Top Stories

Reforms to FIRPTA Affecting Real Estate Investment Opportunities

by Katie Sloan September 22, 2016

For 35 years, the Foreign Investment in Real Property Tax Act of 1980 (FIRPTA) has provided a pathway for foreign investment into American real estate development. Changes are coming from the implementation of the Protecting Americans From Tax Hikes Act of 2015, which are the first reforms in more than three decades that affect the status of foreign investment. FIRPTA reforms are designed to spur investment from foreign investors by modernizing some exemptions of the law, making foreign investment into American real estate more appealing. On December 18, 2015, President Obama signed into the law the Act to extend certain tax relief provisions that were expiring at the end of 2014. The Bill was written to create legislative reforms to FIRPTA designed to bring in additional investment into a struggling marketplace. There are a few major changes provided for in the reforms. The new Act exempts certain foreign pension funds and their subsidiaries from FIRPTA taxation. This will hopefully spur on more participation from these groups. It also increases the amount of Real Estate Investment Trust (REIT) stock participation available to foreign investors from 5 percent to 10 percent. The new rule creates a FIRPTA tax exemption for foreign investors …

September 22, 2016

CA Ventures Delivers Eight Student Housing Communities for 2016/2017 School Year

by Haisten Willis September 21, 2016

CHICAGO — CA Student Living, the student housing investment and development division of Chicago-based CA Ventures, has completed eight student housing communities comprising nearly 4,000 beds across the U.S. Located in eight states, the properties are about 95 percent occupied and represent nearly 10 percent of the 47,700 off-campus student housing beds slated to deliver nationwide in 2016, according to the developer. Valued at more than $460 million, the new communities boost the size of CA Student Living’s portfolio to $1.5 billion. All offer fully furnished apartments with in-unit laundry and a 1:1 bed-to-bath ratio in most units. The newly delivered communities include: Uncommon Athens — Uncommon Athens is a five-story building located at 165 E. Dougherty St in Athens, Ga. It is within walking distance to both downtown Athens and the University of Georgia. The property’s 210 beds include a mix of one-, two- and four-bedroom floor plans, and the development contains 10,600 square feet of street-level retail space. Indoor amenities include a 24-hour fitness center, golf simulator, business center, study lounge, group meeting space, club room and coffee bar. Uncommon Charlottesville — Uncommon Charlottesville, a six-story building located at 1000 W. Main St. in Charlottesville, Va., is within …

September 21, 2016

Georgia Office Southeast Top Stories

Rubenstein Partners-Led JV Acquires 1.6 MSF Office Park in Metro Atlanta for $265M

by John Nelson September 20, 2016

ALPHARETTA, GA. — Rubenstein Partners LP, along with a minority equity partner, has purchased Sanctuary Park, a 1.6 million-square-foot office park complex located in the northern Atlanta suburb of Alpharetta, for $265 million. The joint venture purchased the asset from J.P. Morgan. (NYSE: JPM), according to the Atlanta Business Chronicle. Sanctuary Park has been institutionally owned, developed and maintained for nearly 20 years. The property comprises nine mid-rise buildings within a 152-acre, master-planned campus, which features three zoned development sites that can accommodate an additional 750,000 square feet of build-to-suit office space. Sanctuary Park is currently 96 percent leased to tenants that include Delta Dental Insurance, Coca-Cola, Ernst & Young, Ciena Corp., LeasePlan and Verizon Wireless. Verizon is expected to vacate its office space at the campus in the near future, which will lower Sanctuary Park’s occupancy to approximately 75 percent. “Sanctuary Park is exactly the kind of unique value-add opportunity Rubenstein Partners seeks out,” said Taylor Smith, regional director of the Southeast for Rubenstein Partners. “The Class A property is generally regarded as the top office park in North Fulton, and we are thrilled to complete the acquisition of this asset. We believe Verizon’s departure created an opportunity for …

