Top Stories

Walker & Dunlop Originates $80.1M Refinancing of 1,155-Unit Multifamily Community in Suburban Chicago

by Katie Sloan November 6, 2020

GLENDALE HEIGHTS, ILL. — Walker & Dunlop Inc. has originated an $80.1 million refinancing of Ellyn Crossing, a garden-style multifamily community located about 30 miles west of Chicago in Glendale Heights. Ellyn Crossing was built from 1973 to 1978, and Rockwell Partners acquired the property in phases from 2014 to 2020. Since acquiring the property, the company has invested $4.5 million in unit upgrades and $1.5 million in common area upgrades. The loan provides an additional $1 million for ongoing renovations, which are scheduled for completion in six to nine months from the loan closing. Pat Dempsey of Walker & Dunlop secured the loan through Freddie Mac’s floating-rate program. “Rockwell is one of the leaders in the value-add investing space and they did a masterful job of assembling a complicated broken condo project and renovating it into a quality, garden-style apartment community,” says Dempsey. The 1,155-unit, 30-building community offers shared amenities including a resident clubhouse, business center, activity room, fitness center, pool, sundeck, tennis court, sand volleyball court, playground and picnic areas. Walker & Dunlop is one of the largest commercial real estate finance companies in the U.S. Chicago-based Rockwell Partners is a real estate investment firm with a portfolio of properties …

November 6, 2020

Company News Northeast Pennsylvania Retail Top Stories

Pet Valu Winding Down Operations, Closing All 358 Stores and Warehouses in the United States

by John Nelson November 5, 2020

WAYNE, PA. — Pet Valu Inc., a specialty retailer of pet food and supplies, has opted to wind down its U.S. operations. The retailer will close all 358 stores in the Midwest, Northeast and Mid-Atlantic, as well as its warehouses and its U.S. headquarters office in Wayne. No timeline for closures was disclosed, but Pet Valu is currently doing final liquidation sales for all its merchandise. Additionally, the retailer is marketing all of its store fixtures, furniture and equipment for sale. Pet Valu Inc. licenses its name from Pet Valu Canada, which is a separate, unaffected entity that will retain its 600 Canadian stores and corporate headquarters office in Markham, Ontario, as well as its e-commerce site. Roark Capital, an Atlanta-based private equity group, purchased Pet Valu in 2009 and merged the retailer with Pet Supermarket in 2016 to form Pet Retail Brands, though the combined company continued to operate its stores under the original brand names of Pet Valu and Pet Supermarket. Pet Valu cites severe impact from the COVID-19 pandemic in the United States in its decision to wind down operations. According to Johns Hopkins University, the number of confirmed COVID-19 cases since March has totaled nearly 9.5 …

November 5, 2020

Acquisitions New York Northeast Office Top Stories

SL Green Agrees to Sell Amazon-Anchored Office Building Under Redevelopment in Manhattan for $952.5M

by Kristin Harlow November 4, 2020

NEW YORK CITY — SL Green Realty Corp. (NYSE: SLG) and its joint venture partners have entered into a contract to sell 410 Tenth Avenue, a 20-story, 636,000-square-foot office tower near Hudson Yards on Manhattan’s west side, for $952.5 million. The transaction marks the largest commercial property sale in the U.S. since March, according to SL Green. Amazon and First Republic Bank anchor the property, which is currently undergoing a redevelopment. Amazon signed its 335,408-square-foot lease in December. The buyer was undisclosed. SL Green is the majority owner of the building, with a 70.9 percent stake. As part of the sale, the sellers will retain a 5 percent interest through completion of the redevelopment, which is slated for the third quarter of 2021. The identities of the minority owners were not disclosed. The transaction is expected to close during the fourth quarter. Brett Herschenfeld, managing director of SL Green, says that the sale is an example of acquiring an undervalued asset, redeveloping it to Class A standards and re-leasing it to high-quality tenants. “While the asset was always intended to be held as a long-term investment, the sale will allow the company to achieve extraordinary profits, substantially reduce consolidated indebtedness …

