CARY, N.C. — Burns & McDonnell, a global engineering, construction and architecture firm, has expanded its office footprint to 17,000 square feet at Fenton, a 92-acre mixed-use development in the Raleigh suburb of Cary. Matt Winters and Ashley Ingram of JLL represented Burns & McDonnell in the lease transaction, nearly doubling the tenant’s square footage. The office is located at 25 Fenton Main and features an outdoor terrace overlooking the project’s Central Plaza. The owners of Fenton include Hines, Columbia Development and Affinius Capital.
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Universities, Student Housing Properties in Southeast Contend with Hurricane Helene
by John Nelson
Hurricane Helene made landfall in Northwestern Florida on Thursday, Sept. 26, after being upgraded to a major Category 3 storm that afternoon. Widespread damage across a number of Southeastern states followed in its wake, with many areas experiencing flooding, downed trees, power outages and road closures. At least 175 people have died across six states, according to reports by CNN and The New York Times, and officials fear that the death toll is likely to rise with many remaining missing. Hundreds of roads remain closed across the Southeast — especially in Western North Carolina and East Tennessee, which were hit particularly hard by the hurricane — hampering the delivery of supplies, and more than 2 million customers remain without power. Student Housing Business reached out to universities, owners, operators and students across the Southeast to check in on how they fared during the storm and their experience in the aftermath. Owners, Operators Weigh In Denver-based Cardinal Group tracked its communities in Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, Virginia and West Virginia through Hurricane Helene. “Of those communities, four experienced power outages and several had minor roof leaks and flooding, with the largest impact felt in Asheville and Boone, North Carolina,” says Jenn Cassidy, president of property operations …
Scammers lurk in the background of virtually every industry, and the multifamily sector is no exception. Some renters will leap at the chance to exploit loopholes in the system and take advantage of unprepared landlords. “As a baseline definition, we classify rent fraud as any act of intentional deception by a renter to deceive the property owners to gain financial or personal benefit,” says Josh Albrechtsen, senior vice president and general manager of front office solutions at RealPage. “Fraud is evolving constantly. This is not a one-and-done problem solve. The trends and behaviors of the fraudsters indicate an ongoing chess match.” Unfortunately, renter fraud is increasingly common. In January, the National Multifamily Housing Council (NMHC) released the results of a fraud survey, which collected responses from 75 property owners, developers and managers. A whopping 93 percent of survey respondents stated that they had experienced fraud over the past 12 months. Additionally, 71 percent of respondents had encountered increased fraud activity in the last year. Snappt, which specializes in assisting apartment property managers with document fraud detection, reported that of the nearly 3.3 million application documents its platform scanned in 2023, approximately 177,000 were fraudulent. That represents an average fraud rate …
ORLANDO, FLA. — Beachwold Residential LLC has purchased Avisa Lakes, a 292-unit, garden-style multifamily community located at 7960 Pine Crossing Circle in Orlando. Kyle Butler, Ted Taylor and Noli Muratovic of JLL represented the sellers, Lloyd Jones LLC and ST Real Estate Holding Inc., and procured the buyer in the $50 million sale. Additionally, JLL worked on behalf of Beachwold to secure a five-year Freddie Mac acquisition loan totaling $35 million. Avisa Lakes features one- and two-bedroom apartments averaging 850 square feet in size. The property was 96 percent occupied at the time of sale. Community amenities include a playground, swimming pool, entertainment clubhouse and game room, two dog parks, a soccer court, fitness center and a business center.
BOYNTON BEACH, FLA. — Institutional Property Advisors (IPA), a division of Marcus & Millichap, has brokered the $31 million sale of Village Square at Golf, a 135,133-square-foot shopping center located in Boynton Beach. KC Market anchors the property, which was built in 1983 and renovated in 2012. Other tenants at the center, which was 93 percent occupied at the time of sale, include Enterprise Rent-A-Car, Quest Diagnostics, The UPS Store, Boynton Quality Medical Center and Anthony’s Ladies’ Apparel. Kirk Olson and Drew Kristol of IPA represented the seller, a publicly traded REIT, in the transaction. The buyer was not disclosed.
