Top Stories

Joint Venture Completes 45-Story Office Building for Facebook in San Francisco

by Alex Tostado November 21, 2019

SAN FRANCISCO — A joint venture between The John Buck Co., Golub & Co. and MetLife has completed construction of Park Tower at Transbay, a 45-story, 803,700-square-foot office tower in San Francisco’s Transbay district. The building is situated at the corner of Howard and Beale streets, two miles east of downtown San Francisco and four blocks from San Francisco Bay. Architect Goettsch Partners (GP) designed the 605-foot-tall building to include a covered, 3,600-square-foot outdoor plaza with a 35-foot ceiling at the base of the tower. A major focal point of this outdoor space is a site-specific art installation, titled “Night Writing” by Teresita Fernandez, which is integrated into the main wall of the tower’s core. Park Tower is certified LEED Gold. In May 2018, Facebook signed a long-term lease to fully occupy the building upon completion. “We’re pleased to welcome Facebook to Park Tower,” said Joel Redmon, San Francisco-based managing director for MetLife Investment Management’s real estate business, when the lease was announced. “We’ve worked hard to design an office of the future that will facilitate technological innovation and provide a great foundation for Facebook’s future success.” In addition to the outdoor plaza, Park Tower offers a series of large …

November 21, 2019

Development Office Texas Top Stories

Apple Breaks Ground on $1B Campus in Austin

by Kristin Harlow November 20, 2019

AUSTIN, TEXAS — Apple (NASDAQ: AAPL) has broken ground on its new $1 billion, 3 million-square-foot office campus in Austin. The 133-acre property will initially house 5,000 employees, with the capacity to grow to 15,000. It is expected to open in 2022. Cupertino, Calif.-based Apple is steadily growing in Austin with approximately 7,000 employees in the city — more than a 50 percent increase in the past five years alone. Plans for the campus were first announced in December 2018. “With the construction of our new campus in Austin now underway, Apple is deepening our close bond with the city and the talented and diverse workforce that calls it home,” says CEO Tim Cook. The company has partnered with Austin-based Bartlett Tree Experts to preserve and increase the diversity of native trees on the new campus. Additionally, the site is designed to maximize green space, with landscaping covering more than 60 percent of the project, including a 50-acre nature and wildlife preserve that will be open to the public. Like all Apple facilities, the Austin campus will run on 100 percent renewable energy, including solar power generated on site. The groundbreaking coincides with the company’s announcement that it is preparing …

November 20, 2019

Development Industrial Mississippi Southeast Top Stories

Hillwood to Develop 1 MSF Amazon Fulfillment Center in North Mississippi

by John Nelson November 19, 2019

OLIVE BRANCH, MISS. — Hillwood Investment Properties plans to build a 1 million-square-foot fulfillment center in Olive Branch, approximately 25 miles from Memphis, for e-commerce giant Amazon (NASDAQ: AMZN). The facility will house picking, packing and shipping operations for larger customer orders and create 500 new full-time jobs. According to The Clarion-Ledger, the new facility will be located within Hillwood’s Legacy Park, a 266-acre business park in DeSoto County. The Class A industrial campus has proximity to U.S. Highway 78 and Tennessee Highway 385; the BNSF and Norfolk Southern intermodal terminals; Memphis International Airport; FedEx Air and Ground hubs; and a UPS sort hub. In 2018, Amazon unveiled plans for another fulfillment center in nearby Marshall County, leasing 554,000 square feet within Panattoni Development’s Gateway Global Logistics Center. “Mississippi has proven itself to be a great place for Amazon to do business and gives us the opportunity to better serve our customers in the region,” says Alicia Boler Davis, Amazon’s vice president of global customer fulfillment. “We are excited about our growth and remain committed to creating a positive economic impact in the region with job opportunities that have great pay and benefits.” No timeline for construction was disclosed. Hillwood …

