GREENSBORO, N.C. —Blue Ridge Cos. and Richardson Properties have partnered to co-develop Country Park at Tall Oaks, a 216-unit apartment community located near the intersection of Lawndale Drive and Pisgah Church Road in Greensboro. The property will feature running and bike trails, a fitness center, bike storage and workshop, swimming pool and a dog park with a pet wash station. Blue Ridge and Richardson plan to open the project in spring 2017.
NORTH CHARLESTON, S.C. — Colliers International has arranged the $22.4 million sale of The Shoppes at Centre Pointe, a 112,302-square-foot shopping center located in North Charleston. The property is fully leased to Field & Stream, Conn’s HomePlus and La-Z-Boy. Marc Bonilla of Colliers International represented the buyer, Rose FP LLC, in the transaction. Joey Odom of Stan Johnson Co. represented the seller, SC North Charleston CPD 2G-1 1B.
WASHINGTON, D.C. AND NEW YORK — The board of trustees at Vornado Realty Trust (NYSE: VNO) has approved the tax-free spinoff of its Washington, D.C., portfolio and has agreed to the subsequent merger of the new entity with JBG Cos. The transaction is valued at $8.4 billion. The company, known as JBG Smith Properties, will be structured as a real estate investment trust (REIT). Vornado shareholders are expected to own roughly 74 percent of the new company, JBG’s limited partners are expected to own approximately 20 percent and JBG management is expected to own the remaining 6 percent. JBG’s senior management team will lead JBG Smith, which will have a portfolio totaling 50 office properties spanning 11.8 million square feet, 18 multifamily properties totaling 4,451 residential units and 11 other properties totaling about 700,000 square feet. The new company will be the largest landlord to the U.S. government in Washington, D.C. The portfolio is situated in Washington, D.C., as well as the suburban Maryland markets of Columbia and Bethesda and Crystal City, Pentagon City, Rosslyn, Arlington and Reston in Virginia. Additionally, JBG Smith will have a pipeline of projects under construction and land for future development that could span more …
WASHINGTON, D.C. — PetSmart Inc. has opened a new 12,000-square-foot store at 2484 Market St. N.E. in Washington, D.C. The new store is the first location for the pet retailer inside the Washington, D.C., metro area. Located within The Shops at Dakota Crossing shopping center, the new PetSmart will feature pet food, pet products, training classes for dog owners and a full-service grooming salon for dogs and cats. PetSmart Inc. operates 1,477 pet stores in North America and employs roughly 53,000 associates.
MEMPHIS, TENN. — Elvis Presley Enterprises has opened a new $92 million, 450-room resort at Graceland, a tourist destination and home of Elvis Presley’s Graceland Mansion in Memphis. The project, known as The Guest House at Graceland, is the largest hotel project in Memphis in 90 years and is expected to create 200 jobs. The hotel will feature a 464-seat theater, outdoor pool, conference rooms, outdoor meeting space known as The Lawn at The Guest House and an 11,000-square-foot ballroom. Dining options at the resort include Delta’s Kitchen, E.P.’s Bar & Grill, The Lobby Bar and the Shake, Rattle & Go coffee bar. The resort is the first phase of Graceland’s expansion, which also includes the addition of a 200,000-square-foot entertainment complex known as Elvis: Past, Present & Future, set to open in March 2017. The resort’s development team includes construction manager DreamCatcher Hotels and architect Hnedak Bobo Group. Boston-based Pyramind Hotel Group manages The Guest House at Graceland on behalf of Elvis Presley Enterprises, a corporate entity founded by The Elvis Presley Trust.
ORLANDO, FLA. — Cushman & Wakefield has brokered the $47.9 million sale of LeeVista Business Center, a 479,100-square-foot, three-building warehouse and distribution park adjacent to Orlando International Airport. Mike Davis, Michael Lerner and Rick Brugge of Cushman & Wakefield represented the seller, Atlanta-based McDonald Development Co., in the transaction. Los Angeles-based Colony Capital purchased LeeVista Business Center, which was developed between 2009 and 2016 and was 84.4 percent leased at the time of sale to tenants such as Thales USA, ThyssenKrupp Industrial Services, Siemens Corp., Carrier and DHL Global Mail. The $100 per square foot price tag makes the transaction the record high per-square-foot sale of a multi-tenant warehouse and distribution project in Orlando.