November 4, 2020

Development Midwest Mixed-Use Ohio Top Stories

ICP Purchases 377-Acre Former Amusement Park in Northeast Ohio for Mixed-Use Redevelopment

by Katie Sloan November 3, 2020

BAINBRIDGE TOWNSHIP AND AURORA, OHIO — Industrial Commercial Properties (ICP) has purchased a 377-acre tract that formerly housed the Geauga Lake Amusement Park (pronounced jee-AW-ga) and Sea World Ohio. Cedar Fair sold the asset for an undisclosed price. Located in Bainbridge Township and Aurora approximately 25 miles southeast of downtown Cleveland, the developer plans to rebrand the property as The Geauga Lake District. Elements of the new design will pay homage to the history of the site and the former amusement park, which operated from 1887 to 2007. The master-planned development will include retail, restaurants, residential and other commercial uses alongside public green space. “We are reigniting this iconic landmark,” says Chris Semarjian, owner of ICP. “The redevelopment of this site will not only create a fully functioning district where people can live, work, dine and recreate, but it will also have a broader impact on economic development and job creation for the region.” The development will include the construction of Geauga Lake Boulevard, which will connect State Route 43 to Depot Road. “Many of us that grew up in Northeast Ohio have fond memories of the park and it was important to our development team, the Bainbridge Township trustees and …

November 3, 2020

Company News Georgia Massachusetts Northeast Retail Southeast Top Stories

Inspire Brands Agrees to Acquire Dunkin’ in $11.3B Transaction

by Taylor Williams November 2, 2020

ATLANTA AND CANTON, MASS. — Inspire Brands has agreed to acquire fast-food breakfast chain Dunkin’ Brands (NASDAQ: DNKN) in a transaction valued at $11.3 billion. The deal is expected to close by the end of the year. Atlanta-based Inspire Brands is the parent company of restaurant chains such as Arby’s, Jimmy John’s, Sonic Drive-In and Buffalo Wild Wings. In addition to its namesake coffee and breakfast chain, Canton, Mass.-based Dunkin’ Brands also owns ice cream parlor chain Baskin-Robbins, which respectively have about 12,500 and 8,000 locations worldwide. Dunkin’ has about 9,600 locations in the United States. The deal’s price tag equates to $106.50 per share, to be paid in cash, and includes the assumption of all Dunkin’ Brands’ debt. The share price represents a 30 percent premium over the Dunkin’ Brands 30-day weighted average price and a 20 percent premium over its closing stock price of $88.79 per share on Friday, Oct. 23. “We are excited to bring meaningful value to shareholders who have been with us on this journey and believe that Inspire Brands, a preeminent operator of franchised restaurant concepts, will continue to drive growth for our franchisees while remaining true to all that is unique and special …

November 2, 2020

Acquisitions Office Top Stories Washington Western

Brookfield Purchases Office Building Fully Leased to Facebook in Bellevue, Washington for $365M

by John Nelson October 30, 2020

BELLEVUE, WASH. — A real estate investment fund backed by Brookfield Asset Management Inc. (NYSE: BAM) has purchased Block 16, a 343,528-square-foot office building in Bellevue fully leased to Facebook. A joint venture between Wright Runstad & Co., Shorenstein Properties and institutional investors advised by J.P. Morgan Asset Management sold the recently completed property for $365 million. Block 16 is part of The Spring District, a transit-oriented mixed-use development situated on the east side of Lake Washington from Seattle. Wright Runstad and Shorenstein Properties are the master developers of the campus, which sits south of Bellevue’s central business district near SoundTransit’s future Spring District/120th light rail station. Spring District will ultimately feature 3 million square feet of creative office space, including REI’s headquarters that Facebook purchased last month for $390 million. “The Spring District has become a choice location for high-quality office tenants in Bellevue,” says Greg Johnson, CEO of Seattle-based Wright Runstad. In 2017, University of Washington’s Global Innovation Exchange building opened at Spring District, as well as over 800 residential units and several open spaces accessible to the public. Wright Runstad plans to develop another 530,000 square feet of office space across two buildings at Spring District by …

October 30, 2020

Acquisitions California Office Top Stories Western

SHVO, Deutsche Bank Acquire Transamerica Pyramid Center in San Francisco for $650M

by Alex Tostado October 29, 2020

SAN FRANCISCO — A joint venture led by SHVO and Deutsche Finance America has acquired Transamerica Pyramid Center, a two-building, 750,000-square-foot office complex in San Francisco’s Financial District, for $650 million. The seller was Dutch insurance company Aegon Asset Management, which assumed ownership of the asset in 1999 when it acquired Transamerica Corp. Transamerica Corp. has occupied space in the iconic 48-story, pyramid-shaped anchor building since it was built in 1972. Originally designed by William L. Pereira & Associates, the 853-foot-high tower is currently the third tallest pyramid in the world. Floor plates at the tower range from 22,226 square feet on the sixth floor to 2,531 square feet on the 48th floor. Tenants at the complex include private equity, wealth management, consulting and law firms. The complex spans a city block and includes the main office tower, situated at 600 Montgomery St.; a 20-story, 191,142-square-foot office building at 505 Sansome St.; and a development site at 545 Sansome St. where a nine-story, 106,807-square-foot office building is planned. In the middle of the complex is Transamerica Redwood Park, a grove of mature redwood trees shading public open space. “We’re proud to take on ownership and management of the Transamerica Pyramid, …

