Nashville has experienced record multifamily demand in recent years, largely driven by an influx of young professionals and the growing presence of high-earning jobs within the urban core. With investment activity flourishing at more than $2 billion in sales volume year-over-year as of the third quarter, Nashville remains poised as a city on the rise. Nashville investors have continued to aggressively pursue the value-add and suburban submarkets in search of higher yield transactions, as the market’s average price per unit increased by over 15 percent year-over-year. Momentum continues to build in Nashville, making it an attractive destination for national investors looking to maximize their investment potential. Migration expansion One of Nashville’s greatest strengths remains its ability to attract and retain its highly educated, millennial workforce. Nashville is among the fastest growing markets in the United States, with over 58,500 people projected to enter the workforce between 2019 and 2024. The market consists of a highly educated resident pool, with 33.1 percent having earned a bachelor’s degree or higher. That number is expected to increase by 13.4 percent through 2024, with four major universities producing college graduates who enter the Nashville workforce. With such a sophisticated talent pool to occupy the …
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Mark Fogel, president and CEO of ACRES Capital, believes alternative lenders can maintain their flexibility and creativity where perhaps more traditional lenders cannot. He believes this will be important as the country continues its unprecedented upcycle, with a potential downturn threatening in the next 18 months or so. Finance Insight (FI): As an alternative lender focused on the middle market, can you tell me a little bit more about alternative lenders and your specific areas of expertise in comparison with traditional funding sources? Fogel: Traditional lenders offer an important role in most communities as a source of funding. However, they are restricted by regulations that impede their ability to take on riskier transactions and go higher on the capital stack. In this regard, alternative lenders can step in and provide capital and opportunity for those projects that are going through a redevelopment or are repurposed from their original business plan. FI: Do you lend against all property types and pursue projects in all geographical regions of the U.S.? Fogel: ACRES seeks out opportunities on an asset-by-asset basis. We do not necessarily follow market trends, but rather identify alternative situations where, from a debt perspective, our basis is low and the …
Despite enduring a federal government shutdown for 35 days that temporarily put a crimp in loan processing, the HUD/FHA Section 232 mortgage insurance program used to finance seniors housing properties rallied to post a solid performance in fiscal year 2019. The volume of loans closed during the 12-month period that started Oct. 1, 2018 and ended Sept. 30, 2019 totaled $3.7 billion. That’s up from $3.6 billion the prior fiscal year. The HUD/FHA Section 232 program — more commonly referred to as the HUD Lean program — helps finance nursing homes and assisted living facilities, as well as board and care facilities. The Lean process developed by HUD in 2008 is a methodology based on the Toyota model to increase efficiency by reducing waste. In short, the goal is to eliminate historical inefficiencies in the processing and approval of HUD loan applications. Dissecting the data Although the government shutdown that occurred in late December 2018 and January 2019 resulted in the program’s loan count dropping from 317 to 288 on a year-over-year basis, the average loan amount increased 14 percent during the same period to reach a record high of nearly $13 million. “This was driven not only by some …
Georgia World Congress Center Authority Opens Exhibit Hall Following $55M Renovation
by Alex Tostado
ATLANTA — Georgia World Congress Center Authority (GWCCA) has opened Exhibit Hall BC, a 100,000-square-foot expansion creating more than 1 million square feet of contiguous exhibition space within Georgia World Congress Center in downtown Atlanta. The project’s budget was $55 million. The expansion brings Georgia World Congress Center’s total exhibit hall space to more than 1.4 million square feet. GWCCA reports that more than 20 events have already booked a spot in the new exhibit space, with dates stretching into 2030. Georgia World Congress Center is situated within a mile of Mercedes-Benz Stadium, Centennial Olympic Park, CNN Studios, State Farm Arena, Georgia Aquarium and World of Coca-Cola. Atlanta-based general contractor Holder Construction Co. completed the expansion in 18 months.
JACKSON, TENN. — A partnership between DRA Advisors and RCG Ventures has sold West Towne Commons, a 180,960-square-foot retail center in Jackson. The property was 97 percent leased at the time of sale to tenants including T.J. Maxx, Five Below, Dollar Tree, Petco, Stein Mart and Office Max. Academy Sports + Outdoors, Kroger and Target shadow-anchor the site, which is situated at 41 Stonebrook Place, seven miles north of downtown Jackson. Jim Hamilton, Brad Buchanan and Mike Allison of JLL represented the seller in the transaction. An affiliate of Yale Realty Services Corp. acquired the property for an undisclosed price.
