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.
Virginia
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.
VIENNA, VA. — The Meridian Group has acquired 1951 Kidwell Drive and 193 Gallows Road in Vienna for a combined $58.3 million. The eight-story building at 1951 Kidwell spans 172,957 square feet and was 75 percent leased at the time of sale. The building located at 1953 Gallows is also eight stories and comprises 256,714 square feet. It was 55 percent leased at the time of sale. Meridian plans to upgrade the common areas and amenities of both assets in an effort to improve occupancy. The two buildings are situated within a half mile of each other and 13 miles west of downtown Washington, D.C. Eastdil Secured represented the buyer in the transaction. The seller(s) was not disclosed.
STAFFORD, VA. — Colliers International has negotiated the $14.7 million sale of 50 Teach Parkway, a 94,064-square-foot medical office building in Stafford. The property was 94.5 percent leased at the time of sale to tenants including the United States government, BAE Systems and Space Dynamics Laboratory. The building is situated within the North Stafford Center for Business & Tech, a three-building office park adjacent to Quantico Marine Corp Base. The asset is situated 43 miles southwest of downtown Washington, D.C. Will Bradley, Mark Williford and Lee Cherwek of Colliers represented the seller, Golden Eagle Group.
A&G Negotiates Sale of Leasehold Interest in 10 Former Earth Fare Grocery Stores in Five States
by Alex Tostado
MELVILLE, N.Y. — A&G Real Estate Partners has negotiated the sale of the leasehold interest in 10 grocery stores previously occupied by organic specialty grocery chain Earth Fare. The grocer filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy reorganization in early February and the final leasehold sale closed Friday, April 10. The 10 stores averaged 26,000 square feet. Southeastern Grocers’ Winn-Dixie chain acquired four stores in Boynton Beach, Jacksonville, Lakewood Ranch and Viera, Fla. Austin, Texas-based Whole Foods Markets acquired two stores in south Asheville, N.C., and Chattanooga, Tenn, and Aldi acquired one store in Tallahassee, Fla. An investor group that includes one of Earth Fare’s founders and several of the chain’s former executives acquired three stores, which are located in Athens, Ga.; Roanoke, Va.; and Asheville. The group also acquired Earth Fare’s trade name and other intellectual property. Joseph McKeska led an A&G team that represented Earth Fare in the transactions. The sales contributed a total of more than $6 million to the estate of Earth Fare. A&G, an asset disposition advisory firm based in Melville, also negotiated the lease terminations of nine Earth Fare locations. The agreements with landlords were in Gainesville, Ocala and Palm Beach Gardens, Fla.; Columbia and Rock Hill, S.C.; …