JACKSONVILLE, FLA. — Walker & Dunlop Inc. has arranged $61.3 million in financing for the acquisition of Bank of America Tower, a 44-story office building located at 50 N Laura St. in downtown Jacksonville. Adam Schwartz, Aaron Appel, Keith Kurland, Jonathan Schwartz, Michael Ianno, Sean Bastian and Ian Hawk of Walker & Dunlop arranged the financing for the buyer, Group RMC. Prime Finance provided the three-year, interest-only bridge loan, which features a low floating interest rate. Bank of America Tower is the only LEED-certified office tower in Jacksonville, according to Walker & Dunlop, and features views of the St. Johns River. The Class A high-rise building features over 662,241 rentable square feet, a five-story annex with an additional 35,881 square feet, as well as 900 parking spaces. In addition to a new HVAC system, recent upgrades have been made to the property’s amenities, lighting systems, security systems, elevator modernization, and refurbishment of all the common areas and lobby. Group RMC bought the tower from Hertz Investment Group, according to the Jacksonville Daily Record.
Southeast
America’s Realty, Partners Purchase River Exchange Shopping Center in Lawrenceville, Georgia for $19.3M
by John Nelson
LAWRENCEVILLE, GA. — America’s Realty LCC, a Baltimore-based investment group, and investment partners Borough Equities and Dragon Fly Investments have purchased River Exchange, a 263,651-square-foot shopping center in Lawrenceville. The property is anchored by Kroger, which recently extended its lease by five years. John Tennant and Bryan Belk of Franklin Street represented the local owner, Monarch Investments, in the $19.3 million disposition. Marc Tropp of Eastern Union Funding arranged acquisition financing on behalf of the buyer. In addition to Kroger, River Exchange’s tenants include Goodwill, Farmers Home Furniture, Metro by T-Mobile, Citi Trends, Habitat for Humanity ReStore, Hertz, Cato and One Main Financial, as well as a Kroger fuel center. River Exchange is located at 2100 Riverside Parkway about 29 miles from downtown Atlanta in Gwinnett County.
ATLANTA — Berkadia has brokered the $7.8 million sale of Arbor Gardens, a 102-unit multifamily property in Atlanta. Matthew White, Paul Vetter, Andrew Mays and Judy MacManus of Berkadia’s Atlanta office led the transaction on behalf of the seller, a joint venture between Atlantica and Auerbach Funds. Arbor Gardens sold to White Mountain Management, and the sales price equals to $76,471 per unit. The property was 99 percent occupied at the time of the sale. Built in 1973, Arbor Gardens is located at 5503 Riverdale Road in the Atlanta portion of Clayton County. The property is 3.4 miles south of Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport. The community’s amenities include a swimming pool, playground, sports court and community garden. Atlantica is a real estate firm based in Atlanta, Auerbach Funds is a real estate private equity firm based in New York and White Mountain Management is an independent investment firm based in New Jersey.
DORAL, FLA. — Terra and Terranova Corp. have sold a 23.7-acre site in Doral for $55 million, or $2.3 million per acre. The land houses PepsiCo’s former bottling plant, which spans 232,000 square feet. Terra and Terranova, two South Florida investment firms led by David Martin and Stephen Bittel, respectively, initially acquired the site for $40 million in January 2018 and subsequently leased the property back to PepsiCo through July 2020. The unnamed buyer shares a Santa Monica address with GLP Capital Partners (GCP), an investment firm that specializes in logistics properties. The former PepsiCo bottling plant is located at 7777 Northwest 41st St. and is situated less than two miles from Miami International Airport. The property is zoned for industrial development and can accommodate up to 500,000 square feet of commercial space. Terra is a Miami-based real estate development and investment company. Terranova Corp. is a South Florida commercial real estate investment firm.
Middle Street, PCCP Break Ground on 323-Unit Apartment Community in Atlanta’s Grant Park District
by John Nelson
ATLANTA — Middle Street Partners and equity partner Pacific Coast Capital Partners (PCCP) have broken ground on a 323-unit apartment community in Atlanta’s Grant Park district. Middle Street expects to finish the property in 2023, with the first residences available in November 2022. Brock Hudgins Architects is spearheading design, and J.M. Wilkerson Construction Co. is the general contractor. Middle Street Partners, a Charleston-based real estate investment and development company, paid $6.9 million for the land. The property is located on the Atlanta BeltLine’s expanding Southside Trail at 1015 Boulevard SE. The six-story apartment community will feature a combination of studio, one- and two- bedroom units with an average of 729 square feet. The property will also have 5,000 square feet of direct BeltLine frontage retail and commercial space, as well as an underground parking garage. In line with the City of Atlanta’s Inclusionary Zoning policy, 15 percent of the homes will be available at 80 percent area median income (AMI). The unnamed property’s units will feature designer cabinetry and lighting, quartz countertops, stainless steel and gas appliances, island sinks and top-control dishwashers, along with dedicated office spaces designed with new work-from-home policies in mind. Community amenities include a 24-hour fitness …
WASHINGTON, D.C. — A total of 793,000 Americans have filed for unemployment assistance through the week ending Feb. 6, the U.S. Department of Labor reported Thursday. The amount of initial jobless claims exceeded the 760,000 figure that economists surveyed by Dow Jones predicted but is a decrease from last week’s revised amount of 812,000. The four-week moving average declined to 823,000 claims, a 33,000 difference from the revised average for the previous four weeks. Continuing claims, for which data lags a week, fell to approximately 4.5 million, which CNBC reports is the lowest total since March 2020.
