Top Stories

Icahn Enterprises Agrees to Sell Tropicana Entertainment for $1.85B

by David Cohen April 18, 2018

NEW YORK CITY — Icahn Enterprises has agreed to sell Tropicana Entertainment Inc. to Gaming and Leisure Properties Inc. for $1.85 billion in a deal that includes all of Tropicana’s real estate. The company’s gaming and hotel operations will be merged into Eldorado Resorts Inc., which owns and operates 20 casinos in 10 states. Under the agreement, Pennsylvania-based real estate investment trust Gaming and Leisure Properties will buy Tropicana’s real estate for $1.21 billion and lease properties to Eldorado Resorts. Eldorado will pay $640 million in cash and assume Tropicana’s cash and debt. The transaction includes all of Tropicana’s locations except Aruba, which will close as a condition of the deal. Icahn Enterprises invested in Tropicana when it was bankrupt in 2008, after state regulators deemed its former owner unfit to run a casino. The New York City-based investment company controlled by American businessman Carl Icahn hired Tony Rodio as chief executive and reinvested profits into operations. Carl Icahn has been chairman of Tropicana’s board since 2010. “I am incredibly proud of what the entire Tropicana team has been able to accomplish over the past eight years, taking Tropicana from bankruptcy to one of the industry’s true success stories,” says Rodio. …

April 18, 2018

Acquisitions Multifamily Northeast Pennsylvania Property Type Top Stories

Aimco Buys Six Apartment Communities in Metro Philadelphia from Developer for $445M

by John Nelson April 17, 2018

PHILADELPHIA — Apartment Investment and Management Co. (Aimco) (NYSE: AIV) has agreed to purchase six apartment communities in the metropolitan Philadelphia area for $445 million. The seller is the portfolio’s developer, Philadelphia-based Dranoff Properties Inc. “The timing is right to sell six of our premier properties to Aimco and become a major investor in the company,” says Carl Dranoff, founder and CEO of Dranoff Properties. “Aimco’s expansion and commitment to Philadelphia make it an ideal steward of these trophy assets that we carefully built, owned and managed. I am incredibly enthusiastic about the future of Dranoff Properties as we begin our third decade.” The portfolio comprises 1,006 existing apartment homes, 110 apartment homes under construction and 185,000 square feet of office and retail space. Three of the properties are situated in Philadelphia’s Center City district, and the others are located in University City, Lower Merion Township and Camden, N.J. The acquisitions are expected to close in the second quarter, except for the purchase of the Lower Merion asset, which is under construction and expected to close in the first half of 2019 following its completion. Aimco is initially funding the acquisition with $290 million of existing property debt, $65 million …

April 17, 2018

Acquisitions Illinois Midwest Retail Top Stories

Eldorado Resorts to Acquire Grand Victoria Casino in Illinois for $327.5M

by Taylor Williams April 16, 2018

ELGIN, ILL. — Eldorado Resorts Inc. (NASDAQ: ERI), a Nevada-based casino owner and operator, has agreed to acquire the Grand Victoria Casino for $327.5 million. The riverboat casino opened in 1994 and is moored on the Fox River in Elgin, approximately 40 miles northwest of Chicago. Eldorado Resorts will acquire the roughly 30,000-square-foot casino from a partnership between MGM Resorts International (NYSE: MGM) and RBG LLP, a subsidiary of Hyatt. Eldorado will use proceeds from recent asset sales, cash from ongoing operations and loans from its revolving credit facility to fund the transaction, which is expected to close during the fourth quarter. “The addition of Grand Victoria Casino will further diversify the geographic reach of our operations and includes excess contiguous acreage for potential future development,” says Gary Carano, CEO of Eldorado Resorts. “Grand Victoria is one of the leading casinos in the Chicagoland market and is extremely well maintained, which will allow us, upon closing, to focus on enhancing the guest experience and operating results without the need to undertake capital investments,” he adds. MGM acquired a 50 percent interest in Grand Victoria in 2005 when it acquired Mandalay Resort Group. As the seller, MGM will receive approximately $162 million …