September 20, 2016

Features Retail Top Stories

The Great ‘Mall Is Dead’ Myth

by Katie Sloan September 20, 2016

It actually has become clockwork at every major retail event, be it Back to School, Christmas/Hanukkah, even July 4th. We see the inevitable “Mall is Dead” story in some newspaper or television report. Twenty years ago, catalogs and big box power centers were the killers; today, it’s e-commerce, market saturation and debt-laden millennials who will kill the mall. Only the most famous, highest-end centers in the major markets will survive, according to the doomsayers, with the remainder to be turned into any other use you can think of, from warehouses to office buildings to hotels to, yes, prisons. Except the statistics — and our experience at 30 mid-market malls and lifestyle centers at Starwood Retail Partners — don’t support that argument at all. Industry research shows that mall visitation has bounced back well after the Great Recession, that customers are shopping, eating and enjoying the growing number of experiences our centers can offer, and that our industry is finding new life at all economic tiers. This article will dispel some myths with solid fact. We’re not all just sitting at home ordering from Amazon. Myth: No one shops at malls any more. Fact: If that were so, it would only …

September 20, 2016

Multifamily New Jersey Northeast Top Stories

NJPAC, Dranoff Properties Start Construction of $116M High Rise in Newark

by Nellie Day September 19, 2016

NEWARK, N.J. — The New Jersey Performing Arts Center (NJPAC) and developer Dranoff Properties have started construction of One Theater Square, a $116 million high-rise multifamily complex in Newark. One Theater Square will be the first new ground-up, upscale residential high rise in the city since 1960, according to the developers. The 22-story project will be situated on 1.2 acres across from NJPAC and Military Park. It will contain 245 units, most of which will be one- and two-bedroom apartments that will range in size from 585 to 1,700 square feet. The project includes 24 affordable housing units that will be marketed as artist residences, though they will be available to anyone who meets the financial criteria. The ground floor will include 12,000 square feet of retail space. One Theater Square will have a 24-hour concierge, rooftop community gathering space, fitness facility and multiple club rooms. Developers plan to complete the project in the summer of 2018. The public-private partnership includes contributions from the City of Newark; the State of New Jersey; Prudential Financial; Fifth Third Bank; Dranoff; and NJPAC. Philadelphia-based Dranoff Properties develops, builds, finances and/or manages multifamily developments in and around the Northeast. Carl E. Dranoff founded the …

September 19, 2016

Unilever Headquarters, Englewood Cliffs, N.J.

New Jersey Northeast Office Top Stories

OVG, Normandy Real Estate Partners to Redevelop Unilever HQ in New Jersey

by Jaime Lackey September 16, 2016

ENGLEWOOD CLIFFS, N.J. — Unilever has chosen a joint venture between OVG Real Estate and Normandy Real Estate Partners to acquire and redevelop the company’s 23-acre, 325,000-square-foot North American headquarters. The site is located at 700 Sylvan Ave. in Englewood Cliffs, just across the Hudson River from New York City. The agreement provides that upon closing, the land and the building will be leased back to Unilever via an 18-year triple-net lease. The sale is expected to close prior the end of 2016. The renovated headquarters will be both LEED- and WELL-certified and benefits will include reducing CO2 emissions, reducing energy consumption by 50 percent, reducing water demand via low-flow plumbing and diverting 75 percent of construction waste from landfills. OVG plans to increase the size of the property by 28 percent to accommodate 1,600 employees. Unilever expects the new campus to be largely finished by the fourth quarter of 2017. Cushman and Wakefield advised in the partnership formation. Other partners include Perkins + Will Architects; Unilever’s legal advisor Robinson Cole; Drinker Biddle & Reith and AKD Advocaten, both serving as legal advisors to the OVG-Normandy joint venture; general contractor StructureTone; and insurance advisor Parallel. — Jaime Lackey

September 16, 2016

Features Multifamily Seniors Housing Top Stories

How Baby Boomers Will Transform Our Stereotypes of Retirement and Aging

by Jeff Shaw September 16, 2016

WASHINGTON, D.C. — An age wave is coming that will be the most extraordinary demographic disruption in history, and one which will create both winners and losers in the seniors housing space, predicts Ken Dychtwald, a noted psychologist, gerontologist and author. The number of people 65 and older in this country is projected to increase 81 percent between 2010 and 2030, according to the U.S. Census Bureau. The first of the Baby Boomers will turn 80 in 2026. That demographic tsunami presents great opportunities and risks for owners and operators of seniors housing. “You will win if you can imagine this generation, understand what’s in their hearts and souls and minds and bodies, and then project them into a stage of life that itself is morphing as they migrate into it,” said Dychtwald, founder and CEO of Emeryville, Calif.-based Age Wave, a thought leader on issues relating to an aging population, including the business and social implications. The comments from Dychtwald came during the 2016 NIC Fall Conference at the Marriott Marquis in Washington, D.C. The three-day event attracted a record turnout of more than 2,500 attendees, largely owners, operators, developers and lenders. Dychtwald was the first of three speakers …

