Southern California’s Inland Empire region has enjoyed a sustained period of growth in the retail real estate sector. Good spaces in quality centers are leasing quickly. Although new developments have slowed, there is still about 1.2 million square feet of new space under construction. These are all top-tier projects that will very much enhance the communities where they are being built. Projects include a Sprouts-anchored center in Eastvale, a Grocery Outlet/Planet Fitness center in Beaumont, an Aldi-anchored center in Hesperia, a Stater Bros. center in Calimesa, AMC Theaters at Montclair Place in Montclair and a Cardenas grocery market center in Montclair. Conversely, apart from the Inland Empire, there are likely few other areas that were as impacted by the recent store closure announcements from Sears and Forever 21. Closings will occur in Montclair, San Bernardino, Victorville, Moreno Valley, Palm Desert, Riverside, Temecula and Rancho Mirage. All told, more than 900,000 square feet of big box space just hit the market. The Inland Center Mall in San Bernardino, which has been a very healthy property over the past few years, is dealing with both a Sears and Forever 21 closure. Macy’s and JC Penney (opened in 2016) still remain at the …
MOUNTAIN VIEW, CALIF. — Institutional Property Advisors (IPA), a division of Marcus & Millichap, has arranged the sale of The Village Residences, a mixed-used complex located at San Antonio Road and El Camino Real in Mountain View. A venture between Carmel Partners and Merlone Geier Partners sold the asset for an undisclosed price. The name of the buyer was not released. Philip Saglimbeni, Stanford Jones, Bill Rose and Salvatore Saglimbeni of IPA represented the seller in the deal. Developed in 2013 and situated on 5.5 acres, The Village features 271,779 square feet of net rentable multifamily space spread across 330 apartment units and 43,206 square feet of retail space divided into 16 units. Apartments offer floor-to-ceiling windows, moveable kitchen islands and full-sized washers and dryers. On-site community amenities include an Atrium pool retreat with a fireside spa, canopied entertainment bar, grilling stations and lounge seating.
ANAHEIM, CALIF. — Hamra Properties has purchased Anaheim Hills Business Center, an industrial and office business park located at 5100-5150 E. La Palma Ave. in Anaheim. Seligman Group sold the asset for $21.3 million. Jeffrey Cole, Jeff Chiate, Ed Hernandez, Mike Adey and Nico Napolitano of Cushman & Wakefield’s Irvine, Calif., office represented the seller, while Rick Ellison and Randy Ellison of Cushman & Wakefield served as market advisors. Built in 1988, the five-building campus features 154,627 square feet of industrial and office space. The property includes grade-level doors, landscaping with palm trees and abundant parking at a ratio of three stalls per 1,000 square feet. The buildings range in size from 19,000 square feet to 49,000 square feet, accommodating tenants as small as 700 square feet.
OCEANSIDE, CALIF. — Colliers International San Diego Region has arranged the sale of a retail asset located at 417-431 S. Coast Highway in Oceanside. Fullerton Square sold the property to an undisclosed buyer for $3.7 million. Bill Shrader and Luke Holler of Colliers represented the seller and buyer in the deal. At the time of sale, the 12,000-square-foot building was fully occupied by nine tenants with existing lease terms.
SANTA MONICA, CALIF. — Institutional Property Advisors (IPA), a division of Marcus & Millichap, has arranged the sale of Pico Lanai, a multifamily complex located in Santa Monica. Raintree Properties sold the asset to Pacific Reach Properties for $58.5 million, or $336,494 per unit and $868 per square foot. Situated on 2.8 acres at 2501 Pico Blvd., Pico Lanai Apartments features 174 for-rent units. The property was developed in 1960. The buyer plans to reposition the asset to cater to high-income, tech-savvy millennials, according to IPA. Kevin Green, Greg Harris and Joseph Grabiec of IPA represented the seller in the deal.
BELMONT, CALIF. — Sares Regis Group of Northern California (SRGNC) has closed escrow on the retail portion of The Ashton in Belmont. Terms of the transaction, including acquisition price and buyer, were not disclosed. The one-story, 4,900-square-foot retail center is fully occupied by three tenants: Bank of America, Row House and Apizza. Developed by SRGNC affiliate Regis Homes Bay Area, The Ashton features 74 for-sale residences spread across two four-story residential buildings. The transit-friendly property is located in Belmont’s City Center neighborhood at the corner of Davey Glen Road and El Camino Real, near Highway 101 and within walking distance of the Belmont Caltrain station. The development team included Tricon Capital, Dahlin Group, BKF Engineers, Nishkian Menniger and Regis Contractors Bay Area.
