WATERBURY, CONN. — WinnDevelopment, the development arm of WinnCompanies, has acquired the historic 213-unit Schoolhouse Apartments in Waterbury for an undisclosed price. The company has a $16.4 million rehabilitation project planned for the occupied property, which was converted to residential use in 1982. The rehab project includes a restoration of masonry exteriors; the replacement of exterior lighting; the repair and replacement of roofs, siding and wood trim; new signage and security cameras; and improved handicap accessibility. The apartments will undergo mechanical system upgrades and the installation of new cabinetry, appliances and fixtures in the kitchens and bathrooms. WinnResidential will manage the property, which is slated for completion by fall 2017. The project will utilize an allocation of low income housing tax credits from Connecticut Housing Finance Authority, as well as financing from the Connecticut Department of Housing and federal subsidies from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development. Boston Financial Investment Management is the project’s equity investor, and the design team includes Keith Construction as general contractor and The Architectural Team as project architect.
Multifamily
HOUSTON — Morgan, a company specializing in multifamily development, construction and property management, has opened Pearl at the Mix in Houston’s Midtown district. Located at 2910 Milam St., the new apartment community sits on the city block bound by Louisiana, Tuam, Milam and Anita streets. Pearl at the Mix, the second Midtown property Morgan has opened in the past two years, is one block away from Pearl Midtown. Pearl at the Mix consists of five residential levels above a two-level parking garage. The property’s 196 units are a mix of studios, one- and two-bedroom units. Unit interiors feature stainless steel appliances, quartz countertops, under-mount sinks, under-cabinet lighting, walk-in closets with wood shelving, full-size washers and dryers, USB charging ports and floor-to-ceiling windows. Community amenities include a WiFi-enabled club lounge furnished with a pool table, two classic arcade machines, TVs, a patio facing downtown, swimming pool, outdoor kitchen, fitness center and grilling stations. Cadence Bank provided construction financing for Pearl at the Mix.
BRADENTON, FLA. — Passco Cos. has purchased ParkCrest Landings, a 400-unit, Class A apartment community located on a 67-acre site at 5725 1st Ave. East in Bradenton, a city in the Tampa Bay area. Passco Cos. bought the asset from the Tampa-based developer, CKT Development, for $75 million. Built in 2015 by CKT Development, the grounds include nine acres of lakes, 1.5 miles of walking trails and 40 acres of nature preserves along a tributary of the Manatee River. The property is also situated next to Tom Bennet Park, a 200-acre park owned by Manatee County. ParkCrest’s community amenities include a resident clubhouse and theater, fitness center, lakeside sundecks, resort-style swimming pools, children’s splash area, 1.2-acre dog park, cyber café, game room and kayak storage. Jamie May of JBM represented Passco and CKT Development in the transaction. Chris Black of KeyBank Real Estate Capital arranged acquisition financing through Fannie Mae on behalf of Passco Cos.
As we pass the mid-year point of 2016, the student housing industry is again poised to have a strong year. Favorable market conditions, chief among them low interest rates, have pressed development and acquisitions forward during 2016. Pre-leasing for fall 2016 was strong through the summer, though slightly down from fall 2015 for many owners, while a number of owners reported rent growth for the upcoming year. The industry has seen a lot of activity in buying and selling during the first half of the year. In addition to smaller portfolios and one-off transactions, the sector saw two of its largest M&A transactions to date close during the first half of this year. Harrison Street Real Estate Capital closed on the $1.9 billion acquisition of Campus Crest Communities, adding more than 30,000 beds to its portfolio. In June, The Scion Group, GIC and CPPIB closed on their $1.4 billion acquisition of the assets of University House Communities from InvenTrust Properties, adding more than 10,000 beds to Scion’s portfolio. In addition, movers and shakers like The Preiss Company, Vesper Holdings and Pierce Education Properties have been acquiring a number of properties in 2016. Many properties came to market in January and …
BIG RAPIDS, MICH. — CBRE Group Inc. has secured acquisition financing for a 264-bed student housing property in Big Rapids, approximately 55 miles north of Grand Rapids. Vision Real Estate Investment purchased Venlo Place Apartments, which serves Ferris State University. The property features amenities such as a 24-hour fitness center, a sand volleyball court and river access. Venlo Place Apartments offers two- and four-bedroom units. The fixed-rate loan features a 20-year term. Jason Brown and Dan Gable of CBRE placed the financing with a national balance sheet lender. The seller and loan amount were undisclosed.
