clifton, Kevin Kazlow and Jack Goldberger of JLL represented the seller, Alden Street Capital, in the disposition. The buyer and terms of the transaction were not released.
NEWPORT, KY. — Cronheim Hotel Capital has arranged an $18.2 million acquisition loan for Aloft Newport, a hotel in the Cincinnati suburb of Newport. Built in 2017, the hotel is situated adjacent to the Newport on the Levee, a mixed-use development now owned by Atlanta-based Jamestown. The Aloft Newport is located directly across the Ohio River from downtown Cincinnati via a pedestrian bridge. Cronheim Hotel Capital arranged the loan through a regional bank on behalf of the locally based borrower, Rolling Hills Hospitality. The new owner plans to invest in capital improvements to improve hotel room interiors after the acquisition closes.
BUFORD, GA. — Marcus & Millichap’s Taylor McMinn Retail Group has brokered the sale of a newly built restaurant located at 4996 Lanier Parkway in Buford, a northeast suburb of Atlanta. Built in 2024, the 3,318-square-foot restaurant is ground-leased to Whataburger and sits on a nearly 1.5-acre site at the entrance of a 1.1 million-square-foot Amazon logistics center. The popular quick-service restaurant (QSR) chain has a 15-year ground lease in place at the restaurant with scheduled rent increases and extension options. Whataburger is based in Texas and only recently began opening restaurants in Georgia, the first of which opened in Kennesaw in 2022. Don McMinn of Taylor McMinn Retail Group represented the seller, an unnamed developer, in the 1031 transaction. The buyer and sales price were also not disclosed. “This is our third Whataburger closing in fourth-quarter 2024 and will be bring more to market in 2025,” says McMinn. “Whataburger continues to garner strong demand and attractive pricing from investors and is one of the more desirable QSR options in the market today.”
MIAMI — Major League Baseball’s Miami Marlins have formed a partnership with The Cordish Companies to develop Miami Live! at loanDepot Park, the home ballpark of the Marlins. The entertainment destination in the city’s Little Havana neighborhood will feature indoor-outdoor dining and entertainment spaces aimed at elevating the fan experience, including year-round space activations. The official opening of Miami Live! is anticipated for early 2026. LoanDepot Park opened in 2012 and hosts events such as the World Baseball Classic, Caribbean Series and Choque de Gigantes in addition to Marlins home games. “This project represents our commitment to our community, as we develop our ballpark’s campus to feature dining, entertainment and gathering options for everyone to enjoy,” says Bruce Sherman, Miami Marlins chairman and principal owner. The Marlins organization has prioritized sustainability and inclusivity in its design, including features such as energy-efficient lighting, accessible pathways and community art installations. Miami-Dade County Mayor Daniella Levine Cava emphasizes that the privately financed project comes at zero cost to taxpayers. The project is being developed and designed in partnership with Cordish, which is known for its sports-anchored mixed-use developments. Cordish has partnered with many of the country’s professional sports franchises, including the St. Louis …
COCOA BEACH, FLA. — Bayview PACE has provided $137 million in C-PACE financing for the development of Westin Cocoa Beach Resort & Spa, a $420 million hospitality development located at 100 N. Atlantic Ave. in Cocoa Beach. Coral Gables, Fla.-based Driftwood Capital is the borrower and developer behind the 502-room development, which is slated to open in early 2027. In addition to the C-PACE loan, Driftwood Capital obtained $70 million in construction financing from City National Bank of Florida and a $50 million credit facility from Amerant Bank, bringing the new capital infusion to a combined $257 million. Construction is currently underway on the Marriott-branded project, which will feature 11 food-and-beverage venues and 123,700 square feet of indoor/outdoor meeting space in addition to the hotel rooms and wellness features. The transaction represents the largest C-PACE deal in Florida and the third-largest hospitality C-PACE loan in the United States, according to Bayview PACE. Commercial property assessed clean energy financing (C-PACE) has become a viable financing method for developers as the loan becomes an assessment that borrowers pay with their tax bill. These loans also pay for energy and water upgrades in new construction and rehabilitation projects, including retroactively.
THE VILLAGES AND WINTER PARK, FLA. — Titan Development has sold a portfolio of three seniors housing communities in Central Florida. The properties include Watercrest Buena Vista and Watercrest Spanish Springs in The Villages and Watercrest Winter Park in Winter Park. AEW Capital Management acquired the 416-unit portfolio for an undisclosed price. JLL represented Titan in the sale. Additionally, JLL is arranging acquisition financing for two of the properties on behalf of the buyer. Built in 2018, Watercrest Buena Vista features 224 residences, with 118 independent living, 74 assisted living and 32 memory care units. Amenities at the community include underground parking, a heated pool, fitness center, salon, media room, bistro and bar and a golf cart charging station. Watercrest Spanish Springs, which opened in 2016, comprises 86 assisted living and memory care units. Amenities at the property include restaurant-style dining, gathering areas, salon services and wellness and exercise programs. Built in 2019, Watercrest Winter Park is an assisted living and memory community that totals 106 units. AEW Capital Management will retain the current, third-party operator of the properties, Watercrest Senior Living.