ARLINGTON, VA. — JLL has negotiated the $80.1 million sale of Siena Park, a 188-unit apartment community located in the Washington, D.C., suburb of Arlington. The price equates to approximately $426,000 per unit. The property, which is located near multiple public transit stations and shopping and dining destinations, also houses 33,602 square feet of retail and 17,373 square feet of office space. Residential units feature studio, one- and two-bedroom floor plans and have an average size of 844 square feet. Units are also furnished with stainless steel appliances, contemporary cabinetry, granite countertops, kitchen islands and built-in bookshelves. Communal amenities include a fitness center and weight room, game room with billiards, clubhouse, outdoor pool, rooftop deck, coffee bar and cybercafé. Walter Coker, Brian Crivella, Robert Jenkins and Bill Gribbin of JLL represented the seller, Zurich Alternative Management, in the transaction. The buyer was not disclosed. — Taylor Williams
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MetLife, Norges Bank Acquire One Memorial Drive Office Tower in Cambridge, Massachusetts for $825.1M
CAMBRIDGE, MASS. — MetLife Investment Management, the institutional asset management business of MetLife Inc., and Norges Bank Investment Management, the asset management division of Norges Bank, have acquired One Memorial Drive, a Class A office building in Cambridge, for $825.1 million. Oxford Properties Group and a fund advised by J.P. Morgan Global Alternatives sold the property for over $2,000 per square foot. Located on the Charles River about 0.7 mile from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, One Memorial Drive is a 17-story building with 409,422 square feet of leasable space. Built in 1986 and renovated in 2018, the fully occupied property has two long-term tenants, InterSystems Corp., a Cambridge-based data technology provider, and Microsoft Corp., a Redmond, Wash.-based computer software and electronics retailer. In 2017, the previous owner increased the leasable area of the building by more than 10 percent by converting an entire floor of underutilized parking into office space. The new transformed office space was then leased to InterSystems. “We continue to see significant areas of opportunity within the commercial real estate sector despite the challenges posed by the pandemic over the last 18 months,” says Robert Merck, global head of real estate and agriculture at MetLife Investment …
EAST GREENWICH, N.J. — CRG, the real estate development and investment arm of Clayco, has sold two speculative industrial facilities located in East Greenwich for $107.7 million. The portfolio includes The Cubes at Huff Lane, a 283,040-square-foot building, and The Cubes at Harmony Road, a 252,750-square-foot building, both located in the East Greenwich Logistics Center about 20 miles southwest of Philadelphia. The buyer was Carson, Calif.-based Watson Land Co. JLL both brokered the sale and the leasing process for both fully occupied facilities. John Plower, Ryan Cottone, Zach Maguire, Paul Torosian, Dean Torosian and Nate Demetsky of JLL represented the seller in the transaction. CRG developed both buildings in a joint venture partnership with Pacific Coast Capital Partners LLC, completing them in September 2020. Lamar Johnson Collaborative designed the facilities, which feature 36-foot clear heights and early suppression fast response fire sprinkler systems. The Cubes at Huff Lane features 43 loading doors, 187 parking spaces and 60 trailer stalls, while The Cubes at Harmony Road — which is leased to a global e-commerce fulfillment company — includes 38 loading doors, 208 parking spaces and 79 trailer stalls. CRG develops its industrial buildings under The Cubes brand, which prioritizes core national markets …
HUNTSVILLE, ALA. — Nicol Investment Co. has started construction of Upland Park, a $200 million mixed-use project in Huntsville. The 60-acre project will include multifamily and senior living residences, restaurants, retail, office, entertainment and green space. Located on Enterprise Way at Cummings Research Park, Upland Park will be anchored by HQ, a creative office and retail project being co-developed with Nashville-based Vintage South. The master plan includes The Kelvin, a 301-unit apartment community; Vitality at Upland Park, a 189-unit senior living property; and The Collins, a 334-unit multifamily project featuring 150 Big House units designed by Humphreys & Partners. Big House units offer private garages and entrances. “Huntsville is a dynamic, growing city driven by the defense and aerospace industries, research and education,” says Mark Nicol, president of Nicol Investment. “The migration of national corporations and agencies flocking to this vibrant city as well as the organic growth of local businesses is remarkable, and we are eager to help facilitate Huntsville’s continued success,” adds Nathan Lyons, founder and CEO of Vintage South. Nicol is partnering with independent living, assisted living and memory care provider Vitality Living for the development and management of Vitality at Upland Park. Nashville-based Centric Architecture is …
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PRP Sells Four Office Campuses for $1B, Makes $2B Commitment for Logistics and Data Center Acquisitions
by John Nelson
WASHINGTON, D.C. — PRP, a privately held real estate investment and management firm based in Washington, D.C., is making a sea change as it looks to bolster its logistics and data center portfolio and churn its office assets. The company is in the process of selling four office campuses in separate deals totaling more than $1 billion. At the same time, PRP is allocating $2 billion to acquire logistics facilities leased to credit-worthy companies in primary and secondary markets, as well as data centers and land zoned for future data centers. The specific locations of the assets were not disclosed. “The assets that we are acquiring are located in attractive markets backed by solid demographics, high barriers to entry and historically high industrial occupancy rates,” says Joe Neckles, managing director of net lease acquisitions at PRP. “The logistics and data center sectors remained highly resilient throughout the pandemic and continue to grow at rates well in excess of inflation.” The office assets that PRP is selling include Sequoia Plaza, a 370,000-square-foot campus spanning three buildings in Northern Virginia’s Arlington County. The property houses the headquarters of Arlington County’s Department of Human Services and the Arlington County Public School System. An …
