BETHESDA, MD. — Marriott International Inc. (NASDAQ: MAR) has named Tony Capuano as the new CEO. This news follows the recent death of previous CEO, Arne Sorenson. Marriott also named Stephanie Linnartz as its new president. Linnartz was previously the Marriott group president in charge of consumer operations, emerging businesses, and technology. Capuano has been with the Marriott for 25 years, and he will be the company’s fourth CEO. He is taking over the hotel corporation at a time where the travel and hospitality industry is suffering due to travel restrictions and the COVID-19 pandemic. According to an article by The Wall Street Journal, Capuano stated that he plans to run the Marriott in a similar way as Sorenson did. Before Sorenson was diagnosed with cancer, he would be on the road for more than 200 days a year for work.
MADISON, GA. — Woda Cooper Co. and Parallel Housing Inc. have broken ground on Canaan Crossing, a new 60-unit, $13 million affordable housing community in Madison. The property will be located at the corner of Wheat and March streets in Madison’s Canaan historic neighborhood. Canaan Crossing will include 60 townhomes and apartments with -one, -two and -three-bedroom units for families earning up to 60 percent of area median income (AMI). The development is expected to be certified LEED for Homes Gold. Each unit will have a high efficiency HVAC system and Energy Star appliances, including dishwashers and washer/dryer hookups, as well as high-quality finishes such as vinyl tile. Community amenities will include a playground, community gardens, a covered picnic area with tables and grills, onsite management/leasing office and a multipurpose room with kitchenette and laundry facility. In addition, there will be dedicated space available to provide private preventive health screening and wellness programs to the residents. The Georgia Department of Community Affairs provided funding through the allocation of federal and state Low-Income Housing Tax Credits and a HOME loan. CREA LLC invested in the allocated tax credits in exchange for equity financing to assure long-term affordability for Canaan Crossing. Summit …
PRINCE GEORGE, VA. — The Hollingsworth Cos. is developing a 650,250-square-foot speculative industrial building in Southpoint Business Park located at 8000-8072 Quality Drive in Prince George. This property will be the 12th and largest facility developed by The Hollingsworth Cos. in Southpoint Business Park. The speculative tilt-wall building will feature 40-foot clear heights, 60- by 60-foot column spacing, 142 dock doors and 177 trailer drops. After the new facility is built, Southpoint Business Park will have 1.6 million square feet of industrial space.
BALTIMORE — 28 Walker Development will build a five-story, 125,000-square-foot office building at 4010 Boston St. in Baltimore City, known as 40TEN. The Class A office space will be delivered in early 2022. 40TEN is the first commercial office building in downtown Baltimore constructed entirely using heavy wood timber materials. 28 Walker chose to utilize heavy timber based on the material’s positive energy efficiency attributes, with flooring, columns and exposed ceilings all comprising natural wood. 40TEN is part of the Collective at Canton, a mixed-use project developed by 28 Walker that features a Sprouts Farmers Market, Sola Salon and Chase Bank. Future plans include an apartment community built by Greystar and a hotel. The office building will feature a communal rooftop amenity deck free to all tenants, with half for conference facilities and kitchen space and the other half being a space to eat and relax. The property features 14-foot ceiling heights and enlarged windows to maximize the amount of natural light entering the building. The building will include a fitness center, touchless entry systems, antimicrobial finishes and specialty HVAC systems engineered to improve air quality and stimulate outdoor air flow. Free parking will be available to all tenants. Celebree …
DELAND, FLA. — Franklin Street has secured a 136,000-square-foot, full-building warehouse lease with trailer manufacturing company ALCOM LLC. The property is located at 2526 W. New York Ave. in Deland. Franklin Street’s industrial team negotiated the lease on behalf of the landlord, Blackmore Family Trust. ALCOM’s new facility is approximately 40 miles north of Orlando and is close to major highways such as State Road 44, Interstate 75, Interstate 95, Florida’s Turnpike and Interstate 4. The facility features 24-foot clear heights, 3,600 square feet of office space, 21 dock doors and upgraded electricity and lighting. Previously occupied by a cabinet manufacturer, the property is currently being renovated to accommodate ALCOM’s manufacturing needs. The firm is expected to take occupancy of the property this month.
