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Last-Mile Delivery Is Game Changer in Industrial Sector, Says SIOR President

by Jeff Shaw

Del Markward will be logging a lot of frequent flyer miles over the next year as he travels around the country and abroad to meet with several chapters of the Society of Industrial and Office Realtors (SIOR), an organization with more than 3,200 members in 685 cities and 36 countries. In addition to serving as the 2018 global president of SIOR, Markward is founder of the Markward Group, a real estate consulting, advisory and brokerage firm based in Allentown, Pa. Markward was officially inducted as president of the organization in October at the outset of the SIOR World Conference in Chicago. He most recently served as president-elect of SIOR and before that was vice president. The commercial real estate community recognizes professionals who have earned the SIOR designation as among the most capable and experienced brokerage practitioners in any market, according to the organization. On the heels of the SIOR World Conference, REBusinessOnline interviewed Markward about some of the dynamic changes taking place in the industrial real estate sector today, including the sharp rise in demand for space driven by e-commerce companies. What follows is an edited transcript of the Q&A. REBusinessOnline: Supply chain logistics is an industry undergoing a dramatic …

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CaliforniaLoansOfficeTop StoriesWestern

Lane Partners Obtains $200M Loan to Acquire 603,666 SF Office Property in San Jose

by Nellie Day

SAN JOSE, CALIF. — Lane Partners has obtained a $200 million loan to acquire HQ@first, a 603,666-square-foot creative office property in the Silicon Valley city of San Jose. The asset is located at 110, 120 and 130 Holger Way. The Class A property features a campus environment with landscaped paths, natural light, views of the bay and hills, outdoor barbeque and patio areas, basketball court, fitness center and locker rooms, game room, executive business center, and 300-seat cafeteria. HQ@first was built in 2010. The LEED Gold-certified asset is situated on approximately 10 acres at the intersection of Highway 237 and North First Street. It is adjacent to multiple VTA Light Rail stations that connect to Caltrain, AMTRAK, ACE Train and BART. The property offers immediate access to a restaurant, retail and hotel options at the @first retail center across the street. Tenants at @first include Chipotle, Chick-fil-A, Five Guys, Panera Bread, Coffee Bean, CVS, Target, Chase, Courtyard by Marriott and Hyatt House. Ramsey Daya and Chris Moritz of NKF Capital Markets arranged the financing on behalf of Lane Partners and its capital partner. The loan was placed with Blackstone Mortgage Trust. “Given the strength of the sponsorship and quality of …

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Conference CoverageFeaturesGeorgiaMultifamilySoutheastSoutheast Feature ArchiveTop Stories

Projected Population, Job Growth Fuel Future of Atlanta’s Multifamily Market, Says InterFace Panel

by Camren Skelton

ATLANTA — A surge in population and job growth in the Atlanta metropolitan area over the next two decades will bode well for the multifamily sector, according to panelists at the eighth annual InterFace Multifamily Southeast. Among the 12 largest metropolitan areas in the county, Atlanta ranked second in the rate of job growth and third in the number of jobs added, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS). Total nonfarm employment for the Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Roswell Metropolitan Statistical Area stood at 2.75 million in September 2017, up 2.5 percent year-over-year. In addition, the Atlanta Regional Commission forecasts the 20-county Atlanta region will add 2.5 million people and 1.5 million jobs by 2040. Multifamily demand is reaping the benefits of this growth. The job growth multiplier for the demand for new apartments used to be a factor of 5 to 1, meaning for every five jobs created, you could take one unit of inventory out of the equation, according to Mike Kemether, vice chair of the multifamily advisory group at Cushman & Wakefield. This year and next in Atlanta, that ratio sits around 7 to 1. “A lot of the renters are coming because of job relocations,” said Christie Hawver Jordan, …