McKINNEY, TEXAS — The Bascom Group has acquired a 260-unit multifamily community located in McKinney. Sperry Van Ness brokered the transaction. John Brownlee and De’On Collins of HFF arranged debt financing from EastWest Bank. James D’Argenio of Bascom sourced and managed the acquisition. Built in 1997, the property consists of 24 two-story residential buildings and one stand-alone leasing center spread across 20 acres. The unit mix comprises 25 percent one-bedroom units and 75 percent two-bedroom units averaging 873 square feet. The seller was also the original developer. Community amenities include a clubhouse, fitness center, pool and tennis court. The property is located 30 miles north of downtown Dallas.
NEW YORK CITY — Cushman & Wakefield has arranged the sale of two contiguous multifamily buildings located at 341-343 E. 65th St. in Manhattan’s Upper East Side. Guthrie Garvin and Michael Gembecki of Cushman & Wakefield arranged the transaction, which was valued at $16.5 million, or $803 per square foot. The five-story, walk-up buildings total approximately 20,540 square feet and feature 40 one-bedroom apartments, of which 37 are rent stabilized and the remaining are rent-controlled.
Bellwether Enterprise Arranges $31.6M HUD Loan for Workforce Housing Construction in New Orleans
by John Nelson
NEW ORLEANS — Bellwether Enterprise Real Estate Capital LLC has arranged a $31.6 million HUD 221(d)(4) loan for the construction of Village of Versailles, a 50-building, 400-unit affordable and workforce housing community in New Orleans. Prior to Hurricane Katrina in 2005, the site of the Village of Versailles housed two 200-unit, HUD-insured apartment developments. Set to open in late 2017, Village of Versailles will feature two community buildings and a leasing office. Jon Killough of Bellwether Enterprise’s Alabama office arranged the 40-year loan with 22 months of interest-only payments through HUD on behalf of the borrower, Mirus New Orleans LLC. The financing of the project also includes the issuance of short-term tax-exempt bonds, 4 percent Low Income Housing Tax Credits purchased by City Real Estate Advisors and HOME Funds provided by the Louisiana Housing Corp.
LOUISVILLE, KY. — Texas-based operator Civitas Senior Living and Ohio-based developer Guttman Properties will join forces to develop The Grand of Prospect, a luxury seniors housing community in Louisville. Development costs are estimated at $20 million for the 168-unit independent living, assisted living and memory care community. The Grand of Prospect will be located on 14.8 acres. Construction is scheduled to start in the fourth quarter of 2016 for completion in the first quarter of 2018. The project team includes Louisville-based civil engineer Mindel, Scott and Associates Inc. and Columbus, Ohio-based architect pH7 Architects. Guttman and Civitas will co-own the property upon completion.
HUMBLE, TEXAS — Interurban Corp. has purchased Woodland Hills, a 282-unit, Class A apartment community in the northeast Houston suburb of Humble. Woodland Hills is located at 3918 Atascocita Road within a 15-minute drive of Generation Park, a deed-restricted, 4,000-acre master-planned development that will include the FMC Technologies’ headquarters campus and the 52-acre Redemption Square corporate lifestyle district. Completed in 2009, the property has had an average occupancy above 92 percent for the past two years. The gated, garden-style community has units averaging 880 square feet and amenities such as a swimming pool, fitness center, clubhouse, lounge and business center. HFF marketed the property on behalf of the seller, a joint venture between KKR and Crossbeam Concierge.