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Hudson Pacific, CPP Investments Agree to Acquire Amazon-Leased Office Tower in Downtown Seattle for $625M

by John Nelson

SEATTLE — Hudson Pacific Properties (NYSE: HPP) and Canada Pension Plan Investment Board (CPP Investments) have agreed to acquire a 36-story office tower anchored by Amazon in Seattle. The companies plan to form a joint venture to purchase the 668,000-square-foot property located at 1918 8th Ave. for $625 million. CPP Investments will own a 45 percent interest in the joint venture, while Hudson Pacific will own 55 percent and act as general partner and as property, leasing and construction manager. The seller was not disclosed, but multiple media outlets report J.P. Morgan Chase has owned the property since 2011 when affiliates bought the asset from developer Schnitzer West LLC. The property is 98 percent leased with an average remaining lease term of 10 years. Amazon is the largest tenant and occupies a majority of the building, which the Seattle-based e-commerce giant dubs the Blackfoot building. The LEED Platinum-certified tower features a multi-level lobby, great room, central conferencing facility and large fitness center. The office tower is situated in downtown Seattle’s Denny Triangle neighborhood near Hill7, an office tower that Hudson Pacific and CPP Investments purchased in 2016. The property is also near Washington 1000, an office development that Hudson Pacific …

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AcquisitionsCompany NewsNew JerseyNew YorkNortheastRetailTop Stories

Premium Apparel Agrees to Acquire Multiple Clothing Brands from Ascena Retail Group for $540M

by Taylor Williams

NEW YORK CITY AND MAHWAH, N.J. — Premium Apparel LLC, an affiliate of New York City-based private equity firm Sycamore Partners, has entered into an agreement to purchase multiple clothing brands from Mahwah-based Ascena Retail Group (OTCMKTS: ASNAQ) for $540 million. The apparel and footwear brands in question include Ann Taylor, LOFT, Lane Bryant and Lou & Grey. Under the terms of the deal, which is expected to close by mid-December, Premium Apparel will acquire the brands on a cash-free and debt-free basis. Premium Apparel did not specify how many of brick-and-mortar stores will be affected by the transaction, but the new ownership did say that it remains committed to retaining a “substantial portion” of stores and employees affiliated with these brands. “Ann Taylor, LOFT, Lane Bryant and Lou & Grey are well-known brands, each with passionate associates and loyal customers,” says Stefan Kaluzny, managing director of Sycamore Partners. “These brands have significant potential, and we are excited about the opportunity to partner with Ascena’s talented team to continue delivering new and relevant experiences for customers.” Ascena Retail Group, which operated about 1,500 stores throughout the country as of late August, filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy in July. In September, …

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LoansMichiganMidwestMultifamilyTop Stories

ACRE Provides $78.5M Bridge Loan for Final-Phase Construction of Detroit City Club Apartments

by Kristin Harlow

DETROIT — Asia Capital Real Estate (ACRE) has provided a $78.5 million bridge loan to City Club Apartments (CCA) for the developer’s multifamily project in Detroit. The loan, provided through ACRE’s latest debt fund, will fund the final phase of construction on the six-story, 288-unit development in the city’s central business district. Located at 1501 Washington Blvd., Detroit City Club Apartments is currently 95 percent complete. Residents are expected to begin taking occupancy as early as December with 40 percent of the units pre-leased. “Detroit’s downtown has been growing rapidly in recent years and is showing strong fundamentals that support precisely this kind of luxury multifamily development,” says Daniel Jacobs, ACRE’s head of origination. The project includes 11,291 square feet of retail space. Two tenants, Premier Pet Supply and French-American restaurant Statler Bistro, have already secured leases for the retail portion. Amenities for the apartments include a fitness center, business center, clubroom, pool with hot tub, outdoor movie theater, event space and underground valet parking. The luxury, Class A project also includes duplex and townhome units. Monthly rents start around $1,210. Based in Detroit, CCA specializes in the development and management of apartment communities throughout the Midwest and East Coast. …

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CaliforniaCompany NewsRetailTop StoriesWestern

