Top Stories

808-Windsor

SOMERVILLE, MASS. — A partnership between Leggat McCall Properties, DLJ Real Estate Capital Partners and Deutsche Finance America (DFA) has received $246 million in construction financing for 808 Windsor, a life sciences development located roughly four miles outside Boston in Somerville.  Brett Paulsrud and Henry Schaffer of JLL Capital Markets secured the five-year loan through Bank OZK. 808 Windsor will be positioned adjacent to the newly developed Union Square MBTA Green Line Station within Boynton Yards, a master-planned development that is set to span up to 1.35 million square feet. The 11-story property will include 346,000 square feet of state-of-the-art lab space, 7,000 square feet of retail and 242 below-grade parking spaces. A timeline for the development was not announced. Boston remains a top life sciences market in the U.S., with recently announced projects including the conversion of a 105,000-square-foot building in suburban Boston and the conversion of a 102,727-square-foot office building in Boston’s Seaport District into life sciences space, among others.   Leggat McCall Properties is an owner, developer and service provider for corporate, educational and healthcare properties across the greater Boston area. The company has developed over 42 million square feet of projects over the past 10 years.  …

FacebookTwitterLinkedinEmail

CHARLOTTE, N.C. — PRP Real Estate Investment Management has acquired the global corporate headquarters of Honeywell International Inc. (NYSE: HON) in Charlotte for $275 million. Lincoln Harris and Goldman Sachs Asset Management were the sellers. The property, which opened earlier this month, is dubbed the smartest building in the world given the advanced Honeywell technology implemented in the design, according to PRP. Located at 855 S. Mint St. in Charlotte’s central business district, the headquarters spans 373,921 square feet and rises 23 stories. The building is adjacent to Bank of America Stadium, home of the National Football League’s Carolina Panthers. The property is part of Legacy Union, a 10-acre mixed-use project developed by Lincoln Harris and Goldman Sachs that comprises two city blocks on the former site of The Charlotte Observer. The building design showcases proprietary Honeywell technology, supported by a unit within the company that develops building management solutions, including energy conservation, enhanced security systems, surveillance, health monitoring, air quality measuring and network-based infrastructure. The property can house up to 1,300 Honeywell employees. The building includes ground-floor retail space, terraces on the 22nd and 23rd floors and a podium parking garage with 814 spaces. “Infill trophy office properties like …

FacebookTwitterLinkedinEmail
Fountain Square

NEW YORK CITY — American Finance Trust Inc. (NASDAQ: AFIN) has entered into a definitive agreement to acquire a portfolio of 81 retail centers from CIM Real Estate Finance Trust, a REIT managed by Los Angeles-based CIM Group. The transaction is valued at $1.32 billion. The 9.5 million-square-foot portfolio comprises power retail and grocery-anchored shopping centers, as well as two single-tenant properties. The weighted average lease term of the portfolio is five years, according to CIM. The names and locations of the retail properties were not disclosed. The transaction price comprises primarily cash considerations, as well as $53.4 million in AFIN’s stock and additional considerations based on performance metrics achieved in the first 180 days after closing. The transaction is scheduled to close in the first quarter of 2022. “This immediately accretive off-market transaction represents a unique value creation opportunity,” says Michael Weil, CEO of AFIN. “We are adding significant scale while further enhancing our best-in-class portfolio with pandemic-tested assets on accretive terms.” For CIM Real Estate Finance Trust, the sale repositions the REIT’s retail portfolio to 437 credit-leased retail properties with a weighted average lease term of 10.8 years. The remaining portfolio totals 13.2 million square feet across 45 …

