Top Stories

Condor Hospitality Trust’s Shareholders Approve $318M Merger with NexPoint

by John Nelson September 24, 2019

BETHESDA, MD. — Shareholders of Condor Hospitality Trust Inc., a lodging REIT based in Bethesda, have approved the proposed $318 million merger between Condor and NexPoint Hospitality Trust, a hotel REIT headquartered in Toronto. NexPoint and Condor expect the merger to close in the fourth quarter. As part of the deal, NexPoint will acquire Condor’s outstanding equity interests and operating partnership. “The transaction instantly expands [our] geographical footprint and balances NexPoint’s value-add portfolio with extended-stay hotels,” says Jim Dondero, CEO of NexPoint. “We believe the future for quality extended-stay and select-service hotels remains bright.” The shareholders of Condor (NYSE: CDOR) held a special meeting on Monday, Sept. 23 whereby 81.8 percent of the shares of Condor common stock voted in favor of adopting and approving the merger agreement, which NexPoint announced in late July. The merger allows NexPoint to enter several new markets, including Georgia, Kansas, Kentucky, Maryland, Mississippi and South Carolina. The move will also expand the REIT’s presence in Florida and Texas. Condor Hospitality Trust currently owns 15 hotels in eight states totaling more than 1,900 rooms. The hotel flags in the company’s portfolio includes Hilton, Marriott and InterContinental Hotels Group (IHG). NexPoint Hospitality Trust began operations in …

September 24, 2019

Acquisitions Hospitality Nevada Top Stories Western

Caesars Agrees to Sell Rio Casino, Hotel in Las Vegas for $516.3M

by Jeff Shaw September 23, 2019

LAS VEGAS — Caesars Entertainment Corp. (NASDAQ: CZR) has agreed to sell the Rio All-Suite Hotel & Casino for $516.3 million. The buyer is a company controlled by a principal of New York City-based investment firm Imperial Cos. The property is located on Flamingo Road, two blocks from the highly concentrated stretch of casinos on Las Vegas Boulevard known as the Las Vegas Strip. The Rio features 117,300 square feet of casino space, over 1,000 slot machines and 2,520 hotel rooms. Caesars will continue to operate the property for a minimum of two years under a triple-net lease, paying annualized rent of $45 million. The buyer has the option to pay Caesars $7 million to extend the lease under similar terms for a third year. At the end of the lease term, Caesars will either continue to manage Rio or provide transition services to the buyer. The agreement allows for co-ownership of Rio-specific guest data and places no restrictions on Caesars’ marketing activities. The Rio will continue to be part of the Caesars Rewards network during the lease term, and “the transaction is not expected to result in any changes to the guest experience,” according to Caesars. The World Series …

September 23, 2019

Development Healthcare Michigan Midwest Top Stories

Michigan Medicine to Develop $920M Hospital in Ann Arbor

by Alex Patton September 20, 2019

ANN ARBOR, MICH. — Michigan Medicine, a health and hospital system affiliated with the University of Michigan, has announced plans to develop a new adult hospital and surgical care facility near the university in Ann Arbor. Construction of the $920 million project will begin in October, with completion slated for fall 2024. The 690,000-square-foot facility will offer state-of-the-art neurological and neurosurgical care, as well as acute cardiovascular services. Michigan Medicine cites a high demand for acute care and more private rooms as primary reasons for the construction, as well as its current facilities frequently operating at capacity. “We are proud to be at the forefront of innovation with a new hospital that will support the extraordinary work of our faculty, nurses and other providers and our research community,” says Marschall Runge, executive vice president of medical affairs for University of Michigan, dean of the medical school and CEO of Michigan Medicine. “It’s an investment in Michigan Medicine’s mission of advancing health to serve Michigan and the world.” Across 12 floors, the new hospital will house 264 private rooms, 20 operating rooms and three interventional radiology suites. Other occupants of the new space will include anesthesiology, pharmacy, speech language pathology and …