LOS ANGELES — Meridian Capital Group has arranged $52 million in non-recourse construction financing for Produce LA, a speculative mixed-use development located in Los Angeles. The three-year loan, which a balance sheet lender provided, features a floating rate, two one-year extension options and full-term interest-only payments. Seth Grossman and Sarah Kuebler of Meridian negotiated the financing for the undisclosed borrower. Located at 640 S. Santa Fe Ave., the 71,400-square-foot development site is located within an Opportunity Zone in the Arts District of downtown Los Angeles. When complete, the four-story, 113,600-square-foot property will feature Class A creative office space with ground-floor restaurant and retail space and a 4,300-square-foot rooftop terrace. Additionally, the project will sit above two levels of subterranean parking and include an adjacent 64-stall surface lot, totaling 216 parking spaces for the property. Produce LA is also located adjacent to the Sixth Street Viaduct project, a new bridge and 12-acre park slated to open in 2020, as well as the proposed Sixth Street metro station.
HAYWARD, CALIF. — KeyBank Real Estate Capital (KBREC) has secured $35 million of Federal Housing Authority (FHA) fixed-rate loans for San Francisco-based Tesseract Capital Group (TCG) for the refinancing of two multifamily assets in Hayward. The company secured $17.5 million for Vivante Apartments and $17.4 million for Solis Garden Apartments. Both transactions closed using FHA’s 223(f) mortgage insurance program. Built in 1965 on two acres, the garden-style Vivante Apartments features 51 market-rate apartments in a mix of two-, three- and four-bedroom floor plans. TCG has completed $1.1 million of renovations, including $400,000 to install solar panels. Solis Garden Apartments, which was built in 1965 on two acres, features 62 market-rate apartments in a mix of studio, one-, two- and three-bedroom layouts in four three-story buildings. The interior and exterior of the property were recently renovated, including the installation of solar panels. Katie Plett of KBREC’s Commercial Mortgage Group and Amy Schroeder of KBREC’s Income Property Group structured the financing for the properties.
The Inland Empire industrial market signaled that it may be transitioning toward slower growth in the second half of the year. Leasing volume declined sharply to nearly 7.8 million square feet, which is the lowest volume seen in a single quarter since 2011. New construction deliveries pushed the average rent to the highest level on record — $0.86 per square foot. Of the 13.7 million square feet completed year to date, 32 percent remained available at the end of the quarter. Despite the deliveries, vacancy remained steady at 4.5 percent since the third quarter of 2018, proving demand for industrial space in the Inland Empire is still present. The U.S. economy may be facing a drop off after climbing steadily for the past 10 years. The trade war and tariffs are undoubtedly influencing the ports’ cargo volume, which supports industrial demand in the Inland Empire. Retailers usually prepare for increased sales during the holiday season by increasing imports in July and August. However, imports through August 2019 were down 2.4 percent from 2018. Imports had increased 3.1 percent last year at this time. The U.S. is dependent on imported goods, though, so cargo volume is unlikely to take a significant …
The Inland Empire has experienced a significant uptick in multifamily development in the past decade. We are currently seeing a healthy shift toward more units being developed, which is driven by substantial regional economic growth in the years following the recession. Multifamily development has grown from less than 2,000 units annually in 2009 to more than 5,000 units developed this year. The Inland Empire has one of the highest imbalances of housing in comparison to significant population growth and increasing renters’ demand, according to CBRE research. The Inland Empire market currently has 15 developments with a total of 3,445 units under construction. Significant developments are taking place in key cities like Ontario and Rancho Cucamonga. This is partially driven by the nearby Ontario International Airport, as well as Ontario’s position as a major logistics, warehousing and shipping hub. Market rents support the much-needed new supply. The City of Riverside currently has 595 units under construction. Riverside has the highest population in the Inland Empire, with consistent population growth over the past decade. An additional 391 units are under construction in Moreno Valley, which is also buoyed by its growth as a regional logistic center, with new industrial warehouse development adding …