Top Stories

Bleutech Park Properties to Develop $7.5B Technology-Driven Project in Las Vegas

by Kristin Harlow July 31, 2019

LAS VEGAS — Bleutech Park Properties Inc. has unveiled plans for a $7.5 billion mixed-use project known as Bleutech Park Las Vegas. The developer plans to break ground this December, and construction is expected to take six years. Bleutech has confirmed that financing is in place. Bleutech Park will be home to workforce housing, luxury residential, office, retail, hotel and entertainment space. The project will incorporate environmental and technological features such as water purification, on-site waste treatment and localized air cleaning. Described as an “insular mini-city,” plans call for use of autonomous vehicles, artificial intelligence, augmented reality, robotics and other advanced technologies. Smart buildings will be equipped with energy-generating materials using wind, water, solar and other sustainable forms of power. Flooring systems within Bleutech Park will capture and reuse the energy of human movement throughout the park, including common areas and parking structures. Resources for heating, cooling, lighting and electricity will be harvested on-site. Project partners include general contractor Martin-Harris Construction and technology company Cisco. Aerial construction, digitization and robotics will be utilized during the construction of the project, which is expected to create 25,000 jobs. “Bleutech believes in the rise of digitization and robotics in construction as this will …

July 31, 2019

Acquisitions Development Illinois Midwest New York Northeast Student Housing Top Stories

Core Spaces Aligns with Goldman Sachs in $600M Student Housing Deal

by John Nelson July 30, 2019

CHICAGO AND NEW YORK CITY — Student housing developer Core Spaces has entered into a partnership with Goldman Sachs (NYSE: GS) to recapitalize nine of its properties in a deal valued at $600 million. The national portfolio consists of seven operating student housing properties and two projects under development, totaling 4,358 beds. The Wall Street Journal reports that Goldman Sachs will likely utilize its newly launched, $2.5 billion real estate investment fund for the Core student housing portfolio. The newspaper reports that the New York-based financial giant has purchased more than $30 billion in real estate since 2012 mostly using its own capital. Core will keep a small ownership percentage in the portfolio and keep the assets under its management. The deal is a strategic decision by the Chicago-based firm to aggregate its portfolio with an institutional investor and retain an interest in its developed properties for the long haul, says Core’s founder and CEO, Marc Lifshin. “We believe in the long-term performance of our assets,” he says. “Our assets have proven to perform over time. We would rather be involved for the growth period. It creates a much more sustainable model for us going forward.” The operating properties that …

July 30, 2019

California Development Retail Top Stories Western

Los Angeles Clippers Unveil Plans for $1.1B Basketball Arena in Inglewood

by Taylor Williams July 29, 2019

INGLEWOOD, CALIF. — The NBA’s Los Angeles Clippers have unveiled plans for a $1.1 billion arena and team headquarters in Inglewood, located just southwest of downtown Los Angeles. The Inglewood Basketball & Entertainment Center will be located along Prairie Avenue and West Century Boulevard and offer seating for approximately 18,500 fans. In addition, the building will house the Clippers’ team offices, training facility and a sports medicine clinic, essentially making Inglewood the team’s full-time home. The project will also feature retail, restaurants and educational facilities, as well as public basketball courts and an event plaza. A developer and general contractor have not yet been named, but the project will be entirely privately financed. The proposed site does not house any homes or churches and includes many buildings that have been vacant for decades, according to the developers. It is unclear how many new jobs that the project will create, but the Clippers have pledged to make 35 percent of those jobs local hires. A construction timeline is still being negotiated, but the team’s lease at the Staples Center, which it shares with the Lakers, expires in 2024. In addition, Curbed Los Angeles reports that a lawsuit filed by Madison Square Garden …

