Top Stories

Gantry Secures $703M Construction-to-Permanent Financing for VA Medical Office Portfolio

by John Nelson February 11, 2020

SAN FRANCISCO — Gantry, an independent mortgage banking firm based in San Francisco, has secured $373 million in construction financing and $330 million in permanent financing for a six-property medical office building portfolio. The properties in the portfolio are Veterans Affairs (VA) medical clinics located in San Diego, Chula Vista and Redding, Calif.; New Port Richey, Fla.; and Tulsa, Okla. The sixth property is in an undisclosed, confidential location. George Mitsanas and Peter Hillakas of Gantry’s Los Angeles office arranged the construction-to-permanent financing on behalf of the undisclosed borrower through a pension fund. Mitsanas says the borrower was a first-time sponsor with Gantry. “We were engaged prior to the lease award for each of these assignments, and that allowed us to help assess the feasibility of each project and craft a financing structure, which resulted in our clients winning multiple lease awards from the federal government,” says Mitsanas. Gantry will service both the construction and permanent loans. Details of the financing were not disclosed, but Mitsanas says the permanent financing will mature in 22 years. According to local officials where the projects are located, the portfolio will generate several thousands of construction and permanent jobs once the facilities open in …

February 11, 2020

Acquisitions Retail Top Stories

Simon Property Group to Acquire Majority Interest in Taubman Centers for $3.6B

by Taylor Williams February 10, 2020

INDIANAPOLIS — Simon Property Group (NYSE: SPG) has agreed to acquire an 80 percent interest in Taubman Centers Inc. (NYSE: TCO), a Michigan-based retail owner-operator, for approximately $3.6 billion. Under the terms of the agreement, Simon is buying all of Taubman’s common stock at a price of $52.20 per share in an all-cash deal. The transaction is expected to close in mid-2020. The purchase price represents a 51 percent premium over Taubman’s closing price of $34.67 per share on Friday, Feb. 7. Taubman’s existing debt, which Simon will assume, was factored into the price, which represents a capitalization rate of 6.2 percent. Taubman will continue to operate as a separate entity. Taubman’s portfolio spans 26 super-regional malls and power centers totaling more than 25 million square feet of gross leasable space in the United States and Asia. “By joining together, we will enhance the ability of Taubman to invest in innovative retail environments that create exciting shopping and entertainment experiences for consumers, immersive opportunities for retailers and substantial new job prospects for local communities,” says David Simon, CEO of Simon Property Group. Simon Property Group’s stock price opened at $142.11 per share on Monday, Feb. 10, down from $185.30 per …

February 10, 2020

Company News Development Industrial Midwest Office Ohio Top Stories

Sherwin-Williams to Develop World Headquarters, R&D Center in Metro Cleveland for $600M

by Alex Tostado February 7, 2020

CLEVELAND AND BRECKSVILLE, OHIO — The Sherwin-Williams Co. (NYSE: SHW) plans to develop a new world headquarters building in downtown Cleveland, as well as a research and development (R&D) center in the Cleveland suburb of Brecksville. The company plans to invest $600 million to construct both facilities. The paint manufacturer and retailer’s headquarters building will span 1 million square feet just west of Public Square between Saint Clair and Superior avenues. The R&D center will span 500,000 square feet and will be located off Interstate 77 at Miller and Brecksville roads, 16 miles south of downtown Cleveland. The transition to the new facilities won’t occur until 2023 at the earliest, the company says. Sherwin-Williams previously launched a nationwide search for its new headquarters location before deciding to stay in Ohio, where it has been based since it was founded in 1866. “We currently operate out of a 90-year-old headquarters building that has served us well but is no longer conducive to meeting our future needs,” says John Morikis, the company’s chairman and CEO. “The major planned investment in Cleveland and Northeast Ohio we are announcing today reflects our confidence in the continued strength of the region and its people and …

