Top Stories

Intercontinental Real Estate Purchases Office Tower in Austin’s CBD for $119M

by John Nelson September 7, 2017

AUSTIN, TEXAS — Intercontinental Real Estate Corp., a Boston-based real estate investment and development firm, has purchased 5th + Colorado, a newly built, 18-story office tower in Austin’s central business district. The company acquired the property from the developer, a joint venture between Lincoln Property Co. and Goldman Sachs, for $119 million, according to the Austin Business Journal. Located at the corner of 5th and Colorado streets within Austin’s Warehouse District, the 179,000-square-foot office tower comprises eight levels of structured parking, nine floors of Class A office space and a lobby level with 5,822 square feet of retail space. Built in 2016, 5th + Colorado is home to companies including Indeed.com, an online job search forum; Industrious, a co-working office concept; SoftServe Inc., a Ukranian software firm; Plains Capital Bank; and Sherri Hill, an Austin-based fashion brand relocating from 9011 Tuscany Way, according to the Journal. Amenities at the office tower include on-site management and security and a fitness center with showers and locker rooms. Located at 201 W. 5th St., the office building is within walking distance of Lady Bird Lake Hike and Bike Trail, the State Capitol, Austin City Hall, the Austin Convention Center and Republic Square Park. …

September 7, 2017

Features Top Stories

Real Estate Economists Answer Seven Key Questions in Wake of Lukewarm August Jobs Report

by Camren Skelton September 7, 2017

The U.S. economy added 156,000 jobs in August, falling short of expectations but not enough to sound alarm bells. In advance of the report released Sept. 1 by the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), the forecast from economists surveyed by The Wall Street Journal called for an increase of 179,000 jobs. A closer look at the data shows total nonfarm payroll employment in the private sector grew by 165,000 in August, while the government sector overall contracted by 9,000, mostly at the state and local levels. It’s noteworthy that the BLS also made downward revisions to the June and July employment figures, resulting in 41,000 fewer jobs than previously reported for those two months. Meanwhile, the national unemployment rate increased 10 basis points in August to reach 4.4 percent, still quite low by historical standards. On the heels of the latest jobs report, REBusinessOnline posed seven key questions to three real estate economists: Steve Hovland, director of research at Irvine, California-based HomeUnion Inc.; Ken McCarthy, principal economist and applied research lead for the U.S. based in Cushman & Wakefield’s New York City office; and Ryan Severino, chief economist at JLL who works out of the firm’s New York City office. What follows …

September 7, 2017

Georgia Multifamily Southeast Top Stories

Independence Realty Trust to Acquire Nine-Property Multifamily Portfolio for $228.1M

by Nellie Day September 6, 2017

PHILADELPHIA — Independence Realty Trust Inc. (NYSE: IRT) has agreed to acquire a nine-property multifamily portfolio for $228.1 million. The portfolio contains 2,353 units across the U.S. The seller was not disclosed. This acquisition will allow IRT to further develop its presence in core markets like Atlanta, Indianapolis and Columbus, Ohio. It will also allow the REIT to enter two new markets, though further information regarding the assets’ locations was not disclosed. IRT maintains a large multifamily portfolio in the South and Midwest, particularly in Arkansas, Georgia, Florida, Kentucky, Missouri, North Carolina, Oklahoma, Tennessee and Texas. Rents range from $455 per month at Raindance Apartments in Oklahoma City to more than $1,265 per month at Sabal Key in Naples, Fla. The communities within the new portfolio were built or renovated between 2000 and 2011 and feature an average occupancy of 95 percent. Average effective rent per unit was $884 for the three months that ended July 31, 2017. “This acquisition represents another key milestone for IRT, bolstering our current portfolio with a collection of high-quality communities located in amenity-rich, non-gateway markets that are core to our investment thesis,” says Scott Schaeffer, chairman and CEO of IRT. “This is a tremendous …

