SEATTLE — Amazon (NASDAQ: AMZN) has announced plans to hire an additional 100,000 full- and part-time employees throughout the United States and Canada. This plan is in addition to the 33,000 new corporate and technology jobs announced last week. The roles offer a starting wage of at least $15 per hour, and in select cities, Amazon is offering sign-on bonuses up to $1,000 to new hires. The new employees will staff the 100 new operations buildings that Amazon is opening this month across its fulfillment centers, delivery stations and other sites. States with the most available jobs include Arizona, California, Colorado, Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Maryland, Michigan, New Jersey, Ohio, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Utah, Washington and Wisconsin. This year-to-date, the company has opened more than 75 new fulfillment centers, sortation centers, regional air hubs and delivery stations in the United States and Canada.
TOPPENISH, WASH. — Crystal Investment Property (CIP) has arranged the sale of the Quality Inn & Suites in Toppenish. Terms of the transaction were not released. The hotel features 44 guest rooms with interior corridors and room entrances in a mix of accessible rooms, suites, kitchenettes and family rooms. On-site amenities include a breakfast area, exercise room, guest laundry, truck/bus/RV parking and a business center. Additionally, the property offers excess land for potential development of hotel amenities and/or expansion. CIP represented the undisclosed seller in the sale. The name of the buyer was also not disclosed.
BELLEVUE, WASH. — Vulcan Real Estate, a Seattle-based owner and developer, is underway on two mixed-use developments known as 555 Tower and West Main in the central business district of Bellevue. Amazon (NASDAQ: AMZN) has preleased the office portion of both properties, which totals more than 2 million square feet. “We are very excited to be working with Amazon again, and we are thrilled to be kicking off our first development projects in the Bellevue CBD,” says Ada Healey, chief real estate officer for Vulcan. Bellevue is an upscale suburb of Seattle that sits on the east side of Lake Washington in the state’s Puget Sound area. “It is projects like these that will help stimulate business in Bellevue and help create jobs and opportunity — from construction jobs to new roles in hospitality and local retail — in the years to come,” adds Healey. The 555 Tower will be a 42-story building comprising 967,500 square feet of office space and 28,400 square feet of retail space. The site is located at 555 108th Ave. NE, immediately adjacent to the Bellevue Transit Center and within walking distance of the future Sound Transit light rail station that is scheduled to open …
WOODINVILLE, WASH. — Gantry has arranged a $5.6 million loan for Underwood Gartland 216 LLC. The funds will refinanc debt on UG216, an industrial property in Woodinville. Michael Wood and Colin Ceithaml of Gantry represented the borrower and secured the loan with a 10-year term and 30-year amortization through State Farm. Bio-Rad Laboratories, a life sciences research and clinical diagnostic products company, occupies the 71,750-square-foot building, which is located at 8415 216th St. SE. Built in 1999, the facility features 20 dock-high doors, four grade-level doors and 24-foot clear heights.
REDMOND, WASH. — The Hotel Group (THG) has opened the 177-room Hilton Garden Inn Redmond Town Center in Redmond. THG manages the property on behalf of Kauri Investments and Washington Holdings. This is THG’s sixth Hilton-branded hotel in the Puget Sound area. The six-story property features 9,000 square feet of meeting space and a 24-hour fitness center. A restaurant will open at the hotel at a later date.
BELLEVUE, WASH. — KTGY Architecture + Planning has unveiled the design for The Lofts at 15th, a 22-unit luxury condominium development in Bellevue, a suburb of Seattle. Developed by Toll Brothers, the project is slated for completion next year. The design features four four-story buildings. Residences range in size from 1,462 to 2,258 square feet and prices will start at $1.1 million. Each unit is equipped with its own two-car garage.
KENT, WASH. — Kidder Mathews has arranged the $44.5 million sale of Knol Apartments in Kent, about 20 miles south of Seattle. The sales price represents $207,000 per unit and $302 per net rentable square foot. Formerly known as La Mirage Apartments, the property last traded hands in July 2018. Since then, the owners transformed the community by modernizing the clubhouse, leasing office, outdoor spaces and building interiors and exteriors. Dylan Simon, Jerrid Anderson and Matt Laird of Kidder Mathews brokered the sale. Buyer and seller information was not disclosed.
SPOKANE, WASH. — M&T Realty Capital Corp. has funded a $13.8 million FHA-insured loan to refinance of a 212-unit assisted living property located in Spokane. The asset was originally built in 1940, with additions in the late 1940s and early 1980s, along with renovations in the 2000s. The borrower, a regional owner-operator, acquired the property in 2018. M&T also provided the original bridge loan that is being refinanced, which took into account planned improvements in operations and $500,000 of capital expenditures at the property.
PULLMAN, WASH. — Aspen Heights Partners has broken ground on Aspen Heights Pullman, a 752-bed, cottage-style student housing community for students attending Washington State University. The property will offer a mix of two-, three-, four- and five-bedroom units with bed-to-bath parity. Shared amenities will include a community building, hot tub, fitness center and an on-site shuttle to campus. The development is scheduled for completion in fall 2021.
WOODINVILLE, WASH. — Kidder Mathews has arranged the purchase of Woodinville West, an industrial flex office park in Woodinville, a suburb 20 miles northeast of Seattle. An undisclosed private investor acquired the property from Woodinville West LLC for $28 million. Zach Vall-Spinosa of Kidder Mathews represented the buyer in the deal. Located at 16650, 16750, 16928 and 16932 Woodinville Redmond Road NE, the asset comprises four concrete and steel-framed buildings ranging in size from 21,345 square feet to 69,997 square feet. In total, the industrial flex office park offers 172,449 square feet of space.