DALLAS — Institutional Property Advisors (IPA), a division of Marcus & Millichap, has negotiated the sale of Broadstone Knox District, a 333-unit apartment community in the Knox-Henderson area of Dallas. Built on 5.5 acres in 2021, the property features one- and two-bedroom units with an average size of 886 square feet. Amenities include a pool, fitness center, dog park, business lounge, demonstration kitchen, golf simulator, outdoor gaming area and a rooftop lounge. Michael Ware, Drew Kile, Joey Tumminello, Taylor Hill, Jeffrey Kindorf and Will Balthrope of IPA represented the seller, a partnership between Arizona-based Alliance Residential Co. and Goldman Sachs Asset Management, in the transaction. The buyer was an undisclosed institutional investor.
Texas
LUBBOCK, TEXAS — Seniors housing developer LifeCare Properties and New Orleans-based investment group ERG Enterprises have unveiled plans for The Blake at Lubbock, a seniors housing community in West Texas. The number of units was not disclosed. The property will offer assisted living and memory care units. Blake Management Group will operate the property upon completion, which is slated for 2023.
HOUSTON — New York City-based Ready Capital has closed a $41.3 million loan for the acquisition, renovation and stabilization of an unnamed, 449-unit apartment community in Houston’s Clear Lake submarket. The nonrecourse, interest-only loan carried a 36-month term, floating interest rate, two extension options and a facility to fund capital improvements. The name of the sponsor was not disclosed.
AUSTIN, TEXAS — AutoZone has signed a lease to open a 33,000-square-foot “mega hub store” at Southbridge Plaza in South Austin. The automotive retailer will operate its store, which will feature an expanded selection of parts and accessories, out of a 46,000-square-foot space that formerly housed an H-E-B grocery store. The remaining 13,000 square feet is leased to Hispanic grocer Casa Grande Supermercado. Cam Longmire and Gabe Sanchez of Weitzman represented the undisclosed landlord in the lease negotiations. Austin-based broker Edwin Williams represented AutoZone. Other tenants at Southbridge Plaza include Dollar Tree, Sherwin-Williams, Taco Bell, McDonald’s and Wingstop.
AUSTIN, TEXAS — InvenTrust Properties, an Illinois-based REIT, has acquired two shopping centers in Austin for a combined price of $189.3 million. The Shops at Arbor Trails is a 357,000-square-foot center that was 99 percent leased at the time of sale to tenants including anchors Costco and Whole Foods Market. The other property is Escarpment Village, a 168,000-square-foot center anchored by Texas-based grocer H-E-B that was fully leased at the time of sale. The seller(s) was not disclosed.
AUSTIN, TEXAS — Locally based developer Lincoln Ventures has acquired land in East Austin for the development of a 625-unit multifamily project. The six-story property at 2700 E. Fifth St. will house a mix of one-, two- and three-bedroom units, with 10 percent of the residences reserved as affordable housing. The development will also include retail space that is preleased to a café and an urban grocer. The amenity package will consist of two pools, a fitness center with yoga and spin studios, coworking space, a pet park and spa and a catering kitchen. Construction is slated to begin in the second half of the year and to be complete in summer 2024.
SAN ANTONIO — Newmark has brokered the sale of Augusta Flats, a 260-unit apartment community in downtown San Antonio. Built in 2020, the property offers one-, two- and three-bedroom units with stainless steel appliances, quartz countertops and custom cabinetry and an average size of 799 square feet. Amenities include a pool, outdoor grilling stations, fitness center, resident lounge, golf simulator, Amazon package lockers and a rooftop deck. Texas-based developer Stillwater Capital sold the property to a joint venture between New Jersey-based Strategic Properties of North America and Benefit Street Partners Multifamily Trust for an undisclosed price. Patton Jones and Matt Michelson of Newmark brokered the deal on behalf of Stillwater Capital.
SAN ANTONIO — Northmarq has arranged the sale of The Reserve at Lone Oak, a 200-unit multifamily property in southeast San Antonio that was built in 2014. Units are furnished with granite countertops and walk-in closets. Amenities include a pool, fitness center, playground, grilling areas and a clubhouse. Moses Siller of Northmarq represented the seller, Encore Residential LLC, in the transaction. Siller also procured the buyer, GV&A Real Estate Investments.
HOUSTON — New York City-based Ready Capital has closed a $13 million loan for the acquisition, renovation and stabilization of an unnamed, 152-unit apartment complex in Houston’s Medical Center submarket. The nonrecourse, interest-only loan features a 36-month term, floating interest rate, two extension options and a facility to fund future capital improvements. The undisclosed sponsor plans to implement a value-add program.
The need for affordable housing has grown, but factors like municipal slowdowns and delays in financing have helped contribute to a lack of supply. Gregg Gerken, head of U.S. Commercial Real Estate with TD Bank, spoke to REBusiness about why the need for affordable housing is at a critical juncture and why this need is so difficult to fill. Finance Insight: What is the state of affordable housing right now? Gerken: There is a supply/demand imbalance. There continues to be a desperate need for more investment in affordable housing, not less. The arrival of COVID introduced more challenges for affordable housing, but the struggle to find high-quality affordable rental housing existed well before the pandemic. Rent prices affect millions of Americans, especially those with low incomes, and rents have only increased. Furthermore, the pandemic has caused an interruption of the supply chain and much-needed new projects have been delayed. Finance Insight: Can you outline a few big-picture national trends that are most impacting affordable housing right now? Gerken: As I mentioned, the imbalance of supply and demand is negatively affecting affordable housing. Rising rental rates mean fewer people will be able to qualify for affordable housing. Coming out of COVID …