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

California Office Top Stories Western

Paramount to Acquire One Front Street in San Francisco for $521M

by Katie Sloan September 13, 2016

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 …

September 13, 2016

Conference Coverage Features Multifamily Seniors Housing Southeast Feature Archive Top Stories

More Flexibility, Consumer Choice Will Be Key to Future Seniors Housing Development, Say InterFace Panelists

by Jeff Shaw September 13, 2016

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 …

September 13, 2016

Maryland Multifamily North Carolina Northeast Pennsylvania South Carolina Southeast Top Stories

Morgan Properties Buys Four-State, 11-Property Multifamily Portfolio for $316M

by Nellie Day September 12, 2016

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 …

September 12, 2016

Georgia Industrial Southeast Top Stories

Sentury Tire to Build $530M Manufacturing Plant in Georgia

by Jeff Shaw September 9, 2016

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.” …

September 9, 2016

New York Northeast Retail Top Stories

Two Non-Traded Retail REITs Merge in $1.4B Transaction

by John Nelson September 8, 2016

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. …

September 8, 2016

Tomball Four Corners Shopping Center in Tomball, Texas

Features Retail Top Stories

Finding the Right Tactics is Key for Repositioning Retail

by Jeff Shaw September 8, 2016

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 …

September 8, 2016

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