RALEIGH, N.C. — Barings has provided a $134 million loan for the refinancing of Smoky Hollow, a mixed-use property located in Raleigh. Travis Anderson, Colby Mueck and Warren Johnson of JLL arranged the five-year loan on behalf of the owner, a joint venture between locally based Kane Realty Corp., Williams Realty & Building Co. and Lionstone Investments. Smoky Hollow was completed in 2020 and is located in the state capital’s Glenwood South neighborhood. The property comprises The Line, a 283-unit apartment community, as well as a 229,000-square-foot office building known as 421 North Harrington and roughly 40,000 square feet of retail and restaurant space. The Line features studio, one-, two and three-bedroom apartments and amenities such as a pool, clubroom, social lounge, coworking space, fitness center, outdoor grilling and dining stations and a package delivery room. The office building rises nine stories and offers bike storage space and multiple outdoor terraces. Food-and-beverage users at Smoky Hollow include barbeque restaurant Midwood Smokehouse, ice cream and tea concept Milklab and cocktail bar The Crunkleton. The retail component houses other wellness-based users, such as Dose Yoga & Smoothie Bar, JetSet Pilates and FastMed Urgent Care. “Smoky Hollow is well-positioned to benefit from Raleigh’s …
Southeast
HTG Begins Construction on $58M Affordable Housing Community in Miami’s Overtown Neighborhood
by John Nelson
MIAMI — Housing Trust Group (HTG) has begun construction on Courtside Apartments II, a $58 million affordable housing community project located in the Overtown neighborhood of Miami. Upon completion, the property will total 120 units in one-, two- and three-bedroom layouts. This marks the second and final phase of a two-phase development that began with the opening of Courtside Apartments in 2016. Apartments at Courtside II will be reserved for residents earning at or below 50, 60 and 70 percent of the area median income (AMI), and monthly rents will range from $985 to $3,092. The property will feature a North and South Building, situated at 1698 N.W. 3 Ave. and 1501 N.W. 4 Ave., respectively, with both buildings spanning seven stories. Amenities at the community will include a clubhouse with a media center, fitness center, dog park and bike storage. Completion of construction is scheduled for the first quarter of 2026, with leasing scheduled to begin in fall 2025. The project team includes Corwil Architects, general contractor BDI Construction, civil engineer Kimley-Horn, interior designer Builders Design and landscape architect Witkin Hults + Partners.
DURHAM, N.C. — Developer Welcome Group has opened the first phase of Welcome Venture Park, a new business park situated on 160 acres in Durham. Upon completion, the project will total roughly 1.3 million square feet of space for industrial, flex and life sciences tenants. Phase I comprises four industrial buildings totaling 394,800 square feet. RW2 Development Co. is managing entitlements, development and project management on behalf of Welcome Group. Other members of the project team include Choate Construction, Withers Ravenel, Maurer Architecture and Sullivan Eastern. Colliers is handling leasing for the development, and U.S. Bank provided construction financing for the first phase.
UNION CITY, TENN. — An affiliate of Phoenix Investors has acquired a 411,489-square-foot industrial complex located in Union City, a city in the northwestern corner of Tennessee. MVP Group International sold the property, which is located at 600 E. Sherwood Drive, for an undisclosed price. Built in 1985 and renovated in 1995, the development comprises roughly 398,000 square feet of warehouse space, as well as 13,500 square feet of office space and a 2,200-square-foot breakroom. The building features 18 dock doors, clear heights of up to 28 feet, two compressors and an extensive racking system. Phoenix Investors plans to implement a capital improvement plan at the property.
Annex Group Breaks Ground on 542-Bed Student Housing Community at University of Memphis
by John Nelson
MEMPHIS, TENN. — The Annex Group has broken ground on a new, 542-bed student housing community at the University of Memphis. Situated within the Park Avenue Campus, the property will feature studio, two- and four-bedroom units, as well as study spaces, social spaces, outdoor living areas and grab-and-go dining options. The opening is scheduled for fall 2026. This marks The Annex Group’s second student housing community in the Memphis market.