September 6, 2017

New York Northeast Office Top Stories

Joint Venture Receives $1.5B Construction Financing for 50 Hudson Yards Office Tower in Manhattan

by Katie Sloan September 5, 2017

NEW YORK CITY — A joint venture between Related Cos., Oxford Properties Group and Mitsui Fudosan America Inc. has received $1.5 billion in construction financing for 50 Hudson Yards, a 58-story office tower located within the Hudson Yards development on Manhattan’s West Side. The joint venture has also committed $2.3 billion, bringing the total planned construction costs to $3.8 billion. Wells Fargo, Deutsche Bank, HSBC, Bank of China and Sumitomo Mitsui Banking Corp. served as co-lead arrangers for the $1.5 billion senior construction loan. Located at the northwest corner of 33rd Street and 10th Avenue, the 2.9 million-square-foot building will be New York City’s fourth largest commercial office tower, according to the joint venture. BlackRock, an investment management firm, will locate its corporate headquarters at the property, occupying 850,000 square feet across 15 floors. The building — designed by architecture firm Foster + Partners — will feature access points on all four sides and a subway concourse below; private sky lobbies; outdoor terraces; executive valet parking; on-site bike storage; connection to shops and restaurants at Hudson Yards; and an outdoor observation deck. Site work has commenced with vertical construction scheduled to begin this fall. The building is slated for completion in 2022. Related Cos. and Oxford Properties …

September 5, 2017

Conference Coverage Features Georgia Seniors Housing Southeast Southeast Feature Archive Top Stories

Smart Seniors Housing Design Can Offset Development Expenses, Says InterFace Panel

by John Nelson September 5, 2017

With construction costs rising and the supply of talented staff diminishing, doing business has never been more expensive for seniors housing developers. As such, both developers and operators are seeking new ways to save money. Increasingly, these groups are considering the role design plays in their projects, with a particular emphasis on identifying design concepts and elements that save on the bottom line without compromising the property’s sense of livability. A panel of seniors housing developers and operators gathered at the Westin Buckhead Atlanta on Wednesday, Aug. 23 as part of InterFace Seniors Housing Southeast to discuss development trends in today’s market. More than 400 industry professionals attended the conference. Moderator Will Childs, executive vice president of seniors housing for Oracle Healthcare Advisors and based in the firm’s Atlanta office, led the analysis of how construction and labor issues alike are driving developers to think outside the lines. At the most fundamental level, many new designs for seniors housing properties share the goal of repurposing common and outdoor spaces, according to panelist Alan Moise, chief investment officer for Atlanta-based Thrive Development Partners. “Overall pricing for development projects in the Southeast and mid-Atlantic is probably up about 6 percent this year,” …

September 5, 2017

Multifamily Texas Top Stories

CoStar: 27 Percent of Houston’s Commercial Real Estate May Be Flooded

by Kristin Harlow September 1, 2017

HOUSTON — CoStar Group Inc. has assessed the potential impact Hurricane Harvey could have on the Houston commercial real estate market, with findings reported that 27 percent of the gross leasable area may be flooded. This represents $55 billion in property value. The commercial real estate analytics firm reports that roughly 72,000 apartment units sit within the 100-year floodplain and are likely to be flooded. A 100-year flood is a flood event that has a 1 percent probability of occurring in any given year. The area of inundation is mapped and referred to as a “100-year floodplain.” In total, CoStar reports there are 12,000 properties with 400 million square feet of space that fall within the 500-year floodplain. This zone has a .2 percent chance of flooding each year. Only 9 million square feet of space, including 4,000 apartments, are within a designated floodway and most are probably inundated with floodwaters today. However, 175 million square feet located in the 100-year floodplain, including 72,000 apartment units and 20 million square feet of office space, are likely seeing water incursion today. Another 225 million square feet sits in the 500-year floodplain and is also at some risk of flooding, according to the report. “Unfortunately, the …

September 1, 2017

Features Multifamily Texas Texas & Oklahoma Feature Archive Top Stories

Hurricane Harvey May Accelerate Multifamily Absorption in Houston, Says RADCO CEO Norman Radow

by Taylor Williams September 1, 2017

Nearly a week has passed since Hurricane Harvey made landfall in Texas, drenching Houston and the Gulf Coast area with trillions of gallons of rainwater and sending residents scrambling for shelter. While Houston is now, in the words of Mayor Sylvester Turner, “mostly dry,” CoStar estimates that roughly 72,000 residential units are situated within Houston’s 100-year floodplain and are expected to suffer water damage, if they haven’t already. The volume of devastation has prompted property owners across all sectors of commercial real estate in Texas to issue press releases on the status of their properties. Texas Real Estate Business reached out to Norman Radow, CEO of The RADCO Cos., a private equity firm in the multifamily space whose holdings were mostly spared by Harvey. The Atlanta-based company owns seven multifamily properties in Texas, including four in Houston totaling about 1,800 units. Of those, only about 1 percent, or 18 units, were damaged by Harvey. The following interview captures his firm’s efforts to help displaced tenants, and offers insight on how Hurricane Harvey might positively impact future absorption and occupancy in Houston’s multifamily market. Texas Real Estate Business: Prior to the storm, the consensus coming out of Houston seems to have been …

