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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 …

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SAN FRANCISCO — Paramount Group Inc. (NYSE: PGRE) has agreed to acquire One Front Street, a Class A office building located in the Market Street corridor of San Francisco, for $521 million. The 38-story, LEED Gold certified property is located in the heart of San Francisco’s central business district, within two blocks of the $6 billion Transbay Transit Center development set to open in 2017. The Transbay center will act as a regional transportation hub, accommodating up to 45 million passengers per year. The property consists of 651,000 square feet of office space and a 290-space parking garage. The building was 99 percent occupied at the time of sale by tenants including Lookout Inc., Kite, Wells Fargo Bank, Covington & Burling LLP, Skidmore Owings & Merrill LLP, FTI Consulting, Jones Lang LaSalle (JLL) and BNP Paribas. Market Front Associates LP sold the property, according to reports by the San Francisco Business Times. JLL manages and handles leasing for the office space. Paramount is considering various strategic options including bringing in a joint venture partner for the property or selling an asset within its current portfolio to help fund the transaction. The deal is expected to close before the end of …

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ATLANTA — With so many new facilities and operational models altering the seniors housing landscape, what will be the key to a successful seniors housing development in the future? According to panelists at the InterFace Seniors Housing Southeast Conference, the answer is flexibility. Colleen Blumenthal, managing director with Florida-based seniors housing advisory firm HealthTrust, moderated the “State of the Industry” panel at the event, which drew approximately 315 industry professionals to the Westin Buckhead in Atlanta on Aug. 25. The panelists included Richard Hutchinson, president and CFO of Florida-based owner-operator Discovery Senior Living; Joe Weisenburger, vice president of seniors housing for Ohio-based REIT Welltower; Kevin Pascoe, executive vice president of investments for Tennessee-based REIT National Health Investors (NHI); Charles Turner, president of Texas-based developer PinPoint Senior Living; and Mark Spiegel, president of Georgia-based developer Formation Development Group. Flexible Spaces Create Agile Buildings When asked about the successful seniors housing communities of the future, several panelists cited flexibility as a top consideration — including everything from room sizes to price point to use of common spaces. “As we’re building new product, we’re trying not to have common areas that guess what the future trends are going to be,” said Spiegel. Formation …

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KING OF PRUSSIA, PA. — Morgan Properties has purchased an 11-property multifamily portfolio that spans four states for $316 million. The assets, collectively known as Star Portfolio, contain a total of 2,826 units across Maryland, Pennsylvania, North Carolina and South Carolina. The transaction includes the Greens at Westgate in Pennsylvania; the Waterway and Forest Oaks in South Carolina; Falls Creek and Heather Park in North Carolina; and Silver Spring Station, Westerlee, the Willows, St. Mary’s, Taylor Park and Willowood in Maryland. The assets have an average age of 29 years. All the properties are situated in high-barrier submarkets close to major development hubs and public transit. Morgan Properties plans to execute a multi-million-dollar, value-add repositioning plan at each property. The renovation strategy will include premium kitchen and bath renovations and amenity upgrades. Morgan Properties acquired Star Portfolio through an affiliated joint venture. David Oakley and Scott Melnick of Berkadia represented Morgan Properties in the transaction. Deutsche Bank represented the unnamed seller. The firm also recently purchased three separate Maryland multifamily assets, including the 325-unit Grand Pointe in Columbia; the 606-unit Avery Park in Silver Spring; and the 450-unit Henson Creek in Temple Hills. Morgan Properties owns and manages 132 apartment …

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Sentury Tire, LaGrange, Ga.

LAGRANGE, GA. — Sentury Tire, a China-based tire manufacturer, has announced plans to build a $530 million tire factory in LaGrange, approximately 65 miles southwest of Atlanta. Sentury expects the plant to create more than 1,000 jobs in production, sales, marketing, warehousing and distribution, and support the company’s U.S. operations. The company expects to start production in 2018, with a projected output of 12 million passenger and light truck tires per year. Sentury was drawn to Georgia by a tax incentive package, but details were not disclosed, according to the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. Sentury Tire products are sold under the Sentury, Landsail and Delinte brands. The company focuses on light truck and airplane tires. Approximately 70 percent of the company’s sales are in the European and U.S. markets. Sentury Tire’s parent company, Qingdao Sentury Tire Co., is based in Qingdao, China. “The state of Georgia has had a strategic office in China since 2007 and an office in Qingdao since 2013, helping foster business connections between Georgians and Chinese professionals,” says Chris Carr, commissioner of the Georgia Department of Economic Development. “This project is a great example of the relationships that have been forged through active communication and engagement in China.” …

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NEW YORK CITY — American Finance Trust Inc. (AFIN) has acquired all of the outstanding common stock of American Realty Capital – Retail Centers of America Inc. (RCA) for approximately $1.4 billion, including the assumption or repayment of $432 million in debt. The merger of the two New York-based, non-traded REITs creates a retail REIT with an enterprise value of approximately $3.9 billion. The combined company will retain the AFIN name and continue to be led by AFIN’s management team, with the addition of Kase Abusharkh from RCA, who will serve as AFIN’s chief investment officer of the multi-tenant portfolio. Members of both boards of directors will continue to serve on the board of the combined company. “The combination of AFIN and RCA will help the company achieve critical scale, afford improved access to capital markets, result in significant cost savings for shareholders and increase coverage of our distributions,” said Michael Weil, CEO of AFIN. “For AFIN, today’s announcement is a key step forward in our plan to grow earnings.” AFIN, formerly known as American Realty Capital Trust V Inc., was formed in January 2013 to acquire mostly freestanding, single-tenant retail properties leased to investment grade or other creditworthy tenants. …

