NEW YORK CITY — Coworking and office-sharing pioneer WeWork Inc. (NYSE: WE) has filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection. WeWork also plans to file similar protectionary measures in Canada. WeWork has entered into a restructuring support agreement with its creditors representing approximately 92 percent of its secured notes to “drastically reduce” the company’s existing funded debt and expedite the restructuring process. Reuters reports the debt-for-equity swap deal with its creditors totals $3 billion. The New York City-based company plans to continue operations and “further rationalize its commercial office lease portfolio” with its network of office landlords. WeWork’s locations and franchisees outside of the United States and Canada are not part of this process. According to the company website, WeWork operates more than 320 locations globally across various workplace solutions platforms. As part of the filing, WeWork is requesting the ability to reject the leases of certain locations that are “non-operational,” all of which have affected members that have received advanced notice. The company has retained Hilco Real Estate, an Illinois-based real estate restructuring and advisory firm, to assist with lease renegotiations. “WeWork has a strong foundation, a dynamic business and a bright future,” says David Tolley, CEO of WeWork. “Now …
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BOSTON — New York City-based real estate giant Tishman Speyer has broken ground on Phase I of Enterprise Research Campus, a 900,000-square-foot mixed-use project that will be located in the Allston neighborhood of Boston. The nine-acre site is adjacent to the Harvard Business School and Harvard Science & Engineering Complex in Allston. New York City-based Otera Capital led a syndicate of lenders that provided $750 million in construction financing for the project earlier this year. Phase I of the development will consist of two life sciences buildings totaling 440,000 square feet, a 343-unit apartment complex and a hotel, all of which will be developed on a nine-acre parcel. Within the multifamily component, 25 percent of the units will be designated as affordable housing for households earning between 30 and 100 percent of the area median income. Tishman Speyer will also develop, on Harvard University’s behalf, the mass-timber David Rubenstein Treehouse to serve as a campus-wide conference facility. Turner Construction is partnering with Janey Construction Management and J&J Contractors to build the life sciences portion of the project. A partnership between Consigli Construction and Smoot Construction is building the multifamily and hotel portions of the development. At full build-out, Enterprise Research …
Creation, Clarion Partners Acquire 100 Acres in Phoenix for $250M Park Algodon Industrial Campus
by Jeff Shaw
PHOENIX — A joint venture between locally based developer Creation and New York City-based investment firm Clarion Partners has acquired nearly 100 acres in Phoenix. Located on the northwest corner of the Loop 101 and Indian School Road, the site will be used to develop a $250 million industrial project known as Park Algodon. Park Algodon is a speculative industrial development that totals approximately 1.3 million square feet across 86 acres. The project will be built in two phases, with construction on the first phase slated to begin by the end of the year. The first phase comprises four buildings totaling 670,000 square feet. The second phase will include one 556,000-square-foot building. LGE Design Build is leading the construction, which is scheduled for completion in late 2025. Creation and Clarion Partners acquired the land from the John F. Long family in an off-market transaction. Greg Vogel and Max Xander of Land Advisors represented both parties in the deal. “This acquisition marks our first joint venture with Clarion Partners. We’re honored to work alongside them on this significant project, addressing a key gap in the West Phoenix industrial market,” says Grant Kingdon, principal of Creation’s Mountain West region. “Park Algodon serves as a catalyst to attract new …
Brookfield Agrees to Purchase Cyxtera’s Assets for $775M, Including Seven US Data Centers
by John Nelson