February 7, 2020

Development Georgia Multifamily Southeast Top Stories

Crescent Communities Developing 339-Unit Novel Midtown Apartment High-Rise in Atlanta

by Alex Patton February 6, 2020

ATLANTA — Crescent Communities, a North Carolina-based developer, has started construction of Novel Midtown, a 339-unit multifamily high-rise building in the Midtown neighborhood of Atlanta. The 14-story, 360,000-square-foot tower will feature studio, one-, two- and three-bedroom units with private balconies. Amenities include 814 parking spaces, a fitness center, pet spa, coffee bar, saltwater pool and sky deck. The ground floor will offer 15,000 square feet of retail space. Completion is slated for spring 2022. Greenstone Properties is developing a 310,000-square-foot office tower with street-level retail space adjacent to the Novel Midtown site. The location is also near a 70,000-square-foot Whole Foods Market, the Woodruff Arts Center, High Museum of Art and Museum of Design Atlanta. “We are excited about the opportunity that this amazing location provides for us to create an upscale living experience,” says Kyle Brock, managing director for the Georgia region of Crescent Communities’ multifamily business. “Midtown is a sought-after destination to live, work and play.” Niles Bolton Associates is the project architect for Novel Midtown. Ironwood Design Group is the landscape architect and Vignette Interior Design is the interior architect. Balfour Beatty is the general contractor. The Carlyle Group and Santander Bank are financing the project, though …

February 6, 2020

New York Northeast Retail Top Stories

Macy’s to Close 125 Stores, Consolidate Headquarters in New York City

by Kristin Harlow February 5, 2020

NEW YORK CITY — Macy’s Inc. (NYSE: M) has unveiled plans to close 125 of its least productive stores over the next three years. The retailer will also close its offices in San Francisco, downtown Cincinnati and Lorain, Ohio, leaving the New York City office as the sole corporate headquarters. The reorganization strategy also includes increasing the Macy’s digital platform, while optimizing its brick-and-mortar portfolio and lowering overhead costs. Beginning this year, Macy’s expects the strategy to generate annual gross savings of approximately $1.5 billion, to be fully realized by year-end 2022. “We will focus our resources on the healthy parts of our business, directly address the unhealthy parts of the business and explore new revenue streams,” says Jeff Gennette, chairman and CEO of Macy’s. “Over the past three years, we have shown we can grow the top line; however, we have significant work to do to improve the bottom line.” The 125 stores that Macy’s plans to close account for approximately $1.4 billion in annual sales and one-fifth of its store footprint. Thirty of the stores are in the process of closure now. Steve Horwitz, a professor in the Miller College of Business at Ball State University in Muncie, …

February 5, 2020

Leasing Activity North Carolina Retail Southeast Top Stories

Specialty Grocer Earth Fare to Close All Stores and Liquidate Inventory, Files for Chapter 11 Bankruptcy

by John Nelson February 4, 2020

ASHEVILLE, N.C. — Earth Fare, a privately held grocery chain that sells natural and organic products, says it will shutter all of its stores and launch a liquidation inventory sale. The grocer lists 46 stores on its website, the bulk of which are in Florida and its home state of North Carolina. Earth Fare also has five stores in the Midwest and a few others in Alabama, Georgia, Tennessee, Virginia and South Carolina. Earth Fare is also shuttering its corporate office in Asheville. The Wall Street Journal reported that Earth Fare, whose majority investor is New York-based private equity firm Oak Hill Capital, filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection today in Delaware. Oak Hill’s portfolio includes a stake in drive-thru fast food restaurant chain Checkers among other businesses. Past investments for Oak Hill include stakes in retailers Dave & Buster’s and Duane Reade. Earth Fare’s investors include an affiliate of Monitor Clipper Partners and former Sears CEO Alan Lacy, according to the Journal. In a statement released Monday, Earth Fare cited financial challenges stemming from its expansion efforts and its investments in improving the customer experience. “While many of these initiatives improved the business, continued challenges in the retail industry …

February 4, 2020

Arizona Development Mixed-Use Top Stories Western

Palladium Enterprises to Develop $75M Mixed-Use Project in Mesa, Arizona

by Taylor Williams February 3, 2020

MESA, ARIZ. — Palladium Enterprises, a privately held development firm, will break ground Monday, Feb. 24 on The GRID, a $75 million mixed-use project in the eastern Phoenix suburb of Mesa. The residential component of The Grid consists of 75 micro apartments that will average about 450 square feet per unit, as well as 196 regular apartments and 15 row homes. The residential space will be built on top of the Pomeroy Parking Garage and will feature amenities such as a rooftop lounge, coworking space, outdoor pool and multiple courtyards. An expected completion date has not been released. Current plans for The Grid also include 14,000 square feet of office space, plus an unspecified amount of retail and restaurant space. Pomeroy Street Plaza, a city park situated adjacent to the site, will also be upgraded as part of the project. “The GRID is exactly the type of development we want to see in downtown Mesa,” says Mayor John Giles. “Building residential, restaurant and office space on top of an underutilized parking garage will add tremendously to our growing urban neighborhood.” Palladium Enterprises is developing The Grid in partnership with the City of Mesa and Benedictine University. Three local real estate …

