Top Stories

‘We Have Turned the Corner’ on Interest Rates Globally, Says MBA’s Chief Economist

by John Nelson February 13, 2018

SAN DIEGO — Michael Fratantoni, chief economist at the Mortgage Bankers Association (MBA), fully expects the U.S. national unemployment rate to fall well below 4 percent this year — possibly as low as 3.6 percent — leading to an acceleration in wage growth, inflationary pressures and, ultimately, higher interest rates. Nationally, the unemployment rate stood at 4.1 percent at the end of January. “This is an extraordinarily tight job market,” said the veteran economist, who pointed out that 17 states are approaching record low unemployment rates. His comments came Sunday afternoon during a special economic outlook session at MBA’s Commercial Real Estate Finance/Multifamily Housing Convention & Expo 2018 at the San Diego Marriott Marquis & Marina. The four-day conference, which concludes tomorrow, has drawn more than 3,300 attendees. Fratantoni appeared on stage with Jamie Woodwell, the association’s vice president of commercial real estate research. Woodwell provided analysis on the state of the property markets and trends in commercial/multifamily mortgage loan originations. Wage pressures mount According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, average hourly earnings for workers on private nonfarm payrolls were 2.9 percent higher in January 2018 than in January 2017. “We’ll be between 3.5 percent and 4 percent for …

February 13, 2018

Loans New York Northeast Office Top Stories

NKF Arranges $81M Loan for Acquisition, Redevelopment of Warehouse in Queens

by Taylor Williams February 12, 2018

NEW YORK CITY — NKF Capital Markets has arranged an $81 million loan for the acquisition and redevelopment of 25-11 49th Avenue, a 135,000-square-foot warehouse located in the Long Island City area of Queens. The borrower is a partnership between New Jersey-based development and management firm Normandy Real Estate Partners and two New York-based investment firms, Keystone Equities and Drake Street Partners. Dustin Stolly and Jordan Roeschlaub of NKF Capital Markets secured the loan through Deutsche Bank. The redevelopment calls for a full repositioning of the two-story, loft-style warehouse, which will be converted into an 11-story office building totaling 238,000 square feet. Nine stories will be built atop the existing structure, which is located within the area’s factory district. “This property is ideally located near main transportation hubs, which represent part of the growing appeal of this neighborhood,” says Stolly. “This is an excellent opportunity for tenants that will allow them to recruit and retail quality talent.” The financing will also be used to implement a capital improvement plan, which will target the office entrances, lobby and common areas and outdoor roof deck. New elevators and HVAC systems, as well as new security and electronics system, are also included in …

February 12, 2018

District of Columbia Features Loans Southeast Top Stories

‘A Record Year’: Commercial/Multifamily Loan Originations Increased 15 Percent in 2017, Says MBA

by John Nelson February 12, 2018

WASHINGTON, D.C. — Commercial and multifamily mortgage originations for all of 2017 increased 15 percent on a year-over-year basis, bolstered by the strength of the multifamily, industrial and office sectors, according to the Mortgage Bankers Association (MBA). The preliminary estimate was released Sunday during MBA’s Commercial Real Estate Finance/Multifamily Housing Convention & Expo 2018 in San Diego. The estimate is based on the MBA’s Quarterly Survey of Commercial/Multifamily Mortgage Bankers Originations. The MBA reported that originations totaled $491 billion in 2016. Breaking down the numbers Originations for hotel properties increased 26 percent in 2017 over the prior year, the MBA reports, followed by industrial (+22 percent), multifamily (+17 percent), office (+12 percent) and healthcare (+9 percent). On the flip side, originations for the retail sector declined 21 percent in 2017 due in part to the dramatic growth of e-commerce. Even so, it was banner year overall for the mortgage banking community. “Based on these preliminary numbers, 2017 was a record year for borrowing and lending backed by commercial real estate properties,” said Jamie Woodwell, vice president of commercial real estate research for MBA, which is headquartered in Washington, D.C. “The increase was driven by multifamily lending, particularly for Fannie Mae …

