CHICAGO — Mid-America Real Estate Corp. has brokered the sale of a fully occupied, multi-tenant retail property in the heart of Chicago’s Streeterville neighborhood for an undisclosed price. The standalone building at 227 E. Ontario St. is leased to Sweetgreen, Nando’s, CorePower Yoga, Big City Optical and Movement Physical Therapy. Joe Girardi and Emily Gadomski of Mid-America represented the undisclosed seller. The Shiner Group was the buyer.
SEATTLE — Gantry has secured a total of $34.3 million of loans to refinance four Seattle-area assets owned by different and unaffiliated entities. Each transaction was placed with one of Gantry’s life company correspondent lenders and each structure provided the borrowers with non-recourse, fixed-rate loans. Mike Wood of Gantry represented three of the borrowers. The financings included:
SOUTHFIELD, MICH. AND JACKSONVILLE, FLA. — Southfield-based Sterling Bancorp Inc. (NASDAQ: SBT), the holding company of Sterling Bank and Trust FSB, has entered into a definitive agreement to sell all of its shares to Jacksonville-based EverBank Financial Corp. for $261 million. The sale is subject to customary closing conditions, including regulatory approvals and approval by Sterling’s shareholders. Sterling’s board of directors has unanimously approved the transaction, which is expected to close in the first quarter of 2025. As a condition of the sale, Sterling will sell its residential mortgage loans to Delaware-based Bayview Acquisitions LLC. The closing of the loan sale is to occur immediately prior to the closing of the sale of the bank. In December 2022, Sterling engaged Keefe Bruyette & Woods to serve as financial advisor to assist in exploring and evaluating potential opportunities for a strategic combination with another bank. As that process began, Sterling was also finalizing a settlement with the U.S. Department of Justice. “Ultimately, Sterling’s board of directors determined that there was no practical way to pursue any form of standalone independent operations given the extremely high costs required and the multiple years needed to execute a new strategic vision without risking ongoing …
KANSAS CITY, MO. — Wingstop has leased 1,600 square feet at Frolics Plaza Shopping Center in Kansas City. Jody Minder of Block & Co. Inc. Realtors represented the undisclosed landlord, while Andrew Sandburg of Lane4 Property Group represented the tenant. Construction will start immediately to devise the 3,250-square-foot space, with 1,600 square feet utilized for Wingstop and the remaining available for lease. Wingstop is expected to open in summer 2025. Frolics Plaza is home to Rainbow Chinese Restaurant, Ixtapa Fine Mexican Cuisine, Moti Mahal Indian Restaurant, ISmoke Vape Shop and Smoothie King. Block & Co. handles leasing and management of the property.
CEDAR HILL, TEXAS — Kids Empire will open a 10,527-square-foot indoor playground in the southwestern Dallas suburb of Cedar Hill. The space is located within Hillside Village, a 615,000-square-foot, open-air power center that anchored by Dick’s Sporting Goods, Barnes & Noble, Old Navy and H&M. Gretchen Miller, Emilie Paulson and Bryn Carden of Weitzman represented the landlord, PREP Property Group, in the lease negotiations. Robin Barrow and Eddie Liebman, also with Weitzman, along with Austin Diemer and Shelby Pedroza with E & R Property Group, represented Kids Empire.
CLIFTON, N.J. — Locally based financial intermediary Cronheim Mortgage has arranged a $20 million loan for the refinancing of Styertowne Shopping Center, a 236,000-square-foot retail property located in the Northern New Jersey community of Clifton. Stew Leonard’s Farm Fresh Food & Wine anchors the center, which was originally built in 1949. Other tenants include Michaels, Planet Fitness, Dollar Tree and GNC. Andrew Stewart, Dev Morris and Brandon Szwalbenest of Cronheim arranged the 10-year loan through Reinsurance Group of America on behalf of the undisclosed borrower.
PHILADELPHIA — Grocery chain GIANT will open a 50,000-square-foot store at Andorra Shopping Center in Philadelphia. The center’s owner, Federal Realty Investment Trust, will develop the grocery space from the ground up beginning next year and also reposition 30,000 square feet of existing retail space. The two projects represent a combined investment of $25 million. Repositioning plans include the addition of landscaped plazas, outdoor dining and curbside pick-up spaces as well as expanded sidewalks.
DALTON, GA. — Faris Lee Investments has arranged the $4.7 million sale of a freestanding retail pad building located in Dalton, a city in northern Georgia near the Tennessee border. Starbucks Coffee and AFC Urgent Care currently occupy the property. Developed in 2023, the two-tenant building features a drive-thru and is situated at the entrance to Dalton Square, a shopping center leased to Food City, Ross Dress for Less, Ulta Beauty and PetSmart. Scott DeYoung, Jeff Conover, Don MacLellan and Greg Lukosky of Faris Lee represented the undisclosed seller in the transaction. A Georgia-based 1031-exchange private investor was the buyer.
COCONUT CREEK, FLA. — Four new tenants have signed leases at Promenade at Coconut Creek, a shopping center located in Coconut Creek, approximately 15 miles north of downtown Fort Lauderdale. Fragrance store Orientica is now open at the property, within a 1,045-square-foot space. Karma Bath & Body Co. is scheduled to open a 1,868-square-foot store later this month, and My Phone Lab and Happy Monkey will occupy 1,801 and 1,000 square feet, respectively, beginning in October. Avison Young manages and leases Promenade at Coconut Creek on behalf of the owner, Charlotte-based Hill Partners Inc.
RICHMOND, TEXAS — Locally based developer NewQuest Properties has broken ground on a 19,000-square-foot, multi-tenant retail building in Richmond, a southwestern suburb of Houston. The building will be part of Phase III of The Grand at Aliana, a 65-acre development. The building is 75 percent preleased to Milano Nails, America’s Best, Five Guys, Dunkin’, Firehouse Subs and Buffalo Wild Wings Go. The stores and restaurants are expected to open next summer. Costco Wholesale anchors Phase III of the development and opened its doors earlier this year.
