BRENTWOOD, TENN. AND IRVINE, CALIF. — Brookdale Senior Living (NYSE: BKD) and HCP Inc. (NYSE: HCP) have arranged the closing of their previously announced portfolio acquisition of 35 private pay seniors housing communities, representing 5,025 units, for $847 million from Chartwell Retirement Residences. Brookdale has operated the portfolio since 2011 after its acquisition of Horizon Bay and will continue to manage the communities under a RIDEA joint venture structure with HCP and Brookdale owning 90 percent and 10 percent, respectively. The portfolio is currently 89 percent occupied with an average monthly rate of $3,425. It was acquired unencumbered by third party debt and is projected to generate a first-year cash yield of approximately 6.6 percent. Located in eight states including Florida, Texas and Colorado, the portfolio consists of 5,025 units and is comprised of 33 seniors housing properties representing 4,792 units, with a mix of 46 percent assisted living, 45 percent independent living, 5 percent memory care and 4 percent skilled nursing. The portfolio also includes leasehold interests in two communities, which are wholly owned by HCP, representing 233 units with purchase-option rights exercisable in 2017. “This portfolio acquisition provides attractive risk-adjusted returns for our shareholders, and also creates value for …
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NEW YORK — Meridian Capital Group has arranged a $100 million bridge loan for the refinancing of a six-property hotel portfolio located in Florida, Texas, North Carolina and Minnesota. Meridian arranged the loan through an unnamed debt fund based in New York on behalf of the borrower, a Los Angeles-based private equity fund. The three-year initial loan term features a floating interest rate, interest-only payments for the full term and two one-year extension options. Seth Grossman and Sarah Kuebler of Meridian’s Carlsbad, Calif., office arranged the loan. Grossman and Kuebler also arranged the acquisition financing for the same portfolio in 2012. “Based largely on the sponsor’s strength, track-record, the improving market and specific hotel conditions, we were successful reaching our client’s objectives, says Grossman. “We refinanced their acquisition loan with an increase in loan proceeds while simultaneously lowering the interest rate several hundred basis points and maintaining ample flexibility for the portfolio going forward.” The portfolio comprises the following hotels: • DoubleTree Suites by Hilton Hotel Tampa Bay located at 3050 N. Rocky Point Drive W. in Tampa, Fla. • Embassy Suites Boca Raton located at 661 N.W. 53rd St. in Boca Raton, Fla. • Sheraton Suites Fort Lauderdale at …
Don’t look now, but there could be a land rush taking place as fast casual restaurant chains expand across the United States. Fast casual restaurants, a blend of quick service and casual dining, are quickly growing in popularity as consumers gravitate toward higher-quality foods when grabbing a quick lunch or dinner. The fast casual concept offers customization in menu choices and freshly prepared dishes. Fast casual restaurants usually do not include a drive-thru window or table service. While there is no standard definition for fast casual, most in the industry agree on certain aspects of the category. “Fast casual is typically a non drive-thru restaurant where customers order at the counter and seat themselves,” says Michael Walters, vice president of Falcon Restaurant Advisors, a Dallas-based company that represents restaurant concepts and landlords on a national basis. “Fast casual restaurants also source most of their products locally, and avoid frozen foods wherever possible.” Walters says the restaurants are growing so fast because there is a high demand for them and, for now, a lack of supply of space for them to locate. The combined sales of fast casual restaurants in the United States grew by 10.5 percent in 2014, compared with …
NEW YORK — CPA:17 – Global, a non-traded managed REIT of New York-based W.P. Carey Inc. (NYSE: WPC), has purchased a portfolio of six Midwestern net lease properties leased to an affiliate of The Bon-Ton Stores Inc. (Bon-Ton) for approximately $88 million. Three of the department store properties are located in Milwaukee, Wis., and the remaining three are located in Green Bay, Wis.; Fargo, N.D.; and Joliet, Ill. Each of the facilities is leased to Bon-Ton for 20 years. “Bon-Ton has built a strong track record of tenancy with W. P. Carey since our first transaction 18 years ago,” says W.P. Carey Managing Director Gino Sabatini. “Given the criticality of these retail stores to Bon-Ton’s ongoing operations, an attractive yield on the investment and the inclusion of annual consumer price index adjustments, we believe the investment is a valuable addition to the CPA:17 – Global portfolio.” Bon-Ton operates department stores offering apparel and accessories for women, men and children, as well as cosmetics, home furnishings, footwear and other goods. The company operates 270 stores, including nine furniture galleries and four clearance centers in 26 states in the Northeast, Midwest and upper Great Plains. Each store in the transaction anchors a …
DALLAS — Ashford Hospitality Trust (NYSE: AHT) has announced its intent to list a portfolio of 23 select-service hotels for sale, as the company shifts its investment strategy toward predominantly upper upscale, full-service hotels. The 23-hotel portfolio for sale totals 4,308 rooms. The hotels are encumbered by approximately $190 million of long-term, fixed-rate debt and $187 million of maturing or floating-rate debt for total debt of approximately $377 million. The current trailing 12-month NOI for the portfolio is $44 million, and the trailing 12-month RevPAR for the portfolio is approximately $88. The company plans to use the proceeds from this sale toward acquiring hospitality properties more in line with its new focus on upscale hotels. “Beginning in November 2013, the Ashford Trust strategy has been evolving,” says Monty J. Bennett, chairman and CEO of Ashford Trust. “We feel that these changes are another step towards our goal with the Ashford group of companies of having very well-defined, distinct strategies within our investment platforms.” Ashford Hospitality Trust is a real estate investment trust focused on the hospitality sector. According to the company, its portfolio currently consists of 116 properties with over 25,000 rooms. The majority of its existing portfolio operates under …