July 29, 2019

California Development Mixed-Use Multifamily Office Retail Top Stories Western

San Francisco Planning Commission OKs Pinterest-Anchored Mixed-Use Project

by John Nelson July 26, 2019

SAN FRANCISCO — For the second time in a week, the San Francisco Planning Commission has approved a significant mixed-use development in the city’s SoMa (South of Market) district. Following its approval of the Flower Mart redevelopment project, the commission has approved a 1.1 million-square-foot mixed-use development located at 88 Bluxome St. The project, led by developers Alexandria Real Estate Equities Inc. (NYSE: ARE) and TMG Partners, is nearly 60 percent preleased. The co-developers describe 88 Bluxome as a “high-tech office and laboratory project.” Social media giant Pinterest has signed on to anchor the development with a 490,000-square-foot office lease. The Bay Club, a fitness and social club offering events and a wide range of sports classes, will also anchor the project. The 88 Bluxome campus will feature a technology and life science facility with ground-floor retail space and outdoor deck space on multiple levels of the building. The project also includes an expansion of the neighborhood’s existing Gene Friend Recreation Center, adding two swimming pools and a public activity space. Other features of 88 Bluxome will be a childcare center, a pedestrian “art walk” with commissioned pieces from internationally renowned and local artists, light industrial space available for use …

July 26, 2019

Company News Northeast Pennsylvania Retail Top Stories

GNC to Close Up to 900 Stores by End of 2020; Retail Analyst Offers Insight

by Alex Tostado July 25, 2019

PITTSBURGH — The vitamin and health supplement niche of the brick-and-mortar retail market continues to experience intense competitive pressure, observes veteran retail consultant Jeff Green. So it came as no surprise to Green when GNC Holdings Inc. (NYSE: GNC) officials revealed in a second-quarter earnings call earlier this week that it will shutter up to 900 stores in North America by the end of 2020. “It used to be that specialty health supplements were only found in specialty stores such as GNC, Vitamin Shoppe and other regional chains,” says Green, a partner at Phoenix-based Hoffman Strategy Group. “Now you can find the same products sold at traditional supermarkets, specialty food stores and discount department stores.” Citing a decrease in mall traffic over time, Tricia Tolivar, CFO of Pittsburgh-based GNC, said during the earnings call Monday that the company could close up to 500 of its 800 stores that are currently located in malls across the United States and Canada. Ken Martindale, CEO of GNC, added that 28 percent of the company’s stores are situated in malls, while 61 percent are in strip centers. “The negative trends in traffic that we’ve seen in mall stores over the past several years have accelerated …

July 25, 2019

Acquisitions California Multifamily Seniors Housing Top Stories Washington Western

Madison Marquette, GFH Financial Acquire Six-Property Senior Living Portfolio for Over $180M

by Kristin Harlow July 24, 2019

CALIFORNIA, WASHINGTON AND MICHIGAN — Madison Marquette and GFH Financial Group have acquired a portfolio of six private-pay senior living communities in California, Washington and Michigan. Although a specific purchase price was not provided, GFH described the deal as “exceeding $180 million in value.” The properties include: Chateau at River’s Edge and Chateau on Capitol Ave in Sacramento, Calif.; Callaway Gardens in Kennewick, Wash.; Summer Wood in Moses Lake, Wash.; Pine Ridge in Spokane, Wash.; and Independence Village in Brighton, Mich. The communities total 509 units and feature a mix of independent living, assisted living and memory care. The occupancy as of the first quarter was 92 percent, and GFH notes that most of the assets were recently renovated and able to attain above-market rents. Senior Resource Group, JEA Senior Living and Senior Village Management operate the properties. GFH, an investment firm from the tiny Middle Eastern island country of Bahrain, will serve as the investment manager while Madison Marquette will serve as the day-to-day manager of the portfolio. GFH will be 91 percent owner, while Madison Marquette will own 6 percent. The communities’ operators will own the remaining 3 percent stake. “Through our recent platform activities in the space, …

July 24, 2019

San Francisco Flower Mart Redevelopment Rendering

California Development Mixed-Use Office Retail Top Stories Western

San Francisco Planning Commission Approves 2.3 MSF Flower Mart Redevelopment Project

by Jeff Shaw July 23, 2019

SAN FRANCISCO — The San Francisco Planning Commission has unanimously approved plans to redevelop the historic Flower Mart in the city’s South of Market (SoMa) district as a 2.3 million-square-foot mixed-use property. Kilroy Realty Corp. (NYSE: KRC) is leading the development, which will preserve and update the 115,000-square-foot Flower Mart, while also adding 2.1 million square feet of creative office space, a 100,000-square-foot retail market hall and one acre of public open space. The project still requires approval from the San Francisco Board of Supervisors and the city’s mayor, which Kilroy hopes to receive by October. The project is the product of more than five years of negotiations and partnership between Kilroy Realty, the wholesale flower vendor community and the city. Kilroy expects to break ground in mid-2020 and deliver all phases by 2024. The Flower Mart vendors will be moved to an interim location during construction. “The Flower Mart Project represents the future of Central SoMa and San Francisco,” says John Kilroy, the developer’s chairman and CEO. “The project’s vibrant mix of uses, abundant neighborhood-serving retail and innovative work environments will make it the transformational hub that the city and the neighborhood need.” “This is one of the best …