FacebookTwitterLinkedinEmail

NEW YORK CITY — CBRE has negotiated the $1 billion sale of Hudson Commons, a 697,958-square-foot office tower located at 441 Ninth Ave. in Manhattan. The 25-story building, which is a redevelopment of a warehouse, occupies a full city block in between 34th and 35th streets at the nexus of the Hudson Yards and Manhattan West neighborhoods. The building includes 16,000 square feet of ground-floor retail space. The seller, a partnership between locally based developer Cove Property Group and Boston-based The Baupost Group, acquired the warehouse in 2016. The partnership added 18 stories as part of the office conversion project. Other building features include 16,000- to 50,000-square-foot floor plates and 14- to 28-foot ceiling heights. A CBRE team comprising Darcy Stacom, Bill Shanahan, Doug Middleton and Alana Bassen represented the seller in the transaction. The buyer was Los Angeles-based CommonWealth Partners. At the time of sale, Hudson Commons was about 75 percent leased, with fitness provider Peloton and rideshare giant Lyft serving as the anchor tenants. The property features 30,000 square feet of amenities, including a conference facility, multiple tenant lounges, a bike room and 14 separate outdoor terraces. “This transaction is a bellwether for the resurgence of the office …

FacebookTwitterLinkedinEmail
Rivian

RUTLEDGE, GA. — Rivian Inc. (NASDAQ: RIVN), an Irvine, Calif.-based electric truck manufacturer, has announced plans for the East Atlanta Megasite, a $5 billion manufacturing plant about 50 miles east of downtown Atlanta. The site is located between Social Circle and Rutledge on Interstate 20, according to The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. Construction on the plant is slated to start in the summer of 2022, with plans to open by 2024. The manufacturing plant is the largest economic development in Georgia’s history, according to a press release by Georgia Governor Brian Kemp. With the new plant, Rivian says it will create approximately 7,500 jobs. The manufacturer plans to develop community engagement and workforce training programs in the area of the new plant. Additionally, Georgia Quick Start, a division of the Technical College System of Georgia and provider of workforce training, plans to build and operate a manufacturing training center. The Georgia Department of Labor also plans to assist Rivian in finding skilled employees to work at the Georgian plant. The plant could have up to 10,000 workers, which would mean the project would be the biggest car assembly project in the country, according to CNBC. The East Atlanta Megasite, which is located on nearly …

FacebookTwitterLinkedinEmail
AXA

GREENWICH, CONN. — AXA Investment Managers Alternatives has acquired a 23-property portfolio of industrial assets from Dermody Properties Industrial Fund II for $1.2 billion. The company is also under contract to acquire nine industrial properties currently under development by Dermody for $850 million upon completion in 2022 and 2023.  The combined 32-property portfolio spans 8.5 million square feet across California’s Inland Empire; Northern California; Seattle; Portland, Ore.; Las Vegas; Chicago; Louisville, Ky.; Atlanta; Eastern Pennsylvania; Northern New Jersey; and Wilmington, N.C. Dermody Properties will continue to manage the portfolio upon completion of both transactions, which CBRE brokered. The average age and size of each property in the portfolio is eight years old and 208,000 square feet, with the majority of assets ranging between 150,000 and 400,000 square feet. The initial 23-property portfolio was 77 percent leased at the time of sale.  “The quality and scale of the Dermody Properties portfolio, together with its resilient income profile and attractive geographical diversification, made it stand out as a particularly compelling investment opportunity,” says Steve McCarthy, head of North America at AXA.  “Logistics remains one of [our] long-term conviction calls as demand for prime space shows no sign of abating thanks to structural …

FacebookTwitterLinkedinEmail

LAS VEGAS — Hard Rock International has agreed to acquire the operations of The Mirage Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas for more than $1 billion. The transaction is expected to close in the second half of 2022. Hard Rock also revealed that it plans to build a guitar-shaped hotel, which will be located on the Las Vegas Strip. When complete, Hard Rock Las Vegas will be a fully integrated resort welcoming meetings, groups, tourists and casino guests across its nearly 80-acre location, according to Jim Allen, chairman of Hard Rock. The seller, MGM Resorts International (NYSE: MGM), acquired The Mirage in 2000. The property originally opened in 1989 and is known for its 90-foot volcano. MGM is selling to focus on other opportunities, such as sports betting and expansion in Asia. “This announcement marks the culmination of a series of transformational transactions for MGM during the last several years,” says Paul Salem, chairman of the board of directors for MGM. “The monetization of our entire real estate property portfolio, together with the addition of CityCenter and our agreement to acquire The Cosmopolitan of Las Vegas, will position the company with a fortress balance sheet, premier portfolio and significant financial …

