RICHMOND, VA. — Starwood Retail Partners will upgrade and redevelop the 668,000-square-foot Stony Point Fashion Park, a popular retail center in Richmond, at a cost of $50 million. The retail center, which opened in 2003, currently includes about 75 stores. Starwood Retail Partners acquired Stony Point Fashion Park last fall as part of a $1.4 billion, seven-mall deal with Taubman Centers. The renovation work on Stony Point is scheduled to begin in the summer of 2016. Both the center’s east and west courts will undergo enhancements to modernize the space. The West End will feature a bocce ball court, fountains, tables, a courtyard, rocking chairs and fire pits interspersed throughout the area. The renovated west court will appeal to people seeking entertainment and a place for social interaction. The East Side will include an expansive green space. Triangle Park, as part of the green space, will feature fountains, experiential art and whimsical seating such as heated benches. Plans also include a stage for summer performances that will transform into an ice-skating rink in the cooler months. The East Side will also undergo a retail expansion, adding boutiques and retailers that will complement the current mix of tenants in the center. …
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Slate Property Group, GreenOak Real Estate to Acquire RiverTower in Manhattan for $390M
by Katie Sloan
NEW YORK CITY — A joint venture of Slate Property Group and GreenOak Real Estate is in contract to acquire RiverTower at Sutton Place, a 38-story multifamily complex located at 420 E. 54th St. in Manhattan’s Sutton Place neighborhood. The purchase price is $390 million. The building is comprised of 311 one-, two- and three-bedroom units. Building amenities include a bicycle room, porte-cochere driveway, 182-car below grade parking garage, a 28,000-square-foot landscaped plaza, dual street entrances and a fitness center. Originally developed by Harry Macklowe in 1982, the property was purchased by Equity Residential in 2010. Slate and GreenOak plan to implement a comprehensive building renovation and unit upgrades throughout. RiverTower is located in close proximity to both the United Nations and the East River. Nearby public transportation includes the “E” and “6” subway lines, and easy access to FDR Drive. Darcy Stacom and William Shanahan of CB Richard Ellis represented the seller, Equity Residential, in the transaction. Slate Property Group is an owner, operator and developer of residential and commercial real estate in the New York metropolitan area. During the last six years, principals of Slate Property Group have purchased in excess of $1.5 billion in real estate assets. …
From Drones to Immigration, The Counselors of Real Estate Provides Seven Insights Into Forces Reshaping the Industry
by Katie Sloan
What will drive real estate and economic decisions in the future? Members of The Counselors of Real Estate (CRE) recently tackled that all-important question in a series of panel discussions at the organization’s annual convention in Charlotte, N.C. The organization, which serves 1,100 members worldwide and represents no single property specialty, is known for providing objective, balanced perspectives on critical issues affecting commercial and residential real estate. What follows are seven major takeaways stemming from this year’s convention. Big-box retail will not surrender to e-commerce — In a discussion led by Michael MaRous, president of Park Ridge, Ill.-based real estate advisory firm MaRous and Co., panelists stated that retail adaptation and integration of Internet shopping will be crucial in the coming years. The panel emphasized the need for big-box chains to create smaller formats more compatible with urban core markets. These smaller concepts, the panel believes, should be implemented alongside larger formats in select shopping centers. Drones are not novelties, toys, hazards or nuisances — Members of the Counselors of Real Estate believe drones to be essential tools that will open doors for smart users of the technology. “Drones are more affordable than ever, making aerial data gathering a mandatory piece …
LAKE OSWEGO, ORE. — Multi-Employer Property Trust (MEPT) has entered into a joint venture with PHK Development Inc. to build a $103 million project that will include 200 apartment units, more than 40,000 square feet of commercial space and 430 parking spaces at Block 137 (330 1st St.) in Lake Oswego, Ore. Block 137 will be the first mixed-use development to be built in downtown Lake Oswego, located about 10 miles south of Portland, Ore., in more than 15 years. The joint venture team will work in collaboration with Lake Oswego community leaders in the development process. The apartment community will be designed to appeal to a broad base of residents, including Baby Boomers seeking relocation to an amenity-rich community; families attracted to the school system in Lake Oswego; and young affluent individuals and couples that value walkability in a neighborhood setting. “We are very pleased to partner with PHK, a local firm with expertise in mixed-use developments, for this joint venture project. For MEPT, this investment will contribute to fund performance and give MEPT exposure to one of the most desirable residential locations in the Portland metropolitan area,” says David Antonelli, executive vice president and MEPT portfolio manager at …
NEW YORK CITY — Kushner Cos. has purchased the 250,000-square-foot retail component of the historic Times Square Building for $296 million. The retail portion of the 16-story, 767,000-square-foot property located at 229 W. 43rd St. comprises the first three floors and portions of the fourth floor, cellars and sub-cellars of the building, with frontage on West 43rd and 44th streets. Sellers Africa-Israel USA (AFI-USA) and Five Mile Capital Partners purchased the entire building — the former headquarters of the New York Times Co. — in June 2007 for $530 million total. The Times Square Building housed The New York Times when the property was built in 1913 until the building was sold in 2004 to Tishman Speyer Properties. In 2007, the newspaper moved to a steel-framed, glass-curtained new construction at 620 Eighth Ave. Marquee tenants at the Times Square Building include Discovery Times Square Exhibition, Bowlmor Times Square, Guitar Center and Haru Sushi. Landmarks Preservation Commission recognizes the building as a New York City landmark. Columbia Property Trust Inc. purchased the office portion of the building this year from affiliates of Blackstone Real Estate Partners VI LP for $516 million. Helen Hwang, formerly of Cushman & Wakefield and now with …