February 12, 2018

Florida Mixed-Use Multifamily Office Retail Southeast Top Stories

Unicorp Announces $1B Mixed-Use Development in Orlando

by Katie Sloan February 9, 2018

ORLANDO, FLA. — Unicorp National Developments Inc. has unveiled plans for O-Town West, a $1 billion mixed-use development located at the corner of Palm Parkway and Daryl Carter Parkway in Orlando. The development will feature retail, restaurants, upscale apartments, a 600-car garage and a water show in the style of The Fountains of Bellagio in Las Vegas. The retail portion of the 82-acre development will be housed in two segments: the Village at O-Town West and the Boardwalk at O-Town West, according to reports by Orlando Weekly. The Village will feature retailers offering everyday necessities, including a national grocery store. The Boardwalk will offer new-to-market restaurants and retail. A 15,000-unit multifamily community is also planned for the development, alongside 300 to 400 homes, all of which will overlook a recreational lagoon by Miami-based Crystal Lagoons. Groundbreaking is slated for early 2019, with a grand opening projected for summer 2020, Orlando Weekly reports. Unicorp has developed over $2.5 billion worth of commercial and residential real estate, with a focus on retail, mixed-use centers, multifamily and master-planned communities. The company recently developed I-Drive 360 in Orlando, a mixed-use development featuring an observation wheel known as the Coca-Cola Orlando Eye. A $100 million Phase II is currently …

February 9, 2018

California Mixed-Use Top Stories Western

Brookfield Residential Acquires Developer OliverMcMillan, Including ‘Certain Assets’

by John Nelson February 8, 2018

CALGARY, ALBERTA AND SAN DIEGO — Brookfield Residential Properties Inc., the residential development arm of private equity firm Brookfield Asset Management, has closed on its acquisition of OliverMcMillan, a San Diego-based developer of large-scale mixed-use properties. Details of the acquisition were not disclosed, but on a conference call Wednesday (Feb. 7), Brookfield Residential chairman and CEO Alan Norris stated that the acquisition encompasses “certain assets” of OliverMcMillan. According to a release from Brookfield Residential, OliverMcMillan will continue to design and build mixed-use developments and will also continue to manage its existing real estate assets. “We simply could not have found a better long-term home,” says Dene Oliver, CEO of OliverMcMillan, in a prepared statement about the merger with Brookfield Residential. OliverMcMillan has several mixed-use projects under development across the country, including the second phases of River Oaks District in Houston and Buckhead Atlanta in Atlanta’s Buckhead district. As part of the merger, Brookfield Residential is acquiring the future pipeline of these two projects but not the operations of the existing assets, according to a source familiar with the acquisition. The second phase of Buckhead Atlanta includes 315,000 square feet of office space, according to the OliverMcMillan website. The project’s first …

February 8, 2018

California Features Top Stories Western

Investors in Buy Mode, Keen on Value-Add Opportunities, Concludes RCM Survey

by Camren Skelton February 8, 2018

CARLSBAD, CALIF. — A majority of commercial real estate investors indicate that they are in a buying mode in 2018 and are particularly focused on properties in the value-add space, according to a survey conducted by Real Capital Markets (RCM). The National Investor Sentiment Report and follow-up interviews were completed in early January by RCM, a Carlsbad-based online technology platform for buying and selling commercial real estate. RCM surveyed more than 250 investors active in all property types across the United States to gauge their investment strategies and outlook for the year ahead. More than 75 percent of respondents classified their investment strategy as buy, or buy but trending toward hold, according to the survey. “Investors across the country continue to see great opportunity and benefit in commercial real estate investing,” says Steve Shanahan, executive managing director of RCM. “Regardless of the product type or whether the strategy is core or value-add, the focus is on finding assets that can deliver strong yields that outpace other investment options.” Of the respondents, a majority (58 percent) characterized themselves as value-add investors. In other words, they are looking for growth through renovation or repositioning properties to enhance value. These types of properties are …

February 8, 2018

Midwest Ohio Retail Top Stories

UK-based EG Group to Buy Kroger’s Convenience Store Business for $2.1B

by Nellie Day February 7, 2018

CINCINNATI — United Kingdom-based EG Group has agreed to acquire Kroger’s (NYSE: KR) convenience store business for $2.1 billion. Kroger’s convenience store arm employs 11,000 workers in 18 states across 66 franchise operations. The stores operate under the brands Turkey Hill, Loaf ‘N Jug, Kwik Shop, Tom Thumb and Quik Stop. Kroger’s convenience store business generated $4 billion in revenue, including the sale of 1.2 billion gallons of fuel, in 2016. EG Group will establish its North American headquarters in Cincinnati and continue to operate the stores under their established brand names. It is the company’s first venture in the United States. Kroger’s supermarket fuel centers and its Turkey Hill Dairy are not included in the sale. Kroger plans to use net proceeds from the sale to repurchase shares and to lower its ratio of net total debt to adjusted EBITDA. Goldman Sachs & Co. LLC is acting as exclusive financial advisor to Kroger, with Weil, Gotshal & Manges LLP acting as legal advisor. Morgan Stanley, Bank of America Merrill Lynch and Barclays are acting as financial advisors to EG Group, while Allen & Overy is acting as legal advisor. EG Group was founded in 2001 by brothers Zuber and …