April 16, 2018

Acquisitions Illinois Midwest Office Top Stories

Angelo, Gordon & Co. Acquires Pair of Office Buildings in Chicago for $147M

by Kristin Harlow April 13, 2018

CHICAGO — Angelo, Gordon & Co. has acquired Presidents Plaza in Chicago for $147 million. The pair of Class A office buildings, totaling 834,893 square feet, are located at 8600 and 8700 W. Bryn Mawr Ave. in the O’Hare submarket. Developed in 1980, the buildings are 92.4 percent leased to various tenants. The property, which is LEED Silver and EnergyStar certified, has undergone more than $15 million in capital renovations since 2016. The seller had made improvements to building systems, lobbies, entrances, canopies and landscaping. Property amenities include a 17,900-square-foot fitness center, conference center, café, hair salon/barber, convenience store, tenant lounge and full-service car wash. James Postweiler and Peter Harwood of JLL brokered the transaction. The seller, a partnership between Chicago-based GlenStar Properties LLC and a global real estate investment manager, has owned the property since 2006. GlenStar, the current leasing manager and operator of the property, will partner with the new owner to provide services and building upgrades. Angelo, Gordon & Co. is a $28 billion alternative investment firm focused on real estate and credit investing. — Kristin Hiller

April 13, 2018

Acquisitions New York Northeast Office Top Stories

SL Green, Ivanhoe Agree to Sell Office Condo Portion of Tower in Manhattan for $633M

by Camren Skelton April 12, 2018

NEW YORK CITY— SL Green Realty Corp. (NYSE:SLG) and joint venture partner Ivanhoé Cambridge have agreed to sell their office condominium space at 1745 Broadway in Manhattan for $633 million. The 930,000-square-foot tower includes retail spaces, offices and residential condominiums. SL Green and Ivanhoé will sell their portion of the property, totaling 674,000 square feet and spanning floors two through 26, to an institutional client of Invesco Real Estate. In deals separate from Ivanhoé Cambridge, SL Green also agreed to sell two suburban office properties in New York —115-117 Stevens Ave. in Valhalla and Reckson Executive Park in Rye Brook — to two different buyers for a combined price of $67 million. The transactions are expected to generate combined net proceeds to SL Green of approximately $190 million, which will be used toward the company’s $1.5 billion stock repurchase program. To date, SL Green has repurchased a total of 12.3 million shares. “We continue to make strategic divestments of non-core assets to both support the stock repurchase program and strengthen our portfolio,” says Isaac Zion, co-chief investment officer of SL Green. 1745 Broadway occupies the entire block front between 55th and 56th streets and is located three blocks from Central Park and …

April 12, 2018

New York Northeast Retail Top Stories

Retailer Nine West Files for Bankruptcy, Will Close All 70 Stores

by David Cohen April 11, 2018

NEW YORK CITY — Nine West Holdings Inc., a New York-based women’s shoe and apparel wholesaler, has filed for bankruptcy after accumulating $1.6 billion in debt. As a result, the company plans to close all 70 of its brick-and-mortar retail stores. The company joins Toys ‘R’ Us, The Walking Company, Bon-Ton and Claire’s as prominent retailers to file for bankruptcy in the last year. An unidentified lender has provided $300 million in debtor-in-possession financing. The company also entered into a restructuring support agreement with the holders of 78 percent of its secured term debt and 89 percent of its unsecured term debt. The loan and agreement will allow the Nine West to remain an ongoing wholesale entity during bankruptcy proceedings. More than 80 percent of Nine West’s sales come from wholesale distribution and sales to department stores and off-price retail “This is the right step to address our two divergent business profiles,” says Ralph Schipani, Nine West Holdings’ Chief Executive Officer. “We will retain our strong, profitable and growing apparel, jewelry and jeanswear businesses, and continue to operate them under a new capital structure so that we can leverage their existing strengths to drive even greater growth.” “Once we complete the reorganization process, …

April 11, 2018

Development New York Northeast Office Property Type Top Stories

Tishman Speyer to Break Ground on $3.7B, Pfizer-Anchored Office Tower in Manhattan

by John Nelson April 10, 2018

NEW YORK CITY — Tishman Speyer, a New York-based owner and developer of trophy office assets around the world, plans to break ground in June on The Spiral, a $3.7 billion office tower that will rise 65 stories at 66 Hudson Blvd. in Manhattan. Global pharmaceutical company Pfizer recently signed an 800,000-square-foot, 20-year lease at The Spiral, which is slated for completion in 2022. Pfizer will occupy floors seven through 21, as well as some lobby space. The Spiral will serve as Pfizer’s new home, replacing its existing global headquarters at 235 E. 42nd St. in Manhattan. Blackstone Mortgage Trust Inc. (NYSE: BXMT) recently provided a $1.8 billion construction loan for the project. Tishman Speyer will finance the remaining $1.9 billion of development costs with its own equity, as well as financing from more than a dozen other institutional, pension fund and individual investors. Designed by BIG-Bjarke Ingels Group, each floor of The Spiral’s façade will feature landscaped terraces and hanging gardens that will be accessible to tenants. At one outdoor terrace per floor, the tower’s façade will be wrapped around by green space in a swirling pattern that serves as the tower’s signature element. The trophy office tower will …