The pandemic has forced the appraisal business into a surreal experience: many valuation professionals had their physical connections to the market severed or diminished. The question became: how best to assign value to the properties that appraisers are tasked with assessing especially while the demand for valuation has grown. Where does the rise of automatic valuation systems (AVSs) fit in with the valuation process? Karl Finkelstein, vice president of Business Development and senior managing director for Valbridge Property Advisors, spoke recently to REBusinessOnline. He explains, “The appraisal business is still all about reporting on what we see in the marketplace. That hasn’t changed. What has changed is our physical connection to the market — talking with market participants and attempting to read the tea leaves.” As for many companies, the past few months have been a time of reassessment and reengagement with the technology and tools at hand. “We’ve had to rethink how we do inspections; we’ve had to rethink how we physically interact. Technology has given us a big hand with that, and it has changed some of the some of the ways we do business and enhanced others,” says Finkelstein. A Hands-On Business, Socially Distanced Physical inspections remain …
NASHVILLE, TENN. — Albion Residential will develop Albion in the Gulch, a $140 million apartment tower at 645 Division St. in Nashville. Hartford Investment Management Co. provided a $87.2 million loan for the project. Albion in the Gulch will include 415 studios to three-bedroom units, as well as two-story townhomes within the tower. The 20-story property will feature interactive events, as well as its own comedy club that will double as a karaoke venue. Community amenities will include a coffee shop, indoor dog run and spa, a poolside tiki bar, indoor/outdoor fitness facility, golf putting greens and simulation room and 10,000-square-foot sharable workspace. The property will be situated on a 1.3-acre site in Nashville’s Gulch district with 364 parking spaces. Clark Construction is the general contractor, and Hartshorne Plunkard Architecture is the architect. Barge Cauthen & Associates is in charge of planning and engineering, Hodgson Douglas is in charge of landscape architecture, Stanley D. Lindsey & Associates is the structural engineer and I.C. Thomasson Associates Inc. is the MEP engineer. Waller Lansden and Carter-Haston are providing management, legal, and leasing services. Chicago-based Cyclone Energy is handling LEED engineering as Albion is seeking LEED Silver certification for the project. Construction is …
MIAMI — Target has signed a 77,000-square-foot lease as part of Terra’s CentroCity mixed-use redevelopment located at 3825 NW 7th St. in Miami. Construction is expected to start this summer. Arquitectonica and RSP Architects are designing CentroCity. As part of the CentroCity project, Terra is redeveloping what was previously known as Central Shopping Plaza into a 38-acre mixed-use project. The plans for CentroCity includes up to 1,200 residential apartments, green space for residents, an office building and a shopping center with 300,000 square feet of retail and restaurant space. CentroCity will be located 2.9 miles from Miami International Airport. CentroCity will feature three eight-story multifamily buildings with 460 rental apartments. Future phases with additional multifamily units and a 250,000-square-foot Class A commercial office building are also planned. The project’s plan includes seven new multifamily buildings lining the property behind the Target-anchored shopping center. The residential buildings will feature a series of courtyards, pool decks and landscaped sidewalks. Units will range from one- to three-bedroom apartments measuring between 500 and 1,250 square feet. Community amenities will include multiple pools, poolside cabanas, barbecue grill areas, a children’s playground, a dog park, resident lounges and game rooms.
ATLANTA — Airbnb plans to open a technical hub in Atlanta by the end of 2021. The company did not disclose what area of Atlanta that it is going to occupy. The San Francisco-based lodging company originally made plans to open the hub in 2019 but had to stop development due to travel restrictions and the COVID-19 pandemic. In May 2020, Airbnb had to let 25 percent of its team go. Now that travel is picking up again, Airbnb has decided to move forward with its East Coast expansion. Airbnb anticipates the hub will be home to one of its product developments teams and will become the regional base for hundreds of technical and non-technical roles over time. Atlanta was the city that Airbnb choose due to many factors, including strong educational infrastructure and supporting communities of color. If any economic incentives or credits are associated with the East Coast hub location, Airbnb plans to donate them back to Atlanta for community impact initiatives.
PORTSMOUTH, VA. — Blackfin Real Estate Investors and GMF Capital LLC have partnered to purchase Pepperwood Townhomes and Towne Point Landing Apartments in Portsmouth for $35.5 million. This transaction represented the joint venture’s fourth acquisition from the undisclosed seller and was done directly by Blackfin/GMF without intermediation. Built in 1981, Pepperwood Townhomes is located at 3790 Pepperwood Court. The 155-unit apartment community offers one-, two- and three- bedroom units. The community amenities include a fitness center, pool, playground, picnic area, grill, business center and clubhouse. The rent ranges from $990 to $1,579. The companies plan to upgrade the common areas, amenities, exteriors and complete unit renovations at both properties. Towne Point Landing Apartments is situated at 3802 Towne Point Road. The 193-unit complex offers one-, two- and three- bedroom apartment homes. Community amenities include a pool, playground, tennis court, volleyball court, patio, grill and public transportation. Both Pepperwood Townhomes and Towne Point Landing were 99 percent occupied at the time sale. This is the sixth transaction between Blackfin and GMF Capital and the companies’ second acquisition together in the region.