FacebookTwitterLinkedinEmail

NEW YORK CITY — The Port Authority of New York and New Jersey has reached an agreement with a consortium of private financial sponsors to build a 2.4 million-square-foot international terminal that will anchor the south side of John F. Kennedy International Airport (JFK) in New York City. The $9.5 billion project will comprise 23 gates and be built in phases at the airport’s T1, T2 and the former T3 terminals, with groundbreaking anticipated for next year. The port authority expects for the first gates at the new terminal, dubbed New Terminal One, to debut in 2026, with full project completion expected in 2030. The overall development is expected to support 10,000 new jobs, including 6,000 construction jobs. “The time to get large infrastructure projects done is now, and I’m committed to getting JFK’s brand new Terminal One underway and completed as soon as possible,” says New York Gov. Kathy Hochul. The design-build team for the project includes AECOM Tishman and Gensler. The passenger facilities at New Terminal One will feature larger check-in, security and concessions areas. Design elements will include high ceilings, natural light, interior green space and local artwork. Technology that will be supported at the terminal include …

FacebookTwitterLinkedinEmail
10X-Living-River-Walk-Fort-Lauderdale

AVENTURA, FLA. — Cardone Capital, the Aventura-based institutional investment firm owned by entrepreneur and real estate mogul Grant Cardone, has acquired a portfolio of multifamily properties in South Florida for $740 million. The per-unit price equates to about $438,000. The sellers were not disclosed. The portfolio comprises four communities totaling 1,688 units. Two of the properties, totaling 716 units, are located in Fort Lauderdale. The other two properties, totaling 972 units, are in Sunrise and Weston, both located in West Broward County. Cardone Capital is rebranding each of the communities under its signature 10X banner. The two Fort Lauderdale properties are newly built and feature studio, one- two- and three-bedroom units. Amenities include pools and fitness centers. Both communities are located in the city’s downtown area. The other two communities were constructed in the 1990s and have value-add potential, according to the buyer. “Acquiring these four properties, essentially simultaneously, is the largest deal I’ve done in my 30-plus years as a real estate investor,” says Cardone, who serves as CEO of his namesake company. “Each property has its own personality, but what they all share is the first thing I look for in property investments — super-convenient locations in high-growth …

FacebookTwitterLinkedinEmail
The Westerly

WINTER GARDEN, FLA. — Newmark has arranged the $123.5 million sale of The Westerly, a 352-unit multifamily community in Winter Garden, about 15 miles from Orlando. Fore Property Co. and Los Angeles-based PCCP LLC sold the recently completed property to Fort Lauderdale-based Ortsac Capital Group. Built in 2021, The Westerly is a 348,801-square-foot, LEED-certified apartment community with six four-story, elevator-serviced buildings. The property offers studio, one-, two- and three-bedroom floor plans with an average unit size of 991 square feet. Unit features include LED energy-efficient lighting, hardwood style floors, stainless steel appliances, full-sized washers and dryers, oversized soaking tubs, walk-in closets, walk-in shower and patio and balconies. Community amenities include a two-story clubroom, resort-style swimming pool, two fitness centers, sauna room, wine room with multiple gathering areas and a conference room. The property also offers a package service and has a maintenance and property manager onsite. Rents range from $1,545 to $3,150 per month, according to Apartments.com. Located at 14680 Westerly Drive, The Westerly is situated three miles from Walt Disney World Resort, 26 miles from Orlando International Airport and 25.7 miles from downtown Orlando. Additionally, the property is near medical employment centers including Orlando Health ER and Medical Pavilion …

FacebookTwitterLinkedinEmail