TAMPA, FLA. — Plaza Advisors has arranged the $12.6 million sale of Fowler Plaza South, a 57,093-square-foot shopping center in Tampa. The property was 97 percent leased at the time of sale to tenants including Dollar General, Champs Sports, AT&T, Jimmy John’s, Foot Locker and Amscot. Fowler Plaza South is located less than a half-mile west of the University of South Florida and across the street from Rithm, the ongoing mixed-use redevelopment project of the former University Mall. Jim Michalak and Jeff Berkezchuk of Plaza Advisors represented the seller, SJS Realty Management, in the transaction. The buyer was not disclosed.
CORBIN, KY. — NAI Isaac has facilitated the sale-leaseback of a 127,373-square-foot industrial facility located at 1401 N. Kentucky Route 3041 in Corbin, a city in south Kentucky situated along I-75. Bruce Isaac of NAI Isaac represented the buyer, an entity doing business as MISCKY Industrial 24 LLC, in the transaction. Kevin Grove and Alex Grove of CBRE represented the seller/tenant, Minnesota-based cabinet manufacturer Northern Contours. Terms of the transaction were also not disclosed.
Cooper Commercial Negotiates $2.7M Sale of Dollar Tree-Anchored Retail Center in Huntington, West Virginia
by John Nelson
HUNTINGTON, W.VA. — Cooper Commercial Investment Group has negotiated the $2.7 million sale of a shopping center in Huntington. Dollar Tree anchors the retail center, which is located six blocks from Marshall University and adjacent to St. Mary’s Medical Center hospital. Dan Cooper of Cooper Commercial’s Cleveland office represented the seller, a private investment firm based in the Midwest, in the transaction. The undisclosed, privately held buyer purchased the center at 93 percent of list price, according to Cooper Commercial.
WEST PALM BEACH, FLA. — West Palm Beach-based Sterling Organization has acquired a portfolio of three shopping centers for $180.5 million. The portfolio was purchased on behalf of the value-add investment vehicle Sterling Value Add Partners IV LP. Ohio-based retail REIT SITE Centers was the seller. The properties include Fairfax Towne Center in Fairfax, Va.; Presidential Commons in Snellville, Ga.; and Village at Stone Oak in San Antonio. Safeway anchors Fairfax Towne Center, which totals 253,392 square feet. Other tenants at the property include T.J. Maxx, Regal Cinemas and JOANN Fabric and Crafts. Kroger anchors Presidential Commons, and other tenants at the center — which totals 264,271 square feet — include Burlington, Ulta Beauty, Petco and Five Below. Village at Stone Oak spans 476,371 square feet and is anchored by HomeGoods, Petco, Ross Dress for Less, DSW, Hobby Lobby, Ulta Beauty and Dollar Tree.
Public-Private Partnership Breaks Ground on $148.8M Graduate Student Housing Project at University of Maryland
by John Nelson
COLLEGE PARK, MD. — A public-private partnership (P3) between Campus Apartments, Mosaic Development Partners and the University of Maryland has broken ground on a $148.8 million graduate student housing project on the university’s campus in College Park. The community is the first of a larger, three-phase development that will replace the existing “Leonardtown” section of campus. Upon completion, which is anticipated for 2027, the building will span 323,000 square feet. The community will offer 741 beds across 465 fully furnished units in studio, two-, three-, four- and five-bedroom configurations. Shared amenities will include a large conference space with interior and exterior courtyards on the ground floor; a penthouse community lounge and terrace; various community breakout spaces; resident parking; and bike storage. The development team for the project, which is targeting LEED Silver certification, includes Gensler, Michael Marshall, Davis Construction and Smoot Construction. RBC Capital Markets arranged financing for the development, which is being funded through tax-exempt bonds.