Top Stories

J.C. Penney Sells 1.8 MSF Home Office Campus in Plano for $353M

by Nellie Day January 4, 2017

PLANO, TEXAS — J.C. Penney (NYSE: JCP) has sold its home office campus and 45 surrounding acres of land in Plano to Dreien Opportunity Partners for $353 million. The 1.8 million-square-foot asset is known as Campus at Legacy West. J.C. Penney plans to lease back approximately 65 percent, or 1.1 million square feet, of the campus, with the remaining space available for new tenants. The building lease expense would be offset by a reduction in maintenance costs, property taxes and interest expense as a result of paying down debt with proceeds from the transaction, according to the apparel and home furnishings retailer. “Since we began exploring the sale of our home office, we have been quite pleased by the level of interest in the building,” says Marvin Ellison, J.C. Penney’s chairman and CEO. “This transaction also represents a significant financial milestone for the company, as proceeds from the sale give us the opportunity to reduce outstanding debt and make improvements to our workspace, creating a modern and efficient environment.” Eight office wings that span 56.8 acres flank the three-story office building. The Class A campus is situated near the intersection of Dallas North Tollway and State Highway 121 within the …

January 4, 2017

California Hospitality Top Stories Western

Carey Watermark Investors 2 Acquires The Ritz-Carlton, San Francisco

by Katie Sloan January 3, 2017

SAN FRANCISCO — Carey Watermark Investors 2 Inc. (CWI 2) has acquired The Ritz-Carlton, San Francisco for an undisclosed price. The 336-room hotel is located in the heart of the Nob Hill neighborhood of San Francisco along the California Cable Car line. The nine-story building was originally developed in 1909 and designed by Napoleon Le Brun & Sons of New York. The property received landmark status from the City of San Francisco in 1984, and re-opened as The Ritz-Carlton in 1991. Over $20 million of capital improvements have been completed since 2014. Recent improvements include the renovation of all guest rooms; updates to the lobby, including the addition of two retail outlets; the addition of a fitness center; renovations to the L’Occitane Spa, which includes a wine tasting lounge and jewelry boutique; and renovations to the hotel’s meeting space, which includes a 9,400-square-foot ballroom and 2,200 square feet of interior courtyard and function space. The Ritz-Carlton Company LLC, an affiliate of Marriott International, will continue to manage the property following the sale. The seller was not disclosed. Carey Watermark Investors 2 is a non-traded, publicly registered REIT that invests primarily in the hospitality sector. Affiliates of W. P. Carey Inc. …

January 3, 2017

Mixed-Use New York Northeast Top Stories

Blackstone Mortgage Provides $200M Acquisition Loan for Historic Falchi Building in Long Island City, New York

by Kristin Harlow December 23, 2016

LONG ISLAND CITY, N.Y. — Blackstone Mortgage Trust has provided a nearly $200 million loan for the acquisition of the historic Falchi Building in Long Island City, Queens. Savanna, a New York City-based real estate investment manager, purchased the mixed-use building from Jamestown LP. The five-story, 711,194-square-foot building occupies a full city block bounded by 47th and 48th avenues. Originally constructed in 1922, the building at one time served as a warehouse and distribution facility for Gimbels department store. The Gimbels chain of stores closed in 1987. Falchi is currently 90 percent leased to tenants such as City of New York, Uber, Lyft, Spaces (Regus), Juice Press and Doughnut Planet. Savanna will implement a $35 million capital improvement plan at Falchi. The improvements will focus on building amenities and infrastructure work for the office tenants, such as upgrading building systems, modernizing elevators, renovating common corridors and bathrooms and developing new ground-floor retail. Mitch Arkin, Joe Grotto Jr., Haley Fisher, Dan D’Agnes and Kelli Berke of Cushman & Wakefield will work closely with Savanna to lease the property’s office space. David Tricarico, also of Cushman & Wakefield, will handle retail leasing. Eastdil Secured brokered the sale and arranged acquisition financing. Savanna …