July 23, 2019

Development Industrial Midwest Ohio Top Stories

Amazon to Open Two 700,000 SF Fulfillment Centers in Ohio

by Taylor Williams July 22, 2019

AKRON AND ROSSFORD, OHIO — Amazon (NASDAQ: AMZN) will open two fulfillment centers in Ohio in a move that will bring more than 2,500 new jobs to the northern part of the state. The properties, each of which will span more than 700,000 square feet, will be located in Akron and Rossford, the latter being a suburb of Toledo. The developments will be the e-commerce giant’s seventh and eighth industrial assets in Ohio, and will be used to sort, pack and ship various items to customers in the region. According to the Akron Beacon Journal, the Akron facility will be developed at the site of the former Rolling Acres mall, which was recently foreclosed upon and demolished. Construction is scheduled to begin in September, the paper reports. Amazon did not disclose additional timelines for the openings of the centers. “Ohio has been a great place to do business, serve customers and create jobs,” says Alicia Boler Davis, Amazon’s vice president of global customer fulfillment. “We’re excited to grow our team in the Buckeye state, which now includes more than 8,500 Amazonians.” “Amazon continues to demonstrate confidence in the great workforce and e-commerce business climate we have in Ohio,” adds Ohio …

July 22, 2019

Development Retail Top Stories

Joint Venture Revives Toys ‘R’ Us Brand, to Open Two New Stores Before Christmas

by Jeff Shaw July 19, 2019

PARSIPPANY, N.J., AND SAN FRANCISCO — One of the recently fallen retail giants is poised to make a return less than two years after its demise. Tru Kids Brands, the Parsippany-based parent company of Toys ‘R’ Us, and b8ta, a San Francisco-based experiential retail firm, have announced plans to bring back Toys ‘R’ Us stores to the United States. The retailer announced in March 2018 that it was declaring bankruptcy and would start an “orderly wind down” and close its 735 remaining stores. Now, 16 months later, the Tru Kids-b8ta joint venture is hoping to bring the 71-year-old brand back with more small-format, experience-based retail spaces. Plans call for the first two stores — located in The Galleria in Houston and Westfield Garden State Plaza in Paramus, New Jersey — to open before the holiday season. “With a 70-year heritage, the Toys ‘R’ Us brand is beloved by kids and families around the world, and continues to play a leading role in the hearts and minds of today’s consumers,” says Richard Barry, CEO of Tru Kids Brands and interim co-CEO of the new Toys ‘R’ Us joint venture. “We have an incredible opportunity to entirely reimagine the Toys ‘R’ Us …

July 19, 2019

Development Midwest Ohio Top Stories

FC Cincinnati Kicks Off Construction of $250M Soccer Stadium

by Alex Tostado July 18, 2019

CINCINNATI — FC Cincinnati (FCC), a Major League Soccer team, is headed for a new home. The team recently started construction of a $250 million stadium in the city’s West End, unveiling the full design plans for the first time this week. General contractor Turner Construction broke ground on the project in December and expects to complete the stadium in March 2021. Architecture firm Populous designed West End Stadium — the team said the name may change as potential corporate sponsors get involved with naming rights — to hold between 26,000 and 26,500 seats. It will also feature standing room known as “The Bailey,” which can hold up to 3,100 additional fans. FC Cincinnati has entered into a public-private partnership with the City of Cincinnati for infrastructure improvements around the stadium, with the city providing $35 million for those projects. The construction itself will be privately funded by the team’s ownership. U.S. Bank is providing construction financing for the stadium, according to Cincinnati Public Radio. “As a Cincinnati native and lifelong resident, I have nothing but pride knowing our West End Stadium will be a strong symbol of this city on the world stage,” says FCC president Jeff Berding. ““MLS …

July 18, 2019

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