Top Stories

German Elevator Maker to Build 420-Foot-Tall Headquarters Near Massive Shopping, Sports Complex in Atlanta

by Kristin Harlow July 27, 2018

ATLANTA — Thyssenkrupp Elevator, one of the world’s largest elevator companies, has unveiled plans to build a new headquarters complex near The Battery Atlanta in Cobb County. The German company will develop the facility in collaboration with the Braves Development Co. (BDC). BDC is the owner and operator of The Battery, the 1.5 million-square-foot mixed-use development surrounding SunTrust Park, home ballpark of the Atlanta Braves. The Thyssenkrupp headquarters, dubbed The Innovation Complex, will feature three buildings anchored by a 420-foot tall elevator qualification and test tower — the tallest of its kind in the country and one of the tallest in the world, according to Thyssenkrupp. According to the Atlanta Business Chronicle, the Development Authority of Cobb County agreed to issue up to $264 million in bonds for the new building last month. With 18 shafts, the Innovation Complex test tower will be used to evaluate new concepts and product pilots, including high-speed elevators; TWIN, a two-cabins-per-shaft elevator system; and MULTI, the world’s first rope-less and sideways-moving elevator system. In addition, the test tower will conduct tests to ensure compliance with safety requirements on standard elevators. Atlanta is already home to the first TWIN elevator system in North America. The technology is …

July 27, 2018

Acquisitions California Office Retail Top Stories Western

Equus Sells Office, Retail Complex in Downtown San Jose for $284M

by Camren Skelton July 26, 2018

SAN JOSE, CALIF. — Equus Capital Partners Ltd. has sold Cityview Plaza, a nine-building, 579,541-square-foot office and retail complex in downtown San Jose. Jay Paul Co., a privately held real estate development firm based in San Francisco, acquired the asset. The 11-acre property sold for $284 million, according to local media reports. Spanning an entire city block, Cityview Plaza is situated across from the Adobe Worldwide Headquarters, and near the planned 8 million-square-foot Google Village. The complex includes 534,036 square feet of office space and 45,505 square feet of retail. In addition, the property includes more than 1,000 parking stalls situated within both a subterranean and structured parking garage. Equus’ equity fund, BPG Investment Partnership VIII & VIIIA, originally acquired Cityview Plaza in 2007 and invested $10 million in capital improvements. The renovation included new entrance points to the complex, landscaping, renovated lobby entries and common area improvements. Equus added on-site amenities including a fitness center, conference center, new restaurants and seating/meeting areas within the property’s central plaza. “We acquired the 67 percent leased Cityview Plaza in 2007 with a particular focus on the rare opportunity to secure a large, well-located mixed-use property in the rapidly evolving downtown San Jose …

July 26, 2018

Development Loans New York Northeast Office Top Stories

JLL Arranges $235M Construction Loan for 34-Story Office Tower in Brooklyn

by David Cohen July 25, 2018

NEW YORK CITY — JLL Capital Markets has arranged a $235 million loan for the construction of One Willoughby Square, a 34-story, Class A office tower in downtown Brooklyn. One Willoughby Square will rise 560 feet above the future Willoughby Park, a one-acre public green space on top of a 700-space underground parking garage in Brooklyn’s Tech Triangle. The building will feature column-free floor plates as well as 10-foot windows. The tower is the first ground-up office development in downtown Brooklyn in decades, according to JLL. Aaron Appel, Keith Kurland, Aaron Niedermayer, David Sitt and Eliott Zetioune of JLL arranged the four-year, floating-rate loan through Québec-based Otéra Capital Inc. for borrower JEMB Realty. The planned 462,656-square-foot tower is already 27 percent leased to two tenants: architectural firm NYC School Construction Authority and FXCollaborative, the executive architect of One Willoughby Square. JEMB will seek LEED Silver certification for the project, which is scheduled for completion in 2021. “The lending community was impressed by the experienced sponsorship of this project as well as its quality design, location and preleasing,” says Kurland. “Clearly, One Willoughby is destined to become Brooklyn’s most distinctive and sought-after office address.” — David Cohen