Guitar Center Files for Chapter 11 Bankruptcy Protection, Hires A&G to Evaluate Store Footprint

by John Nelson

WESTLAKE VILLAGE, CALIF. — Musical instrument retailer Guitar Center has filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection with the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the Eastern District of Virginia. The Westlake Village-based company did not announce plans to close any of its 297 stores, but it has retained A&G Real Estate Partners to explore opportunities for its real estate portfolio. In court filings, Guitar Center cited its business of instrument purchases, rentals, repairs and music lessons suffered amid the upheaval stemming from government-mandated shutdowns in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, according to The New York Times. Approximately 75 percent of its stores were shuttered at one point in the spring. Additionally, the company cited its “significant debt burden” in the court filings. In addition to Guitar Center stores, the company operates four sister brands: Music & Arts, Musician’s Friend, Woodwind & Brasswind and AVDG. Music & Arts, a Maryland-based chain that Guitar Center acquired in 2005, operates 200 stores and 300 affiliate locations that provide band and orchestra instruments and equipment for sale or rentals. Musician’s Friend, which Guitar Center acquired in 1999, is a direct marketer of musical instruments. Likewise Woodwind & Brasswind is a catalogue musical instrument merchant with a …

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AcquisitionsGeorgiaIndustrialSoutheastTop Stories

KKR Acquires 1.6 MSF Industrial Portfolio in Atlanta for $136M

by Taylor Williams

ATLANTA — Global investment firm KKR (NYSE: KKR) has acquired a four-building, 1.6 million-square-foot industrial portfolio located throughout the greater Atlanta area for $136 million. The properties were acquired from four different undisclosed sellers. The newly acquired properties consist of three shallow-bay, last-mile distribution assets with an average completion date of 2006. The fourth property is a fulfillment center that was completed in 2020 and is leased to an investment-grade tenant on a long-term basis. “These acquisitions are part of our ongoing effort to expand our industrial portfolio across high-growth Sun Belt markets,” says Roger Morales, partner at KKR and head of the firm’s commercial acquisitions in the Americas. “We are excited to increase our footprint in Atlanta, given the market’s strong supply-demand fundamentals and long-term growth trajectory,” adds Ben Brudney, director at KKR. “These are important acquisitions for us as we continue to develop and diversify our industrial footprint to include both infill and multi-tenant assets, as well as larger, single-tenant fulfillment centers.” KKR is making the investment in the three smaller properties through its Real Estate Partners Americas Fund II. The fourth property represents an investment by KKR’s core plus real estate strategy, its first in Atlanta. KKR’s …

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CaliforniaHealthcareLife SciencesMassachusettsNortheastOfficeTop StoriesWestern

IQHQ Completes $1.7B Capital Raise to Fund 4.4 MSF Life Sciences Development Pipeline

by Katie Sloan

SAN DIEGO AND BOSTON — Life sciences real estate development firm IQHQ Inc. has completed a $1.7 billion equity raise. The company — which completed an initial equity raise of $770 million earlier this year — plans to use the combined funds to build 4.4 million square feet of projects that are currently in its development pipeline. The company has offices in San Diego and Boston, both hubs for life sciences companies. The demand for life sciences real estate continues to increase as the need for vaccines, therapeutics and diagnostics intensifies amid the COVID-19 pandemic, according to an October report by CBRE. Plymouth Meeting, Pa.-based CenterSquare Investment Management invested $158 million in IQHQ’s latest funding round, alongside a group of undisclosed new and existing strategic partners. Madison International Realty, a real estate private equity firm, invested $100 million with an option to invest an incremental $100 million in IQHQ. IQHQ’s current projects include sites in Boston, San Francisco and San Diego. The company announced plans to develop the San Diego Research and Development District (RaDD), a $1.5 billion life science campus located along San Diego’s waterfront, in September. The RaDD will span eight acres and three city blocks, making it …

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DevelopmentMichiganMidwestTop Stories

Ford Unveils Plans for 30-Acre Redevelopment of Michigan Central Station in Detroit

by Alex Tostado

DETROIT — Ford Motor Co. has unveiled its plans for Michigan Central Station, a 30-acre redevelopment in Detroit’s Corktown neighborhood. The project will entail four buildings — Michigan Central Station, the Book Depository, Building West and The Factory — which are slated for completion throughout 2022. In addition, there will be a 1,250-space parking deck dubbed Bagley Parking Hub. The train station was originally built in 1913 and has sat vacant since 2012. Ford acquired the site and initially announced the project in June 2018. Project costs were not disclosed. Ford plans to house 5,000 employees at the site. The campus will serve as a factory to work on autonomous and electric vehicles, as well as design urban mobility services and solutions that includes smart, connected vehicles, roads, parking and public transit. “This project is about preparing Ford for another century of innovation and success,” says Mary Culler, Ford’s Detroit development director and Ford Fund president. “At Michigan Central, we are taking a collaborative approach to innovation, including providing flexible workspaces that attract and engage the best minds to solve complex transportation and related challenges as we shape the future of mobility together.” Practice for Architecture and Urbanism is the …