NEW YORK CITY AND MIAMI — Brookfield Infrastructure Partners LP (NYSE: BIP) and its institutional partners have entered into an asset purchase agreement (APA) with Miami-based data center owner-operator Cyxtera. Brookfield will acquire “substantially all” of Cyxtera’s assets for $775 million. As part of the agreement, the New York City-based investment firm will purchase the real estate supporting seven Cyxtera data centers in the United States. The locations of the affected properties were not disclosed. According to the company’s website, Cyxtera operates facilities in Albuquerque, Atlanta, Boston, Chicago, Columbus, Dallas/Fort Worth, Denver, Los Angeles, Minneapolis, New York/New Jersey, Northern Virginia, Phoenix, Seattle, Silicon Valley, Tampa and Canada. Brookfield will purchase the real estate that supports the data centers from several landlords, including Digital Realty Trust Inc. (NYSE: DLR) and Digital Core REIT. The court-supervised process stems from Cyxtera’s Chapter 11 bankruptcy proceedings. The company cited financial challenges and lack of funding when it filed for bankruptcy this past summer, about two years after it went public. Cyxtera’s stock price peaked at $14.60 per share in May 2022 before dipping below $1.80 by December 2022. “We are pleased to reach this agreement with Brookfield, which represents a favorable path forward for our …
RICHARDSON, TEXAS — Newmark has brokered the sale of CityLine, a 2.2 million-square-foot mixed-use development in Richardson, a northern suburb of Dallas. The price was undisclosed. The property consists of four State Farm Insurance-occupied office buildings, including 120,000 square feet of retail space, and an attached 42,000-square-foot medical office building. Mirae Asset Global Investments was the seller. The buyer was a firm created by former Phoenix Suns owner Robert Sarver, according to The Dallas Morning News. The office buildings, constructed in 2016, are the focal point of a master-planned, 186-acre development located at the connection of two major DART Rail lines. There are also eight luxury apartment complexes, 30 restaurants and bars, a 148-room Aloft hotel and 21 acres of green space and walking trails, none of which were included in the sale. Dallas-Fort Worth office-using employment continues to remain near historical highs, according to Newmark. As of the end of August 2023, the metroplex reported 1.28 million office workers, an increase of 67.6 percent compared with 2010 and an increase of 21.5 percent compared with 2019. “CityLine is a dynamic development, well situated to reap long-term appreciation as the metroplex continues to grow north,” says Chris Murphy, a vice …
SAN DIEGO AND DALLAS — Realty Income Corp. (NYSE: O) and Spirit Realty Capital Inc. (NYSE: SRC) have entered into an all-stock merger agreement valued at $9.3 billion. The combined company, which will operate under the Realty Income banner, is expected to become the fourth largest REIT on the S&P 500 index with a total enterprise value of $63 billion. Both companies primarily invest in freestanding, net-leased commercial properties. Realty Income boasts a portfolio of 13,100 properties located across the U.S. and Europe, and Spirit Realty owns a portfolio of 2,064 properties across 49 states. Primary tenants across the combined company’s portfolio include Life Time Fitness, BJ’s Wholesale Club, At Home, Dave & Buster’s, Dollar Tree, The Home Depot, Treasury Wine Estates, Sainsbury’s, 7-Eleven, Lowe’s and Chipotle Mexican Grill. Under terms of the agreement, each share of Spirit Realty Capital will be converted into 0.762 of a share of newly issued Realty Income stock. At closing, this will result in Realty Income and Spirit owning 87 percent and 13 percent of the combined company, respectively. No external capital is currently being used for the transaction. Realty Income and Spirit cite the potential for higher earnings, a more competitive cost of …
DENVER AND MILWAUKEE — Two healthcare REITs, Denver-based Healthpeak Properties (NYSE: PEAK) and Milwaukee-based Physicians Realty Trust (NYSE: DOC), have agreed to enter into an all-stock merger agreement that is valued at roughly $21 billion. Under the terms of the agreement, each share of Physicians Realty Trust common stock will be converted into 0.674 of a share of newly issued Healthpeak common stock. The combined entity will feature a portfolio of roughly 52 million square feet of healthcare assets. On a pro-forma basis, Healthpeak and Physicians Realty Trust shareholders will own approximately 77 percent and 23 percent of the combined company, respectively. The deal is expected to close during the first half of next year. Of the combined 52 million square feet, about 40 million would consist of outpatient healthcare facilities in major gateway markets like Nashville, Atlanta, Dallas, Houston, Phoenix and Denver. Healthpeak CEO Scott Brinker will lead the newly formed company in conjunction with a board of directors comprised of eight existing Healthpeak directors and five existing Physicians Realty Trust directors, including current CEO John Thomas. In detailing the reasons behind the merger, executives from both companies noted that Healthpeak Properties and Physicians Realty Trust have overlapping footprints in …