WHITE PLAINS, N.Y. — A joint venture led by locally based development and investment firm Rose Associates Inc. has received $181.9 million in financing for a multifamily redevelopment project in White Plains, a northern suburb of New York City. Los Angeles-based Pacific Western Bank provided a $134.5 million senior construction loan for the project. New York City-based Square Mile Capital contributed a $47.4 million preferred equity investment to round out the capital stack. The joint venture, the other members of which were not disclosed, will convert a vacant office building located at 440 Hamilton Ave. into a 13-story, 255-unit apartment community that will be known as The Lofts. This building will include 3,400 square feet of retail space. The development team also plans to construct a seven-story, 213-unit multifamily family building on the site from the ground up. The final piece of construction will be a six-story, 575-space parking garage. The development will feature a suite of Class A amenities that includes a pool and a fitness center. Of the development’s 468 total units, 8 percent (approximately 37 residences) will be earmarked as affordable housing. Specific income restrictions for these units were not disclosed. A construction timeline for the groundbreaking …
MIAMI, FLA. — Melo Group has completed Downtown 5th, a pair of 52-story towers in downtown Miami with 1,042 rental apartments and approximately 12,500 square feet of ground-floor retail space. Construction began in late 2019 and move-ins are currently underway. Downtown 5th apartments include one-, two- and three-bedroom units measuring between 650 and 1,200 square feet in size. Monthly rental rates range from approximately $1,700 to $4,000. East Tower is now open for tenant move-ins, and South Tower is about to open. Both towers are fully leased. “As corporations, finance firms and tech companies continue to look to relocate or expand to downtown Miami, the city is evolving into a global destination for business and lifestyle,” says Martin Melo, principal of the Melo Group. “We’re seeing people moving here from major cities across the country. At Downtown 5th, about 25 percent of our tenants are coming from out of state, with many relocating from cities in the northeast and California.” Located at 55 & 25 NE 5th St. in the center of downtown Miami’s Central Business District, Downtown 5th is situated approximately seven miles from the Miami International Airport and is about 5.9 miles from Miami Beach. The property is …
Standard Communities, Faring Plan to Build $2B in Middle-Income Housing in California Within Two Years
by Amy Works
LOS ANGELES — Standard Communities and Faring have formed a joint venture with plans to create more than $2 billion of middle-income housing across California over the next 18 to 24 months. The strategic partnership, Standard-Faring Essential Housing, will engage in both ground-up construction of middle-income rental housing and the acquisition and conversion of existing market-rate properties. The partnership recently created more than 650 units of dedicated middle-income housing in Southern California with a total capitalization of over $400 million. The transactions utilized tax-exempt bond financing provided by CSCDA Community Improvement Authority, a state program that seeks to improve the availability of housing for Californians earning approximately the same as the area median income (AMI). Upon taking ownership, CSCDA Community Improvement Authority worked with Standard-Faring Essential Housing as project administrator to immediately lower rents for new residents who qualify with incomes between 80 percent and 120 percent of AMI. “By focusing on middle-income housing, California cities can ensure that middle-income families and essential workers such as first responders, hospital and healthcare staff, and teachers can afford to live near their jobs in the communities they serve,” says Jeffrey Jaeger, principal and co-founder of Standard Communities. “This joint venture will provide …
HERMOSA BEACH, CALIF. — Institutional Property Advisors (IPA), a division of Marcus & Millichap, has brokered the $275 million sale of two adjacent multifamily properties in Hermosa Beach, a beachfront city in Los Angeles County. The 285-unit Playa Pacifica sold for $162.5 million, while the 169-unit The Gallery sold for $112.5 million. Built in 1972, Playa Pacifica was partially renovated in 2015 and 2016. The average unit size is 590 square feet. Amenities include two solar-heated pools, a fitness center, business center, clubhouse, spa and outdoor lounge with barbecue area. The Gallery was built in 1971 and partially renovated in 2003 and 2004. Units average 831 square feet. Amenities include a pool, fitness center, spa, sauna and covered parking. Both communities are located near Hermosa Beach Pier. Neighborhood attractions include The Strand and Greenbelt Park, along with beachfront nightlife and restaurants. Kevin Green, Greg Harris and Joseph Grabiec of IPA represented the seller, an institutional investor, and procured the buyer, Prime Residential. Previously, the IPA team brokered the sale of the properties in 2006 for $133 million. “The sale represents the acquisition of 24 percent of the entire apartment stock in Hermosa Beach and nearly 70 percent of the like-kind …
NEW YORK CITY AND TORONTO — KKR, a global private equity firm based in New York City, has agreed to sell a national portfolio of warehouses and distribution centers to Oxford Properties Group, a real estate owner and manager based in Toronto. The $2.2 billion deal is expected to close in the coming months. The portfolio comprises 149 properties located across 12 major industrial U.S. markets, including the Inland Empire in California, Dallas, Atlanta, Phoenix, Chicago, Houston, Tampa, Orlando, San Diego and the Baltimore-Washington, D.C. corridor. Since 2018, KKR and its management platform Alpha Industrial Properties assembled and maintained the portfolio across 50 individual transactions. The firm’s decision to focus on high-barrier-to-entry sites near major population centers attracted the strong offer from Oxford Properties, which is looking to allocate one-third of its global equity in industrial real estate. “Growing our U.S. industrial business is one of Oxford’s highest-conviction global investment strategies as we continue to build, buy and invest in the physical infrastructure that serves the digital economy,” says Ankit Bhatt, vice president of investments at Oxford Properties and leader of the firm’s U.S. industrial investment strategy. ”High-quality, infill, consumption-driven industrial portfolios of scale trade infrequently, so this transaction is …