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PHILADELPHIA — Campus Apartments, a student housing developer and operator based in Philadelphia, has opened four student housing developments totaling 1,643 beds. Development costs for the projects, which are within walking distance to University of Tennessee, University of Michigan and University of Pennsylvania, totaled over $220 million. “We’re excited to be providing students with high-quality housing in Knoxville, Ann Arbor, and our hometown, Philadelphia,” says Daniel Bernstein, president and chief investment officer of Campus Apartments. “We’ve been thrilled with the initial response to these four new developments, and we look forward to continuing to surpass our residents’ expectations.” The new properties include TENN, a 603-bed, mixed-use community located near the University of Tennessee in Knoxville; The Yard, a 590-bed, mixed-use community located near the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor; Six11, a 350-bed student housing community also located in Ann Arbor; and The Simon at Founders Row located near the University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia. TENN in Knoxville offers a mix of three-, four- and five-bedroom, fully furnished units. Shared amenities include a two-story clubhouse, fitness center, study lounge, putting green, resort-style swimming pool, fire pits and grill stations. The Yard in Ann Arbor offers studio, one-, two-, three-, four- …

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NEW YORK CITY — The American investment team of Bahrain-based Investcorp has acquired 56 industrial properties totaling approximately 4.5 million square feet across seven major American markets. The purchase price was roughly $300 million. The portfolio includes nine warehouses in Minneapolis; 16 warehouse/flex buildings in Dallas; 14 warehouse/manufacturing buildings in Chicago; nine warehouse and flex buildings in Philadelphia and Delaware; five warehouse/manufacturing buildings in Phoenix; two industrial properties in Houston; and one industrial asset in San Antonio. All of the infill properties offer last-mile proximity to major population centers. The seller was not disclosed. “This acquisition gives us the opportunity to expand our presence in this important and growing industrial/warehouse sector in the U.S.,” says Mohammed Alardhi, executive chairman of Investcorp. “This investment further reflects our commitment to growing Investcorp’s footprint in the U.S., which is a key driver of the firm’s overall growth strategy.” At the time of sale, the properties were collectively 90 percent occupied by tenants in the e-commerce, manufacturing, design, wholesaling and food services industries. The sale marks Investcorp’s ninth industrial portfolio acquisition in the last 36 months. Since 1996, Investcorp has purchased more than 550 properties with a total value in excess of $14 billion. …

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AURORA, COLO. — Ares Real Estate Group has sold its investment stake in the Gaylord Rockies Resort & Convention Center in Aurora for $270 million. Slated to open this December, the 1,500-room hotel is located less than 10 minutes from the Denver International Airport. Marriott International Inc. will manage the hotel upon its opening. In addition to 486,012 square feet of convention space, the property will feature a full-service spa, fitness center, pool, several restaurants, a coffee shop and marketplace store. The resort is expected to be the largest combined hotel and convention center in Colorado, according to Ares. Ryman Hospitality Properties Inc. and RIDA Development Corp., the other partners in the development’s joint venture, acquired Ares’ investment stake. The sale comes on the heels of Ares’ announcement last week that its power and infrastructure fund acquired the assets of Irving, Texas-based oil and gas company Paradigm Energy Partners. Ares Real Estate Group is part of Ares Management LP (NYSE: ARES), which has approximately $121.4 billion in assets under management and 18 offices worldwide. Ryman (NYSE: RHP) owns four resorts totaling 8,114 rooms that are managed by Marriott under the Gaylord Hotels brand. Ryman also owns other Marriott-branded hotels as …

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NEW YORK — Columbia Property Trust Inc. (NYSE: CXP) and Normandy Real Estate Partners LLC plan to form a joint venture to develop 799 Broadway, a 12-story boutique office building in Manhattan’s Midtown South neighborhood. The $300 million, ground-up project will be located at the corner of 11th Street and Broadway, at the convergence of Union Square and Greenwich Village. The loft-style building will total 182,000 square feet and will feature floor plates ranging from 3,600 to 22,000 square feet. Other features will include 15-foot ceilings, floor-to-ceiling glass and private terraces. “We look forward to working with Columbia to jointly develop a Class A, loft-style creative building in this ideal location,” said Jeffrey Gronning, founder and partner of Normandy Real Estate Partners. “With its high-end amenities and features, this unique building will be ideally suited for tenants seeking a creative and collaborative environment and should benefit from the limited supply of newly developed properties in this neighborhood.” Chicago-based architecture firm Perkins+Will is designing the building, which is slated for completion in the second half of 2020. Once completed, 799 Broadway will join Columbia’s existing Manhattan portfolio, which includes 218 W. 18th St., 249 W. 17th St., 114 5th Ave., 229 …

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NEW YORK CITY — Alchemy Properties has acquired the former Collegiate School on the Upper West Side of Manhattan for $158 million. The property, which is located at 378 West End Ave. and 260-262 West 78th St., will be redeveloped into two ground-up residential condominium buildings rising 19 and 12 stories, respectively. When completed, the project will bring anywhere from 58 to 62 condominium units to the Upper West Side as well as 20,000 square feet of amenities, including an outdoor pool, squash court and fitness center. Alchemy has partnered with South Korean investment bank Daishin Securities to develop the project. Architectural firm COOKFOX Architects has been commissioned to design both the exterior and interior of 378 West End Ave. Bank OZK provided pre-construction and construction financing for the project. Construction on 378 West End Ave. is scheduled to start in the third quarter of 2018. Alchemy Properties recently completed Two Fifty West 81st St., a 31-unit condominium project on the Upper West Side. The project is currently 85 percent sold, according to Alchemy. — David Cohen

