Virginia

RICHMOND, VA. — Pinecrest has delivered Parc View at Commonwealth, a 509-bed student housing development located pedestrian to the Virginia Commonwealth University (VCU) campus in Richmond. The 16-story community spans 275,000 square feet and offers units in one-, two-, three- and four-bedroom configurations with bed-to-bath parity. Shared amenities include a rooftop sky deck, art room, fitness center and collaborative study spaces. The development team for the project included Rycon Construction Inc. as general contractor; Hickok Cole Architects; Timmons Group as civil engineer; and University Partners as managing operator. CIBC Bank USA provided construction financing for the development.

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GAINESVILLE, VA. — Marcus & Millichap Capital Corp. (MMCC) has arranged a $14.5 million loan for the refinancing of Somerset Crossing, a 108,000-square-foot shopping center located on Somerset Crossing Drive in Gainesville, about 30 miles west of downtown Washington, D.C. Jared Cassidy of MMCC’s D.C. office worked with Dean Zang and David Crotts of Institutional Property Advisors (IPA), a division of Marcus & Millichap, to arrange the 18-month loan through Trevian Capital. The borrower, an unnamed development firm, used the non-recourse financing to refinance its existing acquisition loan on the property, as well as pay off its investor base and fund tenant build-outs and improvements. Urban Air and Goodwill will anchor Somerset Crossing in the near future.

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WINCHESTER, VA. — Continental Realty Corp. (CRC) has acquired Creekside Station, a 126,304-square-foot retail center located at 3103 Valley Ave. in Winchester, roughly 80 miles northwest of Washington, D.C. Creekside Properties sold the center for $19.5 million. Gilbert Trout of Trout Daniel & Associates represented the seller in the transaction and procured the buyer. CRC, which was self-represented in the transaction, purchased the property via the Continental Realty Opportunistic Retail Fund I LP (CRORF), marking the second acquisition in the state this year for the buyer. Built in 2003 and situated within Creekside Town Center, Creekside Station was 95 percent leased at the time of sale to tenants including Chico’s, J.Jill, Jos. A Bank, IJ Canns American Grille, The Little Gym and Virginia National Bank. The shopping center totals 10 buildings on more than 13 acres.

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If you asked any retail broker in the Richmond market in April 2020 what the forecast might look like, the response would be dark and stormy skies ahead with record-high retail vacancy rates. Fast forward four years later, and the forecast has been quite the opposite, with sunny skies in terms of deal flow and record-low retail vacancy rates, both a positive and a negative as it relates to the vacancy rate itself.  Richmond boasts close to 82 million square feet of retail space, and at the end of the second quarter of this year, the vacancy rate stood at 3 percent. Despite COVID, the vacancy rate stood at 5.1 percent at the end of 2020. The market is experiencing record-high demand for new space and about a 15.6 percent year-over-year increase in quoted rental rates due to that demand and limited product availability. Since 2020, our market has seen, on average, 2 million square feet of retail space leased per year, and all signs point to steady leasing velocity in the future.   Short Pump, Hull Street West The Short Pump and Hull Street West submarkets continue to be the prime focus of many retailers looking to expand in …

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CENTREVILLE, VA. — Finmarc Management Inc. has purchased Trinity Centre, a four-building office portfolio in Centreville, for $39.4 million. Cushman & Wakefield represented the seller, a joint venture between Spear Street Capital LLC and Partners Group, in the transaction. Bethesda, Md.-based Finmarc was self-represented. The nearly 500,000-square-foot portfolio is located roughly 26 miles west of Washington, D.C., and comprises two 152,000-square-foot buildings and two 93,000-square-foot buildings. Trinity Centre was approximately 71 percent leased at the time of sale to tenants including Parsons Corp., CARFAX, Aerovironment, Microautomation, Specialized Carriers & Rigging Association, Systematic and TriVir.

