Top Stories

Childress Klein, CGA Capital Acquire Duke Energy’s Office Tower Underway in Uptown Charlotte

by John Nelson December 24, 2019

CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Childress Klein and CGA Capital have partnered to purchase the Uptown Charlotte site for Duke Energy’s future office tower. Located at 525 S. Tryon St., the 40-story Charlotte Metro Tower project is set for a 2022 completion. Construction is currently underway. Charlotte-based Childress Klein and Baltimore County-based CGA Capital have agreed to fully fund the development and construction of the project, which could total up to $675 million as per the purchase agreement with seller and future tenant Duke Energy (NYSE: DUK), an energy holding company based in Charlotte. “We look forward to working with Childress Klein and its team to fund the creation of a dynamic office tower and a terrific new addition to the city skyline,” says Kyle Gore, managing director and principal of CGA Capital. As part of the sale-leaseback agreement, the new ownership will enter into a long-term lease with Duke Energy at the tower upon completion. The development will span 1 million square feet of office and retail space and include a 1,100-space parking garage. Nuveen, a TIAA Company, is leading a debt investment group to help fund the development. The project team includes general contractor Batson-Cook Co. and architect tvsdesign, which …

December 24, 2019

Development Illinois Midwest Office Top Stories

Riverside, Convexity Break Ground on 50-Story BMO Tower Office Building in Chicago

by Taylor Williams December 23, 2019

CHICAGO — A partnership between Riverside Investment & Development and Convexity Properties has broken ground on BMO Tower, also known as Union Station Tower. The 50-story office building is part of the Union Station redevelopment project in Chicago. Global architecture firm Goettsch Partners (GP) designed the property, which will be situated on 2.2 acres directly south of the Union Station headhouse building. The office tower will feature 1.4 million square feet of office space. The tower and new public space are part of the larger redevelopment of Chicago Union Station, which originally opened in 1925. Riverside and Complexity unveiled plans for the $1 billion project in September 2018, beginning with the demolition of a 404-unit apartment building and the design of a 1.5-acre plaza and park. “This project will activate a prime site that has been largely underutilized next to Chicago’s busiest commuter station,” says James Goettsch, chairman and co-CEO at GP. “The office tower and park will bring vibrant, complementary additions to the city.” As the name indicates, Montreal-based BMO Financial Group will be the building’s anchor tenant. Construction is scheduled for completion in 2022. Although development costs were not disclosed, the Chicago Tribune reports that the developers received $476 million …

December 23, 2019

Acquisitions Massachusetts Northeast Office Top Stories

The Fallon Co., Barings Sell Boston Seaport Office Tower for $482M

by Alex Patton December 20, 2019

BOSTON — A joint venture between The Fallon Co. and Barings LLC has sold One Marina Park Drive, a 491,573-square-foot, multi-tenant office tower in the Boston Seaport district. An affiliate of Clarion Partners LLC acquired the property for $482 million. The 18-story One Marina Park Drive is the tallest building situated within Fan Pier, Fallon’s 3 million-square-foot mixed-use development in the Seaport. Fan Pier comprises six buildings with 2.6 million square feet of commercial space and 229 residential units. The ground floor of One Marina Park Drive features 19,000 square feet of retail and dining, including the Strega Waterfront Italian restaurant, the Empire Asian restaurant and the SailTime Boston sailing club. A host of other retail and entertainment attractions are located within walking distance, including the Fan Pier Park, Boston Children’s Museum, the Equinox Seaport fitness center and Trillium Brewing Co. At the time of sale, One Marina Park Drive was fully leased to tenants including law firms Fish & Richardson and Gunderson Dettmer; energy tech companies Enel X and Battery Ventures; Intarcia Therapeutics; and healthcare and tech investment firm Polaris Ventures. The Fallon Co. was the original developer of the One Marina Park Drive, which was designed by Elkus Manfredi and completed …