February 3, 2020

Acquisitions Industrial North Carolina Office Southeast Top Stories

Highwoods Sells Greensboro Industrial, Office Assets for $233.4M in Market Exit Initiative

by Alex Patton January 31, 2020

GREENSBORO, N.C. — Highwoods Properties Inc. (NYSE: HIW), a publicly traded REIT based in Raleigh, has sold its industrial and single-story flex portfolio in Greensboro, comprising 2.8 million square feet, for $193.4 million. The company also plans to close the $40 million sale of The Knollwood, a 250,000-square-foot office complex in Greensboro, by Feb. 15. The sale follows Highwoods’ recent announcement of its initiative to exit both the Greensboro and Memphis, Tennessee, markets. That plan led to the recent $76.4 million sale of the 248,000-square-foot International Paper IV office building in Memphis. “These sales are a significant step to completing the first phase of our plan to exit the Greensboro and Memphis markets and reinvest that capital in … high-growth markets such as Charlotte,” says Ted Klinck, president and CEO of Highwoods Properties. “With these dispositions, we will have completed approximately 75 percent of the first phase of sales, and we remain on track to complete the first phase by mid-2020.” Highwoods’ two-phased exit plan consists of selling a select portfolio of its Greensboro and Memphis assets and acquiring Bank of America Tower at Legacy Union in Charlotte in November for $436 million. The second phase consists of selling all remaining …

January 31, 2020

Development Georgia Loans Office Southeast Top Stories

Dewberry Group Receives $186M Loan to Renovate, Expand Campanile Building in Midtown Atlanta

by Alex Tostado January 30, 2020

ATLANTA — Dewberry Group has released plans to expand the Campanile Building, an office and retail property in Midtown Atlanta, from 445,000 to 626,000 square feet. Upon completion, the renovated property will include new ground-level retail space, high-quality finishes, a renovated marble lobby and a modern façade. H.I.G. Realty Partners and Square Mile Capital Management LLC jointly originated a five-year, floating-rate, $186 million loan to finance the renovation and expansion. Originally built in 1987 as the headquarters for Bell South, Dewberry Group acquired the building in 2010. Dewberry Group will develop a 45,000-square-foot retail and restaurant building at the base of the existing asset. The company will also add four new floors of office space totaling 100,000 square feet. The property is situated at the corner of 14th and Peachtree streets, across from Colony Square and two blocks from Piedmont Park. “Midtown has seen a strong migration of high-quality tenants and the Dewberry Group will be delivering office space and amenities that will be attractive to companies seeking Class A office space in this central location,” says Michael Mestel, senior managing director of H.I.G. “We continue to seek out high quality investment opportunities in the Atlanta market, and the financing …

January 30, 2020

Acquisitions New Jersey Northeast Office Top Stories

KBS Sells Park Avenue at Morris County Office Park in New Jersey for $311M

by Taylor Williams January 29, 2020

FLORHAM PARK, N.J. — California-based investment firm KBS has sold Park Avenue at Morris County, a trophy office park in Florham Park for $311 million. The deal marks the highest price for a multi-tenant office building in suburban New Jersey since 2008, according to CBRE, which brokered the deal. The buyer was a New York City-based private investor. Situated on 135 acres, Park Avenue at Morris County consists of six Class A office buildings totaling just under 1.2 million square feet. The campus, located in Northern New Jersey approximately 20 miles west of Manhattan, was developed in phases between 1989 and 1999. The property also features a 7,000 square-foot private daycare and preschool facility. During its ownership period, KBS introduced new amenities such as a fitness center with personal training spaces, basketball courts, volleyball courts and a soccer field, as well we service-based amenities like a car wash and a dry cleaner. KBS also upgraded the buildings’ roofs, HVAC systems, elevators and conference centers while adding transportation amenities such as electric car charging stations and shuttle service to nearby public transit lines. The property was 89 percent occupied at the time of sale. “Though we purchased this property during the economic …

January 29, 2020

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