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

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

Arizona Office Texas Top Stories Western

Columbia Property Trust Sells $109.5M Office Portfolio Near Dallas, Phoenix

by Kristin Harlow December 16, 2016

CHANDLER, ARIZ. AND IRVING, TEXAS — Columbia Property Trust Inc. has sold CVS Health Tower in Irving, a western suburb of Dallas, and SanTan Corporate Center in Chandler, a southern suburb of Phoenix, for $109.5 million. With the sales, Columbia has exited the Dallas and Phoenix markets and will use the profits for reinvestment in its target markets. The buyers were not disclosed. CVS Health Tower is a 315,000-square-foot, Class A office building located at 750 W. John Carpenter Freeway. The building is primarily leased to CVS Caremark, an independent pharmacy benefit management provider. IBM also maintains a lease at the property. The 12-story building was completed in 1999 and acquired by Columbia in 2006. SanTan Corporate Center consists of two office buildings totaling 267,000 square feet, completed in 2000 and 2003. Columbia acquired the buildings in 2006. Both buildings are 100 percent leased. Toyota Financial Services fully occupies SanTan Corporate Center I, while multiple tenants occupy SanTan Corporate Center II. With these sales, Columbia has completed $660.5 million of dispositions in 2016. Atlanta-based Columbia Property Trust owns and operates Class A office buildings. The company’s portfolio includes 21 office properties and one hotel. -Kristin Hiller

December 16, 2016

Industrial Midwest Missouri Top Stories

CVS Pharmacy to Build $110M Distribution Facility in Kansas City

by John Nelson December 15, 2016

KANSAS CITY, MO. — CVS Pharmacy, the retail division of Woonsocket, R.I.-based CVS Health (NYSE: CVS), plans to build a 762,000-square-foot distribution center within Skyport Industrial Park in Kansas City. Development costs are estimated at $110 million. The 71-acre facility will be situated at 108th Street and North Congress near Kansas City International Airport and I-29. CVS Pharmacy expects to break ground on the project in January and begin operations in 2018. The new distribution center will support the service and fulfillment needs of more than 370 CVS Pharmacy stores throughout the Midwest. The new distribution center is expected to create more than 360 new jobs, as well as up to 100 additional jobs that will be outsourced to local businesses. The Kansas City Area Development Council (KCADC) worked closely with CVS Pharmacy in bringing the new distribution center to the Kansas City region. Other key members responsible for attracting CVS Pharmacy include the State of Missouri, The Missouri Partnership, Economic Development Corp. of Kansas City, Platte County Economic Development Council, Cushman & Wakefield, NorthPoint Development, KCP&L, Port KC, Metropolitan Community College, Focus Workforces, IMKO Workforce Solutions, QPS Employment Group, Full Employment Council, Missouri Division of Workforce Development, UPS, Scarbrough …

December 15, 2016

Modera by Mill Creek-Morningside, Atlanta

Features Multifamily Southeast Feature Archive Top Stories

Multifamily Opportunities Lie in Niche Product, Amenity-Rich Neighborhoods

by Jeff Shaw December 15, 2016

Following years of frenzied development across the country, the multifamily industry is entering a slowdown period where developers have fewer starts and even fewer completions. As of the end of October, multifamily starts are down 1.8 percent year-to-date compared to this time last year, according to the U.S. Census Bureau and the Department of Housing and Urban Development. Year-to-date completions are down 3.1 percent in that same time frame. “We’re entering a more normalized market going forward, as opposed to an aggressive development market of the past few years,” says Steven Shores, president and co-founder of Pollack Shores, an Atlanta-based multifamily developer. “I don’t view it as a negative. In a lot of respects, we were trying to catch up with demand in the years immediately following the recession where there was no new development.” Core submarkets within major metros saw the bulk of new multifamily construction in the years following the downturn as developers were answering renter demand to live within close proximity of employment centers, dining, shopping and entertainment. Construction in those submarkets is now slowing as those sites have become more difficult to come by, in addition to the existing governors of construction such as the industry’s …

December 15, 2016

Midwest Retail Top Stories Wisconsin

Milwaukee Symphony Orchestra Seeks to Buy, Renovate Former Warner Grand Theatre for $80M

by Nellie Day December 14, 2016

MILWAUKEE — The Milwaukee Symphony Orchestra (MSO) is hoping to purchase and restore the former Warner Grand Theatre in downtown Milwaukee in time for its fall 2019 season. An anonymous donor is leading the initiative to purchase the vacant theater, which would be converted into a concert hall. The renovation would include bathroom modernizations and updated seating to fit a capacity of 1,750. The theater’s acquisition and renovations are expected to cost between $70 million and $80 million. The MSO is hoping to acquire the site in fall 2017. The project is part of a $120 million MSO fundraising campaign that would also raise bridge financing and increase the organization’s general endowment. The MSO brought in $17 million in revenue during its 2015-2016 season. The symphony’s 80 full-time musicians perform more than 135 concerts each season. The orchestra currently performs at the Marcus Center for the Performing Arts on North Water Street. The 12-story Warner Grand Theatre is situated on West Wisconsin Avenue. The MSO is the only major orchestra in the nation without control over its own performance venue, according to the MSO’s president and executive director. The Art Deco-style theater was built in 1931 and was last occupied …