September 20, 2019

Development Massachusetts Northeast Retail Top Stories

PREP Property Group to Redevelop Mall into Mixed-Use Property in Metro Boston for $250M

by Alex Tostado September 19, 2019

HANOVER, MASS. — PREP Property Group has unveiled plans to redevelop Hanover Mall in Hanover, approximately 22 miles southeast of downtown Boston. The project costs are estimated at $250 million. PREP will rebrand the mall as Hanover Crossing, an open-air, mixed-use project that will feature 297 multifamily units and will be anchored by an 80,000-square-foot Market Basket Supermarket. Market Basket will feature Market’s Kitchen and Café, a prepared foods department offering a variety of freshly made meals, sandwiches, salads, subs, brick oven pizza and Niji sushi. The location will also provide café seating, complimentary Wi-Fi and large screen TVs. Market Basket expects to hire about 400 employees for the new store. “We’ve seen tremendous potential in this landmark property since day one and believe the transformation to mixed-use provides unlimited potential,” says Lloyd Sova, PREP vice president of development. “Hanover Crossing will be an exciting location combining an open-air retail experience that is rich in amenities with high-end apartments to provide a sought-after ‘live, work, play’ environment.” The retail component of Hanover Crossing will be 150,000 square feet smaller than the current Hanover Mall, which was built in 1971. Hanover Crossing will offer 30,000 square feet of green space. “We’ve …

September 19, 2019

Development Mixed-Use Top Stories Washington Western

Alexandria Real Estate Equities to Develop 800,000 SF Mixed-Use Technology Campus in Seattle

by Kristin Harlow September 18, 2019

SEATTLE — The City of Seattle has selected Alexandria Real Estate Equities Inc. (NYSE: ARE) to develop an approximately 800,000-square-foot mixed-use campus known as the Mercer Mega Block. The life sciences and technology-driven project will be built on the last large, undeveloped site — nearly three acres — in Seattle’s Lake Union submarket. Alexandria won the bid for the project by agreeing to pay $143.5 million for the land and to address homelessness, according to the Puget Sound Business Journal. The Seattle City Council approved the development plan on Monday night. The newspaper reports that total project costs could reach $305 million. Plans call for two 13-story office and laboratory towers as well as a 30,000-square-foot community center. Alexandria also intends to develop on-site affordable housing, a farm-to-table restaurant, ground-floor retail space and a pedestrian-only walkway on 8th Avenue surrounded by public spaces with outdoor seating. “We envision our Mercer Mega Block development as a mission-critical campus that can drive the cross-pollination of life science and technology, spur world-class innovations to improve the human condition and significantly enhance the surrounding neighborhood,” says Joel Marcus, executive chairman and founder of Alexandria. The company also says it has strong confidence in the …

September 18, 2019

Development Hospitality Mixed-Use Multifamily Office Texas Top Stories

Prescott Group Breaks Ground on Multi-Tower Mixed-Use Campus in Turtle Creek Neighborhood of Dallas

by John Nelson September 17, 2019

DALLAS — Prescott Group has begun the demolition and early construction phase for 2727 Turtle Creek, a five-acre mixed-use campus in the Turtle Creek submarket of Dallas. The development will include an office tower, high-rise apartment tower and a hotel tower. Prescott Group imploded an existing, vacant nine-story office building and parking garage on the site early on Sunday, Sept. 15. The building was the former home of Republic Insurance, according to local media reports. Construction crews are clearing the site and beginning utility upgrades for the multi-tower development along Turtle Creek Boulevard. Prescott Group expects to finish the demolition and removal phase of construction by the end of the year and wrap up the utility and infrastructure upgrades in the first quarter of 2020. The office tower at 2727 Turtle Creek will rise 19 stories and span 285,000 square feet. Prescott Group plans for the building to feature a rooftop terrace, fitness center, conference and training center, bike storage and a full-service café. Prescott Group has tapped Jeff Eckert and Ahnie Sheehy of JLL to lease the office space. The hotel will rise 24 stories and offer 200 hotel rooms and an undetermined number of luxury condominiums. Amenities at …

September 17, 2019

Acquisitions Maryland Retail Southeast Texas Top Stories

InvenTrust Acquires Two Grocery-Anchored Shopping Centers in Texas, Maryland for $123M

by Taylor Williams September 16, 2019

FRISCO, TEXAS AND ROCKVILLE, MD. — InvenTrust Properties Corp., an Illinois-based shopping center REIT, has acquired two grocery-anchored properties in Texas and Maryland for $123 million. Eldorado Marketplace is a 186,068-square-foot property in Frisco, a northern suburb of Dallas, and Travilah Square is a 56,220-square-foot center in Rockville, a suburb of Washington D.C. The properties fetched sales prices of $71 million and $52 million, respectively. Market Street serves as the anchor tenant for Eldorado Marketplace, which also houses tenants such as AT&T, Jersey Mike’s, PetSmart and UPS. Trader Joe’s anchors Travilah Square, which houses tenants such as TITLE Boxing and Tropical Smoothie. InvenTrust officials cited Frisco’s emergence as a hub for corporate relocations, specifically the PGA and Keurig Dr. Pepper, as a key factor in the acquisition of Eldorado Marketplace. InvenTrust pointed to growing household income and steady population growth as the drivers behind the purchase of Travilah Square. The basic need to deploy capital before year’s end also played into the equation, says Christy David, executive vice president of InvenTrust. “InvenTrust has now acquired over $400 million of high-quality, grocery-anchored centers in key growth markets year-to-date. We remain on track to hit the company’s acquisition goals for 2019, and …