December 20, 2019

Acquisitions New York Northeast Office Top Stories

Munich Reinsurance America Agrees to Purchase 39-Story Madison Avenue Office Tower in Manhattan

by Alex Tostado December 19, 2019

NEW YORK CITY — Munich Reinsurance America Inc. has agreed to purchase 330 Madison Ave., a 39-story, 852,000-square-foot office tower in Manhattan. The building was originally constructed in 1963 and was renovated in 2012 to include a new glass curtainwall façade, upgraded lobby and updated systems that achieved LEED Gold certification. The asset is located adjacent to Grand Central Station and near the New York Public Library and Bryant Park. The sales price was not disclosed, although multiple news outlets reported the negotiations were in the range of $850 million to $900 million. At the time of the agreement, the building was 95 percent occupied by tenants including Guggenheim Partners, JLL and HSBC. “We are glad to invest in the United States, given the U.S. share of [the buyer’s] insurance portfolio,” says Hans-Joachim Barkmann, managing director of MEAG, which advised the buyer in the transaction. “The overall American real estate market is also currently outperforming continental Europe, especially Midtown Manhattan, which is really unique in the world in terms of status and prospects.” CBRE represented the seller, which was undisclosed, though several outlets report the seller was Abu Dhabi Investment Authority. Based in Princeton, N.J., Munich Reinsurance America is the …

December 19, 2019

Development Mixed-Use Texas Top Stories

Loews Hotel, New Convention Center to Anchor $810M Development in Arlington, Texas

by Kristin Harlow December 18, 2019

ARLINGTON, TEXAS — The Arlington City Council has approved an $810 million expansion of the city’s Entertainment District. The project is a continuation of the public-private partnership between the city, the Texas Rangers baseball team, Loews Hotels & Co. and The Cordish Cos. At the forefront of the expansion is a $550 million, 888-room Loews hotel with 1,500 parking spaces. The hotel will be connected to the new Arlington Convention Center, which will offer 216,000 square feet of meeting and outdoor space. Other components of the project include a 280-unit apartment building with 100,000 square feet of retail, entertainment and coworking space operated by Spark; a 200,000-square-foot office building; and a new public garage with 1,900 parking spaces. The expansion is the next phase of a greater $4 billion vision by the development partners that began with the $250 million Texas Live! entertainment center, which opened in August 2018, and Live! By Loews Hotel, which opened in August 2019. Paired with the Rangers’ new Globe Life Field set to open in March 2020, the total investment of new development by the partnership totals more than $2.25 billion. “As an owner and operator, Loews Hotels has the advantage of deciding when …

December 18, 2019

North 8th Brooklyn Williamsburg Collective

Development Multifamily New York Northeast Student Housing Top Stories

The Collective to Build $150M Co-Living, Student Housing Project in Brooklyn’s Williamsburg District

by John Nelson December 17, 2019

NEW YORK CITY — The Collective, a multifamily developer based in London, has unveiled plans to build a $150 million co-living project located at 292 N. 8th St. in Brooklyn’s Williamsburg neighborhood. Co-living is defined as a type of residential development that is a hybrid between apartment housing and hotels. Known as North 8th, the development will feature 242 units, 97 of which are designed for students attending local universities. The remaining 127 studio units are designed for nightly and monthly stays. At full capacity, North 8th is expected to house 321 occupants. “North 8th will be the first project of its kind for New York City,” says Reza Merchant, founder and CEO of The Collective. “It will bring community of all ages together in one holistic environment, designed to promote an intergenerational exchange of knowledge through shared amenities and dynamic programming.” North 8th is The Collective’s fourth co-living project in New York City, joining The Collective Paper Factory that opened in November in Queens’ Long Island City. The Collective has two other Brooklyn projects in the pipeline: 555 Broadway and 1215 Fulton St. All three of The Collective’s Brooklyn projects are expected to open in 2022. The Collective collaborated …

December 17, 2019

Acquisitions California Office Top Stories Western

ING Capital Provides $402M Acquisition Loan for Market Center Office Complex in San Francisco

by Taylor Williams December 16, 2019

SAN FRANCISCO — ING Capital LLC, an American subsidiary of ING Groep N.V. (NYSE: ING), has provided a $402 million loan for the acquisition of Market Center, a 753,000-square-foot office complex in San Francisco. Market Center is a two-building, Class A asset located in San Francisco’s Financial District. The 22-story building at 555 Market St. was completed in 1964 and the 40-story building at 575 Market St. was completed in 1975. The complex served as the headquarters of Chevron Corp. until 2001, when the energy giant relocated to San Ramon, Calif. The borrower was a joint venture led by Paramount Group Inc. (NYSE: PGRE), a New York City-based development and investment firm that acquired an interest of about 67 percent in the property. The joint venture partners were not disclosed, but the total price of the sale was $722 million. The acquisition loan was structured with a fixed interest rate and a five-year term with two one-year extension options. Paramount also used proceeds from the sale of Liberty Place, a 172,000-square-foot office building in Washington, D.C., to help pay for the acquisition of Market Center. Paramount’s $153.5 million sale of Liberty Place closed in late September. The seller of the …

