VIERA, FLA. — ConcordRents has started construction of Venue at Viera Senior Living Apartments, a $32 million, 145-unit affordable seniors housing community in Viera, a master planned community located on Florida’s Space Coast near Melbourne. Units are reserved for seniors making between 40 percent and 80 percent of the area median income (AMI). Funding for Venue at Viera Senior Living comes from $16.8 million in tax-exempt bonds issued by the Brevard County Housing Finance Authority and $11 million in equity from the sale of Federal Housing Tax Credits allocated through Florida Housing Finance Corp. The developer, Atlantic Housing Partners, also provided some funding sources.
ARDEN, N.C. — Windsor Aughtry Hotel Group LLC has completed Home2 Suites by Hilton Asheville Airport, a 112-room hotel in Arden. The property offers fully equipped kitchens, complimentary Wi-Fi, a fitness center, grill area and an indoor/outdoor pool. The hotel is located at 390 Airport Road, one mile from Asheville Regional Airport and 12 miles south of downtown Asheville. Asheville Hospitality LLC owns the hotel, and Hospitality America Inc. is managing the asset.
ATLANTA — Ju-C Bar has opened its second location in metro Atlanta, joining the tenant lineup at Krog Street Market, a 30,000-square-foot food hall in Atlanta’s Inman Park neighborhood. Ju-C Bar is a family-owned restaurant specializing in made-order juices, smoothies, salads and wraps. Krog Street Market is situated along the Atlanta BeltLine’s Eastside Trail, two miles west of downtown Atlanta. Other tenants include Superica, Jeni’s Splendid Ice Creams, Ticonderoga Club, Fred’s Meat & Bread, Watchman’s Seafood and Spirits, Hop City and The Little Tart Bake Shop, as well as retail and office tenants including The Merchant, Iris and The Atlanta BeltLine Partnership. Ju-C Bar’s other location is in the northern suburb of Sandy Springs. Adrienne Crawford and Lily Heimburger of SRS Real Estate Partners represented the landlord, Charlotte, N.C.-based Asana Partners, in the lease transaction. Austin Wilson of Stein Investment Group represented Ju-C Bar.
BIRMINGHAM, ALA. — Orchestra Partners has broken ground on Mercantile on Morris, a mixed-use project in downtown Birmingham. Located at 2212 Morris Ave., the property will feature 47 residential units and 14,000 square feet of commercial space, as well as a pedestrian thoroughfare with storefronts connecting First Avenue North and Morris Avenue. Birmingham-based Retail Specialists is handling the commercial leasing effort, which includes spaces ranging from 500 to 1,800 square feet. There is also a 2,100-square-foot space available on the second floor for a restaurant anchor. Orchestra Partners expects to complete Mercantile on Morris in November.
WASHINGTON, D.C. — Another 1.3 million Americans filed for first-time unemployment assistance during the week ending July 11, the U.S. Department of Labor reports. The figure is down 10,000 from the previous week’s total. Economists surveyed by Dow Jones expected just under 1.3 million claims. The four-week moving average decreased by 60,000 claims to nearly 1.4 million. This marks the 16th consecutive week that the initial claims have totaled more than 1 million due to the worldwide COVID-19 outbreak.
SANFORD, FLA. — Wendover Housing Partners has opened Warley Park, a $19 million, 81-unit housing complex in Sanford that was built to house veterans and the chronically homeless. Communal amenities include a fitness center, splash park, meeting rooms, computer rooms and a commercial kitchen to train residents for restaurant jobs. California-based nonprofit Step Up on Second will manage support services, including mental healthcare, after-school kids’ programs, job training and placement, GED classes and educational programs for ongoing skills. Residents utilize rental vouchers as payment, just as they would at other rental properties or motels. The property is located at 1500 W. 25th St., 22 miles north of downtown Orlando.
WASHINGTON, D.C. — Whole Foods Market will open a new location July 23 in Washington, D.C. The new 46,000-square-foot grocery store will be situated at 967 Florida Ave. NW in D.C.’s Pleasant Plains neighborhood, less than two miles north of downtown D.C. and less than one mile from Howard University. The new store will offer a full-service butcher, bakery, produce department and a seafood counter. Amazon Prime members who shop at the location will have access to two-hour delivery on certain items, as well as a 10 percent discount on several in-store items.
LITHIA SPRINGS, GA. — A joint venture between Fogelman Properties and DRA Advisors has acquired Fields Waterford Point, a 334-unit multifamily community in Lithia Springs. The buyer plans to renovate all unit interiors and communal spaces, as well as rebrand the property as 670 Thornton. The property offers one-, two- and three-bedroom floor plans with rents ranging from $750 per month to $1,300. Communal amenities include a business center, pool, tennis court, pond and a fitness center. The asset, which was built between 1989 and 1992, is located at 670 Thornton Road, 15 miles west of downtown Atlanta. The seller and sales price were not disclosed.
FORT GORDON, GA. — Lendlease and IHG Army Hotels have opened a 311-room Candlewood Suites hotel on the Fort Gordon Army base in Georgia. The property’s rooms offer kitchenettes, and amenities include complimentary breakfast, laundry facilities, a business center, fitness center, pool and a barbecue area. Lendlease, IHG Army Hotels and the U.S. Army have partnered to open 40 hotels across the country, which IHG manages and operates. Lendlease owns, develops and designs the hotels. Fort Gordon is located nine miles west of downtown Augusta. The base serves 109,334 people, including 17,720 active military, according to Military OneSource.
WASHINGTON, D.C. — The novel coronavirus could result in record-levels in spending for back-to-school supplies as families across the country are expected to buy more electronics to prepare for at-home learning, a survey conducted by the National Retail Federation (NRF) and Prosper Insights & Analytics has found. Major school systems around the country, including the Ivy League, Los Angeles Public School District, Atlanta Public Schools, New York City Public School system and the University of California school system have announced virtual learning or a hybrid of in-person and online classes for this fall. According to the annual survey, spending could reach $789.49 per family with children in elementary through high school, which would break last year’s record expectations of $696.70 per family. College students are expected to spend $1,059.20 per family. Retail spending from college students and their families is expected to total $67.7 billion, up from $54.5 billion last year and breaking the record of $55.3 billion set in 2018. Total spending for kindergarten through college combined is projected to reach $101.6 billion — exceeding last year’s $80.7 billion and topping the $100 billion mark for the first time. NRF surveyed 7,481 U.S. consumers from July 1 to 8. …