LOUISVILLE, KY. — Marcus & Millichap has brokered the $6.9 million sale of Germantown Village Apartments, a multifamily community in Louisville. Located on 2.7 acres at 630 E. Kentucky St., Germantown Village spans 66,300 rentable square feet across 100 one-bedroom units. Aaron Kuroiwa and Sam Kramer of Marcus & Millichap represented the seller, Strategic Advisors LLC, in the transaction and procured the buyer, BlackOak Equity Management. Grant Fitzgerald assisted in closing the sale as Marcus & Millichap’s broker of record in Kentucky. The seller recently completed comprehensive upgrades to the community, which was originally built in 1960.
BETHESDA, MD. — Willow Bridge Property Co. has begun leasing 4909 Auburn, an 11-story multifamily tower nearing completion in Bethesda. The building’s first move-ins are scheduled for later this month. The project team includes architect BCT Design Group and interior designer Gensler. 4909 Auburn is situated in Bethesda’s Woodmont Triangle neighborhood and is within walking distance from the Bethesda Metro station. The property offers 167 apartments in studio, one- and two-bedroom configurations ranging in size from 364 to 1,333 square feet. Monthly rental rates range from $2,008 to $7,520, according to Apartments.com. Amenities include a rooftop terrace with a TV and grilling area, landscaped common and private terraces, glass-wrapped fitness center and adjacent yoga studio, private steam and sauna rooms, top-floor penthouse lounge and entertainment kitchen, lobby lounge with meeting rooms and a huddle/work room, reservable party room spaces, pet spa and a parking garage with electric vehicle charging stations.
FiveStone Breaks Ground on 30,000 SF Alabama Office Headquarters for Morgan Stanley in Homewood
by John Nelson
HOMEWOOD, ALA. — The FiveStone Group has broken ground on a new 30,000-square-foot office building in Homewood that will serve as the Alabama headquarters for global financial services firm Morgan Stanley. The site is located on a one-acre parcel at 740 Shades Creek Parkway, which is adjacent to Shades Valley Lutheran Church, in one of Birmingham’s top office submarkets. Carter Burwell of JLL represented the tenant in the lease negotiations, and Michael Reilly of FiveStone Group and Philip Currie of JH Berry represented the landlord. Additional partners for the development include KPS Group, Schoel Engineering, Renta Urban Land Design and D&A Cos. Hoar Construction is the general contractor for the Class A facility and expects to complete the core and shell of the building in second-quarter 2025.
VESTAVIA HILLS, ALA. — KPR Centers has obtained a $42.5 million loan for the refinancing of Vestavia Hills City Center, a 389,736-square-foot retail center located in Vestavia Hills, roughly 10 miles outside Birmingham. An affiliate of MetLife Investment Management provided the floating-rate financing. Chris Drew, Gregg Shapiro and Kelsey Bawcombe of JLL arranged the loan on behalf of KPR Centers. Publix anchors Vestavia Hills City Center, and other tenants include AMC Theatres, Planet Fitness, First Watch, Pet Supermarket, Shoe Station, Dollar Tree, Panera Bread and Dave’s Hot Chicken.
RocaPoint Signs Four Restaurants to Join $1B Greenville County Square Mixed-Use Development
by John Nelson
GREENVILLE, S.C. — RocaPoint Partners has added four new food-and-beverage tenants to join the roster at Greenville County Square, a $1 billion mixed-use redevelopment in downtown Greenville. Mama’s Comfort Food & Cocktails, Leo’s Italian Social, CRÚ Food & Wine Bar and MOA Korean Barbeque have signed on to join the 40-acre project, which will be anchored by a Whole Foods Market grocery store. The new concepts bring the number of committed eateries at Greenville County Square to 15, including The Perch Kitchen & Tap, The Salty Donut, Ben & Jerry’s and JINYA Ramen. Other tenants will include Pins Mechanical, Fairway Social, Sports & Social and Agave Bandido as the entertainment anchors and national retailers William Sonoma and Pottery Barn. The development also houses Greenville County’s newly opened 250,000-square-foot administrative building.