HANOVER, MD. — Cushman & Wakefield has negotiated the sale of a newly constructed warehouse located at 7314 Race Road in Hanover, roughly 30 miles northeast of Washington, D.C. The 130,389-square-foot facility was 67 percent leased at the time of sale to one credit tenant. Jonathan Carpenter, Graham Savage, Dawes Milchling and James Check of Cushman & Wakefield represented the undisclosed seller in the transaction. Sagard Real Estate purchased the warehouse for an undisclosed price. Situated near Md. Route 100 and I-95, 7314 Race Road features 32-foot clear heights, 32 loading positions and 98 parking spaces.
Southeast
Orlando’s industrial market has enjoyed consistently low vacancy, robust new development and significant rent growth year after year since the onset of the pandemic. While fundamentals remain strong, project deliveries and changing size preferences for leased space have caused a shift in activity. From an economic perspective, Orlando is well-positioned. The unemployment rate has decreased by 30 basis points since first-quarter 2024, reaching 2.9 percent, notably lower than the national average of 4.3 percent. Over the past year, nonfarm employment has grown by 1.4 percent with construction employment seeing a significant increase of 2.9 percent during the same period. Small to mid-sized spaces For the past 20 consecutive quarters, Orlando has maintained positive net absorption. Small bay and other tenants under 200,000 square feet have dominated leasing activity, while demand for spaces over 200,000 square feet has significantly slowed. As a result, year-to-date absorption is just over 800,000 square feet, representing a 40.8 percent decrease compared to 2023’s midyear total and the lowest midyear total since 2020. This slowdown in absorption is accompanied by a rise in vacancy rates, which have increased by 1 percent since last year and 3 percent since 2022. ATR Commercial Flooring took 150,600 square feet …
Joint Venture Breaks Ground on 674-Bed Student Housing Community Near Florida State University
by John Nelson
TALLAHASSEE, FLA. — A joint venture partnership between Portman, 908 Group, Canyon Partners Real Estate and PTM Partners has broken ground on The Hall, a 674-bed student housing development located near Florida State University in Tallahassee. The property is scheduled for completion in spring 2026. The development site is located within a Qualified Opportunity Zone across from Legacy Hall, the future home of the university’s FSU College of Business. The community will offer 191 units across two mid-rise buildings. Shared amenities will include a rooftop swimming pool and a high-end fitness center. The development will also feature 7,689 square feet of ground floor retail space and 452 parking spaces. The joint venture recently secured $73.3 million in construction financing from Pacific Life Insurance Co. for the project. TSB Capital Advisors acted as financial advisor to Portman and 908 Group in the deal. The development team for The Hall includes general contractor Favergray.
Bull Realty Brokers Sale of Hotel in Atlanta’s Summerhill Neighborhood, Buyer Plans Affordable Housing Conversion
by John Nelson
ATLANTA — Andy Lundsberg and Michael Wess of Bull Realty have brokered the sale of a former Ramada Plaza hotel located at 450 Hank Aaron Drive in Atlanta’s Summerhill neighborhood. The Atlanta Housing Authority (AHA) purchased the 406-room, 246,000-square-foot hotel for nearly $17.5 million. AHA plans to convert the property into an affordable housing community and recently issued a request for proposal (RFP) from private developers. Current permits for the 3.3-acre site allow for the development of 260 apartments with 33,000 square feet of retail space.
NEWNAN, GA. — Colliers has arranged a 10-year, full-building lease at Scout 85 Logistics, a 215,822-square-foot industrial building situated within Coweta Industrial Park in Newnan, a southwest suburb of Atlanta. Andrea Hopper and Jimmy Cohoat of Colliers’ Indianapolis office, along with Scott Plomgren of the firm’s Atlanta office, represented the tenant, Integrated Distribution Services (IDS), in the lease transaction. The landlord is Miami-based Scout Cold Logistics. Situated at 495 Coweta Industrial Parkway, the property offers proximity to the CSX Palmetto Industrial Facility and Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport for IDS, a third-party logistics provider.