December 23, 2016

Office Oregon Top Stories Western

Ashforth Co. Sells Pacwest Center Office Tower in Portland for $170M

by John Nelson December 22, 2016

PORTLAND, ORE. — The Ashforth Co. and an unnamed institutional investor partner have sold Pacwest Center, a 30-story, 545,000-square-foot office tower in Portland’s central business district. The $170 million sale of Pacwest Center is Portland’s largest office transaction in 2016, according to HFF, which represented the seller in the transaction. HFF also procured the buyer, LPC Realty Advisors I LP, on behalf of a pension fund client. LPC Realty Advisors is an investment advisory affiliate of Dallas-based Lincoln Property Co. Completed in 1984, Pacwest Center is located at 1211 S.W. 5th Ave. within the 57-block Transit Mall, which has more than 1 million square feet of development currently underway. The office tower features parking for 413 vehicles through valet and self-parking and is an Energy Star-rated building. The new ownership plans to renovate PacWest Center by modernizing the common spaces, main lobby and shared amenities. The tower was 76 percent leased at the time of sale to tenants such as Merrill Lynch, Markowitz Herbold, Schwabe, Key Bank of Oregon and Perkins & Co. Nick Kucha and Michael Leggett led the HFF investment sales team. Based in Stamford, Conn., The Ashforth Co. owns, develops and invests in assets on the East …

December 22, 2016

Features Top Stories

What Retailers and Developers Want to Know in Today’s Market

by Katie Sloan December 22, 2016

Working with CBRE’s vast clientele of retailers and developers, Melina Cordero, the company’s head of retail research for the Americas, is constantly delving into trends and how they convert to dollars and cents. REBusiness Online’s sister publication Shopping Center Business recently met with Cordero to find out what trends retailers, shopping center owners and developers, and CBRE’s retail brokers are asking her to look into to get a glimpse of some national trends on the horizon. SCB: You spend a lot of time focusing your energy on trends for CBRE’s people in the field — and their clients. What are they asking you to look at today? Cordero: Today, it’s not just retail clients, it’s also clients who are thinking about incorporating retail into projects. They all want to know about placemaking. A lot of people are saying, ‘We know that we need to create these great places.’ To them, that is about curating a special mix of retailers, restaurants, entertainment, open spaces and other uses. There are no guidelines, rules or metrics for that. A lot of it is what is placemaking; how to create a destination; and what has worked for others? They ask us a lot to …

December 22, 2016

Illinois Midwest Northeast Pennsylvania Retail Top Stories

Walgreens Boots Alliance, Rite Aid to Sell 865 Rite Aid Stores to Fred’s Pharmacy for $950M

by Nellie Day December 21, 2016

DEERFIELD, ILL. AND CAMP HILL, PA. — Walgreens Boots Alliance (NASDAQ: WBA) and Rite Aid Corp. (NYSE: RAD) have agreed to sell 865 Rite Aid stores and some assets related to store operations to Fred’s (NASDAQ: FRED) for $950 million in an all-cash transaction. The agreement came about due to concerns by the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) in its review of Walgreens Boots Alliance’s proposed acquisition of Rite Aid, which was announced in October 2015. That transaction is scheduled to close in early 2017. The 865-store sale would make Fred’s one of the largest drugstore chains in the United States, with a significant presence in the South and on the East and West coasts. If the sale is approved, Fred’s will continue to employ all store associates and certain field and regional associates related to the operations. The stores will also continue to operate under the Rite Aid banner. Fred’s has also agreed to purchase additional Rite Aid stores if the FTC mandates additional divestments for the proposed merger. BofA Merrill Lynch acted as Walgreens Boots Alliance’s financial adviser. Sidley Austin LLP acted as legal counsel on transaction legal matters and Weil, Gotshal & Manges LLP acted as its legal …

December 21, 2016

Features Retail Top Stories

Cap Rates for Net Leased Retail Properties Increase for First Time in Three Years, Says Boulder Group Report

by John Nelson December 21, 2016

NORTHBROOK, ILL. — Cap rates in the fourth quarter of 2016 for the single-tenant net lease sector increased or remained the same for office, retail and industrial assets, according to The Boulder Group’s quarterly Net Lease Market Research Report. Retail cap rates experienced their first increase since the third quarter of 2013 to 6.19 percent. The nine-basis-point increase is the largest quarterly increase in retail cap rates since the second quarter of 2011. Cap rates for the office sector remained unchanged at 7.08 percent, while the industrial sector increased by 3 basis points to 7.17 percent. The Boulder Group attributes the increase in cap rates for the retail sector to the rise of treasury rates during the fourth quarter. During the fourth quarter, the 10-year Treasury yield increased significantly to 2.45 percent, up from 1.62 percent at the start of the quarter. During the fourth quarter, the spread between asking and closed cap rates for retail properties increased by five basis points. This was the largest spread between asking and closed cap rates for retail properties since the fourth quarter of 2013. Cap Rates Likely to Rise More in 2017 The net lease market is expected to remain active in …