September 16, 2019

Development Florida Mixed-Use Southeast Top Stories

PMG, Greybrook Plan 49-Story Mixed-Use Tower in Miami

by Alex Patton September 13, 2019

MIAMI — A development partnership between New York City-based Property Markets Group (PMG) and Toronto-based Greybrook Realty Partners are currently developing 400 Biscayne, a mixed-use project offering 646 rental apartments in Miami. Slated for completion in 2021, the 49-story building will include 51,000 square feet of commercial space and a 22,000-square-foot redesigned First United Methodist Church of Miami. PMG originally bought the development site from the church in 2018 for $55 million, and the developers broke ground on 400 Biscayne in June of this year. The church will incorporate a chapel, fellowship hall, basketball court, classrooms and offices spanning the bottom 10 floors of the building, and will have its own separate entrance and parking. “We are working hand-in-hand with First United Methodist Church and Greybrook Realty Partners to create something special for the neighborhood, which will continue to foster growth and connection in this city we love,” says Ryan Shear, managing partner of PMG. Additional amenities of the building will include a public lobby lounge and restaurant, co-working spaces, a gym and fitness studio with frequent group classes, bike storage facilities, and a massive pool. The Miami Herald reports that a portion of the units at the 400 Biscayne project …

September 13, 2019

Acquisitions Office Top Stories Washington Western

Kennedy Wilson, Security Benefit Life Insurance Acquire Office Campus in Metro Seattle for $227M

by Alex Tostado September 12, 2019

BELLEVUE, WASH. — A new joint venture between Kennedy Wilson (NYSE: KW) and Security Benefit Life Insurance Co. has acquired Sunset North, a 464,000-square-foot, three-building office campus in Bellevue for $227 million. The property’s three buildings, which are certified LEED Silver, were constructed between 1999 and 2000. They were 99 percent leased at the time of sale to 10 long-term tenants with a weighted-average lease term of eight years. Sunset North is located near the intersection of Interstates 405 and 90, three miles southeast of downtown Bellevue and 10 miles east of downtown Seattle. The joint venture acquired the property with $77 million of equity and a $150 million, 10-year acquisition loan with a 3.25 percent fixed interest rate. The lender was not disclosed. The joint venture targets real estate investment opportunities in the Western United States. “Sunset North is an ideal first acquisition for our joint venture,” says Matt Windisch, executive vice president of Kennedy Wilson. Security Benefit is a Kansas-based insurance company that has been in business for more than 127 years. Kennedy Wilson owns, operates and manages multifamily and office properties in the Western U.S., United Kingdom and Ireland. Kennedy Wilson’s stock price closed Wednesday at $22.63 …

September 12, 2019

Acquisitions California Hospitality New York Northeast Top Stories Western

China’s Anbang Agrees to Sell U.S. Hotel Portfolio for $5.8B

by Kristin Harlow September 11, 2019

BEIJING — China-based Anbang Insurance Group Co. has agreed to sell a luxury U.S. hotel portfolio for more than $5.8 billion, according to several media outlets. Mirae Asset Global Investments, part of a South Korean financial services company, has agreed to acquire the 15 properties. The portfolio includes high-end hotels such as Essex House in Manhattan, Westin St. Francis in San Francisco and InterContinental hotels in Chicago and Miami. Anbang acquired the hotels in 2016 by purchasing then-owner Strategic Hotels & Resorts Inc. from Blackstone Group for approximately $6.5 billion. Anbang was making major waves that year, during which it also severely complicated Marriott International’s attempt to acquire Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide. Anbang started a bidding war that increased the final offer by nearly $2 billion before Anbang backed out. At the time, Chinese insurers and other investors were scooping up U.S. real estate, taking advantage of new rules enabling them to invest more easily abroad, according to the Wall Street Journal. That era ended when Chinese authorities seized control of Anbang and later sentenced Chairman Wu Xiaohui to 18 years in prison. He was convicted by a Chinese court for orchestrating a $12 billion fraud. In readying the …

September 11, 2019

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