From a manufacturing perspective, Oklahoma City has historically been considered a “tertiary market” when stacked against South Central and Midwest power players such as Dallas-Fort Worth (DFW), Houston, Kansas City, San Antonio, Austin and Denver. As large manufacturing users consider multiple markets in the Central United States, Oklahoma City is often included in the initial list but typically fails to make the short list for various reasons. However, as labor costs rise, Oklahoma City may find itself being pushed to the front of the line. Past Misses Oklahoma City’s industrial market totals approximately 108 million square feet, making it a smaller market than DFW, Houston, Kansas City, San Antonio, Austin or Denver. Primarily driven by the oil & gas, aerospace and consumer goods industries, this market’s fundamentals tend to move in lockstep with oil & gas commodity prices. The city has tried to diversify the economy over the past decade and bring in non-oil & gas users. But there is still room for improvement. The metro has seen its share of growth; however, overall industrial construction still pales in comparison to larger markets. Growing Appeal The industrial booms seen in DFW, Houston, Kansas City, San Antonio, Austin and Denver over …
As expected and much anticipated, the global rise in oil prices has given the petroleum industry a significant boost and spurred Oklahoma City’s economic recovery. The resurgence, demonstrated in part by a three-year-high in hiring this year, is drawing out-of-state multifamily investors and bringing greater interest from companies looking to relocate or expand. In mid-October, FedEx more than doubled its warehouse space with the opening of a new 270,000-square-foot distribution facility in north Oklahoma City. The expansion came in response to the increase in outbound e-commerce volume, another indication that the local economy has turned a corner. Most of the new jobs created in Oklahoma City through September 2018 were professional and business positions. The sector grew by 4.4 percent year-over-year, easily the widest margin of any employment sector. Overall, the total number of jobs filled during that same period was 13,500, an increase of 2.1 percent. For the complete year, employers anticipate adding about 14,000 new positions. The rebound in hiring has led to the unemployment rate dropping to 3.2 percent, nearly its lowest level in a decade. Supply-Demand Balance The city’s economic recovery is particularly well-timed for multifamily investors, as it coincides with a reduction in the metro’s …
Retail real estate in Dallas-Fort Worth (DFW) is nearing its cyclical peak, and users that want to continue expanding in the metroplex are being hamstrung by a lack of quality space and surging rents. According to CoStar Group, DFW’s retail vacancy rate currently stands at 4.4 percent, a record low that the research firm expects to hold steady or even improve in the coming years. Rents have grown by more than 3 percent annually over the last five years, and are now 15 percent higher than their pre-recession peaks. Put simply, DFW is a landlord’s market. As such, retailers that have had success in the metroplex over the last decade and want to keep opening new stores should be considering other markets. One of the ideal landing spots for these users lies a mere 200 miles up Interstate 35 in Oklahoma City. According to CoStar, Oklahoma City’s retail vacancy has grown by approximately 100 basis points over the last two years, currently clocking in at 6.1 percent. There is very little new product under construction — less than half a million square feet — but asking rents in Oklahoma City average $14.40 per square foot, compared to $18.89 per square …
TULSA, OKLA. — American Residential Group (ARG) plans to build The View, a six-story multifamily property that will be located in the Tulsa Arts District. The 198-unit project will feature high-end finishes, a rooftop amenity deck and an attached parking structure. Situated just outside Tulsa’s central business district, The View will be located directly across the street from the ONEOK Field, the home baseball park of the Tulsa Drillers. ARG will break ground early this year on The View with a projected completion date of late 2020. ARG purchased the entire square block on the southeast corner of Archer Street and Elgin Avenue from the Tulsa Stadium Trust in 2015. The lot falls within a Qualified Opportunity Zone.
OKLAHOMA CITY — Veritiv Operating Co., a provider of packaging, paper products and distribution services, has signed a 90,000-square-foot industrial lease at 5200 S.W. 36th St. in Oklahoma City. According to LoopNet Inc., the property was built in 1999 and features 12 dock-high doors. David Portman of CBRE represented the landlord, EIP OKC LLC, in the lease negotiations. Caitlin Mazaheri, Jason Hammock, John Herrmann and Travis Price, also of CBRE, represented Veritiv Operating Co.
OKLAHOMA CITY — Metropolitan Capital Advisors Ltd. (MCA) has closed a $33.7 million floating-rate bridge loan for J Marshall Square, a 280-unit multifamily community in Oklahoma City. The sponsor, local developer Gardner Tanenbaum Holdings, will use the proceeds to retire existing construction debt. The bridge structure will also help the borrrower facilitate the lease-up and stabilization of the property. Sunny Sajnani and Todd McNeill of MCA arranged the loan through Centennial Bank.
EDMOND, OKLA. AND CANYON, TEXAS — New York-based Harborview Capital has closed agency financing for two multifamily properties in Texas and Oklahoma. The company arranged a $4.9 million Freddie Mac loan for the refinancing of a 98-unit community in Edmond, a northern suburb of Oklahoma City, and a roughly $1 million Fannie Mae loan for the refinancing of a 23-unit community in the West Texas city of Canyon. Jeffrey Fuchs of Harborview arranged the non-recourse loans, which feature fixed interest rates and 30-year amortization schedules. The names of the properties and borrowers were not disclosed.
OKLAHOMA CITY — OU Medicine Inc. has acquired interests in OU Medical System (OUMS), a series of hospitals and medical facilities in and around Oklahoma City. The buyer received nearly $1.1 billion in financing for the transaction. The seller was HCA Healthcare, which sold its full interest in the system. OU Medicine is an affiliate of University Hospitals Authority and Trust (UHAT). HCA Healthcare is a joint operating company operated by HCA and UHAT. OU Medicine, a newly formed 501(c)(3) corporation, completed the acquisition with a $900 million bridge financing and $175 million subordinated debt issuance. Proceeds from the combined nearly $1.1 billion financing were also used to provide liquidity on OU Medicine’s balance sheet, fund a portion of a bed tower expansion and redeem $42.4 million of outstanding UHAT bonds. The bridge financing included $673.4 million of tax-exempt direct purchase senior bonds and a $232.5 million taxable senior loan. UHAT retained Cain Brothers as its exclusive M&A advisor to negotiate the termination of the existing joint operating agreement with HCA. Cain Brothers also acted as financial advisor to assist in sourcing and structuring the bridge financing. OU Medicine was formed to own and operate OUMS, a health system of three …
RALEIGH, N.C. — Raleigh-based Greystone Affordable Development has closed $38.5 million in financing for the rehabilitation and development of a portfolio of affordable housing properties in Oklahoma. The multifamily portfolio consists of 13 properties totaling 294 units and serving low-income households across eight counties in Oklahoma. The financing was secured on behalf of Oklahoma-based Green Cos. Development Group Inc., which owns and operates the properties. Most of the funds were placed through USDA’s Rural Housing Services and the Oklahoma Housing Finance Agency.
OKLAHOMA — Lawrence, N.Y.-based Harborview Capital Partners has arranged the $16 million refinancing of a multifamily property in Oklahoma that comprises more than 300 units. The non-recourse loan was financed through HUD’s MAP 223(f) program and features an 80 percent loan-to-value (LTV) ratio and a 35-year fixed-rate term. Jeffrey Fuchs of Harborview secured the loan on behalf of a California-based borrower, which purchased the property two years ago and implemented a $4 million capital improvement plan.