MARTINSBURG, WV. — Hines, along with an investor advised by MetLife Investment Management, MetLife, Inc.’s institutional asset management business, has broken ground on the first phase for Tabler Station Logistics Park, which will feature a total of over 730,000 square feet in Martinsburg. Located close to Interstate 81 on a 145-acre site, the first phase of Tabler Station Logistics Park will include two Class A, industrial buildings with each building consisting 365,400 square feet. Both buildings will feature 40-foot clear heights at first column, cross-dock configuration with 450-foot building depths, 185-foot-deep truck courts and full-building circulation with segregated car and trailer traffic. Construction on Phase I of the project is slated for completion by the fourth quarter of 2022. The overall project will feature three buildings with approximately 1.6 million square feet of industrial space. Powers Brown Architects and Pennoni Engineering designed the project. RS Mowery will construct Phase I of the development. Wells Fargo is providing an undisclosed amount of construction financing. Chuck Watters, Tom Griggs, John Carroll, Julia Craig and Eric Mitman of Hines worked on the development team for the project.
West Virginia
Equus Capital Signs Clorox to 580,000 SF Build-to-Suit Warehouse Lease in Martinsburg, West Virginia
MARTINSBURG, W.VA. — Equus Capital Partners Ltd. has signed a 10-year, build-to-suit lease agreement with subsidiaries of The Clorox Co. for a 580,000-square-foot warehouse space within the Mid-Atlantic 81 Logistics Park in Martinsburg. The new warehouse is expected to come on line in spring 2022. Clorox is currently constructing a manufacturing facility for its Fresh Step cat litter brand approximately one-third of a mile from Mid-Atlantic 81 Logistics Park. Additionally, there are two Kingsford manufacturing plants located in West Virginia. Clorox will store and distribute the products from the new Martinsburg facility. Mid-Atlantic 81 Logistics Park is situated on 150 acres off Tabler Station Road along the Interstate 81 corridor in Berkeley County, approximately 85 miles west of Washington, D.C. The warehouse and distribution building will feature 36-foot clear heights, cross docks, all-concrete truck courts, an ESFR sprinkler system, LED lighting, a 7-inch concrete floor and will be expandable to 868,000 square feet. Brad Metzger and Liz Roberts of Cresa represented Clorox in the lease transaction, and John Lesinski and Ben Luke of Colliers International represented Equus, a Philadelphia-based developer and private equity real estate fund managing firm. In 2018, Equus developed a 356,000-square-foot warehouse for Proctor & Gamble at …
RANSON, W.VA. — A joint venture between Heidenberg Properties Group and Strategic Real Estate Partners has announced plans to add a mix of uses to Potomac Marketplace in Ranson. In March of this year, the City of Ranson’s Planning Commission approved the rezoning of Potomac Marketplace to allow for the creation of a mixed-use and walkable neighborhood. Potomac Marketplace is located within an opportunity zone and can support up to 50,000 square feet of future development, including complimentary uses such as multifamily, office, medical and/or hospitality. The rezoning allows for higher density development at the site that would accommodate new apartments and offices, according to Heidenberg Properties Group. The shopping center opened in 2006 and is prominently located along Route 9. Current tenants include Marshalls, The Home Depot, Kohl’s, regional grocer Weis Markets, Petco and a variety of fast-casual restaurants such as Panera Bread, Glory Days Grill and Dunkin’.
MORGANTOWN, W.VA. — Hibbett Sports has opened a 5,600-square-foot store within Morgantown Mall. The Birmingham, Ala.-based sports retailer offers brands such as Nike, Under Armour, Jordan, The North Face and Adidas. The new location implements the company’s new store design, which features an open concept, phone charging stations and other amenities for customers to experience. The mall location also offers online, pick-up in-store and curbside pick-up shopping options. Morgantown Mall is located at 9235 Mall Road, three miles southwest of downtown Morgantown and three miles south of West Virginia University.
Marcus & Millichap Arranges $10M Sale of Multifamily Property in Martinsburg, West Virginia
by Alex Tostado
MARTINSBURG, W.VA. — Marcus & Millichap has arranged the $10 million sale of Elmtree Townhouse Apartments, a 97-unit multifamily community in Martinsburg. The property, which is two stories tall and was built in 2006, offers two- and three-bedroom floor plans. The asset is situated at 125 Winslow Drive, four miles north of downtown Martinsburg and five miles from the West Virginia-Maryland border. Marcus & Millichap’s Dana Newton and Mike Maxwell, along with the firm’s broker of record Francis McGuire, represented both the buyer and seller, undisclosed private investors, in the transaction.
