JACKSONVILLE, FLA. — Berkadia has arranged the $12.8 million sale of Avesta Townsend, a 208-unit, garden-style apartment community located at 3450 Townsend Blvd. in Jacksonville’s Arlington neighborhood. HH Townsend LLC purchased the property from 3450 Townsend LLC, an entity controlled by Avesta Communities. Built in 1970, the property features a community swimming pool, laundry facility, clubhouse with a recreation room and fitness center, tennis court and a playground. The seller has invested nearly $3 million in interior and exterior renovations at Avesta Townsend since 2012. Greg Rainey, Cole Whitaker, Tal Frydman and Jason Stanton of Berkadia represented the seller in the transaction. Justin Ownby of Berkadia assisted in the acquisition financing on behalf of the buyer.
MURFREESBORO, TENN. — NorthMarq Capital has arranged a $6.1 million acquisition loan for Abbington at Stones River, a 96-unit affordable housing community located at 1335 Bradyville Pike in Murfreesboro, a suburb of Nashville. John Reed of NorthMarq’s Omaha office arranged the 18-year loan with two years of interest-only payments followed by a 35-year amortization schedule. The loan was financed through Freddie Mac’s Tax-Exempt Loan program and includes a facility for a moderate rehab of the property.
ATLANTA — Atlanta-based Bull Realty has brokered the $5.5 million sale of three retail properties totaling nearly 21,000 square feet in Atlanta’s Grant Park neighborhood. Graveyard Retail LLC purchased the assets from Hangar LLC and White Front LLC. Located at 415 and 421 Memorial Drive and 304 Oakland Ave., the properties are leased to tenants such as Tin Lizzy’s, Ria’s Bluebird Café, Java Cat, Express Cleaners, My Friend’s Growler Shop, Mezcalito’s and House of Blended Ink Studios. The properties are situated across the street from the Historic Oakland Cemetery and nearby mixed-use residential developments including The Leonard, Oakland Park and The Jane. Andy Lundsberg of Bull Realty represented the sellers in the transaction.
RICHMOND, VA. — Riverstone Properties has acquired James Center, three office towers in the heart of Richmond’s central business district, for $108 million. The James Center comprises the 21-story One James Center, the 22-story Two James Center and the 14-story Three James Center, all developed in 1985. LNR Property, a subsidiary of Starwood Property Trust, sold the towers free and clear of existing debt. The three buildings include 986,000 square feet of Class A office space, a fitness facility, five restaurants, 1,600-car parking garage and a 50,000-square-foot retail atrium that connects to the Omni Richmond Hotel. Additionally, an outdoor area named The Plaza hosts activities, concerts and the Grand Illumination holiday lighting tradition. Situated on 3.4 acres at 901, 1021 and 1051 E. Carey St., James Center is located in downtown Richmond’s River District along the James River. The HFF investment sales team of Ryan Clutter, Dek Potts, Scot Humphrey and Christopher Lingerfelt represented LNR in the transaction. Starwood Property Trust Inc. (NYSE: STWD), an affiliate of global private investment firm Starwood Capital Group, claims to be the largest commercial mortgage real estate investment trust in the United States. Riverstone Properties is the commercial real estate arm of the Riverstone …
New Orleans may be The Big Easy, but when it comes to understanding this unique Southern city’s commercial real estate marketplace, very little is easy or simple. The numbers, at least, are fairly straightforward. New Orleans currently has around 8.8 million square feet of Class A office space and 1.6 million square feet of Class B. Average rental rates are approximately $19.00 per square foot and $15.50 per square foot for Class A and Class B, respectively, with current occupancy rates at 89.5 percent for Class A and 71 percent for Class B. By way of comparison, the popular suburban Metairie market has around 2 million square feet of Class A and 1.5 million square feet of Class B office space, with occupancy rates at 93 percent and 88.2 percent, respectively (both down slightly from 2014 highs of 95 percent and 92 percent). Average rental rates are approximately $24.00 per square foot in Class A properties and $19.50 for Class B. The numbers in the suburban North Shore market are similarly healthy, with rates and occupancy numbers in the same general range as Metairie. Look beyond the surface numbers, however, and things get interesting, and a little more complicated. In …
