KANSAS CITY, MO. — The U.S. General Services Administration (GSA) has finalized a deal for the relocation of the National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA) National Security Campus. The facility, which manufactures nonnuclear components for nuclear weapons, will move from the Bannister Federal Complex in Kansas City to a site 8 miles down the road at the northeast corner of Missouri Highway 150 and Botts Road. The new National Security Campus will consist of five buildings containing 1.5 million square feet of space. The campus will provide manufacturing, laboratory, office and warehouse space. It is also being designed for LEED-Gold certification. The groundbreaking is expected to occur in August. A phased move-in will begin in 2012, with all of the facility's 2,500 workers expected to be moved by 2014. The project's developer is CenterPoint Zimmer, a subsidiary of Oak Brook, Ill.-based CenterPoint Property Trust. The design/build team also includes general contractor JE Dunn Construction of Kansas City, local architecture firm HNTB and Toledo, Ohio-based architecture and construction management firm SSOE. Zimmer Real Estate Services of Kansas City will serve as property manager upon completion. “This milestone is a significant step in transforming an outdated, Cold War-era nuclear weapons complex into a …
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LOS ANGELES AND NEW YORK CITY — Los Angeles-based AECOM Technology Corp. has acquired New York City-based Tishman Construction Corp. in a $245 million transaction. AECOM is a provider of technical and management support services for government and commercial clients. Tishman is a 112-year old construction management company that operates across the United States and in the United Arab Emirates. AECOM states in a release that the deal allows it to expand its higher-margin construction management and program management businesses without increasing its risk. John Dionisio, president and CEO of AECOM, commented, “This is a unique opportunity that combines two best-in-class industry leaders to form a fully integrated global platform capable of delivering the full suite of services, from project concept to completion.” AECOM will finance the purchase with a combination of cash and common stock. The cash portion will come from the company's balance sheet and will include proceeds from its recently announced $250 million debt issuance. As part of the deal, Dan Tishman, chairman and CEO of Tishman Construction, will continue to head the company's operations and will join AECOM as vice chairman and a member of its board of directors. With the transaction, AECOM will gain a …
FALLS CHURCH, VA. — Annapolis, Md.-based Thayer Lodging Group has acquired the Fairview Park Marriott in Falls Church for an undisclosed amount. The seller, McLean, Va.-based JER Partners, first purchased the property in February 2007 and, since then, has completed a $3.9 million renovation of the property that upgraded its public spaces including the lobby, restaurant, lounge, fitness center and the hotel's 15,000 square feet of meeting space. Thayer purchased the hotel on behalf of Thayer Hotel Investors V LP, one of its private equity funds. “Despite the challenging lodging and capital markets environments over the past two years, JER Partners was able to create value for its investors through the realization of its investment in the Fairview Park Marriott,” said JER Managing Director Jim Smith in a statement. Last May, Thayer restructured its existing debt, paying off a significant portion of it while extending the maturity date on the remainder. The company states that this transaction will enable the company to have better financial flexibility while benefitting its investors. The Fairview Park Marriott is situated within the Fairview Park office park, which is located on the Beltway at its intersection with Arlington Boulevard. — Coleman Wood
CHICAGO — General Growth Properties (GGP) is one step closer to emerging from Chapter 11 bankruptcy, which it entered into last summer. The Teacher Retirement System (TRS) of Texas has agreed to invest $500 million in equity in GGP, which will help the troubled company fulfill its debt obligations. At the same time, GGP has filed its proposed plan for reorganization with the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the Southern District of New York. The company plans to emerge from bankruptcy in October. At this time, it will split into two publicly traded companies, New GGP and Spinco. In exchange for its investment, TRS of Texas will receive equity in New GGP at $10.25 per share. It will not hold a stake in Spinco. The equity investment is one of several conditions of GGP's emergence from bankruptcy. Since last December, the company has restructured approximately $15 billion in project-level debt. Under its reorganization plan, GGP will satisfy its debt claims in full and recapitalize with $8.55 billion in new capital. This funding is being provided by Brookfield Asset Management, Fairholme Funds and Pershing Square Capital Management. It is broken down as follows: • $6.3 billion of new equity at $10 per …
CHICAGO — Jones Lang LaSalle (JLL) has formed a long-term partnership with General Growth Properties (GGP), which is in ongoing efforts to emerge from Chapter 11 bankruptcy. The central act of the partnership ship is JLL acquiring the management and leasing responsibilities of GGP's third-party management division. The division's portfolio comprises 18 shopping centers totaling more than 11 million square feet of space. The properties include: Burbank Town Center (Burbank, Calif.); Palladio at Broadstone (Folsom, Calif.); The Shops at Tanforan (San Bruno, Calif.); Festival Bay Mall (Orlando, Fla.); University Mall (Tampa, Fla.); Queen Ka'ahumanu Center (Kahului, Hawaii); Windward Mall (Kaneohe, Hawaii). Kings' Shops (Waikoloa, Hawaii); Westdale Mall (Cedar Rapids, Iowa); Alexandria Mall (Alexandria, La.); Laurel Commons (Laurel, Md.); Towson Commons (Towson, Md.); Swansea Mall (Swansea, Mass.); Branson Landing (Branson, Mo.); St. Lawrence Centre (Massena, N.Y.); Cherokee Square Shopping Center (Tullahoma, Tenn.); Northgate Mall (Tullahoma, Tenn.); The Shops at Georgetown Park (Washington, D.C.). In addition, approximately 200 GGP employees comprising the portfolio's management teams along with 30 corporate employees in the management division will become employees of JLL. Three GGP executives will become senior vice presidents at JLL. They include Mark Hunter, formerly senior vice president of third-party management; Donn Fuller, …