Texas Medical Center Opens First Building at 37-Acre Helix Park Life Sciences Campus in Houston
by Jeff Shaw
HOUSTON — Texas Medical Center, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center (MD Anderson), Texas A&M University Health Science Center and The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston have opened the TMC3 Collaborative Building in Houston. The building is the first project completed within Helix Park, a life sciences campus spanning 37 acres and approximately 5 million square feet of planned development. At full build-out, the Helix Park campus will also offer a 700,000-square-foot industry research building called Dynamic One, six future industry and institutional research buildings, a hotel, a residential tower and a mixed-use building with retail space. Helix Park will also include 18.7 acres of green space across six public parks, which will link together in a double helix configuration. Each park will comprise approximately 55,000-square feet. The parks will offer gathering space, water features, cafes, retail shops and other public spaces. Individual gardens will be available as event spaces. The TMC3 Collaborative Building comprises 250,000 square feet at the heart of Helix Park. According to the Texas Medical Center, the property was designed to foster collaboration between academic institutions and industry partners. The building offers purpose-built wet laboratories, as well as office and co-working space. The building will …
NASHVILLE, TENN. — Tanger Factory Outlet Centers (NYSE: SKT) has completed Tanger Outlets Nashville, a 290,000-square-foot outlet mall in Nashville. The property is Tanger’s first new development since 2019. The open-air development consists of seven retail buildings and The Green, a central outdoor community space for programming and activations. The mall is currently 96.5 percent occupied by 60 retailers and restaurants, including Nike, Polo Ralph Lauren, Coach, Ulta Beauty, Michael Kors, Pottery Barn, Under Armour, Crocs, American Eagle, Journeys, Old Navy, Victoria’s Secret and Adidas. The property also features 15 murals by artists from across the U.S., and food and beverage offerings including Shake Shack, Crumbl Cookies, Tailgate Brewery, Red Bicycle Coffee, Prince’s Hot Chicken and Eggspectation. The development incorporated a number of sustainability efforts, including the addition of a honeybee hive with 30,000 bees; 12 electric vehicle charging stations; 2,800 rooftop solar panels; and the planting of over 500 trees and 10,000 shrubs and ground-covering plants. The development led to approximately 700 people employed during the center’s construction and another 1,100 part-time and permanent jobs created through its retail operations. The grand opening for Tanger Outlets Nashville will be tomorrow, Oct. 27. To celebrate, the company will offer prizes …
DALLAS — Newmark has brokered the sale of Plaza of the Americas, a 1.2 million-square-foot office and retail asset located in the Arts District of downtown Dallas. The sales price was not disclosed, but the brokerage states that the transaction marks the largest office sale in Dallas so far this year. New York-based Shelbourne Global Solutions was the buyer, according to The Dallas Morning News. Located at 600 and 700 N. Pearl St., Plaza of the Americas comprises two 25-story office towers connected by a glass atrium. There are 120,000 square feet of retail and dining spaces on the first and second floors as well as an eight-story parking garage. Constructed in 1980, the buildings have undergone $26 million in capital improvements over the last decade. Recent renovations to the atrium replaced an under-utilized ice-skating rink with an urban garden area equipped with water features, food pavilions and retail shops. The new ownership plans to start a multi-million-dollar renovation later this year. Plaza of the Americas is situated adjacent to DART Pearl Street Station. The property is within walking distance of Klyde Warren Park, the 400-room Dallas Marriott Downtown hotel and several entertainment options such as the Dallas Museum of …