Duke Realty Signs Ashley Furniture to 336,960 SF Lease Extension in East Point, Georgia
by John Nelson
EAST POINT, GA. — Duke Realty’s Atlanta office has acquired a larger space at Camp Creek Business Center in East Point and signed a lease extension and expansion with Ashley Furniture Industries LLC, a current tenant at the park. Ashley Furniture will be the sole occupant of the 336,960-square-foot facility located at 4505 N. Commerce Drive. Jeff Maris of Ashley Furniture explained why the furniture company decided to move. “Four years ago, we found the space at Camp Creek Business Center and our needs were met. In 2020, as we experienced increased demand and company growth, Duke Realty was able to help us find additional space very quickly and with limited disruption,” said Maris. Duke Realty’s Camp Creek development in East Point is 98 percent leased to tenants including FedEx, Amazon, Dick’s Sporting Goods and The Home Depot. Duke Realty is an industrial-only property REIT based in Indianapolis.
SMYRNA, GA. — Marcus & Millichap has brokered the $9.5 million sale of the 71,273-square-foot Promenade Shopping Center in Atlanta. Tim Giambrone of Marcus & Millichap’s The Giambrone Group represented both the buyer and the seller in the transaction. The undisclosed buyer was a private investor located in Central Florida, and the seller was Charles Lotz, a Tennessee-based developer who originally built the center in 1983. Promenade Shopping Center is located at 930 Cobb Parkway S., just north of the Interstate-285 and Interstate-75 exchange. Best Buy is a shadow anchor for the center. Promenade’s tenants include Scalini’s Italian Restaurant, West Marine, Juicy Crab, Chow King and T-Mobile, as well as a Bruster’s outparcel. The Giambrone Group of Marcus & Millichap is a real estate investment brokerage based in Atlanta.
RESTON, Va. — Marriott International (NASDAQ: MAR) has unveiled plans for a $250 million luxury JW Marriott hotel in Reston, located between Washington, D.C. and Dulles International Airport. The building will rise 26 stories, featuring 250 guestrooms, 90 for-sale residential units, 15,000 square feet of meeting space, two restaurants, an executive lounge, swimming pool and fitness center. Marriott reached a franchise agreement with Comstock Holdings Cos. (NASDAQ: CHCI) to make the hotel the centerpiece for the next phase of Comstock’s Reston Station development. The hotel will anchor the Reston Row District, the newest section of the 60-acre, mixed-use, transit-oriented project. Reston Row District is located adjacent to Reston’s first Silver Line station, offering public transportation to D.C. via the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority. When completed, Reston Row District will feature two office towers totaling approximately 500,000 square feet; a 350-unit multifamily building; 65,000 square feet of retail, service and fitness spaces; and a 2,500-space underground parking garage, all surrounding a 1.2-acre central park. The for-sale JW Marriott Residences Reston units will be served by a separate residential lobby entrance and located on the upper floors of the tower. This portion of the building will offer separate spaces and amenities …
ATLANTA — Chicken Salad Chick, a Southern-inspired, fast-casual chicken salad restaurant chain, will relocate its headquarters from Auburn, Ala., to Atlanta. The move is slated to take place during the first quarter. Chicken Salad Chick’s new office will be located in the city’s Vinings district at the Overlook II building, which is situated at 2839 Paces Ferry Road in Atlanta. The company’s new office is 21 miles north of the Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport. Scott Deviney, president and CEO of Chicken Salad Chick, says the company’s decision to move to Atlanta is the next step in its growth model. “This relocation positions Chicken Salad Chick to scale at an accelerated rate and meet aggressive growth goals, while allowing us to broaden our vision for the future,” says Deviney. “We’ve seen increased interest from Atlanta’s diverse and talented workforce, and the city’s airport allows us swift access to prospective vendors and a growing pool of interested franchisees.” Chicken Salad Chick isn’t the first restaurant chain to target Atlanta in order to grow. In September, Papa John’s announced it was moving its regional headquarters to Atlanta. The pizza giant chose The Battery Atlanta for its new offices. The new headquarters will house …