BUFORD, GA. — Clarion Partners and Seefried Properties have started construction on Buford Mill Distribution Center, a $25 million industrial development in Buford, a northeast suburb of Atlanta. Situated on 43.1 acres near the Highway 20/I-985 interchange, the project will feature two distribution buildings totaling 422,140 square feet with 32-foot minimum clear heights, T-5 lighting and trailer parking. Clarion is co-developing the project on behalf of a commingled fund it manages.
WASHINGTON, D.C. — SIOR Foundation, a 501(c)(3) not-for-profit organization that solicits and accepts charitable donations for SIOR initiatives and communities, has named David Hagan as its new president for the 2016-2017 term. The announcement was made last week during the Society of Industrial & Office Realtors (SIOR) Fall World Conference in New York City. Hagan is a senior vice president of brokerage services with CBRE’s Greensboro, N.C., office. Hagan will take over the reins of SIOR Foundation from previous president Patricia Loveall, a partner and director of Kidder Matthews in the Seattle/Puget Sound metro area. Other top-tier positions at SIOR Foundation for the 2016-2017 term include president elect Bill Ginder of Caldwell Cos., vice president Aaron Barnard of NorthMarq Capital and treasurer Stan Kleweno of Transpacific Investments. SIOR Foundation’s mission is to promote and support initiatives that educate, expand and enhance the commercial real estate community. The Washington, D.C.-based organization plans to award grants totaling $162,000 for fiscal year 2017, which runs Sept. 1 to Aug. 31. The foundation’s charitable giving supports undergraduate and graduate college students who are in pursuit of degrees associated with commercial real estate.
TYSONS, VA. — Atlantic Realty Cos. and New York-based Angelo, Gordon & Co. LP have purchased Tysons Concourse, two Class A office buildings located at 1593-1595 Spring Hill Road in Tysons. The California State Teachers’ Retirement System (CalSTRS) sold the 347,684-square-foot complex for $78.8 million. Situated one block from the newly opened Spring Hill station on Metrorail’s Silver Line, Tysons Concourse features a café, lighted basketball courts, theater-style conference center, fitness center with spa-style locker rooms and covered and surface parking. The buildings, joined by a shared atrium, were 76 percent leased at the time of sale to tenants such as Frontpoint Security, Konica Minolta and MassMutual. The new ownership group plans to invest $6 million in capital improvement to Tysons Concourse. The property’s lobby will be upgraded with marble flooring, a concierge desk and interactive touchscreen directories. Renovations will also include upgrades to the front and rear entrances, new interior finishes and a redesigned tenant entertainment center. The improvement program will also include the transformation of part of the existing sports area into an outdoor lounge with seating and an additional court for playing paddle tennis. Eastdil Secured represented CalSTRS in the transaction. — John Nelson
Broward County’s office market continues to heat up like the South Florida summer. Vacancy is decreasing while office rental rates in the market increase. Broward County added 32,100 jobs in the past year, the 4 percent nonagricultural employment growth leading to a second quarter unemployment rate of 4.2 percent, outpacing the state (4.5 percent) and national (5.0) averages. “Many factors drive Broward County’s strong economy, including a talented and diverse workforce, our proximity to Latin America and the Caribbean, and access to three international airports and three seaports,” says Bob Swindell, president and CEO of the Greater Fort Lauderdale Alliance, the county’s public/private partnership for economic development. Broward County’s office sector performance is a big story in an area of very positive commercial real estate headlines. It can be argued that South Florida trails only the two Bay Area bellwethers, San Francisco and the Silicon Valley, in property performance nationwide. Office rental rates in the county — CoStar reported that the market’s average rate increased 1.4 percent during first quarter to $25.14 per square foot — are most likely reaching the top of the arc in the present economic cycle. “Some of our strongest job growth has been in high-wage …