December 21, 2016

Multifamily New York Northeast Top Stories

Emerald Equity Group Acquires 47-Building Multifamily Portfolio in Manhattan for $357.5M

by Katie Sloan December 20, 2016

NEW YORK CITY — Emerald Equity Group has acquired a portfolio of 47 multifamily buildings from Fairstead Capital and E+M Associates for $357.5 million. The properties total 712,571 square feet and are located in Manhattan, predominantly within the neighborhood of East Harlem. Fairstead Capital and E+M Associates acquired the portfolio from a special servicer in 2013 for an undisclosed sum. The portfolio includes 112 E. 103rd St., 411 E. 118th St. and 291 Pleasant Ave. in East Harlem. British investment firm Dawnay Day owned the portfolio until the properties fell into foreclosure in September 2009, according to reports by The New York Times. The now-defunct firm acquired the properties in 2007 for $225 million. Brookfield Property Partners (NYSE: BPY) provided nearly $300 million in financing for the acquisition, according to reports by The Real Deal. A team led by Ariel Property Advisors’ Victor Sozio, Shimon Shkury and Michael Tortorici represented the seller and procured the buyer in the transaction. Mitchell Taras of Sadis & Goldberg provided legal representation to the seller, and Jeffrey Zwick of Jeffrey Zwick & Associates PC provided legal representation to the buyer. Emerald Equity Group is an investment and management firm specializing in rental apartments in …

December 20, 2016

Features Top Stories

Tips for Creating a Vibrant Retail Streetscape

by Katie Sloan December 20, 2016

Streetscapes create a sensation of depth and charm that beckon to passersby. People are drawn to lush landscapes, open green spaces and great tree canopies. They feel welcomed in these spaces and want to share them with others. Many new developments aim to provide streetscapes and open spaces that create holistic connections, enhancing their projects with authenticity and community. Here are some insights into how to create these. Building Community Through Authentic Connections + Open Spaces Strategically integrating retail and open spaces brings benefits beyond the satisfaction of the immediate customers. It contributes to the entire district or neighborhood as these elements are knit into the urban fabric. Thoughtful planning should address more than tenant mix and leasable space; it needs to consider quality of open space and the surrounding environment. Today’s consumer has an appetite for quality. Young professionals are flocking to new developments that support a work-life balance. An individual who lives or works near a new development can bring his or her family and friends to dine, shop, run errands, and play, extending their time spent together and within the development. Retail can benefit from this type of place-making by creating destinations that people want to stop and use …

December 20, 2016

Multifamily New York Northeast Top Stories

The Durst Organization Acquires 77-Story Multifamily Development Site in Queens for $173M

by Jeff Shaw December 19, 2016

NEW YORK CITY — The Durst Organization has acquired the development site of Queens Plaza Park in New York City for $173 million. The project is a 77-story residential tower currently under construction in the Long Island City submarket of Queens. The 1 million-square-foot building will feature approximately 1,000 residential units. The project also includes a one-acre public park and renovations to the Queens Plaza subway station entrance. The seller was a joint venture between Property Markets Group and Kamran Hakim, a New York-based real estate investor. The building is expected to open in 2019. Development plans call for assistance under New York’s 421-a tax exemption program, which will require at least 25 percent of the units to be affordable per New York City guidelines. As part of the acquisition, The Durst Organzation also purchased the landmark Queens Clock Tower Building, which is situated adjacent to the new development. Built in 1927, the property was once the tallest building in New York City outside of Manhattan, though it will now be dwarfed by the new project. Rosenberg & Estis served as legal counsel to The Durst Organization on the acquisition, as well as the $90 million first mortgage loan on the …

December 19, 2016

Newer Posts

Older Posts