LITHIA SPRINGS, GA. — Z Gallerie, a Los Angeles-based furniture retailer, plans to open a 225,000-square-foot warehouse within Skyview Business Center in Lithia Springs, about 18 miles west of Atlanta via Interstate 20. The property will house the home furnishings retailer’s East Coast presence, as the company currently supports all 68 of its stores and online orders from one warehouse on the West Coast. Z Gallerie operates two stores in the Atlanta area: Atlantic Station and Perimeter Mall. The facility will feature office and warehouse space, 34 loading docks, two drive-in bays, 32-foot clear heights, an ESFR sprinkler system and T5 lighting. The property represents a $3.7 million investment on behalf of Z Gallerie. The company plans to be fully operational in 2019 and create 115 jobs at the new facility. Steve Grable and Barry Hill of JLL represented Z Gallerie in the lease negotiations. Trey Barry, Todd Barton and Greg Haynes of CBRE represented the landlord, Huntington Industrial Partners.
SANDY SPRINGS, GA. — Washington, D.C.-based StoneBridge Investments has acquired 550 Abernathy Apartments, a 228-unit multifamily property located at 550 Abernathy Road N.E. in Sandy Springs, a suburb of Atlanta in Fulton County. StoneBridge purchased the property from an entity controlled by Harbor Group for $31 million. 550 Abernathy is located within Atlanta’s Central Perimeter submarket, which features three major hospitals situated on “Pill Hill,” the 1.5 million-square-foot Perimeter Mall and more than 31 million square feet of office space, including the new East Coast hub for State Farm and the new headquarters for Mercedes-Benz USA, set to open in 2018. StoneBridge plans to upgrade the community’s interiors with granite countertops, more open floor plans and hard-surface flooring. The firm will also add to the property’s newly renovated clubhouse and pool with outdoor additions including poolside cabanas, a fire pit and an outdoor kitchen. Other planned upgrades include building exteriors and landscaping. Kevin Geiger of CBRE represented the seller in the transaction. ZRS Management, an affiliate of StoneBridge, will manage 550 Abernathy.
CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Reger Holdings has purchased a 222,596-square-foot industrial building located at 1000 Exchange St. in Charlotte. The western New York-based investment firm plans to convert the freezer/cooler building into a dry warehouse property. The building is rail-served by CSX and features outdoor storage capabilities. Rob Speir and Don Moss of Colliers International’s Charlotte office brokered the transaction and will be retained as the property’s leasing agents. Reger Holdings owns more than 4 million square feet of industrial real estate space in the Carolinas. The sale price and seller were not released.
JACKSONVILLE, FLA. — Tremont Realty Capital, a subsidiary of The RMR Group LLC, has arranged a $16.3 million loan for the refinancing of Jacksonville Medical Plaza, a 132,488-square-foot, multi-tenant medical office complex in Jacksonville. The non-recourse, CMBS loan features a 10-year term, fixed 5.26 percent interest rate and a 30-year amortization schedule. The name of the borrower wasn’t disclosed.
NORTH PALM BEACH, FLA. — The Shopping Center Group and Avison Young have teamed up to broker the $12.6 million sale of Northlake Promenade Shops, a nearly 83,000-square-foot shopping center located at the southwest corner of Northlake Boulevard and Federal Highway in North Palm Beach. Situated on 21 acres, the Publix-anchored shopping center includes outparcels occupied by CVS/pharmacy, Chase Bank and BP Gas. The property also features land available for development. Woolbright Development purchased Northlake Promenade Shops from a private investment firm based in Canada. Anthony Blanco of The Shopping Center Group and David Duckworth and A.J. Belt III of Avison Young represented the seller in the transaction.