Demand for office space decelerated slightly in the third quarter of 2015, but remained high enough to result in one of the strongest quarters of the current expansion, according to Cushman & Wakefield’s latest U.S. Office Snapshot report. The U.S. office market absorbed 17.3 million square feet of office space during the third quarter, which was down 10 percent from the level recorded in the second quarter. Still, demand remained strong enough to offset the limited amount of new office product deliveries, which in turn helped the vacancy rate inch downward from 14.4 percent in the second quarter to 14.2 percent in the third quarter. “As vacancy dips below equilibrium in most markets, the construction pipeline is ramping up,” notes the report. Approximately 95.1 million square feet of new office space was under construction at the end of September. Office Rents on the Rise The weighted average rental growth rate increased in the third quarter, posting a year-over-year jump of 4.7 percent. About 90 percent of all U.S. markets are experiencing positive rental growth, and more than 40 percent have seen year-over-year growth above 5 percent, according to Cushman & Wakefield. Meanwhile, Real Capital Analytics (RCA) reports that office investment …
SANTA MONICA, CALIF. — The Macerich Company (NYSE: MAC) has closed on the first of three joint ventures in the shopping center sector. The company had previously announced it would form these ventures to contribute interests in eight regional malls, totaling about $2.3 billion. This first joint venture will allow GIC to acquire a 40 percent interest in Lakewood Center in Lakewood, Calif.; Los Cerritos Center in Cerritos, Calif.; South Plains Mall in Lubbock, Texas; and Washington Square in Portland, Ore. The cash proceeds to Macerich total $1.5 billion. This includes $964 million in excess loan proceeds. Macerich also expects to close the additional two joint ventures in January. These include a second joint venture with GIC on Arrowhead Towne Center in Glendale, Ariz., as well as a joint venture with Heitman on Deptford Mall in Deptford, N.J.; FlatIron Crossing in Broomfield, Colo.; and Twenty Ninth Street center in Boulder, Colo. The firm’s board of directors also declared two special dividends, each $2 per share of common stock. The first dividend is payable on Dec. 8, 2015, to stockholders of record at the close of business on Nov. 12, 2015. The second dividend is payable on Jan. 6, 2016, to …
CRANBURY, N.J. — A joint venture between The Rockefeller Group and Alfieri LLC is moving forward with one of the largest industrial real estate developments in New Jersey. The Cranbury Station Park will feature up to 1.24 million square feet of Class A warehouse and distribution space. Developers broke ground on the 930,000-square-foot building that will anchor the site in May. The speculative building is situated on 120 acres off Cranbury Station Road in the Exit 8A submarket of New Jersey. “The demand-side fundamentals are extremely strong in the Exit 8A submarket, and there are no other existing opportunities to lease a space of this size in the state, so we’re expecting strong interest ahead of completion,” says Clark Machemer, senior vice president and regional development officer for The Rockefeller Group’s New Jersey/Pennsylvania office. The building plans incorporate a solar-ready roof, cross-dock loading and a loop road surrounding the entire building to maximize circulation. The 930,000-square-foot facility is slated for completion by the end of this year. An additional 310,000-square-foot building may then be constructed. The pad site for the 310,000-square-foot building could alternatively be used for trailer and car parking. The project currently provides 200 trailer spaces, 292 auto …
NEW YORK — A subsidiary of Brookfield Property Partners LP (NYSE: BPY) has entered into a joint venture with Qatar Investment Authority (QIA) to develop the mixed-use Manhattan West project in New York City. In the transaction, Brookfield sold a 44 percent interest in the development to QIA. The total value of the development upon completion and stabilization is estimated to be $8.6 billion. “Brookfield has enjoyed a long-standing, successful relationship with QIA and we are thrilled that they share our vision for this transformative project,” says Bruce Flatt, CEO of Brookfield Asset Management, a global alternative asset manager with more than $200 billion of assets under management. New York-based Brookfield Property Partners, the flagship listed real estate company of Brookfield Asset Management, has more than $60 billion in total assets. QIA, a global investor, was founded by the State of Qatar in 2005 as its sovereign wealth fund. “We are pleased to expand our relationship with Brookfield and invest in this world-class project. This joint venture is an example of our strategy to invest in high-quality real estate with strong partners. It is also a further demonstration of QIA’s long-term confidence in the U.S. market,” says His Excellency Sheikh …
The primary reason that property owners express such a disdain for commercial mortgage-backed securities (CMBS) is that the financing vehicle is “mysterious.” There is no source or website anyone can go to that will explain how a CMBS loan really works, and there is no one the owner can speak to at the loan servicing shops who will demystify the process. CMBS loans are governed by IRS regulations and documents an owner will never typically see, let alone know about. As the founder of a company that serves as a voice for property owners and borrowers, I have dedicated my entire career to demystifying CMBS. One way I do that is through quarterly webinars. Each webinar covers a different topic. The 2015 webinar series has been specifically devoted to exposing the naked truth about CMBS. In a recent webinar, we focused on the eight myths of CMBS. What follows is a recap. Myth No. 1 — It won’t cost much to miss the payoff date of your CMBS loan by a few days: Most property owners are now well aware that a CMBS loan has what is called an “open period.” The loan can only be paid off during that …