Top Stories

Star Real Estate Ventures Acquires 2,566-Unit Multifamily Portfolio in Maryland for $500M

by Kristin Harlow June 5, 2019

MARYLAND — Star Real Estate Ventures LLC has acquired a five-property multifamily portfolio totaling 2,566 units in Maryland for approximately $500 million. Most of the communities are located in suburban Baltimore. The properties include Charleston Place in Ellicott City, Morningside Heights in Owings Mills, Top Field in Cockeysville, Tamarron in Olney and Village Square in Glen Burnie. All of the communities feature pools and playgrounds, while four of the five have tennis courts. Home Properties recently operated all five communities. Financing for the transaction included five separate Fannie Mae loans for a total of $320 million, as well as equity from Related Fund Management. David Webb, Maxi Leachman, Brynn Wendel and Robert LaChapelle of CBRE arranged the financing. Bill Roohan, Michael Muldowney, Robert Dean and Malcolm McComb of CBRE represented the seller, a global private equity firm. Star Real Estate Ventures is a real estate investment and management firm that owns and manages 14,500 apartment units in 11 states. The company is headquartered in New York City with offices in Boca Raton, Fla. and Okemos, Mich. This is the firm’s second acquisition of 2019, following the purchase of an 852-unit portfolio in Cincinnati in February. Star is actively looking for …

June 5, 2019

Acquisitions Massachusetts Net Lease Northeast Retail Texas Top Stories

Hospitality Properties Trust Buys National Net-Lease Retail Portfolio for $2.4B

by John Nelson June 4, 2019

NEWTON, MASS. AND DALLAS — Hospitality Properties Trust (NASDAQ: HPT) has purchased a portfolio of net-leased retail assets from Spirit MTA REIT (NYSE: SMTA) for $2.4 billion. The portfolio consists of 774 service-oriented retail properties in 43 states that are occupied by tenants including AMC Theatres, Academy Sports + Outdoors and CarMax. The portfolio was 98 percent occupied as of March 31 and has a weighted average remaining lease term of 8.6 years. The portfolio includes all of SMTA’s owned properties held in its “Master Trust 2014” segment and excludes approximately 100 assets leased to Shopko Stores Inc., a Wisconsin-based general merchandiser that filed for bankruptcy in January. The portfolio also includes three Pilot Travel Centers that are currently owned by Spirit Realty Capital Inc., a Dallas-based net-lease REIT that owns single-tenant retail assets subject to long-term leases. Spirit Realty externally manages SMTA after spinning off the REIT from its holdings last summer. “Ultimately, we concluded that a sale to Hospitality Properties Trust represented the best possible outcome for our shareholders,” said Richard Stockton, lead independent trustee of SMTA, in a statement. “We will continue our work to close the transaction in the coming months and realize cash value for …

June 4, 2019

Acquisitions Industrial Top Stories

Blackstone Agrees to Acquire GLP’s Entire U.S. Logistics Portfolio for $18.7B

by Taylor Williams June 3, 2019

NEW YORK CITY — Blackstone Real Estate, a division of private equity behemoth Blackstone Group (NYSE: BX), has agreed to acquire the entire U.S. logistics portfolio of Singapore-based investment manager GLP for approximately $18.7 billion. The portfolio of distribution and fulfillment centers spans roughly 179 million square feet of urban infill space across 36 major markets, nearly doubling New York City-based Blackstone’s volume of U.S. industrial real estate holdings. The sale is expected to close sometime after Labor Day. Blackstone cited a growing demand for e-commerce and the need by retailers to reconfigure their supply chains as the primary driving forced behind the deal. “Logistics is our highest conviction global investment theme today,” says Ken Caplan, global co-head of Blackstone Real Estate. “We look forward to building on our existing portfolio to meet the growing e-commerce demand.” According to the Financial Times, GLP will use proceeds from the sale to return value to shareholders and to reinvest in other U.S. real estate assets. GLP, which has more than $64 billion in real estate and private equity assets under management, first entered the U.S. market in 2015 and quickly became one of the country’s largest owners of industrial real estate. Blackstone has been …

