WACO, TEXAS — Irving, Texas-based Darwin German Real Estate Investments has acquired The Villages, a 108-unit multifamily property located adjacent to Baylor University’s campus in Waco. The property was originally built on 4.5 acres in 1982 and was 88 percent occupied at the time of sale. A Dallas-based investor sold the asset in an off-market transaction for an undisclosed price.
IRVING, TEXAS — Affiliates of Apollo Global Management Inc. (NYSE: APO) have entered into an agreement to buy discount retailer Michaels (NASDAQ: MIK) and take the company private in a deal that is valued at approximately $5 billion. Under the terms of the agreement, Apollo will tender an offer to acquire all outstanding shares of Michaels common stock for $22 per share in cash. The purchase price represents a 47 percent premium over the Irving-based arts and crafts retailer’s closing stock price on Feb. 26, the last trading day prior to press speculation about a potential transaction involving Michaels. The deal is expected to close during the first half of Michaels’ fiscal year. “Michaels has continued to elevate its position as the leading player in the exciting arts and crafts industry,” said Andrew Jhawar, Apollo Global Management’s senior partner and head of retail and consumer group. “We believe there is a significant opportunity to enhance the Michaels brand, store experience and omnichannel offering to its customers across North America.” Michaels currently operates about 1,250 stores across the United States and Canada and employs approximately 45,000 people.
HOUSTON — Walker & Dunlop has hired a former Berkadia multifamily investment sales team to its Houston office that consists of Ryan Epstein, Jennifer Ray, Nathan Jones, Scott Bray, Leslie Ginzel, Lauren Ehlers, Jamie VanWunnik and Chris Cassidy. The team, led by Epstein and Ray, brings approximately 30 years of multifamily investment sales experience within the Houston market to Walker & Dunlop. Epstein and Ray have transacted more than $7.5 billion in apartment sales over the course of their careers.
FLOWER MOUND, TEXAS — An undisclosed global provider of wireless telecommunications services has signed a 274,994-square-foot industrial lease at Lakeside Ranch Business Park in the Fort Worth suburb of Flower Mound. The tenant will occupy the entirety of Lakeside Ranch 350, a building that was developed speculatively by Indianapolis-based Duke Realty. Mark Miller, Rick Medinis and Randy Wood of NAI Robert Lynn, along with internal agent Matt Hyman, represented Duke Realty in the lease negotiations. Mitchell Wolf of Newmark represented the tenant.
FORT WORTH, TEXAS — Institutional Property Advisors (IPA), a division of Marcus & Millichap, has negotiated the sale of The Union at River East, a 181-unit multifamily community in Fort Worth. Built on three acres in 2019, the property features studio, one- and two-bedroom units with an average size of 883 square feet. Amenities include a pool, coworking area, lounge, dog park and a package concierge system. Drew Kile, Joey Tumminello, Will Balthrope and Grant Raymond of IPA represented the seller, Criterion Development Partners, and procured the buyer, MBP Capital.
FORT WORTH, TEXAS — Dodson Commercial Real Estate has broken ground on The 701, a redevelopment of historic buildings in Fort Worth located at the corner of Hemphill Street and West Magnolia Avenue. The project, which is slated for an early 2022 completion, will ultimately feature 68,000 square feet of retail, restaurant, office and medical office space. VLK Architects is designing the project and will occupy 26,000 square feet of office space.
The seniors housing industry has had a particularly challenging year. But the latest data from NIC MAP shows COVID cases are down in nursing homes and occupancies are expected to rebound from historic lows in the coming months, says Matt Pipitone, seniors housing platform manager with M&T Realty Capital Corp. (MTRCC). It remains to be seen how quickly leasing will ramp up and to what extent rents and incentives will be impacted long term. But in the meantime, Pipitone points to some positives on the financial side of the industry. Namely, the government has provided several rounds of stimulus money, which has helped operators, especially those who manage skilled nursing facilities. And Fannie Mae, Freddie Mac and HUD have offered assistance to borrowers in the form of forbearance programs and other debt service relief. The agencies also remain active, but are cautious when treading in the sector, Pipitone says. “Fannie and Freddie have pulled back. Overall leverage is down, and there are debt service reserves required on new deals. But the rate environment is still really good. HUD, on the other hand, has been really steady. Borrowers can still get up to 80 percent loan-to-value with 1.45 times debt service …
DALLAS — Dallas-based De La Vega Development has provided updates on Phase I of The Central, a 27-acre mixed-use project located at the former site of the Leaning Tower of Dallas. In February 2020, the building at the site, an 11-story office tower that was constructed in 1971 for Southland Corp., was demolished but did not entirely collapse, earning it the name Leaning Tower of Dallas. Phase I of The Central currently includes 350,000 square feet of office space, a 350-unit apartment community by local developer StreetLights Residential, 29,000 square feet of retail and restaurant space and a four-acre centerpiece park. Complementing this first phase, JPI is currently constructing a multifamily community, bringing an additional 430 residences to the development that are expected to be complete in the fourth quarter of 2022. The other components of Phase I are expected to be complete in early 2024. Falcon Realty Advisors has been tapped to lease the retail and restaurant space.
NEW BRAUNFELS, TEXAS — Locally based developer Koontz Corp. has broken ground on The Moderno, a 280-unit multifamily project in the San Antonio suburb of New Braunfels. The 28-acre property will be developed in two phases and will consist of 10 buildings offering one- and two-bedroom units. Residences will feature stainless steel appliances, quartz countertops and private balconies. Amenities will include a pool, fitness center, outdoor grilling area and a resident clubhouse. Houston-based Garcia + Associates is the project architect. Completion of Phase I is scheduled for March 2022.
IRVING, TEXAS — Locally based retail brokerage firm Disney Investment Group has arranged the sale of Towne North, a 124,289-square-foot shopping center in Irving. Ethnic grocer El Rancho Supermercado anchors the property, which was 97 percent leased at the time of sale. David Disney and Adam Crockett of Disney Investment Group represented the seller, an affiliate of Dallas-based Nayeb Group, which sold the property to an out-of-state private equity firm. Disney Investment Group also arranged the sale of Towne North to Nayeb Group from HSM Equities for $17 million in summer 2019.