Cushman & Wakefield Arranges Sale of 334-Unit Multifamily Property in Tampa Bay Area
by Alex Tostado
ST. PETERSBURG, FLA. — Cushman & Wakefield has arranged the sale of Promenade at Carillon, a 334-unit multifamily community in St. Petersburg. Promenade at Carillon comprises 13 three-story buildings offering a mix of one-, two- and three-bedroom floor plans. Communal amenities include a pool with sundeck, outdoor grilling area, dog park and a renovated clubhouse/leasing center with resident lounge, business center and a fitness facility. Furthermore, the property encircles a nature preserve. The property is situated on 15 acres at 540 Carillon Parkway, 15 miles west of downtown Tampa. Robert Given, Capas, Michael Mulkern, Nicholas Meoli, Michael Donaldson, Jay Ballard, Ken Delvillar, Zachary Sackley, Troy Ballard, Calum Weaver, Errol Blumer, Neal Victor, James Quinn and Perry Synanidis of Cushman & Wakefield represented the seller, Boston-based TA Realty, in the transaction. Robert Kaplan, Chris Lentz and Mark Rutherford of Cushman & Wakefield arranged acquisition financing on behalf of the buyer, Toronto-based Starlight Investments. Further details of the transaction and financing were not disclosed.
NorthMarq Provides $26.1M Fannie Mae Refinancing for Student Housing Community Near University of Florida
by Alex Tostado
GAINESVILLE, FLA. — NorthMarq has provided a $26.1 million Fannie Mae refinancing loan for College Park at Midtown, a 300-bed student housing community serving the University of Florida in Gainesville. The property offers one-, two- and four-bedroom, fully furnished units. Lamar Sarra of NorthMarq originated the financing, which features a 10-year term with a 30-year amortization schedule, on behalf of the undisclosed borrower.
WASHINGTON, D.C. — The U.S. economy added 225,000 nonfarm payroll jobs in January and the unemployment rate ticked up 10 basis points to 3.6 percent, the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) reported Friday. Economists surveyed by The Wall Street Journal had forecast an increase of 158,000 jobs. The BLS also revised the job growth numbers upward for November and December by a combined 7,000. The revised figures now show employers added 261,000 jobs in November and 147,000 in December. The average monthly gain in 2019 was 175,000 jobs. Notable employment gains in January occurred in construction, healthcare, leisure and hospitality, and in transportation and warehousing. More specifically, the construction sector added 44,000 jobs, more than three times as much as the monthly average in 2019 (12,000). Economists say the relatively mild weather across the United States early this year gave a boost to the construction industry. The healthcare industry added 36,000 jobs in January, with most of those positions coming in ambulatory healthcare services (23,000) and hospitals (10,000). Employment in leisure and hospitality continued to trend up in January as the sector added 36,000 jobs. Over the past six months, the industry has added 288,000 jobs. Employment in transportation and warehousing increased by …
Forstone Capital Purchases Nashville Warehouse, Plans to Convert into Boutique Office Space
by Alex Tostado
NASHVILLE, TENN. — Forstone Capital has purchased a 130,000-square-foot warehouse located at 3040 Sidco Drive in Nashville. The Stamford, Conn.-based buyer plans to redevelop the building into a 157,000-square-foot office project with central conference and meeting rooms, food and beverage services, a fitness center with locker rooms and showers, a gaming room, outdoor leisure space and tenant programming with rotating food trucks and entertainment vendors. The building was originally built in 1962 just south of downtown Nashville. Forstone expects to begin construction on the project this month with the base building projected to be completed in less than a year. Custom buildouts for tenants will start as early as July. Norwalk, Conn.-based Beinfield Architecture designed the redevelopment, and locally based T.W. Frierson will serve as the general contractor. Bill Adair and Ashley Albright of JLL will handle the marketing and lease negotiations. Further details of the transaction were not disclosed.
ORLANDO, FLA. — DIX Developments LLC has unveiled plans to develop Vive on Eola, a 12-story residential building that will feature 120 micro units averaging 400 square feet. The development, estimated at $32 million, will welcome its first residents in early 2022. Vive on Eola’s floor plans will be similar to a studio apartment and monthly rental rates are projected to start at $1,250. The tower will have a ground-level signature restaurant, coffee shop, three floors of parking and as much as 13,500 square feet of coworking space. The site is at the corner of South Eola Drive and Church Street, which currently has a 9,000-square-foot office building that will be operational with month-to-month and other short-term leasing while DIX Developments awaits a demolition permit and other governmental approvals. Once the existing building is taken down, construction of Vive on Eola is expected to take eight to 12 months.