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

Development Illinois Midwest Office Top Stories

Friedman Properties, City of Chicago Move Forward with High-Rise Office Tower in Downtown’s River North District

by John Nelson January 28, 2020

CHICAGO — Friedman Properties and the City of Chicago have finalized the development agreement of their public-private partnership for Rivere, a 30-story high-rise office building coming to downtown Chicago’s River North district. The 674,000-square-foot tower will be situated at 450 N. Dearborn St., a block south of the intersection of Illinois and Dearborn streets. Rivere will feature a little more than 50,000 square feet of retail space, as well as high-end amenities including concierge services, meditation space, on-demand meeting space, an upscale fitness and wellness center, secure bike room with shower facilities, onsite valet, below-grade garage parking and a food and beverage program operated by Lettuce Entertain You Enterprises. The property will also house a new engine house for Engine Co. 42, the District 1 headquarters for the Chicago Fire Department. Designed by Goettsch Partners, Rivere will feature a glass façade with activated rooftops and sustainable features, including efficient mechanical systems that will help reduce water and energy use. Other design team members include construction management firm Lendlease and engineer DLR Group. Office managers and staff at Rivere will be able use an app to facilitate parking, concierge services, fitness class appointments, guest passes, thermostat control, restaurant reservations and conference …

January 28, 2020

Acquisitions Midwest Ohio Retail Top Stories

VICI Properties Completes Acquisition of JACK Cleveland Casino, Thistledown Racino for $843.3M

by Kristin Harlow January 27, 2020

CLEVELAND AND NORTH RANDALL, OHIO — VICI Properties Inc. (NYSE: VICI) has completed the acquisition of JACK Cleveland Casino and JACK Thistledown Racino for approximately $843.3 million. The company financed the transaction with cash on hand. JACK Cleveland Casino opened in May 2012 in the historic Higbee Building in downtown Cleveland. The property features approximately 96,000 square feet of gaming space, 1,300 gaming machines, 120 table games and eight food and beverage outlets. The casino is connected to both the 205-room Ritz-Carlton hotel and the 440-room Renaissance hotel. JACK Thistledown Racino is located in North Randall, about 10 miles southeast of Cleveland. The racino — a combination of a horse racing track and a casino — opened in April 2013. Situated on 129 acres, it features the race track, approximately 57,000 square feet of gaming space, 1,459 gaming machines and six food and beverage outlets. The venue hosts the Ohio Derby horse racing event every summer. The transaction increases VICI’s “exposure to the limited license state of Ohio, which continues to be one of the healthiest gaming markets across the country,” according to John Payne, president and COO of VICI. Simultaneous with the closing of the transaction, VICI entered into …

January 27, 2020

Development Massachusetts Mixed-Use Northeast Top Stories

JLL Arranges $870M Construction Loan for South Station Redevelopment Project in Boston

by Taylor Williams January 24, 2020

BOSTON — JLL has arranged an $870 million construction loan for the first phase of the redevelopment of Boston’s South Station transit hub. Upon completion, the project will ultimately comprise 1.9 million square feet of commercial and residential space. The initial phase will feature a 1.2 million-square-foot, 51-story mixed-use tower rising above the historic transit station, which was built in 1898. Scheduled for completion in 2024, the tower will house approximately 660,000 square feet of Class A office space, 166 condominium units and more than 500 parking spaces. Pelli Clark Pelli Architects is designing the project. The office component will feature 26,000-square-foot floor plates, 13-foot floor-to-ceiling windows and unobstructed views of downtown Boston and Boston Harbor. The residential component will include one-, two- and three-bedroom units, as well as penthouse duplex units, and amenities such as an outdoor pool, fitness center, conference center and onsite restaurant. Riaz Cassum and Jennifer Kelly of JLL arranged the loan through The Children’s Investment Fund on behalf of the borrower, a joint venture between Hines, APG Groep NV and Dune Real Estate Partners. “Developments of this quality and magnitude arise infrequently in a mature market such as Boston,” says Cassum. “The tower at South Station …

January 24, 2020

Development Mixed-Use North Carolina Southeast Top Stories

Joint Venture to Develop $95M Mixed-Use Tower in Charlotte

by Alex Tostado January 23, 2020

CHARLOTTE, N.C. — A joint venture between Armada Hoffler Properties Inc. (NYSE: AHH), David Furman of Centro City Works and Charles Campbell of Flagship Healthcare Properties has unveiled plans for Ten Tryon, a 215,000-square-foot mixed-use development in Charlotte. The building will feature a Publix grocery store as well as a Fortune 100 office tenant. The developers expect the project will cost $95 million. The 15-story building, which is being designed to LEED standards, will feature 175,000 square feet of office space, a 340-space parking garage and a 9,000-square-foot indoor/outdoor rooftop restaurant. The project will be situated between 9th and 10th streets on North Tryon Street as part of the larger North Tryon Vision Plan that is geared toward developing and sustaining growth in the neighborhood. Armada Hoffler Construction Co., a wholly owned subsidiary of Armada Hoffler Properties, will serve as the general contractor for the project. The company anticipates breaking ground during the second quarter of 2020 with expected completion in summer 2022. The site is two blocks from the Ninth Street light rail station, providing tenants with multiple transportation options, and offers easy access to Interstate 277 for commuters. “Ten Tryon has everything we look for in a new ground-up development …

January 23, 2020

Development Florida Mixed-Use Southeast Top Stories

Forest Development to Build 1.1 MSF Nautilus 211 Mixed-Use Project in Lake Park, Florida

by Kristin Harlow January 22, 2020

LAKE PARK, FLA. — Forest Development has received unanimous approval from the City of Lake Park to build Nautilus 211, a mixed-use project featuring condominiums, office space, retail and restaurants. The 1.1 million-square-foot development will rise along the Intracoastal Waterway and overlook the Lake Park Harbor Marina. The project’s two 23-story towers will house 332 condo units. Amenities for residents will include two pools, pickleball courts, a putting green, game room, children’s play center, private theater, clubroom, resident bowling alley, library and fitness center. A fifth-floor entertainment area will offer a music studio, arts and crafts room, billiards room and Pilates studio. Four guest suites will be available for rent. In addition to the 332 condos, the project will include 13,000 square feet of office space, 8,058 square feet of retail space and 14,550 square feet of waterfront restaurant space. Five floors of parking will offer 863 spots for both residents and the public. Construction is scheduled to begin this fall, with completion slated for summer 2023. The project is the result of five years of planning, according to Peter Baytarian, managing partner of Lake Park-based Forest Development. Pricing has not yet been released, but Baytarian says the initial unit …

January 22, 2020

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