FARGO, N.D. — JLL Capital Markets has negotiated the sale of Woodrow Apartments in Fargo for $19 million. The 97-unit apartment complex is located at 1222 4th Ave. and is the adaptive reuse of the 100-year-old Woodrow Wilson School. Amenities include a gym, community lounge, outdoor patio and heated underground parking. Adam Haydon, Mox Gunderson, Dan Linnell and Josh Talberg of JLL represented the seller, Fargo-based Kilbourne Group. Idaho-based Graystoke Capital Partners purchased the asset.
To the surprise of many in the Kansas City retail sector, the end of 2021 looked much different than most anticipated when 2021 began. As uncertainty buzzed through the retail world, the flurry of 2021’s real estate activity was a welcome surprise. Retailers who embraced technology and adapted to the changing circumstances of today’s world were able to reap the benefits 2021 offered. As consumers took advantage of post-lockdown freedoms, brick-and-mortar retailers experienced a surge in sales volume. Throughout 2021, many national retailers and local Kansas City owners reported volumes exceeding 2019 pre-COVID levels. It’s comforting to report that retail leasing and sales continue to be strong, and overall Kansas City remains consistent in attracting retail business during these uncertain times. One of the most recognizable transformations in retail is the way in which technology seamlessly connects e-commerce and brick-and-mortar stores. Consumers can now use technology to satisfy their desire for the contactless fulfillment of their order, browse local inventory at grocery and retail stores for immediate pickup and grocery shop without entering the store. This list will continue to grow as acceptance of the technology accelerates. Another noticeable retail alteration is the addition of drive-thrus as well as …
The current state of the New Orleans industrial real estate market can best be described as “dichotomic.” On the one hand, New Orleans has the stability of a mature market featuring one of the largest and oldest ports in North America, traditionally serving heavy industry that continues to perform. On the other, you have two new proposed container port projects that could significantly alter the landscape of the industrial real estate market for the foreseeable future. Like so many other markets across the country, the New Orleans area is gaining its fair share of distribution facilities, with Amazon and the like scrambling for sites to service increased consumer and business-to-business demand. That said, the real game-changer for the distribution sector will ensue when at least one of the two announced container port projects in the New Orleans area comes on line. The Port of Plaquemines and the Port of New Orleans have both identified sites with access to rail, major roadways and water-based transport options that would fundamentally alter the opportunity for distribution emanating out of the New Orleans area. Either project would instantly create a great demand for warehousing and distribution space and further diversify the industrial asset class …
Louisville’s office market is certainly a representative example of a typical office market in a mid-sized city. As expected, Louisville experienced the impact of COVID-19 and the remote work trend. Downtown had to endure the social unrest during summer 2020 that created a perception of a lack of safety. Our community has work to do to get things back to “normal,” but things are slowly starting to move in the right direction. As has always been the case, the downtown and suburban markets face different trends. Typically, the suburban market has outperformed the central business district (CBD) with higher average rents and lower vacancy. Presently, the downtown Class A market has average rents in the $19.11 per square foot range and vacancy around 22 percent. The suburbs are seeing $22.16 per square foot in rent and 14.6 percent vacancy. Recently, the CBD posted 480 square feet of negative net absorption for the second quarter. After taking large hits throughout most of the pandemic, this looks to be a sign that downtown may finally be turning the corner. The suburban market took a big hit this past quarter due to vacancies and downsizing of two large companies. Even so, suburban markets …
ATLANTA — Four new restaurants will open at Westside Paper, an adaptive reuse project slated to open in the second quarter of 2022 in Atlanta’s West Midtown district. The four restaurant tenants include Pancake Social, Glide Pizza, Girl Diver and Boxcar Betty’s. Located at 950 West Marietta St., Westside Paper is a 15-plus acre mixed-use campus that formerly was an industrial campus. A joint venture between Third & Urban and FCP is developing the 245,000-square-foot adaptive reuse project that was formerly a 1950s-era warehouse facility. Pancake Social, an all-day brunch and coffeehouse restaurant, will open its second Atlanta location at Westside Paper in late spring 2022. The first Pancake Social opened in Atlanta’s Ponce City Market in March 2019. Glide Pizza will open its third location at Westside Paper next year. Girl Diver is an Asian seafood restaurant from Richard Tang, who also opened Char Korean Bar & Grill in Atlanta’s Inman Park neighborhood in 2016. Girl Diver’s new location at Westside Paper will be its second location. Lastly, Boxcar Betty’s is a fried chicken sandwich restaurant. With locations in Charleston, Chicago and Charlotte, the Westside Paper location will be its first location in Atlanta. Atlanta-based Bridger Properties is managing …