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CaliforniaDevelopmentMixed-UseTop StoriesWestern

San Diego City Council Approves 200-Acre Riverwalk Mixed-Use Project

by Kristin Harlow

SAN DIEGO — The San Diego City Council has unanimously approved the 200-acre Riverwalk San Diego mixed-use project. Developer Hines plans to transform the existing Riverwalk golf course in western Mission Valley into a transit-oriented development. Project costs are estimated at $3 billion, according to The San Diego Union-Tribune. A new San Diego Metropolitan Transit System Green Line trolley stop and town square will anchor the project. Hines expects to break ground in the second half of 2021. Of Riverwalk’s 4,300 multifamily units, 10 percent will be designated as income-qualified affordable housing. Floor plans will range from studios to three-bedroom units. The project will feature 1 million square feet of office space and 152,000 square feet of retail space. Nearly 100 acres will be dedicated to open space and a regional park. Hines will also restore the stretch of the San Diego River that runs through Riverwalk. Plans call for bike and walking paths as well as an extension of the San Diego River Trail. “Riverwalk is an opportunity to provide something really special for San Diego,” says Eric Hepfer, managing director with Hines. “Our vision from the beginning was to create a village where people would have the option …

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AcquisitionsCompany NewsNortheastPennsylvaniaTexasTop Stories

PNC Agrees to Acquire US Operations of BBVA in $11.6B Bank Merger

by John Nelson

PITTSBURGH AND HOUSTON — PNC Financial Services Group Inc. (NYSE: PNC) and Spanish financial institution Banco Bilbao Vizcaya Argentaria S.A. (NYSE: BBVA) have signed a definitive agreement for PNC to acquire BBVA’s American operations, BBVA USA Bancshares Inc., for $11.6 billion. The transaction, which has been approved by both companies’ boards of directors, is expected to close in mid-2021, subject to customary closing conditions, including regulatory approvals. The transaction will bolster PNC’s national presence and create the fifth-largest bank in the United States, according to the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. PNC will move beyond Charlotte-based Truist, the newly formed merger of equals between BB&T and SunTrust Bank. Houston-based BBVA USA Bancshares manages $104 billion in assets and provides commercial and retail banking services through its banking subsidiary BBVA USA. The bank operates 637 branches in Texas, Alabama, Arizona, California, Colorado and New Mexico. PNC operates 2,300 bank branches and nearly 18,000 partner ATMs nationwide. As of Sept. 30, 2020, PNC had $300 billion of assets under administration. When combined with PNC’s banking footprint, the expanded company will have a coast-to-coast franchise with a presence in 29 of the 30 largest markets in the United States. “Our acquisition of BBVA USA will accelerate …

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Company NewsIndianaMichiganMidwestRetailTop Stories

Simon, Taubman Revise Merger Agreement, Reduce Asking Price by $800M

by Taylor Williams

INDIANAPOLIS AND BLOOMFIELD HILLS, MICH. — Simon Property Group (NYSE: SPG) and Taubman Centers Inc. (NYSE: TCO) have modified their merger agreement to include a new purchase price of $43 per share, enabling Simon to proceed with its acquisition of an 80 percent interest in Taubman. CNBC reports that the decline in the agreed-upon share price from $52.50 per share effectively reduces the price tag of the deal by $800 million. This announcement comes just as the two regional mall REITs were set to square off in Circuit Court for the Sixth Judicial District of Oakland County (Michigan), litigation that has since been settled. Analysts at Piper Sandler, a Minnesota-based investment banking firm, expressed surprise at the ability of the two owner-operators to resolve the price disagreement ahead of today’s court hearing. “We thought any settlement or price cut would occur after the judge’s ruling,” the firm wrote. “Ultimately, Simon Property Group saves approximately $700 million in cash on the recut of the deal, offset by obligatory legal fees, which totaled $18 million in the third quarter. The pushing of the closing until late 2020 or early 2021 is also better timed for the economic recovery.” “For Taubman, the outcome is …

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