RICHMOND, VA. — Virginia Gov. Ralph Northam is expected to announce today that the Northern Virginia region will join the rest of the state in the Phase I reopening plan beginning Thursday, May 28. In a press release May 14, the governor said the state would begin to reopen May 15, although Northern Virginia leaders could delay that timeline for their respective municipalities if they felt it necessary due to a higher volume of COVID-19 cases. On Monday, 10 Northern Virginia officials, which included six mayors and four Chairpersons of Boards of Supervisors, sent a letter to Northam advising that they are ready to join Phase I of reopening the state. In the letter, the officials enclosed data from five public health directors that advised the region can join in the reopening phase. The new guidelines outline more relaxed restrictions, including upping the capacity of non-essential retail from a 10-person limit to 50 percent capacity; allowing restaurants to open outdoor seating with a 50 percent capacity limit; allowing places of worship to have a 50 percent capacity, up from its previous 10-person limit; fitness centers may operate outdoor classes; and allowing for personal grooming services to reopen to appointment-only customers.
Virginia
PointOne Holdings, NRP Group to Develop 390-Unit Multifamily Community in Northern Virginia
by Alex Tostado
TYSONS CORNER, VA. — PointOne Holdings and NRP Group will develop Highland District, a planned 390-unit multifamily community in Tysons Corner. Communal amenities at the five-story property will include a clubroom, gaming rooms, working areas, doorman, infinity edge pool, yoga lawns, outdoor activity areas, outdoor grilling areas, package concierge service and a fitness center with separate spin and cardio studios. NRP Group will serve as general contractor and property manager. A timeline for completion was not disclosed.
M&T Realty Capital Provides $51.2M Refinancing Loan for Apartment Complex in Northern Virginia
by Alex Tostado
DULLES, VA. — M&T Realty Capital Corp. has provided a $51.2 million Freddie Mac refinancing loan for The Elms at Arcola, a 248-unit apartment complex in Dulles. The locally based borrower, Elm Street Development, delivered the community in 2016. The 10-year, fixed-rate loan features five years of interest-only payments followed by a 30-year amortization schedule. The property offers one-, two- and three-bedroom floor plans. Communal amenities include a pool with sundeck, gym, yoga room, cyber café and a community garden. Situated off U.S. Highway 50, The Elms at Arcola is 30 miles west of downtown Washington, D.C. Legend Management Group will manage the property. Debra Goldstein and Matthew Hodson of M&T Realty originated the loan on behalf of the borrower.
Virginia on Track to Begin Phase I of Retail Reopenings on Friday, Says Gov. Northam
by Alex Tostado
RICHMOND, VA. — Virginia Gov. Ralph Northam says the state is still on track to begin “Virginia Forward,” the state’s Phase I plan for reopening stores, restaurants and select businesses and organizations starting Friday, May 15. Northam said in a press release Tuesday, however, that Northern Virginia localities are able to delay reopenings to Thursday, May 28 if they feel it is unsafe to reopen Friday. The new guidelines outline more relaxed restrictions, including upping the capacity of non-essential retail from a 10-person limit to 50 percent capacity; allowing restaurants to open outdoor seating with a 50 percent capacity limit; allowing places of worship to have a 50 percent capacity, up from its previous 10-person limit; fitness centers may operate outdoor classes; and allowing for personal grooming services to reopen to appointment-only customers. Some restrictions that are unchanged include schools remaining closed, childcare remaining open only to working families and entertainment and public amusement remaining closed. As of this writing, there were 927 deaths and 26,746 total confirmed cases of COVID-19 in Virginia, according to the Virginia Department of Health.
RICHMOND, VA. — Colliers International has negotiated a 38,400-square-foot office lease for the City of Richmond to relocate its Office of the General Registrar. The property is situated at 2134 W. Laburnum Ave., five miles northwest from downtown Richmond. The office is adjacent to where Interstates 195 and 64 merge. The previous office is located at 900 E. Broad St. in downtown Richmond. Harrison Hall and Will Bradley of Colliers represented the landlord, DAR Enterprises LLC, in the transaction.