December 14, 2016

California Office Top Stories Western

Hudson Pacific Acquires Leasehold Interest in Five-Property Office Campus in Silicon Valley for $150M

by Katie Sloan December 13, 2016

PALO ALTO, CALIF. — Hudson Pacific Properties Inc. (NYSE: HPP) has acquired the leasehold interest in Page Mill Hill, a five-building office campus totaling 182,676 square feet in Stanford Research Park in Palo Alto, for $150 million. HPP acquired the leasehold interest from a joint venture owned by Lionstone Investments and CalSTRS. The campus is currently fully occupied by legal and accounting firms including Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher; Frank, Rimerman + Co.; Manatt, Phelps & Phillips; and Perkins Coie. Stanford Research Park is affiliated with Stanford University, and was founded in partnership with the city of Palo Alto in 1951. The 160-building park focuses on innovation, housing predominantly startups and research and development companies. Office tenants include Google, Tesla, Ford, Skype, Nest, Hewlett-Packard, Toyota Research Institute and Lockheed Martin. Hudson Pacific is the largest office landlord in the park. The company owned the leasehold interest in six buildings totaling more than 1 million square feet prior to the recent acquisition of Page Mill Hill. Hudson Pacific also claims to be the largest institutional leasehold owner of office space in Silicon Valley, with 22 assets totaling over 7 million square feet. Among its properties in the region are Palo Alto Square; Foothill …

December 13, 2016

Features Hospitality Top Stories

Ten-X Ranks Las Vegas As Top ‘Buy Market’ for Hotel Investors in 2017

by Jeff Shaw December 13, 2016

IRVINE, CALIF. — The U.S. hotel market faces many long-term challenges, including a slowdown in international travel, an increase in supply and a decrease in demand, according to the most recent Quarterly Hotel Monitor report from Ten-X, an online real estate marketplace. The leading “buy markets” for hotels will be those that most strongly fight against these negative trends, while the top “sell markets” reflect the strongest negative forecast indicators. According to the Ten-X reports, the top buy markets for 2017 are (1) Las Vegas; (2) Jacksonville, Fla.; (3) Sacramento, Calif.; (4) Los Angeles; and (5) Indianapolis. The top sell markets are (1) Houston; (2) New York City; (3) Pittsburgh; (4) San Jose, Calif.; and (5) Northern New Jersey. In Las Vegas, occupancy jumped 110 basis points in the third quarter alone to 73.4 percent and room rates also spiked dramatically, according to Ten-X. Meanwhile, supply has dwindled due to the closing of underperforming hotels, and the new supply pipeline is relatively small. These factors combined to make Las Vegas the top buy market. In Houston, the top sell market, the prolonged oil price slump continues to take its toll. Energy and manufacturing jobs dropped 6.8 percent year-to-date through the …

December 13, 2016

Georgia Mixed-Use Office Southeast Top Stories

Selig Development to Build $400M Mixed-Use Project in Midtown Atlanta

by Jeff Shaw December 12, 2016

ATLANTA — Atlanta-based Selig Enterprises Inc. has launched a new division known as Selig Development Corp., whose first development will be a $400 million mixed-use project located at 1105 W. Peachtree St. in Midtown Atlanta. The project will feature 645,000 square feet of Class A office space, 80 residential units and a 150-room boutique hotel, along with street-level retail space. The 32-story office tower leads the project, encompassing an entire city block. Totaling more than 3.5 acres between the 10th Street and Art Center MARTA train stations, the site is situated across from the new Northside Hospital Medical Office and a Whole Foods Market currently under construction. Selig Development expects to begin construction on the project in mid-2017. The office portion is expected to be ready for occupancy beginning in the fourth quarter of 2019. Selig Development is in discussions with several tenants for the new office tower, and plans open nearly 50 percent pre-leased. The boutique hotel will feature an outdoor pool, pool bar and event space within a 38,000-square-foot, deck-top plaza. The 80 residential units will start above the hotel rooms in the same tower and feature two- and three-bedroom units. The residential portion will have access to hotel amenities, …

December 12, 2016

California Mixed-Use Top Stories Western

Oceanwide Holdings Breaks Ground on Second-Tallest Building in San Francisco

by Kristin Harlow December 9, 2016

SAN FRANCISCO — Oceanwide Holdings has broken ground on Oceanwide Center, a mixed-use development in San Francisco. The project consists of two towers at First and Mission streets. The First Street tower will be the second-tallest structure in San Francisco at 910 feet and will include 109 high-end condos and flexible office space. The Mission Street tower will include the Waldorf Astoria San Francisco hotel and 156 condos. Oceanwide Center contains 2.4 million square feet in total, of which 26,000 square feet will be dedicated to new public spaces and pedestrian connections. A 68-foot-tall public square or “Urban Plaza” adjacent to First Street will highlight a large and interconnected set of open spaces and public plazas. The project is slated for completion by 2021. The architectural design team includes Foster + Partners and Heller Manus Architects. Designed by landscape architect Kathryn Gustafson, the “Urban Plaza” will feature outdoor seating, a bicycle hub and a special events terrace for live music, farmers’ markets and cultural exhibitions. Oceanwide Center also includes the renovation and restoration of the historic buildings at 78 and 88 First St. These buildings will provide additional office and retail space. Swinerton and Webcor are the builders on the …

December 9, 2016

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