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CARSON, CALIF. — Macerich (NYSE: MAC) and Simon Property Group (NYSE: SPG) have formed a 50/50 joint venture to develop Los Angeles Premium Outlets, a new outlet mall in Carson, about 13 miles south of downtown Los Angeles. The first phase will span 400,000 square feet, and the second phase will include 166,000 square feet. “Our city is thrilled that this exciting project is moving forward,” said Carson Mayor Albert Robles in a prepared statement. “We see this high-quality outlet project as one that will add value to our community for many years to come, attracting locals and tourists from all over the world.” The outlet mall will feature 2,500 linear feet of frontage along the Interstate 405 Freeway. Roughly 515,000 cars pass the site each day along I-405 and the Interstate 110 Freeway. The site has roughly 2.5 million residents within a 10-mile radius and is situated about 11 miles south of Los Angeles International Airport (LAX). As currently planned, the project’s shops and restaurants will be elevated above street level and sit atop a ground-level parking deck. Site work is expected to begin immediately. Macerich and Simon plan to open the Los Angeles County property in fall 2021. …

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Minit-Mart-Westlake-Ohio

WESTLAKE, OHIO — British gas station and convenience store operator EG Group has agreed to acquire a portfolio of real estate assets, including 225 Minit Mart-branded stores, for $305 million. The seller was Westlake, Ohio-based TravelCenters of America, which operates several convenience store and gas station chains across the country, including Petro, TA and Quaker Steak & Lube. The transaction follows EG Group’s acquisition of a 762-site portfolio of convenience stores across the country earlier this year. Kroger sold those properties, which include stores under the Tom Thumb, Loaf ‘N Jug and Kwik Shop banners. “We have a firm commitment to growing our presence in the USA, the world’s largest convenience market,” says Mohsin Issa, founder and CEO of EG Group. “The Minit Mart portfolio will be a strong addition to our business.” Upon closing of the deal, EG Group will own and operate approximately 1,000 convenience retail stores and gas stations across the country. A timeline for closing was not released. Legal advisors to EG Group are Eversheds Sutherland LLP for acquisition issues and Kirkland & Ellis LLP for banking and finance issues. Barclays Bank acted as M&A advisor to EG Group and also underwrote debt financing for the deal.  — Taylor Williams

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TAMPA, FLA. — Strategic Property Partners LLC (SPP) has unveiled plans for a pair of office towers within the $3 billion Water Street Tampa project. The multi-phased development will comprise more than 9 million square feet of commercial, residential, hospitality, educational, entertainment, cultural and retail space upon completion scheduled for 2027. The office towers will total approximately 1 million square feet and will be the first ground-up office buildings to be constructed in downtown Tampa in nearly 25 years. “With Tampa’s population growing daily and sustained job creation happening within the community, we saw a tremendous opportunity to build new and efficient office space within the initial phase of the Water Street Tampa neighborhood,” says David Bevirt, executive vice president of corporate leasing and strategy for SPP. One of the buildings, 1001 Water St., will rise 20 stories and span 380,000 square feet. COOKFOX Architects designed the speculative property. Construction is expected to begin in the spring, with completion slated for the second quarter of 2021, according to the Tampa Bay Times. Building features will include a rooftop terrace, conference space, flex rooms and a wellness community center. A Nelson Byrd Woltz Landscape Architects-designed plaza area will link the building …

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Westin Copley Place in Boston

BETHESDA, MD. —It appears the sixth time’s a charm as LaSalle Hotel Properties (NYSE: LHO) has accepted Pebblebrook Hotel Trust’s (NYSE: PEB) merger proposal made in late August. The two Maryland-based hotel REITs jointly announced today that Pebblebrook will acquire all of LaSalle’s outstanding common shares in a deal valued at $5.2 billion. In accepting the unsolicited Pebblebrook bid, LaSalle has terminated its previously announced merger agreement with affiliates of The Blackstone Group LP (NYSE: BX). Blackstone declined to revise its $4.8 billion bid, including $1.1 billion in debt, which LaSalle previously accepted in May. According to The Wall Street Journal,Blackstone is entitled to a $112 million termination fee. Under terms of the merger agreement, each LaSalle shareholder will have the option to receive for each LaSalle common share owned either a fixed amount of $37.80 in cash or a common share of Pebblebrook stock at a fixed exchange ratio of 0.92. A maximum of 30 percent of outstanding LaSalle common shares may be exchanged for cash. “We are very pleased to have reached an agreement to bring Pebblebrook and LaSalle together in a strategic combination that represents a terrific value-maximizing opportunity for both LaSalle and Pebblebrook shareholders,” says Jon …

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NEW YORK CITY — Lexington Realty Trust (NYSE: LXP) has sold a 21-office asset portfolio for $726 million to a joint venture between affiliates of Davidson Kempner Capital Management LP and Lexington. The office properties are spread across the U.S., with properties in the eastern and western regions, the South and the Midwest. The 3.8 million-square-foot portfolio is currently 98.6 percent leased to a tenant roster that includes Amazon, Experian Holdings, Motel 6 and Nissan. “This transaction marks a major step forward as we execute on our strategy to efficiently recycle capital out of suburban office properties and concentrate our portfolio on single-tenant, net leased industrial properties,” says T. Wilson Eglin, CEO of New York City-based Lexington Realty Trust. We intend to use transaction proceeds to continue to acquire high-quality industrial properties and repay our revolving credit facility and other debt, which we believe is the best path to create meaningful long-term shareholder value.” Following the transaction, Lexington’s percentage of industrial assets based on consolidated revenue is expected to increase to 60 percent from 44 percent at year-end 2017. Lexington received net cash proceeds of approximately $565 million at closing. The joint venture is expected to assume approximately $57 million …

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