ATLANTA — New York City-based The Georgetown Co. and affiliates of Atlanta-based RocaPoint Partners plan to co-develop Campus 244, a mixed-use development in Atlanta’s Central Perimeter submarket that will exceed 1 million square feet in size. Situated on 12.8 acres near the Dunwoody MARTA station, the first phase of Campus 244 will include an adaptive reuse of an existing office building into a five-story, 400,000-square-foot building. The office building formerly was the headquarters of Gold Kist, a chicken producing company. Building features include 15-foot ceilings, private outdoor terraces, balcony space and 90,000-square-foot floor plates. Additionally, the building has amenities focused on health and wellness, such as HVAC systems, touchless elevator and restroom technologies, open staircases and operable windows. In addition to the adaptive reuse office building, the first phase will include a 145-room Element Hotel, which is part of Marriott International’s Bonvoy portfolio of 30 brands. The hotel will feature a lobby bar, greenspace and areas to gather for meetings, remote work and collaboration. The Campus 244 property will also have 25,000 square feet of restaurant space. S9 Architecture, the architectural firm responsible for the adaptive reuse design of Ponce City Market in Atlanta’s Old Fourth Ward district, will handle …
By Molly Luhrs, Popp Hutcheson Diminishing tax liability may offer a silver lining amid a horror show of declining property values playing out for owners of silver screen properties across the nation. Many theater owners will pay more than their fair share in property taxes, however, unless and until they educate local tax assessors of the sinister influences that oppress their businesses. Movie theaters have been one of the hardest-hit industries during the COVID-19 pandemic. Spaces where the big screen once lit the faces of attentive viewers fell dark and silent, to sit lifeless for months. Studios released only 23 films in 2020, the fewest since 2003, and box offices sold less than 225 million tickets. As regulations eased, cinemas emerged far behind the pack of other businesses in a race to resume normal operations. Now, most states are allowing 100 percent occupancy in movie theaters; however, this does not mean movie-goers are rushing back to theaters. What is there to attract them? Some of the most anticipated new movies had their 2020 premiere dates pushed to middle or late 2021, with some even transitioning directly to streaming platforms like HBO. On top of the lack of content, theaters are …
By Isabel Mandujano, director of lab planning, LPA Inc. The COVID-19 pandemic brought to the forefront the importance of research and innovation in life sciences, which is driving incredible demand for new construction of these and laboratory facilities. At the same time, an increasing focus on the health and wellness of life sciences workers is pushing innovation in the way these facilities are designed and constructed — as well as with regard to the roles these spaces play for employees and surrounding communities. Adaptive Reuse The biggest challenge within this space is getting life sciences facilities built fast enough to meet the high tenant demand. One common solution is to adaptively reuse existing office space, which has become increasingly available with continued work-from-home and hybrid work schedules for traditional office workers. In addition to being a more environmentally friendly solution, this approach shortens project timelines significantly and allows end users to move in and start using the space much more quickly. The conversion of space that was not originally designed for laboratory use comes with the complex technical challenges of upgrading the required infrastructure and adapting less-than-ideal physical space. An integrated team of architects, designers and engineers is best suited …
SALT LAKE CITY — The Davies Group at Los Angeles-based George Smith Partners has secured $35.2 million in construction financing for the first phase of a hotel-to-multifamily conversion project in downtown Salt Lake City’s The Granary District. The five-acre site features two landmark towers. The first phase of renovation includes the transformation of the property’s south tower into a 184-unit multifamily asset with boutique-style amenities. The planned future phase includes the adaptive reuse of the property’s north tower. The land site offers 2.7 acres of excess developable land, creating an opportunity for future mixed-use infill development. Malcolm Davies, Zack Streit, Drew Sandler, Alexander Rossinsky, Aiden Moran, Brandon Asherian and Ben Tracy of The Davies Group sourced the financing on behalf of the undisclosed sponsor.
TAMPA, FLA. — Atlanta-based Cousins Properties has acquired Heights Union, a 294,000-square-foot office property in downtown Tampa, for $144.8 million. Atlanta-based TPA Group and Heights master developer SoHo Capital were the sellers, according to the Tampa Business Journal. Built in 2020, Heights Union features two six-story buildings with parking provided. The office property is currently 93.4 percent leased with life sciences users representing 66 percent of the rent roll. Pfizer leases 106,000 square feet for a Global Capability Hub, and Axogen leases 75,000 square feet for its second headquarters and lab space. Additionally, White & Case leases 40,000 square feet for a mission critical global operations center. The office property is located within The Heights neighborhood, which is a live-work-play district located near the 2.6-mile Tampa Riverwalk that runs alongside the Hillsborough River. The district is also anchored by Armature Works, an adaptive reuse project of the former Tampa streetcar facility that includes 73,000 square feet of mixed-use space and over 20 restaurants and bars.