CHICAGO — Equity Commonwealth (NYSE: EQC) is under contract to sell two buildings in Chicago’s East Loop district, 111 E. Wacker Drive and 233 N. Michigan Ave., for a gross sales price of $376 million. The pair of office towers are together known as Illinois Center. The buyer is New York-based AmTrust Realty, according to Crain’s Chicago. As of March 31, 2015, the 2.1 million-square-foot campus was 73.5 percent leased. The office towers were constructed in 1970 and renovated in 2005. Equity Commonwealth is in a disposition mode. Earlier this month, the company sold two portfolios comprising 51 properties and 8.3 million square feet for a combined $793 million. Not including the sale of Illinois Center, Equity Commonwealth has sold $817 million of assets year-to-date. The company also has three office properties under contract to sell for roughly $35 million. Chicago-based Equity Commonwealth is a real estate investment trust (REIT) that owns roughly 100 office properties in the United States totaling 34 million square feet. In May 2014, when it was known as CommonWealth REIT, a new board of trustees and management team were appointed to lead Equity Commonwealth, including Sam Zell as board chairman. The REIT’s stock price closed …
Architecture Billings Index Returns to Positive Territory, Suggesting More Construction in Coming Months
by John Nelson
WASHINGTON, D.C. — The Architecture Billings Index (ABI) has increased in May following its second monthly drop this year. The ABI posted a score of 51.9, up from a mark of 48.8 in April. The score reflects an increase in design activity, with any score above 50 indicating an increase in billings. The increase in design activity was led by a growing demand for new schools, hospitals, cultural facilities and municipal buildings. A barometer of future non-residential construction activity, the ABI reflects the roughly nine- to 12-month lead time between architecture billings and construction spending. The index is produced by The American Institute of Architects (AIA) Economics & Market Research Group. The score is tabulated based on a monthly survey sent to a panel of AIA member-owned architecture firms. “As has been the case for the past several years, while the design and construction industry has been in a recovery phase, we continue to receive mixed signals on business conditions in the marketplace,” says Kermit Baker, AIA’s chief economist. “Generally, the business climate is favorable, but there are still construction sectors and regions of the country that are struggling, producing the occasional backslide in the midst of what seems to …
HAMPTON ROADS, VA. — Lingerfelt CommonWealth Partners has acquired a 1.3 million-square-foot office portfolio in Hampton Roads. According to Nasdaq.com, the purchase price was $110 million and the portfolio was 89.1 percent leased at closing. The portfolio, comprised of 20 office buildings and two office/flex buildings, is spread across six major submarkets in the Hampton Roads region including Hampton, Virginia Beach, Norfolk and Chesapeake. The Hampton Roads Portfolio includes; five properties in the Greenbrier submarket located at 1301, 1305, 1309, 1313 and 1317 Executive Blvd.; six properties in the Battlefield submarket located at 500, 501, 505, 510, 676 and 700 Independence Parkway; five properties in the Lynnhaven submarket located at 200 and 208 Golden Oak Court, 2809 S. Lynnhaven Road, 484 Viking Drive and 629 Phoenix Drive; and six properties in the Hampton Roads Center/Airport Industrial/Coliseum Center submarkets located 1, 21 and 22 Enterprise Parkway, 1457 Miller Store Road, 5 Manhattan Square and 521 Butler Farm Road. Lingerfelt will provide leasing, property management and asset management services in-house via its operating platform. Its property management affiliate, Commonwealth Commercial Partners, will handle all aspects of the day-to-day property management. Commonwealth Commercial Partners has retained many of the existing leasing and property …
NEW YORK — New Senior Investment Group Inc. (NYSE: SNR) has entered into an agreement to acquire a 28-property portfolio of private-pay, independent living senior housing properties from affiliates of Holiday Retirement for approximately $640 million. New Senior expects to invest approximately $190 million of equity and incur approximately $450 million of debt to purchase the portfolio. New Senior anticipates the closing of the acquisition by the third quarter. “We are excited to add 28 independent living properties to our portfolio through this accretive acquisition,” says New Senior CEO Susan Givens. “This transaction further increases our private-pay seniors housing NOI (net operating income) exposure to 91 percent of our portfolio.” The portfolio is 100 percent private pay and contains 3,298 independent living units located across 21 states, which as of May had an average occupancy rate of 88 percent. The portfolio is currently operated by Holiday, and New Senior expects Holiday will continue to operate the portfolio following the closing of the acquisition under new property management agreements. New Senior also expects the portfolio to generate an initial cash NOI of approximately 6.4 percent after property management fees. The transaction is the second large sale of properties Lake Oswego, Ore.-based …
Array of Economic Forces Align to Lift U.S. Industrial Sector, Says Marcus & Millichap
by John Nelson
CALABASAS, CALIF. — The broadening economic growth cycle has accelerated the U.S. industrial sector’s momentum, tightening vacancies across most metros and supporting strong rent growth, says Marcus & Millichap’s midyear industrial research market report. Marcus & Millichap is confident that the strengthening of both the producer and consumer economies should bolster demand across a wide swath of industrial facilities. Total jobs now stand more than 3 million higher than prior to the recession; wage growth has begun to gain traction; and retail sales, though a bit sluggish in the first quarter, appear poised for greater acceleration. Net absorption for a variety of industrial spaces has steadily improved in tandem with the U.S. economy. Demand for bulk industrial space often recovers first, leaving slack in the small and midsize markets. Internet businesses and retailers are a segment that will reshape the industrial sector in the coming year as businesses compete on speed of delivery, forcing retailers to find warehouse locations proximate to major population centers, according to Marcus & Millichap. Demand for space has also grown as auto and housing sales have escalated. After reaching a trough in early 2009 and remaining muted through much of the recovery, auto sales are …