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TriGate Capital Acquires 410,121 SF Retail Center in Metro Houston

by Taylor Williams

SUGAR LAND, TEXAS — TriGate Capital, a Dallas-based real estate private equity firm, has purchased First Colony Commons, a 410,121-square-foot retail center in the Houston suburb of Sugar Land. Covington Realty Partners, a Chicago-based investment firm that specializes in Class A assets in primary markets, sold the property. HFF arranged the $38.2 million in acquisition financing for the property and represented both parties in the sales transaction. Nexbank SSB provided the floating-rate, non-recourse loan for the property, which features a 12-year term and a five-year extension option. Situated on 37.8 acres at 15201-15555 Southwest Freeway near Interstate 69 on Houston’s southwestern outskirts, the center was 99 percent leased at the time of sale. Tenants include The Home Depot, Tuesday Morning, Babies “R” Us and Office Depot. More than 85,000 residents earning an average annual household income of $134,000 or more live within three miles of First Colony Commons. Rusty Tamlyn and Ryan West of HFF headed the investment sales effort. Jim Curtin of HFF led the debt placement transaction. “This power center had a lot of moving parts, which presented challenges for buyers and lenders,” says Tamlyn. “TriGate was able to navigate through the issues and will have potential value-add opportunities …

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ConnecticutMultifamilyNortheastTop Stories

Starwood Capital Group to Acquire Forestar Group for $605M

by Kristin Harlow

GREENWICH, CONN. — Starwood Capital Group has agreed to acquire Forestar Group Inc., a residential and mixed-use real estate development company, for $605 million. Starwood will acquire all of the outstanding shares of Forestar’s common stock for $14.25 per share in cash. The Forestar Board of Directors has unanimously approved the merger agreement and has recommended approval of the merger by Forestar’s stockholders. The transaction is expected to close in the third quarter of 2017. “Over the past 18 months Forestar has significantly reduced costs and outstanding debt, exited non-core assets and focused on its core community development business. While executing these key initiatives, the board and management have been evaluating longer term strategic alternatives,” says James Rubright, chairman of the Forestar board. “After conducting a thorough review assisted by highly experienced financial and legal advisors, the board believes that engaging in the transaction with Starwood is the best option to maximize stockholder value.” JMP Securities LLC is serving as financial advisor to Forestar, while Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom LLP is serving as legal advisor. Kirkland & Ellis LLP is serving as legal advisor to Starwood. Austin, Texas-based Forestar Group maintains a portfolio of 50 residential and mixed-use …

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MassachusettsMixed-UseNortheastTop Stories

Shorenstein Properties Sells 741,200 SF Center Plaza in Boston for $365M

by John Nelson

BOSTON — After more than three years of ownership, Shorenstein Properties has sold Center Plaza, a 741,200-square-foot mixed-use asset in downtown Boston. Synergy Investments, a Boston-based real estate owner and investor, and GreenOak, an international real estate investment and lending firm, have jointly purchased Center Plaza for $365 million. Developed by Beacon Capital in phases in the late 1960s and early 1970s, Center Plaza consists of three interconnected, nine-story buildings comprising more than 600,000 square feet of office space, 77,000 square feet of street-level retail and a below-grade parking garage with 575 spaces. Situated at 1-3 Center Plaza, the retail and office development features nearly 875 feet of frontage along Cambridge Street. Center Plaza, which is currently 60 percent leased to 31 tenants, sits at the entrance to Boston’s Beacon Hill neighborhood. The project is situated across the street from Boston’s City Hall. Shorenstein Properties purchased Center Plaza in January 2014 for $307 million, according to the Boston Business Journal. The media outlet also reported that Shorenstein’s planned $25 million overhaul of Center Plaza never took shape. The NGKF Capital Markets Boston team led by Robert Griffin, Edward Maher, Matthew Pullen and James Tribble represented Shorenstein Properties, which sold the …

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Conference CoverageMultifamilyTexasTexas & Oklahoma Feature ArchiveTop Stories