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IndustrialTexasTop Stories

Joint Venture Developing $820M Marine Storage Facility along Houston Ship Channel

by Katie Sloan

PASADENA, TEXAS — A joint venture between Valero Energy Corp. and Magellan Midstream Partners has started construction of Phase I of an $820 million marine storage facility located along the Houston Ship Channel in Pasadena. The facility will handle petroleum products including multiple grades of gasoline, diesel and jet fuel, as well as renewable fuels. Phase I of the development will include 1 million barrels of storage and a new marine dock capable of handling Panamax-sized ships or barges with up to a 40-foot draft. Phase II of the development will expand the property to include 4 million barrels of storage, a three-bay truck rack and a second marine dock capable of handling Aframax-sized vessels with up to a 45-foot draft. If warranted by additional demand, the property offers a third expansion option to include an incremental 5 million barrels of storage, another three docks and expanded truck-loading capacity for a maximum footprint of up to 10 million barrels of total storage and up to five docks. At completion, the facility will be connected via pipeline to Valero refineries in Houston and Texas City. The property will also link to the Colonial and Explorer pipelines, as well as Magellan’s Galena Park terminal facility. A limited liability …

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Conference CoverageFeaturesGeorgiaMultifamilySoutheastTop Stories

While Apartment Size Shrinks, Amenity Spaces Grow, Says InterFace Panel

by Kristin Harlow

ATLANTA — The amenities arms race is still in full swing. During the architecture and design panel at the eighth annual InterFace Multifamily Southeast conference held on Tuesday, Nov. 28 at the Westin Buckhead in Atlanta, industry experts discussed how they design today’s multifamily projects with large-scale, luxury amenities in mind. The conference drew 402 multifamily professionals. “There’s so much competition in this space and amenities are really the differentiating factor for all these projects,” said Brad Lutz, director of business development for Dallas-based Humphreys & Partners Architects. “With this shift from homeownership to renting, you have to provide something that’s going to not only attract renters, but retain them long-term.” Joining Lutz on the panel was JoAnn McInnis, vice president of client services and business development at Virginia-based Carlyn & Co. Interiors + Design; B.J. Laterveer, director of the multifamily housing studio at Alpharetta, Georgia-based Wakefield Beasley & Associates; and Les Juneau, president of Atlanta-based Juneau Construction Co. Cannon Reynolds, managing director of architecture for Atlanta-based Niles Bolton Associates, moderated the panel. Both millennials and empty nesters are driving demand for apartment space as they continue to forego homeownership. The U.S. homeownership rate was 63.9 percent in the third quarter of …

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District of ColumbiaIllinoisMarylandMassachusettsMidwestMultifamilyNortheastPennsylvaniaSoutheastTop Stories

Harbor Group Affiliate Acquires 9,677-Unit Multifamily Portfolio for $1.8B

by Taylor Williams

NORFOLK, VA. — An affiliate of Harbor Group International (HGI) has acquired a portfolio of 25 multifamily properties totaling 9,677 units across five major metropolitan areas for $1.8 billion. The sellers were affiliates of Lone Star Funds. The transaction, which closed on Nov. 30, is HGI’s largest to date and increases the value of its investment portfolio from approximately $5.2 billion to $7.1 billion. The properties, which boast a collective occupancy rate of 95 percent, are located in the metro areas of Baltimore, Boston, Chicago, Philadelphia and Washington, D.C. HGI plans to invest roughly $80 million in capital improvements to the unit interiors and communal amenities of the properties. Berkadia and New York-based Meridian Capital Group secured approximately $1.4 billion in acquisition financing for the deal. Berkadia secured roughly $927 million in fixed- and floating-rate debt through Freddie Mac, while Meridian Capital secured approximately $512 million in fixed-rate debt through New York Community Bank. Among the portion of the financing arranged by Berkadia, 11 of the properties totaling $789 million were financed at a fixed interest rate. The remaining five assets totaling $138 million were financed with a floating-rate vehicle. Laura Cathlina and Sharon Plattner of Berkadia led the loan …

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MassachusettsMultifamilyNortheastTop Stories

New Boston Fund Sells 217-Unit Luxury Apartment Tower in Boston for $144.5M

by Kristin Harlow

BOSTON — New Boston Fund has sold The Tower at One Greenway in Boston for $144.5 million. The 217-unit luxury apartment tower is located at 99 Kneeland St. Completed in 2015, the property is 21 stories tall, featuring 3,180 square feet of retail space and a 135-space underground parking garage. Apartment units average 822 square feet in size. Amenities include a rooftop terrace with fire pits; an outdoor park with deck and grills; balcony lounge; resident lounge with billiards and entertainment bar; fitness center; yoga studio; dog wash; bike store; electric car charging stations; and BeanTowne Coffee shop. The unprecedented demand for Boston residential real estate was cited as the reason for selling the property, according to Jim Kelleher, CIO at New Boston Fund. Matthew Lawton, Riaz Cassum, Chris Phaneuf and Mark Campbell of HFF marketed the property on behalf of the seller. PGIM Real Estate purchased the property. New Boston Fund is a privately owned real estate investment manager. The company has developed or acquired commercial and residential properties with a cumulative market value of about $3.5 billion, including 23 million square feet of commercial real estate and 7,500 residential units. — Kristin Hiller