September 16, 2016

California Multifamily Seniors Housing Texas Top Stories Western

Enlivant, TPG Acquire 48 Seniors Housing Communities in 14 States

by John Nelson September 15, 2016

FORT WORTH, TEXAS AND SAN FRANCISCO — Enlivant, an owner and operator of senior living communities, and global investment firm TPG have purchased 48 seniors housing communities in 14 states from several unrelated organizations. The sales price was not disclosed. The acquisition totals 3,084 independent living, assisted living and memory care apartment units, which represents a nearly 40 percent expansion for Enlivant. Sixteen of the transactions recently closed, and the remaining 32 are expected to close over the next several months. “These transactions mark a period of significant business momentum for Enlivant as it continues to scale its national operating platform while maintaining its founding commitment of providing each of its residents with the highest level of attentive, individualized and personalized care in a home-like setting,” said Avi Banyasz, partner and co-head of TPG Real Estate, TPG’s real estate division. The acquired communities are located in Arizona, Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Kansas, Illinois, Indiana, North Carolina, Ohio, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, Virginia and West Virginia. Following these acquisitions, Enlivant will operate approximately 230 senior living communities spanning 11,000 apartment units across 27 states. Many of these new communities have larger total unit counts and more services than Enlivant’s typical community. TPG acquired Enlivant …

September 15, 2016

Features Office Top Stories

JLL: Tech Dominates U.S. Office Leasing, Creates Resilient Economies

by Haisten Willis September 15, 2016

CHICAGO — Even as the technology industry begins to normalize after two years of major growth, the nation’s tech markets remain winners in the race for talent and, by extension, office leasing. This according to JLL’s recently released Tech Office Outlook report. From the second quarter of 2015 to the second quarter of 2016, tech office leasing volume fell 9.6 percent. However, despite tech industry growth hitting a relative plateau, it will continue to outpace the national economy and is creating strong real estate conditions across the country, according to the report. “The technology sector is the leading industry for real estate expansion in the U.S. and is driving nearly 25 percent of office leasing activity across the nation over the past two years for leases of 20,000 square feet or more,” states the report. “Also, 63 percent of these tech companies are in growth mode. And this demand is driving office rents up. The most expensive rents can be found in San Francisco Peninsula’s Menlo Park, at $102.16 per square foot, followed by Palo Alto in Silicon Valley ($100.79); San Francisco’s Mission Bay/China Basin ($84.70) and Hudson Square in New York ($83.11).” The 9.6 percent year-over-year dip in second-quarter leasing …

September 15, 2016

Industrial Top Stories

National Storage Affiliates Trust-Led JV to Acquire 66-Property iStorage Portfolio for $630M

by Haisten Willis September 14, 2016

GREENWOOD VILLAGE, COLO. — National Storage Affiliates Trust (NYSE: NSA) has formed a joint venture with a state pension fund advised by Heitman Capital Management LLC. The venture was formed to acquire the iStorage portfolio of self-storage properties for $630 million. The portfolio includes 66 properties containing 4.5 million square feet in over 36,000 storage units across 12 states. Separately, NSA has agreed to acquire the iStorage property management platform, including a property management company, a captive insurance company and the iStorage brand. The cost of the additional transaction was not disclosed. The joint venture expects to complete both transactions concurrently during the fourth quarter of 2016. The two transactions are conditioned upon each other and are subject to other closing conditions. A subsidiary of NSA has agreed to contribute $80 million in cash funded from its revolving line of credit in exchange for a 25 percent ownership interest in the unconsolidated joint venture, while the joint venture investor has agreed to contribute $240 million in cash in exchange for a 75 percent ownership interest in the joint venture. The joint venture anticipates incurring new debt to fund the remaining balance of the purchase price and transaction costs. The parties have …

September 14, 2016

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