July 25, 2018

Development Leasing Activity Office Retail Southeast Tennessee Top Stories

Highwoods to Build Asurion’s $285M Headquarters Campus in Nashville, Creating 400 New IT Jobs

by John Nelson July 24, 2018

NASHVILLE, TENN. — Highwoods Properties Inc. (NYSE: HIW) plans to build a new $285 million headquarters campus in Nashville’s central business district (CBD) for Asurion, a privately held tech solutions firm. The Nashville-based company specializes in providing insurance and warranty plans covering mobile devices and other consumer electronics. Asurion will consolidate four of its existing local offices into the new campus, as well as create 400 new information technology jobs, according to local media reports. Highwoods, a Raleigh-based REIT that now has a development pipeline exceeding $700 million, recently executed the 551,000-square-foot build-to-suit office lease with Asurion. The tech firm will occupy 98.3 percent of the campus under a long-term lease. Nashville has been a haven for employment gains since the downturn. In the past decade, the Middle Tennessee metro has experienced 25 percent job growth, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. The Nashville MSA’s unemployment rate was 2.3 percent in May 2018. The Asurion campus will be built on a 4.2-acre site located at Church Street and 11th Avenue North along the Gulch Greenway, a seven-mile urban trail. The development will include two buildings rising eight and nine stories built atop a six-level parking podium. The planned parking …

July 24, 2018

Acquisitions California Office Top Stories Western

Boston Properties, CPPIB Acquire 47-Acre Business Park in Santa Monica for $627.5M

by Taylor Williams July 23, 2018

SANTA MONICA, CALIF. — A joint venture between Boston Properties Inc. (NYSE: BXP) and Canada Pension Plan Investment Board (CPPIB) has acquired the 47-acre Santa Monica Business Park for approximately $627.5 million. The seller was not disclosed. Santa Monica Business Park consists of 21 buildings totaling roughly 1.2 million square feet of office and retail space in Santa Monica, a coastal city just west of downtown Los Angeles. The property is located near Interstates 10 and 405 and features a variety of on-site services, including a health club, restaurants, banks, a car wash and a dog park. The property lies within the Ocean Park neighborhood and was 94 percent leased at the time of sale. Boston Properties will invest $147.4 million in the acquisition, yielding a 45 percent ownership stake, while CPPIB will invest $180.1 million. An undisclosed lender provided a $300 million acquisition loan to fund the remainder of the acquisition. The loan features a 4.06 percent interest rate and matures in July 2025. Approximately 70 percent of the rentable square footage is subject to a ground lease with 80 years remaining, including renewal periods. The ground lease provides the joint venture with the right to purchase the land …

July 23, 2018

Development Florida Mixed-Use Southeast Top Stories

NP International to Construct 1.3 MSF Mixed-Use Development Near Miami

by Kristin Harlow July 20, 2018

CORAL GABLES, FLA. — NP International (NPI) has selected Balfour Beatty to construct the 1.3 million-square-foot Gables Station mixed-use development in Coral Gables, a suburb of Miami. Comprised of three towers, the development will feature retail space, residential units, a hotel and a 1,000-car parking garage. The transit-oriented development is situated within a commercial corridor on U.S. Highway 1 and is adjacent to the Miami Metrorail, providing easy access to the Miami International Airport. The project will be directly connected to the Underline Park, a 10-mile park and urban trail. The development’s two apartment buildings will include a combined 450 units. Facing the Underline Park on the ground level, one of the residential buildings will feature 19,000 square feet of retail space, while the second will include 18,000 square feet of retail space. Gables Station’s third building will be home to a limited-service hotel, which will house 68,000 square feet of retail space for lifestyle and wellness tenants. Early this year, NPI received a $158.4 million construction loan for the project and negotiated a lease for Life Time Fitness at the development, according to the South Florida Business Journal. The project, designed to achieve LEED Silver certification, is slated for completion …

July 20, 2018

Development Multifamily Seniors Housing South Carolina Southeast Top Stories

Big Rock, Kiawah Partners to Develop $125M Seniors Housing Community Near Charleston, South Carolina

by Camren Skelton July 19, 2018

KIAWAH ISLAND, S.C. — Big Rock Partners, in a joint venture with Kiawah Partners, has unveiled plans to develop a $125 million seniors housing community on Kiawah Island, a barrier island located 21 miles southwest of Charleston. The 200-unit community will be for residents ages 55 and older and will include independent living, assisted living and memory care units. The unnamed project will be built overlooking a lake next to the Freshfields Village shopping center. “There’s been exponential growth in the active senior population in the Charleston area,” says Richard Ackerman, senior managing partner at Big Rock. “We wanted to bring a state-of-the-art senior living experience to the Lowcountry.” The community will feature its own movie facility, multiple pools, a fitness center with a yoga studio, and multiple food and beverage options. “There are current Kiawah homeowners who are aging, who want to downsize and require higher degrees of service levels,” says Chris Randolph, partner at Kiawah Partners. “They don’t want to lose touch with their social circles by moving off the island. Senior living on Kiawah allows them to keep their ties to the island, and for many, to the Kiawah Island Club.” Kiawah Partners is the master developer …