Marcus & Millichap Closes Sale of 314-Unit Self-Storage Facility in Columbus, Mississippi
by John Nelson
COLUMBUS, MISS. — Marcus & Millichap has closed the sale of Friendly City Mini Warehouses, a 314-unit self-storage property located on a 3.3-acre site at 7627 Highway 45 N in Columbus. Phase II of the property is currently in lease-up. Matthew Porter of Marcus & Millichap’s Memphis office represented the seller, Peter Imes, in the sale. The buyer and sales price were not disclosed. Mickey Davis, Marcus & Millichap’s broker of record in Mississippi, assisted in closing the transaction. Built in 2022 and expanded earlier this year, Friendly City Mini Warehouses features 163 climate-controlled units and 145 non-climate-controlled units across 47,720 net rentable square feet. The facility, which was 91 percent leased at the time of sale, features 24-hour digital surveillance and gated entry with coded access.
Philip Morris to Invest $232M to Expand Zyn Manufacturing Facility in Western Kentucky
by John Nelson
OWENSBORO, KY. — Philip Morris International plans to invest $232 million via one of its Swedish Match affiliates for the expansion of its Owensboro manufacturing facility in western Kentucky. The direct investment into this facility, which produces Zyn nicotine pouches, will increase production capacity by 40 percent (around 900 million cans of capacity for 2025). The expansion is currently underway and is expected to create an additional 450 direct jobs with an ongoing annual economic impact of $277 million, as well as an additional 410 indirect jobs. The Swedish Match Owensboro facility currently has about 1,100 employees. Philip Morris expects to complete the expansion by second-quarter 2025. In July, Philip Morris announced plans to invest $600 million to open a Zyn manufacturing plant in Aurora, Colo.
Public-Private Partnership to Develop 649-Bed Residence Hall at University of Kentucky
by John Nelson
LEXINGTON, KY. — A public-private partnership between Harrison Street, Greystar Real Estate Partners and the University of Kentucky is set to break ground on a 649-bed residence hall project on the university’s campus in Lexington. The community will replace the university’s former Kirwan-Blanding Complex and offer 344 units. The project is being developed to support the institution’s enrollment growth, as a record number of first-year students were admitted to the university at the start of the past academic year. Further details on the community, which is expected for completion in 2026, were not disclosed. This development is the latest by this partnership, joining 14 existing residence halls consisting of 6,850 beds on the university’s campus.
JACKSONVILLE, FLA. AND MEMPHIS, TENN. — Faropoint has purchased a 16-building industrial portfolio in two Southeast markets: Jacksonville and Memphis. The Hoboken, N.J.-based firm acquired the 1.7 million-square-foot portfolio from New York-based Brookfield Asset Management for $105 million. Eastdil Secured brokered the off-market transaction. The names and addresses of the assets were not disclosed, but the portfolio comprises 45 suites across four Jacksonville properties and 12 buildings in Memphis.
Merritt Properties Acquires 200,328 SF Office Park in Jacksonville for Industrial Conversion
by John Nelson
JACKSONVILLE, FLA. — Merritt Properties has acquired a five-building, single-story office park located at 5022 Gate Parkway in Jacksonville for $19.6 million. Karl Johnston and Traci Jenks of Cushman & Wakefield represented the seller, Boston-based Taurus Investment Group, in the transaction. Formerly known as The Meridian at Deerwood, the newly acquired property has been renamed Merritt at Gate Parkway and is being converted to light industrial use. Plans are already underway to enhance the property by installing drive-in docks and further upgrading the facilities to meet modern industrial standards. Situated within St. Johns Town Center, the 200,328-square-foot park is located directly off J. Turner Butler Boulevard in south Duval County. Space is available beginning at 3,500 square feet. Merritt at Gate Parkway’s existing tenants include DB Structured Products and MMI. Since entering the market in 2021, Merritt Properties’ Jacksonville portfolio now exceeds 500,000 square feet.