September 1, 2017

Arizona Multifamily Top Stories Western

Weidner Apartment Homes Buys 466-Unit Community in Tempe for $75.5M

by John Nelson August 31, 2017

TEMPE, ARIZ. — Weidner Apartment Homes has purchased The Lofts at Rio Salado, a 466-unit multifamily community located at 1033 N. Parkside Drive in Tempe, for $75.5 million. The Kirkland, Wash.-based apartment investor acquired the asset from an unnamed wealth and asset management services firm. The Lofts at Rio Salado is situated adjacent to the Center Parkway/Washington Street metro station and the 3.2 million-square-foot, mixed-use Grand at Papago Park Center. Arizona State University is within walking distance and downtown Phoenix is within 10 miles radius of The Lofts. Community amenities include two swimming pools with cabanas, an onsite recycling program, business center, clubhouse, fitness center, spas and conference room. Units range from studio to three-bedroom floor plans and command rents from $999 to $1,460 per month, according to Apartments.com. The Lofts is considered a value-add investment for Weidner, according to Steve Gebing, senior managing director of Institutional Property Advisors (IPA), a division of Marcus & Millichap. Gebing and colleague Cliff David represented the seller and procured Weidner in the transaction. “Asking rents for newly constructed core assets in the Tempe submarket are substantially higher than the in-place rents at The Lofts at Rio Salado,” says Gebing. “This rent differential, coupled …

August 31, 2017

Features Multifamily Student Housing Texas Texas & Oklahoma Feature Archive Top Stories

Universities, Student Housing Properties Face Hurricane Harvey

by John Nelson August 31, 2017

HOUSTON AND COLLEGE STATION, TEXAS — Hurricane Harvey has brought massive amounts of rain, flooding and destruction to southern Texas, but reports show that on- and off-campus student housing properties have largely escaped the worst of the damage. The Texas Tribune reports that colleges in Houston have cancelled class and evacuated some student housing as the rain continues to fall and floodwaters continue to rise. About three buildings on the University of Houston campus have taken on water, and 140 students were evacuated from Bayou Oaks, a university-owned, off-campus apartment complex for older and international students. Most universities in Houston — such as Rice University and Victoria College — reported minor damage including leaks and power outages. Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi also reported minor structural damage, according to The Texas Tribune. The first day of classes has been pushed to September 5. Texas A&M University’s Kingsville and College Station campuses also reported no major building damage or flooding, and plan to begin classes early next week. Servitas reports that Park West — a 3,406-bed student housing community developed through a public-private partnership with Texas A&M University in College Station — did not receive any damage or leakage during the storm. The …

August 31, 2017

Hospitality Nevada Top Stories Western

Witkoff, New Valley Buy Former Fountainbleau Resort in Las Vegas for $600M

by Nellie Day August 30, 2017

LAS VEGAS — A partnership between Witkoff and New Valley LLC has purchased the former Fountainbleau resort on the Las Vegas Strip for $600 million. The property is located at 2755 Las Vegas Blvd. S. The 63-story resort never fully saw the light of day after construction ceased on the $2.9 billion, 3,900-room property in 2009 in the midst of the Great Recession. It was purchased by Carl Icahn’s firm, Icahn NV Gaming Acquisition LLC, in 2010 for $150 million when the asset was in bankruptcy. The property is situated across from Circus Circus, near Encore and SLS Las Vegas. It sits in front of the Westgate Las Vegas, as well as the Las Vegas Convention Center, which is in the midst of a $1.4 billion expansion and renovation. The asset was acquired at a substantial discount to replacement cost, according to Witkoff. The company spent four months conducting due diligence on the resort and Las Vegas market prior to the acquisition. “Las Vegas is one of the strongest lodging markets in the country given its highly favorable dynamics,” says Steve Witkoff, Chairman and CEO of Witkoff. “2755 Las Vegas Boulevard South is one of the best physical assets in …

August 30, 2017

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