Apartment Locators, Property Managers in Houston Cash In On Rent Slump, Say InterFace Panelists

by Taylor Williams

HOUSTON — While it’s not an ideal time to be a multifamily property owner in Houston, it is a good time to be working on behalf of one. With their clients sitting on excess supply, apartment locators — middlemen who match tenant preferences to properties — are being increasingly called upon to deliver tenants. Locators work on commission, typically earning about 20 percent of the first month’s rent for their services. But in Houston’s soft market, that figure is rapidly rising. Ricardo Rivas, chief investment officer at Allied Orion Group and one of several panelists who spoke at the InterFace Houston Multifamily conference on March 28, noted that while locators are costly, the services they provide in a down market are crucial. “They [locators] are our best friends right now,” Rivas said to 175 industry professionals who gathered at the Royal Sonesta Hotel. “We reach out to them, we throw them parties and we give them big incentives to bring tenants over.” Todd Marix, a senior managing partner in HFF’s Houston office who spoke on an earlier panel, addressed the rising operating costs that landlords are facing. In his view, fees paid to apartment locators are quietly doing major damage …

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New YorkNortheastOfficeTop Stories

TF Cornerstone Secures $325M Refinancing for Carnegie Hall Tower in Manhattan

by Nellie Day

NEW YORK CITY — TF Cornerstone has secured a $325 million refinancing for Carnegie Hall Tower, a 555,000-square-foot, trophy office property on Manhattan’s “Billionaire’s Row.” The 60-story building is located at 152 W. 57th Street. Carnegie Hall Tower opened in 1991 and was designed by Cesar Pelli. The building features a vaulted entrance and a through-block grand lobby adorned with Italian marble, brass and hardwood accents similar to its landmark neighbor, Carnegie Music Hall. Many floors offer 360-degree views of New York City, including Central Park, the skyline, the Hudson and East rivers and the Atlantic Ocean. “Delivered in 1991 during an economic recession, the property took time to lease up and stabilize,” says Jeremy Shell, executive vice president of TF Cornerstone. “The market was soft but the principals of our firm were persistent in waiting out the vacancies of the early 1990s. [Cornerstone] went to great lengths to keep the property solvent and to ultimately realize their vision for Carnegie Hall Tower.” Some of the tower’s current notable tenants include TR Winston & Company, Metacapital, Kingdon Capital, 13D Management, Grubman Indursky Shire & Meiselas law firm and Greystone & Company. Singer & Bassuk Organization (SBO) arranged the financing through …

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FeaturesRetailTop Stories

Reis: Despite Bankruptcies, Retail Vacancy Holds Steady, Rents Increase

by Jeff Shaw

NEW YORK CITY — Despite a rash of bankruptcies and store closures by major retailers during the first quarter of 2017, the U.S. retail market overall is quite healthy, according to a report by Reis, a New York-based commercial real estate analytics firm. To gather its data, Reis tracked multi-tenant neighborhood and community shopping centers of 10,000 square feet or larger in 77 primary metro areas throughout the United States. Last week, Payless ShoeSource became the 10th retailer to file for Chapter 11 bankruptcy so far this year, according to CNBC. Others include Gander Mountain, BCBG Max Azria, Wet Seal, Limited Stores, Gordmans Stores, hhgregg, Eastern Outfitters, RadioShack, General Wireless Operations and Michigan Sporting Goods Distributors. Aeropostale also closed nearly 600 locations in 2017, while Sports Authority gave back 460 storefronts after its liquidation. Macy’s, JC Penney and Sears are undertaking additional store closures Despite the headline-grabbing stories that would imply retail is struggling, Reis reports that the vacancy rate held steady at 9.9 percent during the first quarter of 2017 — identical to both the previous quarter and previous year. Both asking and effective rents increased as well. Asking rents rose to $20.55 per square foot, an increase of …

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HealthcareIllinoisMidwestTop Stories

Care Capital Properties to Acquire Six Behavioral Health Hospitals for $400M

by Katie Sloan

CHICAGO — Care Capital Properties Inc. (NYSE: CCP) has entered into a definitive agreement to acquire six behavioral health hospitals in a sale-leaseback transaction for $400 million. The six-property portfolio contains a total of 712 beds in California, Arizona and Illinois. The hospitals primarily provide acute inpatient and outpatient psychiatric care, addiction services, geriatric psychiatric care and child and adolescent psychiatric care. Signature Healthcare Services LLC, one of the largest privately owned behavioral healthcare providers in the United States, currently owns the properties. As part of the transaction, CCP has agreed to fund up to $50 million in expansion and improvements within the portfolio. CCP will also have an option, exercisable beginning in the fourth quarter of 2018, to purchase one additional building for an amount that is expected to be approximately $20 million. Acquired properties include Aurora Charter Oak Hospital in Covina, Calif.; Aurora Vista del Mar Hospital in Ventura, Calif.; Aurora San Diego Hospital in San Diego; Aurora Arizona West in Glendale, Ariz.; Aurora Arizona East in Tempe, Ariz.; and Aurora Chicago Lakeshore Hospital in Chicago. Upon completion of the transaction, which is slated for the second quarter of 2017, CCP will lease the properties to affiliates of …

