WASHINGTON, D.C. — Another 803,000 Americans have filed for initial unemployment insurance assistance for the week ending Dec. 19, the U.S. Department of Labor reported Wednesday. The total is a decrease of 89,000 claims from the prior week’s revised level. Economists surveyed by Dow Jones expected the number to reach 888,000. The four-week moving average increased by 4,000 claims to 818,250. Continuing claims, for which data lags a week, dipped by 200,000 to 5.3 million for the week ending Dec. 12. Prior to the pandemic, weekly first-time unemployment claims hovered around 200,000.
MILLS RIVER, N.C. — Collett Industrial has broken ground on a 90,720-square-foot logistics facility in Mills River. The property is being built on a build-to-suit basis for an undisclosed Fortune 500 retailer. ABC 13 News reports the site is located on School House Road, five miles from Interstate 26 and six miles from Asheville Regional Airport. Randall Bentley and Jordan Skellie of Lee & Associates secured the lease on behalf of the developer. Vannoy Construction is the general contractor for the asset, which is expected to deliver in summer 2021.
WALKERTOWN, N.C. — Palomar Group has arranged the $12.3 million sale of Walkertown Commons, an 81,432-sqaure-foot shopping center in Walkertown. Lowes Foods anchors the fully leased property, which was originally built in 2004. Walkertown Commons is located at 5180 Reidsville Road, eight miles northeast of downtown Winston-Salem. Ryan McArdle, Steve Collins, David Rivers, Jefferson Knox and Lee Malchow of Palomar Group represented the seller, an undisclosed regional investor, in the transaction. An undisclosed buyer based in South Carolina acquired the asset in a 1031 tax exchange.
ATLANTA — Nuveen Real Estate has provided a $114 million refinancing loan for Pennant Park, a six-building office park in northwest Atlanta’s Cumberland-Galleria submarket. The borrower, Rubenstein Partners LP, owns the 760,000-square-foot campus, which is situated near Truist Park, Battery Atlanta and the intersection of Interstates 75 and 285. Rubenstein acquired the property in 2016 and implemented $17 million in renovations to enhance the walkability of the park, as well as introduce an outdoor courtyard dubbed The Quad. Since Rubenstein acquired the park, new tenants and expansions include thyssenkrupp Elevator Americas, Arco Design Build, Artera Services, Juneau Construction and Oversight Systems. Mike Ryan, Brian Linnihan, Richard Henry and Blake Cohen of Cushman & Wakefield arranged the loan on behalf of the borrower.
MEMPHIS, TENN. — A fund sponsored by CBRE Global Investors has acquired Memphis Global Crossing, a 421,470-square-foot logistics facility in Memphis. DHL leases a majority of the asset, which is situated on 24 acres at 6200 Global Drive, 12 miles southeast of Memphis International Airport. The property features 32-foot clear heights, 125 dock doors, two drive-in doors, ESFR sprinklers and 119 trailer spaces. The seller was not disclosed, though Atlanta-based Robinson Weeks Partners delivered the facility in 2019. The sales price was also not disclosed.
MANASSAS, VA. — Berkadia has arranged a $75 million refinancing loan for Arcadia Run, a 616-unit multifamily community in Manassas. Allianz Real Estate of America provided the 20-year loan, which features a fixed interest rate below 2.5 percent. The property offers one-, two- and three-bedroom floor plans. Communal amenities include a pool, fitness center, clubhouse and a firepit. The asset is situated at 11775 Boltania Drive, 37 miles southwest of downtown Washington, D.C. Andy Ahlers of Berkadia arranged the loan on behalf of the borrower, California-based Arcadia Run LLC.
FREDERICK, MD. — The NHP Foundation (NHPF) has purchased Overlook Manor, a 63-unit townhome community in Frederick. The Low-Income Investment Fund, a national nonprofit financial institution, provided a $10 million acquisition loan to the New York City-based buyer. NHPF plans to preserve the property as affordable housing. Units will include new kitchen and bathroom components, HVAC systems, water heaters, windows, lighting fixtures and flooring. NHPF also expects to upgrade the exterior, including installing new roofs, patching the parking lot and expanding the first floors of the three end units to install units in compliance with the American Disability Association (ADA). The renovations are slated to begin in the third quarter of 2021. NHPF will utilize a $20 million loan from several sources, such as HUD, short-term tax-exempt bonds and Low-Income Housing Tax Credits. Originally built in 1985, Overlook Manor is located at 1208 Alban Court, equidistant to Baltimore and Washington, D.C. The seller and sales price were not disclosed.
WASHINGTON, D.C. — Media company The Atlantic will move its headquarters to the top two floors of an office building located at 610 Water St. within Phase II of The Wharf in Washington, D.C. Hoffman Madison Waterfront,a joint venture between Hoffman & Associates and Madison Marquette, is developing the 90,000-square-foot office building, which is situated three miles south of downtown D.C. and along the Washington Channel waterway. The Atlantic’s current headquarters are located at 600 New Hampshire Ave. in D.C. Morris Adjmi Architects is designing the five-story office building, which will feature 11-foot ceilings, 360-degree views and a 10,000-square-foot outdoor terrace. Phase II of The Wharf, which will also include retail, hospitality and residential space, is expected to deliver in 2022. Phase II will also include two more office buildings known as 670 and 680 Maine Avenue, which will be anchored by law firm Williams & Connolly LLP.
The retail investment sales market in the Washington, D.C.-Baltimore metro area, just like the rest of the United States, has been detrimentally impacted by COVID-19. Multi-tenant retail investment markets have essentially shut down, sellers and buyers are unable to come to pricing conclusions and most investment opportunities have shifted into urban areas that are experiencing more immediate distress. As COVID-19 cases continue to spike, and with further tightening of lockdown policy likely forthcoming, this trend will continue as the restaurant and entertainment industry bears the brunt of winter. This will present investors with the opportunity to purchase fundamentally solid urban real estate at a discount as the market for larger shopping centers waits to reset. It comes as no surprise that shopping center investment sales are anemic. Over the trailing three months in the D.C.-Baltimore area, there has been a paltry $49 million in sales volume across three transactions for retail centers exceeding $10 million. This compared to $196 million across nine transactions in the same period last year, a 75 percent decrease in volume. Further, of these transactions, two of them — Bel Air Town Center, purchased by JCR Cos. for $21 million, and Hagerstown Shopping Center, purchased by …
SARASOTA, FLA. — Ringling and Orange LLC, a private developer and investor based in Sarasota, will develop The Offices at Ringling Plaza, an 84,600-square-foot office building in downtown Sarasota. The 10-story asset will include five floors of parking and five floors of office space, each offering approximately 17,000 square feet. In addition, two retail spaces totaling 2,250 square feet will be located on the ground level of the building. Further amenities will include 10-foot ceilings, a rooftop amenity deck with a sky lounge and views of Sarasota Bay. The Office of Ringling Plaza will offer post-COVID-19 design elements, such as touchless entry and HVAC upgrades. The developer expects to break ground on the project in the second quarter of 2021 and deliver the building in the fourth quarter of 2022. Hoyt Architects designed the building and Brasfield & Gorrie is the general contractor. According to the office’s leasing agency, Ian Black Real Estate, this will be the first office building delivered in downtown Sarasota spanning more than 30,000 square feet in 20 years.