BURLINGTON, N.C. — The Morgan Cos. has purchased a former Sears department store at 309 Huffman Mill Road within Holly Hill Mall. Morgan Cos. intends to develop the 9.6-acre site into a shopping center anchored by a 48,387-square-foot Publix grocery store and 13,400 square feet of inline retail space. Prego’s Trattoria restaurant, located on an outparcel, is also part of the purchased property. Morgan Cos. will also develop the former Sears Auto Center outparcel next to Prego’s into a multi-tenant retail building as part of the project. Morgan Cos. plans to begin demolition of the Sears building next year and expects the new shopping center to be completed in 2021. Morgan Cos. currently owns a second Triad Publix and developed and owns Peace Haven Village shopping center in Clemmons, N.C.. Morgan Cos. is currently developing another Publix-anchored shopping center in Clayton, N.C. that is expected to open in 2021.
TUSCALOOSA, ALA. — Capstone Real Estate Investments (CREI) has acquired Parker 301, a student housing community located near the University of Alabama in Tuscaloosa. The community has been rebranded The Preserve at Tuscaloosa and is set to undergo substantial renovations and repositioning within the market. Renovations will include updates to all units and the addition of one- and two-bedroom floor plans; updates to the community’s clubhouse; an expansion of the property’s business center to include private study rooms; the addition of a new dog park; and a refresh of the swimming pool area. A timeline for renovations and terms of the acquisition were undisclosed.
RANSON, W.VA. — Heidenberg Properties Group and Strategic Real Estate Partners have opened the 22,000-square-foot Marshalls at The Potomac Marketplace in Ranson. In March, the two companies announced they reached a leasing agreement with The TJX Cos., the parent company of Marshalls, and would need to immediately expand the center between Kohl’s and Petco. The center now spans 379,000 square feet following the expansion. Marshalls joins other retail tenants such as AT&T, Weis Markets, Kohl’s, Petco and The Home Depot.
CHATTANOOGA, TENN. — CBL Properties (NYSE: CBL) will suspend its stock dividends for 2019 and possibly through year-end 2020 in the face of retail bankruptcies, store closures and corporate restructurings of tenants within its portfolio. The Chattanooga-based shopping center and mall owner’s board of directors will review the suspension quarterly but doesn’t expect the dividends to resume in 2020. CBL announced the decision following a review of current taxable income projections for 2019 and 2020. Unpaid dividends on CBL’s preferred stock shall accrue without interest. The suspension includes CBL’s common stock, 7.375% Series D Cumulative Redeemable Preferred Stock and 6.625% Series E Cumulative Redeemable Preferred Stock. CBL’s stock price fell in the wake of the announcement, going from $1.36 per share Monday afternoon to 93 cents per share Tuesday morning, then steadily rose to $1.03 for Thursday’s opening. Stephen Lebovitz, CBL’s CEO, says that the REIT has tried to shore up operating costs the past 18 months through reducing executive compensation and capital expenditures, as well as bringing on joint venture partners. Lebovitz expects the company’s net operating income to decline in 2020.