April 10, 2018

Loans Mixed-Use Texas Top Stories

Berkadia Arranges $198.3M Refinancing for Office Component of Mixed-Use Asset in Brooklyn

by Taylor Williams April 9, 2018

NEW YORK CITY — Berkadia has arranged a $198.3 million loan for the office component of Brooklyn Renaissance Plaza, a 1.4 million-square-foot, mixed-use property in Brooklyn. The deal restructures existing debt on the property’s 465,000-square-foot office condominium space. This section of Brooklyn Renaissance Plaza is fully leased to the Kings County District Attorney (KCDA). That lease has 10.5 years left on it. The borrower is a joint venture between New York-based Muss Development Corp. and San Diego-based HomeFed Corp. The loan features a 21.5-year term and a 4.47 percent interest rate. Mark Vogel and Dan Geuther of Berkadia secured the funds through CGA Capital Corp., a Maryland-based private lending and investment firm. “In seeking to obtain a loan duration of over 20 years, we were presented with two significant challenges,” says Vogel. “The ground-lease payment will reset to unknown market rates in 2021 and 2031, and the KCDA lease expires in 2028.” “Working with CGA, we were able to craft a custom credit solution that enabled us to underwrite through these significant risk events and accomplish the client’s objective of long-term fixed-rate financing,” he added. Brooklyn Renaissance Plaza is located at 345 Adams St. In addition to the office condo, the …

April 9, 2018

Acquisitions Industrial New York Northeast Top Stories

Gramercy Acquires Six Distribution Centers for $538M

by Kristin Harlow April 6, 2018

NEW YORK CITY — Gramercy Property Trust (NYSE: GPT), a New York-based REIT, has acquired six distribution centers located throughout the United States. The properties are the first acquisitions for a Gramercy-led e-commerce joint venture, which was launched in August 2017. The venture was established to acquire, own and manage Class A distribution centers across the country. Gramercy is a 51 percent partner in the venture. An undisclosed sovereign investor is the other partner. The portfolio is composed of six newly constructed distribution properties totaling 5.2 million square feet for a combined purchase price of $538 million. The first two properties were acquired on Jan. 31 for $178 million. The second pair of properties, totaling $181 million, closed on April 3. The remaining two assets are under contract for $179 million, with the sale expected to close between late 2018 and early 2019. Each building is expected to be fully leased to an e-commerce company on an initial 15-year term. Two of the properties are located in California’s Inland Empire, with the remainder in Dallas; Jacksonville, Fla.; southern New Jersey; and Winchester, Va. Gramercy is a real estate investment trust that specializes in acquiring and managing assets in the United States and Europe. The company’s stock …

April 6, 2018

Acquisitions Hospitality Massachusetts Northeast Top Stories

Iconiq Capital Acquires $196M Stake in 90-Year Old Taj Boston Hotel

by Camren Skelton April 5, 2018

BOSTON — San Francisco-based Iconiq Capital has invested in the 90-year old Taj Boston hotel, located at 15 Arlington St. in Boston. Financial terms were not disclosed, but the Boston Business Journal reports the private equity firm — which manages money for Facebook founder Mark Zuckerburg — acquired a $196 million stake in the property. A group of investors including New England Development, Eastern Real Estate, Rockpoint Group, Lubert-Adler and Highgate originally acquired the 273-room hotel in 2016 for $125 million, and will retain an interest in the asset. The new partnership plans to execute a major capital improvement program that will include a comprehensive renovation of guestrooms, public areas and food and beverage outlets. According to a release, hotel owners have spent the past two years working with a team of architectural and interior design firms, consultants and engineers to develop a new vision for the property. A construction timeline for the project was not disclosed. Situated at the corner of Newbury and Arlington streets in Boston’s high-end Back Bay neighborhood, the hotel overlooks the Boston Public Garden and is adjacent to the city’s retail district. Amenities include nightly turndown, a 24-hour fitness center, business center, and onsite dining and bar …

April 5, 2018

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