October 29, 2020

Development Life Sciences New York Northeast Office Top Stories

Taconic, Nuveen to Transform ABC’s Longtime New York City Headquarters into Life Sciences Space

by Kristin Harlow October 28, 2020

NEW YORK CITY — Taconic Partners and Nuveen Real Estate have unveiled plans to redevelop 125 West End Avenue into a life sciences and research building. Broadcaster ABC has occupied the property as part of its New York City headquarters since 1985 but plans to vacate in January 2021. Chrysler originally constructed the eight-story, 400,000-square-foot property in 1929 as an automotive facility. The New York Times is also a former owner and tenant. The building features floorplates of more than 50,000 square feet, ceiling heights ranging from 13 to 16 feet, multiple access points and views of the Hudson River. Taconic and Nuveen purchased the property in late 2019 for $230 million. Plans call for a mechanical plant, purpose-built lab infrastructure, a new façade, roof terrace and conference center. The developers are still evaluating options for the remainder of the site, which includes a six-story, 131,000-square-foot television studio building and a 1.2-acre development parcel. Construction is slated for completion in 2023. The project team includes architect Perkins+Will and engineer JB&B. The development will feature several environmental sustainability features and is on track to achieve LEED Gold certification. Estimated development costs were not disclosed, though LoanCore Capital did provide a $181 …

October 28, 2020

Development Industrial Midwest Ohio Top Stories

Purina to Build $550M Pet Food Production Facility in Metro Cincinnati

by John Nelson October 27, 2020

WILLIAMSBURG TOWNSHIP, OHIO — Nestlé Purina PetCare (Purina), a subsidiary of the global Nestlé brand, plans to build a new 1.2 million-square-foot industrial facility in the Cincinnati suburb of Williamsburg Township. The St. Louis-based pet product manufacturer says its total investment in the facility will total $550 million and it will house more than 300 employees when fully operational. Purina will produce its brands of dry dog and cat food at the new facility such as Purina Pro Plan, Purina ONE and Dog Chow. The property will adhere to the latest food safety and sustainability standards and utilize robotics and digital technology to maximize efficiency, according to Purina. The new facility is situated within South Afton Industrial Park and represents the first ground-up facility for Purina since 1975. Construction will begin this fall and the factory is expected to be operational in 2023. This is Purina’s second pet food production facility announced in 2020 as the company revealed last month its plans to convert a former brewery in Eden, N.C., into a 1.3 million-square-foot pet food factory. The new $450 million property will sit on the North Carolina-Virginia border and begin operations in 2022. “Purina is excited to be building …

October 27, 2020

Civic Development Multifamily New York Northeast Top Stories

Howard Hughes Plans $1.4B Multifamily Project in Manhattan’s Seaport District

by Taylor Williams October 26, 2020

NEW YORK CITY — The Howard Hughes Corp. (NYSE: HHC) has unveiled plans for a $1.4 billion multifamily project in Manhattan’s Seaport District. The proposal calls for the transformation of a full-block surface parking lot along the boundary of the South Street Seaport Historic District into a mixed-income development that would include some of the area’s first new affordable housing in decades. The development would ultimately feature 360 apartments, about 25 percent of which would be affordable, as well as 260 condominium units. In terms of the multifamily component, the centerpiece is 250 Water Street, where Dallas-based HHC plans to develop at least 100 affordable apartments that would be reserved for households earning 40 percent or less of the area median income. Only 2.5 percent of all housing in the Seaport District qualifies as affordable, and the median household income is more than $150,000. The project would also rehabilitate the historic South Street Seaport Museum, which has faced numerous obstacles over the past two decades, including a two-year closure following 9/11, flooding from Hurricane Sandy in 2012 and an existential threat to attendance from COVID-19. In addition, HHC would develop a new museum building on an adjacent vacant lot. The …

October 26, 2020

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