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Tomball Four Corners Shopping Center in Tomball, Texas

For real estate developers and investors, a time of transition and evolution within the retail world presents abundant opportunities to capitalize by acquiring and investing in underperforming spaces. With an infusion of capital, some strategic restructuring and re-tenanting with regional and national brands, a moribund center or underwhelming site can be transformed. Understanding the strategies deployed to effectively identify, acquire, reposition and re-tenant retail is an essential prerequisite for any commercial real estate professional looking to get involved in the process. The big picture The most critical step in the process is selecting the right opportunities to pursue in the first place. Identifying existing retail assets that are underperforming is one thing. Finding those that can be successfully reinvigorated and repositioned through an infusion of capital and the application of some expertise is a little trickier. It is a best practice to confine your search to well-established trade areas because you generally do not want a project on the fringe. The overall goal is to identify markets and trade areas where there is more demand than quality supply, and then work to find a creative and cost-effective way to deliver that supply. Once you identify those areas, familiarize yourself with …

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Eaves-Nanuet

NANUET, N.Y. — AvalonBay Communities Inc. (NYSE: AVB) has sold eaves Nanuet, a 504-unit multifamily community in the New York City suburb of Nanuet, for $147 million. A joint venture between Harbor Group International LLC and Azure Partners LLC purchased the asset free and clear of existing debt. The community is situated on 54 acres at 100 Avalon Gardens Drive. HFF represented AvalonBay in the transaction. The property is located near Interstate 287’s intersection with the Garden State Parkway and Palisades Interstate Parkway. Nanuet’s Metro North train station and park and ride lot are also located nearby. The 97 percent-leased community includes 64 buildings with a mix of one-, two- and three-bedroom apartments averaging 1,208 square feet. Apartments feature loft spaces, gas fireplaces, closet and attic storage, in-unit washers and dryers, direct-access personal garages, and patios/balconies. Community amenities include an outdoor swimming pool with sun deck, two tennis courts, grilling areas, two playgrounds, clubhouse, fitness center, yoga room, indoor basketball and racquetball courts, and a resident lounge with a fireplace and business center. Jose Cruz, Kevin O’Hearn, Michael Oliver, Stephen Simonelli and Robert Borny led the HFF investment sales team representing the seller. “Demand for well-located, value-add multifamily housing continues to …

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NEW HYDE PARK, N.Y. — Kimco Realty Corp. (NYSE: KIM) has bought out its joint venture partners in a four-property retail portfolio, purchasing the remaining 85 percent interest for $170.7 million. The acquisition included the assumption of $103 million in mortgage debt, $26 million of which was prepaid by the company. The joint venture partners that sold their interest were undisclosed. The portfolio includes Perimeter Expo, a 175,835-square-foot shopping center in the Atlanta suburb of Dunwoody, Ga.; Cranberry Commons, a 166,495-square-foot shopping center in the Pittsburgh suburb of Cranberry Township, Pa.; Cypress Towne Center, a 279,210-square-foot shopping center in Houston; and Doc Stone Commons, a 101,042-square-foot shopping center in Stafford, Va., approximately 50 miles southwest of Washington, D.C. Portfolio tenants include Nordstrom Rack, Marshalls, Old Navy and Newk’s Eatery at Perimeter Expo; TJ Maxx, Lane Bryant, PetSmart and Starbucks Coffee at Cranberry Commons; Michaels, Best Buy, TJ Maxx and Bed Bath & Beyond at Cypress Towne Center; and Petco, Giant Food, Staples and Subway at Doc Stone Commons. In a separate transaction, Kimco recently acquired Kentlands Market Square, a 251,000-square-foot, open-air shopping center located in the Washington, D.C., suburb of Gaithersburg, Md., for $95 million. Whole Foods Market anchors the …

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Fountain Square Commerce Center, Chicago

There’s a reason why warehouse facilities and fulfillment centers ranked No. 1 and 2 for 2016 investment and development prospects. In addition to the annual commercial real estate survey findings by PwC and the Urban Land Institute, the National Council of Real Estate Investment Fiduciaries (NCREIF) is reporting that the Midwest posted the strongest industrial income return among all U.S. regions in second quarter 2016. “E-commerce is affecting more than just the industrial real estate business park. It is the most significant driver of demand in industrial products across the county right now,” says Ryan O’Leary, regional senior vice president at Duke Realty. “Business parks are obviously a big beneficiary of that.” O’Leary, who oversees the Chicago, Minneapolis and St. Louis markets for the Indianapolis-based REIT, estimates that e-commerce drove 35 to 40 percent of the approximately 8 million square feet of industrial absorption in the Windy City during the second quarter. Business parks with very good infrastructure, access to major thoroughfares and easy flow for heavy truck and auto traffic have a huge advantage in securing that tenant demand, which usually requires a quick turnaround on building delivery. Unlike development costs for a garden-variety warehouse space 15 years ago, …

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