July 19, 2018

Development Massachusetts Mixed-Use Northeast Top Stories

Boylston Properties, The Wilder Cos. Secure $324M Construction Financing for Mixed-Use Redevelopment Near Boston

by David Cohen July 18, 2018

BOSTON — Developers Boylston Properties and The Wilder Cos. have secured $324 million in construction financing and joint venture equity for the development of Arsenal Yards, a six-building, mixed-use redevelopment of the former Arsenal Mall in Watertown. HFF worked on behalf of the developers to source institutional investors advised by JP Morgan Asset Management as joint venture equity partners, providing $102 million of equity. HFF also arranged a $222 million construction loan from Wells Fargo Bank. “HFF was able to work closely with the development team to secure a capitalization structure that met their objectives,” says Brett Paulsrud, senior director at HFF. “This redevelopment will dramatically transform the landscape of Watertown, adding a significant amenity base to the area. It will be very exciting to watch this best-in-class partnership create a new destination for surrounding residents and businesses alike.” Located on the site of the former Watertown Arsenal, which predates the Civil War, New England Development opened the mall as Arsenal Marketplace in 1983. In 2013, Boylston Properties and The Wilder Companies purchased the property with the intention of redeveloping it into a mixed-use project. Arsenal Yards is scheduled to open in 2019 and will feature 250,000 square feet of destination shops …

July 18, 2018

Hospitality Loans New York Northeast Top Stories

Atalaya Capital Closes $315M Construction Financing for New Ritz-Carlton Hotel in Manhattan

by John Nelson July 17, 2018

NEW YORK — Atalaya Capital Management, a private credit and alternative investment advisory firm, has recently closed $315 million in construction financing for The Ritz-Carlton’s new flagship hotel in Manhattan. Situated at the corner of 28th Street and Broadway, the 266-room hotel will span more than 50 stories and include 16 branded residences, 6,000 square feet of meeting space and high-end food and beverage options. This project will be the first ground-up hotel construction in New York City completed by Flag Luxury Group, which has developed several upscale hotels and resorts, including four Ritz-Carlton properties in Florida. Atalaya Capital partnered with CapitalSource, a division of Pacific West Bank, to provide a $250 million senior construction loan to Flag. Atalaya also closed a $65 million preferred equity investment to finance the hotel, which is set for a late 2021 completion. “We are excited to be working with Atalaya, which worked diligently to structure a creative and comprehensive capital solution to facilitate the development of an iconic brand’s new flagship New York City location,” said Paul Kanavos, CEO and chairman of Flag Luxury Group. The project team includes general contractor Lend Lease, interior designer Yabu Pushelberg and architect Rafael Vinoly. Founded in …

July 17, 2018

Edgewater-Hotel-&-Casino-Resort-Laughlin-Nevada

Acquisitions Hospitality Nevada Top Stories Western

Golden Entertainment to Acquire Two Casino Resorts in Nevada for More Than $168M

by Taylor Williams July 16, 2018

LAUGHLIN, NEV. — Golden Entertainment Inc. (NASDAQ: GDEN), an owner-operator of casino resorts, has agreed to acquire two properties in Nevada for more than $168 million. Golden will acquire Edgewater Hotel & Casino Resort and Colorado Belle Hotel & Casino Resort, both of which are located about 100 miles south of Las Vegas in Laughlin. The seller is Marnell Gaming LLC, which is also based in Nevada. The deal is expected to close during the first quarter of 2019. Combined, Edgewater Hotel & Casino Resort and Colorado Belle Hotel & Casino Resort feature more than 1,400 slot machines, 40 table games and 2,150 hotel rooms. The casino resorts also offer 11 restaurants and dedicated entertainment venues, including the 12,000-seat Laughlin Event Center. The properties are situated adjacent to Aquarius Casino Resort, an asset owned by Golden Entertainment that features 1,200 slot machines, 30-plus game tables and roughly 2,000 hotel rooms. “Over the past several years, Marnell Gaming has taken their expertise and created a significant hotel, casino and entertainment presence in Laughlin,” says Blake Sartini, chairman and CEO of Golden Entertainment. “We are excited to solidify our presence in this growing and attractive game market.” The exact sales price has …

July 16, 2018

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