June 3, 2019

Development Industrial Southeast Tennessee Top Stories

LG Electronics Opens $360M Washing Machine Factory in Northern Tennessee

by Alex Tostado May 31, 2019

CLARKSVILLE, TENN. — LG Electronics USA has opened its new $360 million, 1 million-square-foot home appliance factory in Clarksville. DPR Construction served as the general contractor for the 13-month project. Gresham, Smith and Partners was the architect. DPR employed more than 800 workers on-site to complete the plant, which sits on 310 acres. South Korea-based LG employs 550 workers at the facility with plans to house up to 700 employees when the factory becomes fully operational. LG will incorporate robotics, automation and engineered systems into the production of up to 1 million washing machines per year at the warehouse. “We are proud to bring state-of-the-art, home appliance production technology and even more U.S. jobs to the great state of Tennessee,” says Dan Song, president of the LG Home Appliance and Air Solutions Co. “Thanks to the support of local officials and the Montgomery County community, LG is expanding our business investments in the United States to better serve our customers and, ultimately, American consumers seeking the best washing machines in the market.” Tennessee Gov. Bill Lee was on-hand at the ribbon-cutting ceremony for the factory, which is located about 50 miles northwest of downtown Nashville. “LG is known around the world for its innovative appliances …

May 31, 2019

Acquisitions Retail Top Stories

Sansome Pacific Acquires 11 Cabela’s Stores for $324.3M

by Jeff Shaw May 30, 2019

SAN FRANCISCO — A joint venture led by Sansome Pacific, a real estate investment firm based in San Francisco, has acquired 11 locations of outdoor sports retailer Cabela’s for $324.3 million. The transaction was structured as a sale-leaseback with the seller, Bass Pro Shops, which owns the Cabela’s brand. Much like Bass Pro Shops, Cabela’s is known for its sprawling retail campuses. The 11-property portfolio spans 1.6 million square feet on 227 acres of land. Bass Pro Shops is based in Springfield, Missouri, while Cabela’s is based in Sidney, Nebraska. The specific locations of the 11 stores were not disclosed. B+E brokered the deal, claiming it as the largest transaction ever brokered by a digital sales platform. Co-founders Camille Renshaw and Scott Scurich are longtime real estate brokers that founded the company in 2017 after a stint with Ten-X, another digital real estate sales platform. The program “uses artificial intelligence to track the most active buyers in the real-time, net-lease market, much as stock and bond software tracks institutional investors,” according to the company. “The algorithm evaluates a buyer’s past purchases, as well as current acquisition criteria and dollars raised that must be allocated within a given year.” Bass Pro …

May 30, 2019

Affordable Housing Development Hawaii Multifamily Top Stories Western

State of Hawaii, Standard Communities Unveil $223.9M Plan to Rehabilitate 1,221 Affordable Housing Units

by Kristin Harlow May 29, 2019

HAWAII — Standard Communities, in partnership with the State of Hawaii and Honolulu-based Stanford Carr Development, has unveiled a $223.9 million public-private partnership that will reposition 1,221 affordable housing units across six properties on the islands of Oahu, Hawaii and Maui. “Leveraging private funds through partnerships like this is a more efficient use of state resources,” says Gov. David Y. Ige. “It’s more cost effective to sell the leasehold interest and have Standard Communities and Stanford Carr Development bring private capital to pay for renovations and other capital improvements through the sale.” In the first transaction, Standard Communities acquired five of the six properties for a total of 995 units. The sixth is expected to close in the coming months. The seller was Hawaii Housing Finance and Development Corp. (HHFDC), a state-run agency. The new partnership preserves all the units as affordable housing for the long-term, though the exact length of that deal was not disclosed. The portfolio will undergo an $85 million rehabilitation. Residents will receive project-based rental assistance. As part of the rehabilitation, unit interiors will be renovated, building systems will be modernized and the common areas will be updated to house a comprehensive offering of services and …

May 29, 2019

Acquisitions New York Northeast Office Top Stories

Savanna Acquires Office Tower in Midtown Manhattan for $381M

by John Nelson May 28, 2019

NEW YORK CITY — Savanna, a real estate owner and developer based in New York City, has purchased a 39-story office tower in Midtown Manhattan for $381 million. The nearly 500,000-square-foot building is located at 521 Fifth Ave., which is near the corner of 43rd Street and one block from Grand Central Station in New York City. The seller is a joint venture between SL Green Realty Corp., Quantum Global Real Estate and LaSalle Investment Management. Bill Shanahan, Darcy Stacom, David Fowler and Doug Middleton of CBRE represented the joint venture in the sale. Built in 1929, the office tower is LEED Gold-certified and Energy Star-rated, but Savanna plans to make significant capital improvements to the asset. More specifically, the renovation includes a complete entrance and lobby overhaul, new signage, selective systems upgrades and common corridor work. “After we make a few select cosmetic improvements, we believe this property will be well-positioned for a successful leasing campaign,” says Andrew Fichte, managing director of Savanna. Savanna has selected a CBRE team led by Peter Turchin and David Hollander as the leasing agent for the office tower. At year-end 2018, the build was more than 96 percent leased to tenants including China …