December 16, 2019

Acquisitions Illinois Midwest Multifamily Top Stories

CIM Group Sells Interest in Downtown Chicago Apartment Tower for $265M

by Alex Tostado December 13, 2019

CHICAGO — CIM Group has sold its interest in Marquee at Block 37, a 34-story, 691-unit multifamily tower in downtown Chicago, for $265 million. Morguard North American Residential REIT (TSX: MRG.UN), a subsidiary of Morguard Corp., acquired the 51 percent interest. The community offers a mix of studio, one-, two- and three-bedroom floor plans ranging from 650 to 2,100 square feet. Communal amenities include an outdoor pool, sundeck, fire pits, rooftop hot tub, dog run, dog washing station, fitness center, event room, business center and an outdoor terrace overlooking State Street. Ontario, Canada-based Morguard Corp. was CIM’s investment partner for Marquee at Block 37, and as such already owned a 49 percent stake in the development. Morgaurd Corp. and Morguard REIT now have an equal partnership in the property. CIM developed the community in 2016 above the four-story Block 37 shopping center at 25 W. Randolph St. The 275,000-square-foot retail property includes shopping, dining and entertainment options, including an 11-screen AMC Dine-In Theatre, to which residents of Marquee at Block 37 have private elevator access. The transit-oriented property is connected to the Loop, granting residents direct access to the red and blue CTA lines as well as the city’s pedway …

December 13, 2019

Acquisitions Illinois Midwest Office Top Stories

KORE Investments Acquires Class A Office Building in Metro Chicago for $128.5M

by Alex Patton December 12, 2019

DOWNERS GROVE, ILL. — Colorado-based KORE Investments has acquired Esplanade II, a Class A office building totaling 583,982 square feet in the Chicago suburb of Downers Grove, for $128.5 million. Located at 3500 Lacey Road, the property is situated on 19 acres of the Esplanade office campus at the convergence of I-355 and I-88 in the East-West Corridor submarket. Building amenities include a deli, conference facility, parking deck and car wash service. Additional campus amenities include an on-site daycare and a fitness center. A Doubletree Hotel is also located on the campus, and a shuttle service offers transportation to the nearby Metra BNSF Line Belmont Station. The property offers direct access to the Oak Brook and Yorktown retail corridors. At the time of sale, Esplanade II was 96.9 percent leased to tenants including Cooper’s Hawk Winery & Restaurant, Kia Motors and Glanbia Performance Nutrition. Skidmore Owings Merrill designed the building, which was originally built in 1992 and has undergone more than $7.4 million of capital improvements since 2014. Patrick Shields, Jeff Bramson, Jaime Fink, Sam DiFrancesca and Bruce Miller of JLL represented the seller, BentallGreenOak’s U.S. Core Fund. — Alex Patton and Kristin Hiller

December 12, 2019

Acquisitions North Carolina Office Southeast Top Stories

SunTrust, BB&T Complete Merger, Purchase Own Charlotte Headquarters for $455.5M

by Kristin Harlow December 11, 2019

CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Truist Financial Corp., the new company resulting from a recently completed merger between banking giants BB&T and SunTrust, has exercised its option to purchase Hearst Tower in Uptown Charlotte. Cousins Properties sold the property for $455.5 million. The 46-story office tower, located at 214 N. Tryon St., will serve as Truist’s headquarters and be renamed Truist Center. The transaction is expected to close in March 2020. Truist-branded signage at the property will be installed in phases after the transaction is completed. Truist is in the process of transitioning approximately 2,000 employees to occupy more than 550,000 square feet of the 965,000-square-foot tower. The headquarters is already home to Truist’s executive management team. The building will accommodate several leadership teams for corporate groups such as corporate communications, finance, human resources, insurance, legal, risk management and technology. On-site amenities at the property, which opened in 2002, include a 1,400-space parking garage and a wide variety of restaurants. The location is in the heart of the city, two blocks from two separate Lynx light rail stations and Spectrum Center, home of the Charlotte Hornets NBA team. The seller, Atlanta-based Cousins, announced its own leadership transition on Monday. Executive Chairman Larry …

December 11, 2019

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