BOCA RATON, FLA. — Office Depot, a wholly owned subsidiary of The ODP Corp., is providing $1.5 million to Feeding America, a domestic hunger-relief organization, in support of its COVID-19 Response Fund to help local food banks across the country distribute more than 1.3 billion pounds of food to communities in need. Feeding America’s COVID-19 Response Fund enables its network of 200-member food banks to secure the resources they need to serve the most vulnerable members of their communities. According to a recent survey by Feeding America, nearly 40 percent of those served by the network are seeking food assistance for the first time. Households with children are more likely to experience food insecurity, with a report by Feeding America finding that the number of food-insecure children could escalate to 18 million, an all-time high, due to the COVID-19 health crisis. “We are proud to support the Feeding America network of food banks as it works tirelessly to address the increased demand for food assistance resulting from the COVID-19 pandemic,” says Gerry Smith, CEO for Boca Raton-based Office Depot and The ODP Corp. “Now more than ever, we are committed to strengthening local communities and hope that this donation will help to provide relief for …
CLEARWATER, FLA. — McShane Construction Co. has delivered 1100 Apex, a 134-unit multifamily community in downtown Clearwater. The property offers studio through three-bedroom floor plans. Unit interiors feature stainless steel appliances, quartz and granite countertops, wood plank flooring and private balconies. Communal amenities include a clubhouse, fitness center, putting green, pool, outdoor lounge with grills, a fire pit and private cabanas. The asset also includes a parking deck with 202 parking spaces and 4,300 square feet of ground-level retail space. GSP Development developed the 15-story building and Kimmich Smith Architecture designed the community. Located on 2.1 acres at 1100 Cleveland St., the asset is situated equidistant from Tampa Bay and downtown Tampa.
WASHINGTON, D.C. — The advanced estimate for June retail sales nationwide is up 7.5 percent on a month-over-month basis, the U.S. Commerce Department reports. Consumers visited stores and auto dealerships in-person for the second straight month as businesses began reopening their doors. Retail sales totaled $524.3 billion in June, up from $487.7 billion in May. The most recent figure shows spending is near pre-pandemic levels, as the Commerce Department reported that February 2020 spending reached $527.3 billion. The Commerce Department also revised the May retail sales rate up by 50 basis points to 18.2 percent growth from April. Matthew Shay, president and CEO of the National Retail Federation (NRF), says that while the growth is trending positively, the increasing number of positive COVID-19 cases across the country could slow sales in the months to come. As of this writing, there were nearly 3.6 million positive cases in the U.S, according to Johns Hopkins University (JHU). Additionally, JHU reports that there were 77,255 new cases Thursday, setting a single-day record. “The retail sales numbers from last month were very encouraging and reflect continued progress in the right direction,” says Shay. “However, recent spikes in infection rates across the country have us focused …
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.