May 28, 2019

Acquisitions Midwest Missouri Office Top Stories

KBS Sells 580,368 SF Office Campus Near St. Louis to Lingerfelt CommonWealth

by Alex Tostado May 24, 2019

CLAYTON, MO. — KBS has sold Pierre Laclede Center I & II, a two-building, 580,368-square-foot office campus in Clayton, to Lingerfelt CommonWealth. The sales price was not disclosed. Pierre Laclede Center I & II were constructed in 1964 and 1970, respectively. KBS acquired the office campus in 2010 and implemented a $19 million renovation plan in the intervening years. Amenities include an outdoor veranda/patio area, conference rooms, fitness centers, café, deli, onsite concierge and car washing. The sale included a four-level, 1,304-stall parking garage. HFF marketed the property on behalf of KBS, a California-based private equity firm that owned the asset through its KBS Real Estate Investment Trust II portfolio. The buyer is a national real estate investment management firm based in Richmond, Virginia. Current tenants include Centene, Lathrop Gage, Morgan Stanley and Dana McKitrick P.C. Additionally, The St. Louis Club, a private dining club, occupies the top floor of the property with views of downtown and the Gateway Arch. Clayton is one of the St. Louis region’s most sought-after submarkets for office space and is considered the hub of the St. Louis metropolitan area. Clayton boasts over 1 million square feet of retail space as well, and the Pierre …

May 24, 2019

Acquisitions Florida Office Southeast Top Stories

Joint Venture Acquires 11-Building Office Portfolio in Jacksonville for $231M

by Alex Tostado May 23, 2019

JACKSONVILLE, FLA. — A joint venture between Starwood Real Estate Income Trust Inc. (SREIT), Vanderbilt Office Properties and Trinity Capital Advisors has acquired an 11-building office portfolio in Jacksonville in an off-market transaction for $231 million. The portfolio spans 1.3 million square feet and is situated within Jacksonville’s Deerwood Park submarket. The portfolio was 90 percent leased at the time of sale to 55 tenants, including Fidelity Investments, The Adecco Group and JPMorgan Chase Bank, with leases that expire in 2026, 2022 and 2022, respectively. Investment-grade companies make up 65 percent of the portfolio’s tenants. “The Florida office portfolio is another example of SREIT acquiring high-quality real estate in markets with strong population and job growth,” says John McCarthy, CEO and president of SREIT. “SREIT focuses on markets with strong growth dynamics because they drive occupancies, rents and values upward.” The Deerwood Park submarket includes St. Johns Town Center and is situated 10 miles southeast of downtown Jacksonville near Interstates 95 and 295. St. Johns Town Center is home to more than 150 restaurants and retailers. According to Cushman & Wakefield, the submarket has the lowest vacancy rate at 9.2 percent in the Butler/Baymeadows region. It also has highest asking …

May 23, 2019

Development Industrial Kentucky Southeast Top Stories

Georgia-Pacific Plans $100M Expansion of Dixie Manufacturing Facility in Kentucky

by Kristin Harlow May 22, 2019

BOWLING GREEN, KY. — Georgia-Pacific’s Consumer Products Group has unveiled plans to invest $100 million to expand its manufacturing facility in Bowling Green, a town in southern Kentucky. The investment will expand operations for the production of Dixie-branded plates and bowls. Construction has commenced and the project is slated for completion in the first half of 2020. “This expansion will help us continue meeting the needs of our customers, as demand continues to grow for high-quality, durable paper plates and bowls,” says Erik Sjogren, vice president and general manager of livingware at Georgia-Pacific. “We believe this expansion will also position our Bowling Green Dixie facility to remain competitive in the market and in the local community for the long-term.” The expansion will include a new building and the addition of a new printer and several new plate forming presses. The project will create more than 50 full-time jobs, increasing total employment at the plant to about 200 people. Originally built in 1991, the plant has been expanded several times. Production at the facility represents about 25 percent of all paper plates and bowls produced by Georgia-Pacific. The Atlanta-based company also operates a plant in Lexington, Ky. Within Kentucky, Georgia-Pacific currently …

May 22, 2019

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