West Virginia Enters Next Phase of State’s Reopening Plan, Including Movie Theaters and Casinos
by Alex Tostado
CHARLESTON, W.VA. — West Virginia Gov. Jim Justice on Friday allowed movie theaters and casinos in the state to reopen. Theaters are required to operate with social distancing guidelines in place, including limiting the theater occupancy that will allow for proper distancing, adjusting common area layouts to allow for a six-foot distance between patrons who do not live together, encouraging all patrons and employees to wear personal protective equipment (PPE) and encouraging patrons to purchase tickets in advance to limit cash transactions. For casinos, occupancy must be limited to 50 percent capacity based on the fire code. Furthermore, operators must adjust the layout of the casino to implement social distancing of at least six feet between individuals who do not live together, limit the number of players at tables to allow for social distancing and close common areas where employees or players may congregate. Justice also approved the state’s plans for reopening adult sports facilities, including indoor tennis courts, racquetball courts, outdoor basketball courts and similar venues beginning today. Youth sports practices may also resume today. Private campgrounds and state park campgrounds, cabins and lodges will open to out of state guests beginning Wednesday, June 10.
Uber Capital Arranges $11M Acquisition Loan for Shopping Center in Logan, West Virginia
by Alex Tostado
LOGAN, W.VA. — Uber Capital Group has arranged an $11 million acquisition loan for Fountain Place Shopping Center, a 226,096-square-foot retail property in Logan. The five-year loan features a fixed 4.5 percent interest rate and a 20-year amortization schedule. Fountain Place was built in 1997 at 1103 George Kostas Drive, four miles west of downtown Logan. At the time of sale, the property was leased to tenants including anchors Lowe’s Home Improvement and Walmart Supercenter, as well as Rue 21, Burkes Outlet, Shoe Show Mega Store, Dollar Tree, Southern West Virginia Health System, Appalachian Regional Healthcare and McCoy Dental. A regional lender based in Virginia provided the loan to the undisclosed borrower, a private investor based in New York.
Sentinel Net Lease Acquires Amazon Customer Service Center in West Virginia for $16.9M
by Alex Tostado
HUNTINGTON, W.VA. — Sentinel Net Lease has acquired a 68,693-square-foot Amazon Customer Service Center in Huntington for $16.9 million. An affiliate of Lexington Realty Trust sold the office property, which spans 7.9 acres within Kinetic Park. Amazon has seven years remaining on its lease, as well as four five-year renewal options, according to CBRE. The 105-acre park is situated four miles south of downtown Huntington. According to public records, Wesbanco Bank Inc. provided an $11.8 million acquisition loan to the buyer. Will Pike of CBRE represented the seller in the transaction, and Matson Kane and Teddy Leonard of Sands Investment Group represented the buyer.
Inventory taxes pose an additional cost of doing business in more than a dozen states, and despite efforts to mitigate the competitive disadvantage the practice creates for many taxpayers, policymakers have yet to propose an equitable fix. Virtually all states employ a property tax at the state or local level. The most common target is real property, which is land and land improvements; and tangible personal property such as fixtures, machinery and equipment. Nine states also tax business inventory. These include Texas, Louisiana, Oklahoma, Arkansas, Mississippi, Kentucky, West Virginia, Maryland and Vermont. Another four states — Alaska, Michigan, Georgia and Massachusetts — partially tax inventory. In these 13 states, inventory tax contributes a significant portion of overall property tax collections. From a policy standpoint, however, inventory tax is probably the least defensible form of property tax: It is the least transparent of business taxes; is “non-neutral,” as businesses with larger inventories, such as retailers and manufacturers pay more; and it adds insult to injury for businesses whose inventory is out of sync with finicky consumer buying habits. Few fixes Taxpayers have had few options in attempting to reduce inventory tax liability because an inventory’s valuation is seldom easily disputed. So, …
CAPE GIRARDEAU, MO., CARUTHERSVILLE, MO., AND NEW CUMBERLAND, W.V. — VICI Properties Inc. (NYSE: VICI), a New York City-based REIT that specializes in casinos, has acquired three such properties in Missouri and West Virginia. Eldorado Resorts Inc. sold the assets for $278 million in an all-cash deal. In Missouri, Isle Casino Cape Girardeau is located in Cape Girardeau in the southern part of the state, while Lady Luck Casino is a riverboat casino in Caruthersville, located even further south near the Tennessee-Missouri border. Both cities are situated along the Mississippi River. In West Virginia, Mountaineer Casino, Racetrack & Resort is in New Cumberland, a city situated along the Ohio River in the northern part of the state. Isle Casino opened in 2012 and features 41,500 square feet of casino space, three dining venues, a pavilion and an entertainment center. Lady Luck opened 1995 and consists of a dockside casino spanning 21,500 square feet, two restaurants and a 40,000-square-foot pavilion. Mountaineer opened as a racetrack and resort in 1951. The casino debuted in 1994 and offers a 357-room hotel, five dining venues, 1,486 gaming machines and 36 table games. VICI Properties has also entered into an agreement with Colorado-based Century Casinos …