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MultifamilyStudent HousingTexasTexas & Oklahoma Feature ArchiveTop Stories

InterFace Student Housing Brings Industry Executives to Austin

by Taylor Williams

AUSTIN, TEXAS  — Over 1,200 leaders from across all facets of the student housing industry descended on Austin last week for the 9th annual InterFace Student Housing conference, held at the J.W. Marriott. The conference concluded April 7 after two-and-a-half days of networking and educational sessions on topics ranging from the state of the industry, to leasing and marketing, development and design. While the industry is evolving, sunny skies continue to be the forecast for years to come. Rising rental rates are coupled with record-breaking levels of asset sales, and an increase in institutional and foreign investment, further legitimizing the sector. The conference kicked off Wednesday, April 5, with the 6th annual SHB Open Golf Outing at Barton Creek Resort & Spa, and then moved to the third floor of the J.W. Marriott Austin, where a record-breaking number of attendees met to network and dine over a range of industry topics. The afternoon began with a round of Speed Networking, where over 100 industry experts participated in short, four-minute conversations designed to spur discussion and foster new relationships. The group then moved into 25 InterFace+ Info Roundtables on topics ranging from the possible obsolescence of interior amenities, to international student housing opportunities and …

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New JerseyNew YorkNortheastRetailTop Stories

Urban Edge to Acquire $325M Retail Portfolio in New York, Philadelphia, St. Louis

by Taylor Williams

NEW YORK, PHILADELPHIA AND ST. LOUIS — Urban Edge Properties (NYSE: UE), a real estate investment trust, has entered into a contract to acquire a seven-property portfolio of retail assets for $325 million. The portfolio was 83 percent leased at the time of sale. The portfolio, which spans approximately 1.5 million square feet of leasable space, will consist primarily of retail properties in the New York City area, with holdings in the Philadelphia and St. Louis areas as well. According to CoStar Group, affiliates of New Jersey-based Acklinis Realty Holding LLC have owned the portfolio for the last four decades. The contributors will exchange their interests for approximately $127 million of UE’s operating partnership units, which are valued at $27.02 per unit. Urban Edge will also assume $33 million in existing debt, issue roughly $117 million of non-recourse, secured debt and fund the remaining $48 million in cash. Among the portfolio’s New York City-area properties are Yonkers Gateway Center, a 436,770-square-foot asset located at 2500 Central Park Ave. in Yonkers, which is 88 percent leased to tenants such as Burlington Coat Factory, PetSmart and Alamo Drafthouse; and The Plaza at Woodbridge, a 413,013-square-foot center located at 675 U.S. Highway 1 in …

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ArizonaColoradoMultifamilyOregonTop StoriesWashingtonWestern

Berkeley Point Capital Provides $250.5M Loan for Acquisition of Multifamily Portfolio in Western Region

by Kristin Harlow

WASHINGTON, OREGON, COLORADO AND ARIZONA — Berkeley Point Capital has provided a $250.5 million loan for the acquisition of a multifamily portfolio located in the western United States. Starwood Capital Group acquired the portfolio from Holland Partners. Built between 1985 and 2002, the portfolio comprises 2,136 units across 11 properties in Washington, Oregon, Colorado and Arizona. Berkeley Point Capital used Freddie Mac’s Adjustable-Rate Mortgages (ARM) product to provide the 10-year loan. Due to rent levels at the properties, 25 percent of the loan balance qualified as affordable and exempt from Freddie Mac’s production cap. Charlie Haggard and Kevin Mignogna of Berkeley Point Capital arranged the financing. Berkeley Point Capital, based in Bethesda, Md., provides financing for multifamily properties, with a portfolio of $55 billion representing 3,600 loans in 49 states. Greenwich, Conn.-based Starwood Capital Group is a private investment firm with $52 billion of assets under management. —Kristin Hiller

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