WASHINGTON, D.C. — CWCapital has secured a $151 million construction loan for a new multifamily project in Washington, D.C. The loan, which was financed through the Federal Housing Administration (FHA), includes a 30-month construction term and a 40-year, fully-amortizing term thereafter. Andrea McClure of CWCapital structured and originated the loan. Englewood, Colo.-based Archstone will use the proceeds to develop 1st & M, a 469-unit, Class A property located just north of Union Station and the U.S. Capitol. Community amenities will include a rooftop area with a heated pool and a spa as well as a 16,000-square-foot courtyard with trees and reflecting pools. Other amenities include a resident library and sound-proof activity studios. Completion for the project is expected in 2013. Archstone will also market and manage the property. “With strong multifamily demand in select markets such as Washington, D.C., the FHA is providing critical new construction capital to borrowers — and helping to create new jobs,” said Michael Berman, president and CEO of CWCapital, in a statement. “While many banks are on the sidelines or have restricted credit criteria, FHA is performing an important counter-cyclical role and attracting high-quality sponsors with high-quality projects who have rarely, of ever, accessed this …
NEW YORK CITY — In one of the largest CMBS deals of the past two years, a joint venture between The Durst Organization and Bank of America has secured $1.3 billion for the refinancing of Bank of America Tower at One Bryant Park. The loan consists of $650 million in CMBS funding and $650 million in Liberty Bonds. The CMBS portion carries a 10-year term, and the Liberty Bonds carry a 30-year term. Bank of America and JP Morgan were the underwriters. Bank of America Tower was constructed in 2008 in Midtown Manhattan. It contains 2.1 million square feet of office space over 52 stories. In May, the building received LEED-Platinum certification from the U.S. Green Building Council — making it the first skyscraper to earn the highest designation of the LEED program. At the close of financing, the tower was 98 percent occupied. Bank of America is the primary tenant and houses its New York City operations in the building. In a statement, Jonathan Durst, president of The Durst Organization, said, “One Bryant Park has proven to be trailblazer. It was the first LEED-Platinum offfice tower in the United States. It was the largest skyscraper designed and built after …
CAPE CANAVERAL, FLA. — The groundbreaking has occurred for a new 199-acre high-tech office park at the entrance to Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral. Exploration Park is being developed in two phases by Columbus, Ohio-based The Pizzutti Companies. The first phase will comprise 60 acres of the project. Once built out, it could contain up to eight buildings with up to 315,000 square feet of office, R&D, laboratory, academic and flexible high-bay space. This phase is projected to be built out over the next 5 to 8 years, with current construction consisting of the installation of public infrastructure, which will be complete next September. Phase II of construction will consist of the long-term development of the other 139 acres. “What's unique about this project is that it is on Space Center property but is just outside of the security gates,” says Tom Harmer, senior vice president with Pizzutti. He adds that this allows more flexibility for tenants, since you have access to the Space Center but do not have to go through the heavy security associated with being inside the gates. The existing Space Life Sciences Lab will serve as the project's de facto first building. The 100,000-square-foot building …
ATLANTA — Bethesda, Md.-based Pebblebrook Hotel Trust has acquired the InterContinental Buckhead Atlanta hotel for $105 million. The five-diamond, luxury hotel is located within Atlanta's Buckhead submarket. It totals 24 stories and contains 422 rooms, including 21 suites and 93 rooms reserved for Club InterContinental members. The hotel features 31,000 square feet of meeting space — more than any other hotel in the submarket — including a 12,000-square-foot ballroom. The indoor meeting space is complemented by a 24,000-square-foot outdoor garden and meeting area. Amenities include a 5,000-square-foot fitness center and spa, a business center, and an outdoor pool with poolside bar service. Finally, the hotel contains Au Pied de Cochon, a French-style brasserie, as well as XO Bar, a cognac bar. “We are extremely pleased to acquire one of Buckhead's leading hotels in one of the nation's fastest growing metropolitan areas,” said Jon Bortz, the head of Pebblebrook, in a statement. “We view the InterContinental Buckhead as a strategic opportunity to invest in a high-quality hotel with a premier brand and operating company in one of the most active and affluent locations in the United States.” The InterContinental Buckhead Atlanta was developed in 2004 by locally based InterContinental Hotels Group …
LOS ANGELES — Legacy Partners Residential has completed construction of 1600 Vine, a $264 million, transit-oriented, mixed-use project located in Los Angeles. The 12-story project is centrally located at the corner of Hollywood Boulevard and Vine Street in Hollywood. It primarily consists of 375 apartments in a mix of 297 market-rate units and 78 affordable units. The residences include studios; one- and two-bedroom flats; and one-, two- and three-bedroom townhomes. Units range in size from 612 to 3,183 square feet, and rents range from $2,375 to $11,125 per month. Amenities for 1600 Vine include a residents lounge with LCD televisions, billiards tables, a bar and a catering kitchen. The building's sixth floor contains a pool, a spa, an outdoor fireplace and gas barbecues. An 11th floor rooftop terrace contains an outdoor fireplace, TVs, lounges and a zen garden. Additional amenities include a fitness center a conference room and a business center. In addition to the multifamily space, 1600 Vine contains 32,595 square feet of ground-floor retail space. Tenants include Trader Joe's, Wells Fargo, Café Entourage and Bubbles. There is a 215-space public parking lot that will provide spaces for both the adjacent W Hotel Hollywood & Residences as well as …