Portland’s retail market is supported by steady employment gains that are luring new residents. Employers have created almost 23,800 jobs over the past 12 months, while the metro added nearly 27,400 people. This is a population growth rate that is nearly double that of the U.S. Household income also advanced at a faster clip than most of the country. Portland’s median household income jumped 5.3 percent over the past year. This is well above the national level of 3.6 percent, providing residents with more discretionary spending power. Retail sales have surged 5.8 percent year over year as a result, which is significantly higher than the U.S. rate of change. These growth trends are expected to continue through 2019, boosting the retail sector. The need for retail space may be escalating, but construction remains measured. This has funneled expanding retailers into the dwindling supply of existing space as vacancy tightens. Developers added 319,000 square feet year over year in March, slightly lower than the 327,200 square feet 12 months earlier. Deliveries will remain sparse as builders have less than 300,000 square feet under construction. Much of the new supply is ground-level space in mixed-use office or apartment projects in walkable, urban …
BEND, ORE. — Overbay Development Co. has completed the disposition of Wagner Mall and Pinebrook Plaza, two shopping centers located in Bend. Western Pacific Holdings acquired the both assets for an undisclosed price. Located at 1800 NE Third St., Wagner Mall features 108,818 square feet of retail space, including Albertsons, Rite Aid and Aaron’s as tenants. The Wagner Mall sale include the mall, large box spaces and the surrounding pad sites, totaling 9.35 acres. Located at 61155 Highway 97, the 59,509-square-foot Pinebrook Plaza is currently home to Albertsons and other retailers. Totaling 5.97 acres, the Pinebrook Plaza sale included the main building and a standalone Shari’s restaurant. Pat Kesgard and Kristie Schmitt of Compass Commercial Real Estate Services, along with John Keba and Holley Jensen of Compass Commercial Asset & Property Management, represented the seller. Russell Huntamer and Tom Standish, also of Compass Commercial Real Estate Services, represented the buyer in the transactions.
The population in the Greater Portland metro grew by more than 80,000 between 2016 and 2019, while the total number of all housing units permitted was 31,538, according to the Census Bureau. This ongoing housing shortage both inside and outside Portland city limits is expected to keep property values and rents growing as demand continues to outpace supply for the foreseeable future. Since 2015, there has been an increase in the vacancy rate as thousands of new apartments have been added and absorbed. Rent and other concessions that grew during 2018 have decreased in close-in Portland, East Vancouver and Oregon City. They have increased, however, in neighborhoods where new units were delivered. After experiencing flat rents two years ago, rent increases averaged 3.7 percent between April 2018 and 2019, according to the Multifamily NW Apartment Report. Portland saw an overall transaction volume increase with a total of 38 institutional transactions in 2018. Properties valued at less than $10 million experienced only a slight increase in transactions between 2017 and 2018. Oregon also became the first to adopt statewide rent control on Feb. 28, 2019. Rent increases are capped at 7 percent plus inflation annually. No-cause evictions are limited. The Portland …
PORTLAND, ORE. — Wood Partners has broken ground on Alta Art Tower, a Class A multifamily property located at 1516 SW Alder St. in Portland. The high-rise tower will feature 314 units in a mix of studio, one-, two- and three-bedroom floor plans. Units will feature quartz kitchen countertops; stainless steel Energy Star appliances, including gas cooking ranges; vinyl-wood flooring; en-suite master baths with custom-framed mirrors; tile shower surrounds and soaking tubs; walk-in closets; and solar shades. The community is central to a variety of art, cultural and retail in the Portland neighborhoods of Downtown, Pearl District, West End, Goose Hollow and Alphabet District.
COTTAGE GROVE, ORE. — Hone Investments has completed the disposition of a retail asset located at 1074 E. Main St. in Cottage Grove in Central Oregon. West Plaza LLC bought the property for $5.7 million. Walgreens occupies the 14,820-square-foot retail property with 15 years remaining on its existing long-term lease. Jon Busse and David Kotansky of Colliers International San Diego Region represented the seller, while Jeff Miller of First Commercial Real Estate Services represented the buyer in the deal.
PORTLAND, ORE. — George Smith Partners has secured a $460 million construction loan on behalf of BPM Real Estate Group (BPM) for Block 216, a planned 1.1 million-square-foot mixed-use project in downtown Portland. The project was announced in June. Ritz-Carlton will anchor the 35-story tower, offering the first five-star hotel in the state of Oregon. An affiliate of Mosaic Real Estate Investors funded the four-year loan. George Smith Partners’ Malcolm Davies and Zachary Streit, along with other members of the firm’s Los Angeles office, sourced the financing on behalf of BPM founder Walter Bowen. The Block 216 project will encompass a full city block. In addition to the 251-room hotel, the tower also will include138 branded Ritz-Carlton Residences, 140,000 square feet of office space and 7,800 square feet of ground-floor retail. Portland-based BPM will begin construction of Block 216 this summer and host a groundbreaking on July 12. Construction is scheduled for completion in 2023.
MILWAUKIE, ORE. — Weingarten Realty has completed the disposition of Oak Grove Market, a four-building shopping center located at 15003-15121 SE McLoughlin Blvd. in Milwaukie. Clackamas Federal Credit Union acquired the 97,147-square-foot asset for an undisclosed price. The buyer plans to occupy the 53,000-square-foot former Safeway space at the property, which was built in 1991 by Gramor Development. Additional tenants include Five Guys, Baxter’s Auto Supply, Bank of America, Panda Express, Credit Concepts and Gentle Dental. Todd VanDomelen and Timothy Pfeiffer of Norris & Stevens represented the buyer, while Connelly Woody and Gary Surgeon of Commercial Realty Advisors Northwest represented the seller in the transaction.
PORTLAND, ORE. — BPM Real Estate Group has unveiled plans for a 35-story tower in downtown Portland that will feature a mix of condominiums, office space, retail and the Pacific Northwest’s first Ritz-Carlton hotel. Project costs are estimated at $600 million. The tower will be built on the current site of the Alder Street Food Cart Pod, a collection of street food vendors that recently announced it would close at the end of this month. Construction of the project is slated to begin before the end of the year for completion in early 2023. Marriott International Inc. recently signed a contract to bring the Ritz-Carlton Residences brand to the tower with 251 hotel rooms and 138 condominiums. Marriott will also operate that portion of the development, which will be the city’s first five-star hotel, according to Marriott. Plans also call for retail space and a ground-level food hall, while details on the office portion have not yet been released. The new tower will be one of the five tallest buildings in Portland upon completion, offering views of the city, Cascade Mountains and Willamette River. The site is a few blocks from Pioneer Courthouse Square, the most-visited tourist destination in Oregon, …
BEAVERTON, ORE. — Wilshire Quinn Capital, through Wilshire Quinn Income Fund, has provided a $1.1 million refinancing for a retail property in Beaverton. The multi-tenant, 6,634-square-foot retail building is situated on a 32,670 square-foot lot. At the time of financing, the property was fully leased and recently appraised for $2.1 million.
OREGON — Carnegie Capital has arranged $15 million in construction financing for a seniors housing community in Southern Oregon. The property offers assisted living and memory care. The developer previously worked with Carnegie Capital for another community in Redmond. Further details on the asset were not disclosed. JD Stettin of Carnegie Capital sourced and structured the three-year loan with a 5.5 percent interest rate. The financing represents a 75 percent loan-to-value ratio.