DUMFRIES, VA. — Institutional Property Advisors (IPA), a division of Marcus & Millichap, has brokered the $19.3 million sale of Dumfries Health Center, a 99,718-square-foot, single-tenant medical office building in Dumfries. The property is fully leased to Spectrum Healthcare Resources. The building was delivered in 2009 at 3700 Fettler Park Drive, two miles north of downtown Dumfries and adjacent to Interstate 95. The previous owner, known as 3700 Fettler Park LLC, recently implemented upgrades that included adding urgent care, immunizations, sports medicine with wading pools and expanding the onsite pharmacy. Robert Filley, Randall Heilig, Chandler Pace and Chris Dale of IPA represented the seller in the transaction and procured the buyer, Bethesda, Md.-based Global Medical REIT.
COLONIAL HEIGHTS, VA. — Extended Stay America Inc. has opened Extended Stay America-Colonial Heights, a 92-room hotel in Colonial Heights. Each room features kitchens with full-size refrigerators, microwave ovens, cooktops, platform beds with storage space beneath, recliners and high-speed Wi-Fi. Amenities include a fitness center, laundry room and a lobby. Kara Hospitality is managing the property. The new building is located at 441 Charles H Dimmock Parkway, 23 miles south of downtown Richmond.
Amazon Executive Says Company is ‘Beginning to Scale’ at HQ2 Campus in Northern Virginia
by John Nelson
ARLINGTON, VA. — Amazon (Nasdaq: AMZN) is “beginning to scale” at its HQ2 campus underway in Arlington, according to Jay Carney, the company’s senior vice president of global corporate affairs. During a weekly webinar series conducted by Walker & Dunlop, Carney said the corporate campus, dubbed Met Park, is under construction and that the company is hiring in earnest, though he said it will “take some time” to reach the previously announced 25,000 goal. Carney, who was the former White House press secretary during President Barack Obama’s administration, led Amazon’s national HQ2 search in 2017 and 2018 to find a second home for the company outside of Seattle. The e-commerce giant ultimately chose both Northern Virginia and Long Island City in the Queens borough of New York City in late 2018, in addition to a 1 million-square-foot outpost in Nashville, Tenn. Amazon pulled out of its planned New York City location in early 2019. Clark Construction is the general contractor for the HQ2 campus, and JBG Smith is Amazon’s development partner, as well as its landlord for office space that Amazon is using in the rebranded National Landing district in Arlington’s Crystal City submarket. Carney said the company is not …
MCLEAN, VA. — As COVID-19 continues to sweep across the United States, Hilton Hotels has teamed up with Lysol and Mayo Clinic to implement its new Hilton CleanStay with Lysol Protection program this summer. The new initiative aims to “provide guests with assurance and peace of mind” when they visit a Hilton property. RB, Lysol’s parent company, will work with the McLean-based hotel chain to launch a cleaning system in an effort to keep guests safe and healthy. Experts from Mayo Clinic’s Infection Prevention and Control team will advise and assist in enhancing Hilton’s cleaning and disinfection protocols. Some features of the program include a Hilton CleanStay Room Seal, a seal on doors notifying guests the room has not been entered since it was thoroughly cleaned; extra disinfectant on what Hilton deems high-touch areas, including light switches, doors handles, TV remotes and thermostats; removing items such as pens, paper and guest directories, which will be available digitally or upon request; and the Clean and Clean Again program, which increases the frequency of cleaning in public areas. Hilton’s portfolio includes 18 brands and 6,100 properties worldwide. Others in the hospitality sector taking extra measures include Marriott International and Airbnb. Marriott created …
Hunt Real Estate Provides $12.7M Refinancing Loan for Multifamily Community in Stuarts Draft, Virginia
by Alex Tostado
STUARTS DRAFT, VA. — Hunt Real Estate Capital has provided a $12.7 million Fannie Mae refinancing loan for Brittany Knoll Apartments in Stuarts Draft. The 153-unit property comprises 14 three-story buildings that were built between 1998 and 2000. The borrower, Brittany Knoll LLC, built the property and has self-managed it since. The loan has a 10-year term with a 30-year amortization schedule. The interest rate was not disclosed, although Maria Zubillaga of Hunt Real Estate said the new rate is 170 basis points lower than the borrower’s previous rate. Brittany Knoll offers two- and three-bedroom floor plans and a playground. The community is located 35 miles west of downtown Charlottesville.