February 7, 2018

Georgia Restaurant Retail Southeast Top Stories

Arby’s Completes $2.9B Acquisition of Buffalo Wild Wings, Launches New Company

by Kristin Harlow February 6, 2018

ATLANTA — Arby’s Restaurant Group Inc. has completed its $2.9 billion acquisition of Buffalo Wild Wings Inc. As part of the transaction, the company launched a new restaurant company known as Inspire Brands Inc. The company will oversee the growth of Arby’s, Buffalo Wild Wings and an emerging brand, R Taco. More than 4,600 company-owned and franchised restaurants across 15 countries are within Inspire’s portfolio. The combined global sales of its restaurants in 2017 exceeded $7.6 billion. “We believe the time is right to create a different kind of restaurant company — one with a broad portfolio of distinct brands across a full spectrum of restaurant occasions,” says Paul Brown, CEO of Inspire Brands. “Our goal is to build an organization that leverages the benefits of scale, not only to save cost, but also to enable outsized investments in long-term growth initiatives.” Inspire is designed to enable each individual brand to benefit from and build off the strengths of the others. Brown of Arby’s and Neal Aronson of Roark Capital Group, a private equity firm, co-founded Inspire. The company’s headquarters will be based in Atlanta with a support center in Minneapolis. Founded in 1964, Atlanta-based Arby’s is a sandwich restaurant …

February 6, 2018

Features Top Stories

Job Growth, Wage Gains Signal Healthy Start to 2018, Say Real Estate Researchers

by Camren Skelton February 6, 2018

Total nonfarm payroll employment rose by 200,000 in January, beating economists’ expectations, while unemployment held steady at 4.1 percent, the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) said in a report released on Friday, Feb. 2. Perhaps most importantly, average hourly earnings increased 2.9 percent, marking the biggest jump since the end of the Great Recession. While upward pressure on wages is good news for workers and the economy, experts caution that an increase in wages could lead to a hike in interest rates. On the heels of the latest jobs report, REBusinessOnline reached out to three real estate researchers for their insights: Ryan Severino, chief economist for JLL who works out of the firm’s New York City office; Ken McCarthy, principal economist and applied research lead for the U.S. based in Cushman & Wakefield’s New York City office; and Don Ganguly, founder and CEO of Irvine, Calif.-based HomeUnion. What follows are their edited responses. REBusinessOnline: Total nonfarm payroll employment rose by 200,000 in January. Wall Street economists had expected an increase of about 180,000, according to Bloomberg. What factor(s) led the labor market to outperform expectations in January? Ryan Severino: I don’t view a difference of 20,000 jobs as substantial, but …

February 6, 2018

Illinois Loans Midwest Office Top Stories

ING Underwrites, Closes $235.1M Acquisition Loan for Office Tower in Downtown Chicago

by Taylor Williams February 5, 2018

CHICAGO — ING Capital LLC has underwritten and closed a $231.5 million senior loan for the acquisition of One South Dearborn, an 828,538-square-foot office tower located in downtown Chicago’s Central Loop. The borrower was Connecticut-based Starwood Capital Group. ING expects to syndicate a portion of the senior loan in the coming weeks. Deutsche Asset Management provided a $62.5 million mezzanine loan for the acquisition. Hines developed the 40-story, Class A property in 2005. Law firm Sidley Austin has served as its anchor tenant since completion and recently renewed its lease. According to Crain’s Chicago, California-based Olen Properties was the building’s most recent owner. The sale closed on Jan. 24. Designed by DeStefano Keating Partners Ltd., the property features amenities such as a fitness center, conference facilities, 8,000 square feet of retail space and a 170-space parking garage. A 16,000-square-foot plaza fronts Dearborn Street and provides entry into the three-story lobby. “The opportunity to finance One South Dearborn was welcome given the quality of the property and the strength of downtown Chicago’s office market,” says Craig Bender, head of capital markets at ING. “This market has seen a significant increase in demand in recent years due to urban migration from the …

February 5, 2018

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