November 19, 2019

Loans Multifamily New Jersey Northeast Top Stories

Roseland Residential Receives $300M Construction Loan for 57-Story Apartment Building in Jersey City

by Taylor Williams November 18, 2019

JERSEY CITY, N.J. — Roseland Residential Trust, a subsidiary of locally based REIT Mack-Cali Realty Corp. (NYSE: CLI), has received a $300 million loan for the construction of The Charlotte, a 57-story apartment tower on the fringe of New York City. The Charlotte will be located at 25 Christopher Columbus Drive in Jersey City and feature 750 Class A apartments, 37 of which will be earmarked for affordable housing. In addition, Roseland Residential will construct a 36,000-square-foot elementary school on the site that will be deeded over to Jersey City upon completion. The Charlotte will also feature approximately 16,500 square feet of retail space and a public plaza. Michael Sherman and Irene Lu of CBRE’s Midtown Manhattan office arranged the financing through an undisclosed lender on behalf of Roseland Residential Trust. The nonrecourse loan was structured with a five-year term and a one-year extension option. “The trophy quality of the asset, strength of sponsorship and prime location led to a highly competitive bid process for this loan at very attractive pricing,” says Sherman. “The project is a testament to the continuing growth of Jersey City, as evidenced by the strong partnership between the developer and the municipality.” Construction of the …

November 18, 2019

Development Mixed-Use North Carolina Property Type Southeast Top Stories

Dewitt Carolinas Unveils Plans for $1B Midtown Exchange Project in Raleigh

by Alex Patton November 15, 2019

RALEIGH, N.C. — Dewitt Carolinas Inc. has unveiled the master plans for development of Midtown Exchange, a $1B mixed-use project in Raleigh that will feature residential, office, hotel, entertainment and retail components. The development will be built on a 40-acre lot just outside Interstate 440, north of downtown Raleigh, and will comprise 790,000 square feet of Class A office space, 125,000 square feet of retail and restaurant space, 300 hotel rooms, 300 senior living units and 1,275 residential units. The residential component will include apartments, condominiums and townhomes, but how the units will be divided was not disclosed. The site will also include a large convention center with rooftop dining space and more than seven acres of green space with water features. Local newspaper North State Journal reports that the office space will comprise two office towers connected by a sky bridge between the two top floors. Those two floors and the sky bridge will make up one large office space, intended to attract a major corporate headquarters tenant. “We envision Midtown Exchange to be a destination unlike any other in Raleigh,” says Todd Saieed, CEO and co-founder of Dewitt Carolinas Inc. “This will be a place where family entertainment …

November 15, 2019

Acquisitions Industrial Top Stories

Stockbridge Acquires 8.7 MSF Industrial Portfolio Across Seven States

by Taylor Williams November 14, 2019

SAN FRANCISCO — Stockbridge Real Estate, a California-based investment firm with additional offices in Chicago and Atlanta, has acquired a portfolio of 17 industrial properties totaling 8.7 million square feet in seven states. Stockbridge purchased the portfolio from Hillwood, an industrial development and investment firm based in Fort Worth, Texas, according to IPE Real Assets, which tracks institutional property investments across the world. The analytics firm also reported that the transaction fetched a sales price of approximately $800 million. All of the properties are fully stabilized and have an average construction delivery date in 2018. The assets are located across the following markets: Dallas-Fort Worth, Austin, Columbus, Cincinnati, Nashville, Chicago, Las Vegas, Jacksonville and Eastern Pennsylvania. “This portfolio stands out for its high-quality, modern construction and well-connected, population-rich locations where major e-commerce industry tenants have chosen to expand their footprints,” says Nicole Stagnaro, managing director at Stockbridge. “In combination, these factors support the kind of cash flow visibility we expect from a long-term core portfolio.” The transaction comes on the heels of Stockbridge’s acquisition of a portfolio of 26 logistics and e-commerce facilities from San Diego-based Westcore Properties. PGIM Real Estate Finance served as the primary lender in both portfolio …

November 14, 2019

Development Georgia Retail Southeast Top Stories

Jodeco 158 to Develop $400M Mixed-Use Project Near Atlanta

by Taylor Williams November 13, 2019

STOCKBRIDGE, GA. — Jodeco 158 LLC, a newly formed firm headed by local developers Jeff Grant and David Hughes, will develop Bridges at Jodeco, a $400 million mixed-use project near Interstate 75 in Stockbridge, a southeastern suburb of Atlanta. According to the development team, Bridges at Jodeco will be built on the largest remaining tract of undeveloped land adjacent to I-75 in Henry County. The development will also offer convenient access to the Atlanta Motor Speedway and Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport. The residential component of the 158-acre project currently calls for 300 high-end apartments, 90 single-family attached townhomes and 176 detached single-family homes that may be used for senior living. More than 65 acres have been zoned for retail, dining and entertainment uses. In addition, the development team is seeking to include hotel, fitness and theater users, as well as other service providers for the retail component. About 20 acres of green space will be reserved for walking paths and trails and pocket parks. “Our intention is to create an amenity-rich, live-work-shop-dine-play destination where people can engage and relax in a comforting, family-centered setting,” says Grant, who serves as principal of Jodeco 158. “We believe Bridges at Jodeco will offer …