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Conference CoverageFeaturesGeorgiaMultifamilySoutheastTop Stories

InterFace Panel: Multifamily Remains Smart Investment, But Good Deals are Harder to Find

by Camren Skelton

ATLANTA — Strong fundamentals have propelled the U.S. multifamily market forward in 2017 and leave it poised for a healthy 2018, but good deals are harder to come by in today’s market for investors, according to panelists at the eighth annual InterFace Multifamily Southeast. The average cap rate for the multifamily sector in the third quarter registered at 4.3 percent, 12 basis points lower than the same period in 2016, and 15 basis points lower than 2015, according to JLL. “Of the 22,000 units that we are going to close this year — mostly A-minus to B assets — the average cap rate is 4.8 percent, across roughly 45 different transactions,” said James Kane, senior vice president of asset management at Starwood Capital Group’s Atlanta office. “This is in top markets like Atlanta, Charlotte, Dallas, Houston, D.C., Denver, etc. — the suburban cornucopia of markets across the U.S.” “With cap rate compression and the rise in interest rates since the Trump election, it’s made it increasingly hard for us to find yield in spaces we are comfortable with,” added Colin Gillis, vice president of acquisitions for the Southeast at Irvine, Calif.-based Passco Cos. LLC. Although spreads are tightening as a whole, …

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Mixed-UseNevadaRetailTop StoriesWestern

VICI Properties to Buy Harrah’s Las Vegas Casino from Caesars in $1.14B Sale-Leaseback Deal

by John Nelson

LAS VEGAS — An affiliate of Caesars Entertainment Corp. (NASDAQ: CZR) has agreed to sell the real estate assets of Harrah’s Las Vegas Hotel and Casino on the Las Vegas Strip for $1.14 billion. The buyer is VICI Properties Inc. (OTC: VICI), a Las Vegas-based REIT spun off last month from Caesars Entertainment Operating Co. Inc., a subsidiary of Caesars Entertainment. As part of the transaction, VICI will lease back the land and real estate to Caesars under a 15-year, triple-net lease agreement with four five-year renewal options. Harrah’s Las Vegas spans 4.1 million square feet and contains 90,600 square feet of casino space and 2,530 hotel rooms. The property features a Mardi Gras and carnival theme, with 16 restaurants and bars, retail shopping, spa services, a parking garage and 24,000 square feet of meeting space. VICI Properties also entered into a definitive agreement with Caesars to sell approximately 18.4 acres of undeveloped land located behind the LINQ Hotel & Casino and Harrah’s Las Vegas for $73.6 million. It is expected that Caesars will use the land with certain other parcels to construct a convention center adjacent to Harrah’s Las Vegas. “These transactions illustrate the growth potential provided by our …

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CivicConference CoverageFeaturesGeorgiaSoutheastSoutheast Feature ArchiveTop Stories

Growing Smartly is a City’s Biggest Challenge, Says InterFace Keynote Speaker

by John Nelson

ATLANTA — Tim Keane, City of Atlanta’s planning commissioner, is tasked with a monumental challenge facing many planners: how to practically design the future for a city on the cusp of a population boom. Citing the Atlanta Regional Commission, Keane said that the Atlanta metro area is on track to add 2.5 million people over the next 25 years, the equivalent of adding the entire metro Charlotte population. The city’s in-town population is also expected to grow from less than 500,000 today to 1.2 million in that same time frame. Adding to the challenge are city departments and communities that are unwilling to change because of a mindset that is resistant to growth. “Everyone thinks that more people is bad,” said Keane, who previously worked in the city planning departments in Davidson, N.C., and Charleston. “They don’t work on the assumption that a clear future for themselves is better with more people. We have to break out of that mentality because the change is happening.” Keane was the keynote speaker at the eighth annual InterFace Multifamily Southeast conference, held on Tuesday, Nov. 28 at the Westin Buckhead in Atlanta. Hosted by InterFace Conference Group and Southeast Real Estate Business, the …

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