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RICHMOND, VA. — LL Flooring (NYSE: LL), a specialty retailer of hard- and soft-surface flooring, has commenced voluntary Chapter 11 bankruptcy proceedings. The Richmond-based company, which operates more than 300 stores and a distribution center in Sandston, Va., will also be delisted from the New York Stock Exchange. The retailer plans to use the Chapter 11 proceedings to pursue a “going concern sale” of its business, meaning that LL Flooring’s future buyer could continue the business as usual post-transaction. LL Flooring says it “remains in active negotiations with multiple bidders” and hopes to seek approval from the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the District of Delaware of a sale of its business in the first few weeks of the proceedings. Concurrent with the filing, LL Flooring announced it has reached an agreement with Hilco Merchant Resources LLC to assist the company in store closing sales at 94 locations. AlixPartners LLP is serving as restructuring advisor to LL Flooring, which has received $130 million in debtor-in-possession (DIP) financing from its existing bank group led by Bank of America. LL Flooring’s stock price closed on Friday, Aug. 9 at $0.84 per share, down from $3.75 a year ago, a 77.6 percent decline.

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We are fortunate to live and work in a region that experiences steady growth and maintains a healthy economy. From a commercial real estate perspective, the Richmond market is a consistent performer due to its diversified economy and reliable and consistent business drivers. Industrial and multifamily construction activity has remained strong without being overbuilt, eliminating the pattern of “boom and bust” that some other areas experience. A submarket that has been red hot is Scott’s Addition, a 20-square-block neighborhood that has been transformed from warehouses and light industrial to a mixed-use mecca of multifamily, office and retail. Developers and tenants alike appreciate the proximity to the interstate, numerous amenities and abundant diversity within the community. Exceptional walkability scores, along with a thriving restaurant and brewery scene, seem to be driving tenants’ willingness to pay the highest rents in the area. The high cost of new construction also informs these rents and, ultimately, is passed through to end users. Scott’s Addition will likely continue to be a desirable location for many, although high rents and challenging parking will remain an issue for some. Another very desirable submarket and consistent performer is Glen Forest. Primarily office- and medical-focused, this area offers Class …

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ASHBURN, VA. — Finmarc Management Inc. has sold a 25.3-acre site at 19886 Ashburn Road in Ashburn, a city in Loudoun County. The buyer, a data center developer doing business as JK Land Holdings LLC, purchased the site for $60 million. The new ownership plans to develop a new 360,000-square-foot data center on the site. The construction timeline for the project was not disclosed. Ryan Goeller of KLNB represented JK Land Holdings in the land acquisition, and Rob Faktorow, Josh Greenberg and Anna Faktorow of CBRE represented the seller. Finmarc acquired the site, which includes a 110,000 square foot office building and a nearly 80,000-square-foot industrial/R&D structure, in 2019. The two-building portfolio currently serves as the global headquarters for Telos Corp., a cybersecurity IT firm that has occupied the facility since 1988.

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RICHMOND, VA. — S.L. Nusbaum Realty Co. has brokered the $9 million sale of an industrial property located at 915 N. Allen Ave. in Richmond. James River Transportation formerly occupied the property, which totals 16,560 square feet situated on 4.3 acres. Jefferson Street Partners II LLC, an affiliate of Academy Bus Lines that acquired James River Transportation last year, was the buyer. Douglas Tice III of S.L. Nusbaum represented the seller, Storyland Properties, in the transaction.  

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LYNCHBURG, VA. — LifeSpire of Virginia has announced plans for an $80 million expansion of The Summit, a continuing care retirement community in Lynchburg, about 55 miles east of Roanoke, Va. Although the number of units was not disclosed, the company says the project will “create dozens of new residences” via 18 cottage homes and multiple villa options, as well as a new memory care neighborhood. The nonprofit LifeSpire of Virginia, which acquired The Summit in late 2021, plans to complete the expansion over the next 24 months. The Summit sits on a 125-acre campus, which comprises scenic trails; a 10-acre lake for fishing, kayaking and canoeing; and forested areas.

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