November 13, 2019

Acquisitions Healthcare Midwest Ohio Top Stories

Welltower Expands Medical Office Holdings Through Five Transactions Totaling $1.7B, Including Hammes Acquisition

by John Nelson November 12, 2019

TOLEDO, OHIO — Welltower Inc. (NYSE: WELL), a Toledo-based seniors housing and healthcare REIT, is continuing to expand its medical office holdings. The company announced five transactions totaling approximately $1.7 billion, including a $787 million portfolio acquisition of 29 Class A medical office buildings from Hammes Partners, a medical office investment firm based in Milwaukee. The 1.5 million-square-foot portfolio is concentrated in the New York City and Boston suburbs and includes properties in California, Texas and Maryland. The portfolio was 97 percent occupied at the time of sale and is affiliated with Baylor Scott & White, Providence St. Joseph, Trinity Health, Medstar and other not-for-profit health systems and multi-specialty physician groups. The portfolio has an average age of 10 years, a weighted average lease term of 12 years and 2.2 percent average annual rent increases. The Hammes transaction is scheduled to close in the fourth quarter of 2019. Separately, Welltower announced four separate outpatient medical transactions that are currently under contract for approximately $885 million. Details on these four deals were not disclosed. “These transactions establish Welltower as the largest commercial owner of medical office real estate in the country, with a platform approaching 30 million square feet,” says Thomas …

November 12, 2019

Acquisitions Maryland Office Southeast Top Stories

Inland Private Capital Sells Bank of America-Occupied Office Building in Baltimore for $99.3M

by Kristin Harlow November 11, 2019

BALTIMORE, MD. — JLL has arranged the sale of 11333 McCormick Road, a two-tower, single-tenant office building in Baltimore, for $99.3 million. The 377,332-square-foot property is net leased to Bank of America. Situated on 16.3 acres, the asset is located in the Hunt Valley submarket, about 15 miles north of downtown Baltimore. The property has immediate access to I-83 and light rail access to Baltimore City, greater Maryland and Pennsylvania. Built in 1974, the eight-story property was most recently renovated in 2016. Tivon Moffitt, Peter Bauman and Jay Wellschlager of JLL represented the seller, Inland Private Capital Corp. JLL was retained to market the property after it failed to trade the prior year. An undisclosed institutional buyer purchased the asset. “Investors are actively seeking high-quality, mission-critical corporate campuses such as this asset,” says Moffit. “We continue to see a flood of capital sources from institutional investors to private capital looking to purchase these types of properties.” The Hunt Valley submarket is a highly sought-after office market due to its high-quality workforce and extensive amenity base, says Wellschlager. Inland Private Capital Corp. specializes in securitized 1031 exchange transactions. Since its inception, the company has sponsored 232 private placement programs offering more …

November 11, 2019

Illinois Midwest Retail Top Stories

Sears to Close 96 More Stores by February 2020

by Alex Patton November 8, 2019

HOFFMAN ESTATES, ILL. — Sears Holdings Corp. plans to close 96 underperforming stores by February 2020, according to the retailer’s parent company, Transform Holdco LLC. The closings will consist of 51 Sears stores and 45 Kmart stores, leaving 182 operational Sears and Kmart stores remaining in the United States. The closing stores are scattered throughout all regions of the country, including 28 located in California. A full list of store closures can be found here. “Since purchasing substantially all the assets of Sears Holdings Corp. in February 2019, Transformco has faced a difficult retail environment and other challenges,” the company noted in a press release. “We will endeavor to create and deliver value through a strategic combination of our better-performing retail stores and our service businesses, brands and other assets, and expect to realize a significant return on our extensive portfolio of owned and leased real estate.” Ahead of the holiday season, Transform secured a $250 million lifeline financing from lenders including its owner, Eddie Lampert. Lampert bought Sears out of bankruptcy for $5.2 billion in January and, at the time, the sale prevented liquidation of 425 properties. “None of this is a surprise. Sears continues to morph from a …

November 8, 2019

Newer Posts

Older Posts