For the remainder of 2018, positive demand drivers will alter new apartment supply’s impact on operations in Louisville. The metro has had a large volume of new apartments to open this business cycle. Since 2013, an annual average of 1,500 units has been completed, totaling approximately 7,400 apartment units. As this new supply entered the market, initially strong leasing helped push vacancy down 100 basis points to 4.6 percent at the end of 2016. However, absorption of apartments softened last year as new units continued to open, lifting vacancy back up 90 basis points to 5.6 percent. This year, approximately 2,800 apartment units will be completed, further testing demand for luxury rentals in Louisville. A team of factors should fuel positive absorption, preventing an alarming uptick and keeping the vacancy rate in the mid-5 percent range. Payroll expansions by tech firms, manufacturing companies and hospitals will support consistent year-over-year hiring and income growth this year. Sub-4 percent unemployment suggests employers will recruit from outside the market to fill open positions or hire recent graduates from the University of Louisville and other local colleges. These job gains should increase the rate of household formations and bolster the market’s millennial base, an …
ATLANTA — LMC, a division of Miami-based Lennar Co., has topped out its Midtown Atlanta luxury apartment building, Vireo. The high-rise will feature 310 apartment homes, offering studio, one-and two-bedroom floor plans. Amenities will include a swimming pool, cabanas, clubroom and an outdoor lounge area. Vireo is located less than one mile from Piedmont Park. Hoar Construction completed the concrete structural frame exterior windows, façade, roofing and site work. LMC expects Vireo to be move-in ready in the spring.
GREER, S.C. — NAI Earle Furman has represented The Taft Family Office and Appian-Gilliam LLC in purchasing a 23.5-acre industrial park in Greer. The site has a newly constructed speculative building that spans about 100,000 square feet. The industrial park was 60 percent leased at the time of the sale. NAI Earle Furman will also handle the management and marketing of the rebranding of the park, now called The Inland Distribution Center. The center is located a few miles off Interstate 85 and neighbors the South Carolina Ports Authority’s Inland Port Greer. The seller and sales price were undisclosed.
PENSACOLA, FLA. — Institutional Property Advisors (IPA) has brokered the $29 million sale of Fairfield Lakes Apartments in Pensacola. Built in 2003, the 268-unit apartment complex comprises 16 residential buildings, a clubhouse and seven garages, as well as a swimming pool, fitness center, playground and a tennis court. Nearby employment centers include the Naval Air Station Pensacola, Corry Station and Saufley Field, a military airport and support facility. Frank Carriera and Michael Regan of IPA represented the undisclosed seller. IPA is a division of Marcus & Millichap.
COLUMBIA, S.C. — Adventurous Journeys Capital Partners (AJ) has purchased the Inn at USC, a 116-room hotel located near the campus of University of South Carolina in Columbia. The hotel will undergo renovations throughout its common areas in the spring. The hotel and common areas are expected to remain open throughout the renovation process. The hotel is set to become part of AJ’s Graduate Hotels collection next fall. This is the first planned hotel for Graduate Hotels in the Carolinas. Arpit Shah of CBRE represented the sellers, University Foundations and IMIC Hotels. The sales price was not disclosed.
GLEN BURNIE, MD. — Ollie’s Bargain Outlet Holdings Inc. has opened a new store in Glen Burnie to mark its 300th location. The new store is located about 10 miles south of downtown Baltimore in a former Toys “R” Us. The Harrisburg, Pa.-based company opened its first store 36 years ago in Mechanicsburg, Pa., and now has stores in 23 states. The milestone location was opened on the same day as several other Ollie’s Bargain Outlet stores, bringing the company’s total to 303. Ollie’s Bargain Outlet is one of America’s largest retailers of closeout merchandise and excess inventory, including books, groceries and household items.
ALEXANDRIA, VA. — StonebridgeCarras has been selected to build the Virginia Tech Innovation Campus, a $1 billion, 1 million-square-foot, technology-focused campus in Alexandria, less than two miles from Amazon’s HQ2 future site. Virginia Tech and the State of Virginia will each put forth $250 million to the new campus. Further funds are expected to come via private philanthropy, industry partnerships and other revenue streams. The new campus will be situated in River Landing, a newly branded neighborhood encompassing parts of Pentagon City and Crystal City in Arlington and Potomac Yard in nearby Alexandria. The land is owned by investment firm Blackstone Group LP. The campus will include 300,000 square feet of academic space and research and development facilities, 250,000 square feet of partner space dedicated to startups and corporate facilities, 350,000 square feet of housing space for students and faculty and 100,000 square feet of retail and support spaces. An expected date of completion was not disclosed, but Virginia Tech officials say the first 100 master’s program students will enroll next year in a temporary space. The school also announced Bethesda, Md.-based StonebridgeCarras and the City of Alexandria have agreed to expedite construction.
ATLANTA — EDENS and Crescent Communities have broken ground on Phase II of Moores Mill, a mixed-use development in Atlanta’s Upper Westside neighborhood. Charlotte-based Crescent Communities, a multifamily developer, will build 345 units across three buildings over five acres called NOVEL Upper Westside. The complex will total 300,000 square feet and offer one- , two- and three-bedroom options. Amenities are set to include a fitness center, pool, courtyard, refined rooftop lounge and a dog park. EDENS, a national retail real estate owner, will develop 15,000 square feet of retail. The Columbia, S.C.-based developer built the 45,000-square-foot Publix in Phase I of Moores Mill and has invested in green space renovation at nearby Sara Gonzalez Park. Completion of Phase II is expected in 2020.
GAINESVILLE, FLA. — The Bainbridge Cos. has acquired an 11-acre site in Gainesville located near the University of Florida for the development of a 492-bed student housing community. The property — to be named Campus Circle Gainesville — will be developed in a joint venture with Diamond Realty Investments Inc. The four-story, garden-style community will offer shared amenities including an outdoor lounge and study area; resort-style courtyards; swimming pool with private cabanas; 24-hour fitness center with a cardio theater and yoga studio; clubhouse featuring lounge space and a game room; 24-hour private study space with group study areas and a large conference room; and dog-walking trails. The property is set to open prior to the 2020-2021 academic year.
SUMMERVILLE, S.C. — Nexton and RealtyLink Commercial have announced a list of 22 tenants that will occupy Nexton Square, a shopping center in Summerville that is set to open this summer. The vendors include Tropical Smoothie Café, The Bicycle Shoppe and Fuji Sushi, as well as other restaurants, apparel, beauty, fitness, entertainment and finance tenants. The first buildings are scheduled to be available to tenants for up-fit later this year. Nexton Square will be located in Summerville’s Nexton master-planned community, which is located about 25 miles northwest of downtown Charleston. The design team includes architect McMilan Padzen Smith Architects, civil engineer and landscape architect Seamon Whiteside, construction manager Landmark Construction and general contractor Ordner Construction.