METAIRIE, LA. — The Richards family, the longtime owner and operator of Clearview Shopping Center in Metairie, has unveiled plans to transform the 700,000-square-foot regional mall into a mixed-use destination. Located at 4436 Veterans Memorial Blvd., the new Clearview City Center sits on a 35-acre site approximately six miles northwest of downtown New Orleans. The $100 million project will add a hotel, 260 upscale apartments, open-air restaurants with rooftop seating, 100,000 square feet of office space and green space for outdoor events and concerts. “This is what the next-generation consumer is looking for in a mixed-use development, and we’re bringing it here to the heart of Jefferson Parish,” says Thomas Richards, managing partner of Richards Clearview LLC. The redevelopment will create over 1,600 jobs and is expected to have a $123 million economic impact during construction alone, according to an analysis conduced by Greater New Orleans Inc. Once all phases are complete and Clearview City Center opens, it will support 420 total jobs and deliver $26 million in annual economic impact. Construction on the first phase of the Clearview City Center development is expected to begin in mid-2020, with the shopping center remaining fully operational throughout. The Richards family and …
ATLANTA — Much of today’s new apartment projects feature a ground-floor retail component. But developers at France Media’s 10th annual InterFace Multifamily Southeast conference actually expressed concern about this type of development approach. “The overall retail market is just not what it once was,” said Richard Aaronson, CEO of Atlantic Residential. “A lot of municipalities are recognizing that ground-floor retail in a residential building is not ideal.” In other words, if there is difficulty leasing the retail space, a bunch of empty storefronts doesn’t bode well for the overall project. Aaronson said his company is implementing ground-floor retail on a limited basis and is instead incorporating first-floor apartments and community spaces. Aaronson spoke on a panel titled, “What Makes a Development Project Successful in Today’s Market?” Joining Aaronson on the panel was Harvey Wadsworth, managing director with Mill Creek Residential; Peter Joerss, director of acquisitions for PointOne Holdings; Jason Doornbos, executive managing director for Landmark Properties; and John Leonard, first vice president with Marcus & Millichap who served as moderator. The conference took place Tuesday, Dec. 3 at The Whitley in Atlanta’s Buckhead district and welcomed 384 attendees. Complicating matters, however, is that some cities require new apartment developments to …
CARY, N.C. — Hines, Columbia Development and USAA Real Estate have signed four retailers to join the lineup at Fenton in Cary. Cosmetic retailer Sephora will occupy 4,400 square feet, women’s clothing retailer Free People will occupy 4,000 square feet and Bailey’s Fine Jewelry will occupy 5,000 square feet. CMX CineBistro will join Wegmans as the 69-acre development’s anchor tenants. Construction on Fenton is expected to begin next summer with completion anticipated for fall 2021. Phase I will include approximately 345,000 square feet of retail and entertainment space, 170,000 square feet of office space, 350 multifamily residences and a 175-room boutique hotel. The mixed-use project is located at the intersection of Interstate 40 and Cary Towne Boulevard, three miles from downtown Cary and eight miles southwest of downtown Raleigh.
CHARLESTON, S.C. — Greystar Real Estate Partners LLC has opened its new headquarters in the Greystar Building, located in downtown Charleston. The five-story, 82,000-square-foot building completes Phase I of Evening Post Industries’ Courier Square redevelopment. The Greystar Building is the second property to open as part of the first phase of development within the master plan. Robert A.M. Stern Architects, Gensler and Elizabeth Stuart designed the headquarters to fit in with surrounding architecture. The building includes 70,000 square feet of office and 12,000 square feet of retail space. The building, located at 465 Meeting St., Suite 500, features 71 conference rooms and collaborative spaces, motion-sensor lighting, filtered water machines, coffee bar, fitness center/yoga studio and locker rooms with showers.
ORLANDO, FLA. — SVN Commercial Advisory Group has arranged the $12 million sale of the MetroWest Medical Office Building, located on a one-acre site at 1743 Park Center Drive in Orlando. Rumasa Corp. purchased the fully leased property from 1743 Park Center Holdings LLC. The recently refurbished building is located near Valencia College and MetroWest Golf Club. Tenants at the time of sale included Integrative Physical Medicine, Ameri Help LLC, West Orange Nephrology and Omega Research. Gail Bowden of SVN Commercial Advisory Group represented both the buyer and seller in the transaction.
MILLINGTON, TENN. — Newmark Knight Frank (NKF) has brokered the sale of the 106,495-square-foot Shoppes at Millington Farms, a 106,495–square-foot shopping center located at 8540 U.S. Highway 51 N. in Millington. Real estate firm Ryan Cos. sold the center, located 18 miles northeast of Memphis, to Living for Life Apartments LLC. Drew Fleming, Mark Joines and Henry Kushner of NKF represented the seller in the transaction. Built in 2017, the shopping center was fully leased to tenants including Ross Dress for Less, Five Below, Petco, Burkes Outlet and Dunham’s Sports. The sales price was not disclosed.