New income limits for low-income and very-low-income housing in 2023 represent a mixed blessing for the industry’s providers, who gain more potential renters but face ubiquitous caps that restrain their ability to adjust rents. The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) publishes the income limits annually based on changes in each housing area’s median income, and typically places caps on outlier markets to prevent wide year-to-year swings. From 2010 through 2021, about 10 percent of areas were capped each year. Also in that period, the caps predictably checked the increase in an area’s qualifying income levels to no more than double the annual percent change in national median income. HUD published national median income based on three-year-trailing American Community Survey (ACS) data that HUD adjusted forward using the Consumer Price Index (CPI). In 2022, however, HUD omitted the CPI factor and based limits on historical survey data alone, producing lower results for median incomes and a smaller percentage change to be doubled into a cap. Even so, calculated incomes rose significantly, spurring HUD to cap increases in 57 percent of areas. Industry experts had predicted HUD would add the CPI adjustment back into its calculations in 2023, resulting …
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WASHINGTON, D.C. — Akridge and National Real Estate Development (National Development) have topped out Phase I of The Stacks, a 2.7 million-square-foot mixed-use development in Washington, D.C. Situated in the city’s Capitol Riverfront district and within the Buzzard Point neighborhood, Phase I of the project is dubbed Building B, which is one of three 14-story residential towers coming to the development. The first phase will feature 1,100 apartments, 35,000 square feet of retail space, 300,000 square feet of below-grade parking and loading and a 15,000-square-foot public park. General contractor Clark Construction has finished vertical construction on Building B and will now pivot to finishing concrete operations on Buildings A and C. Bank OZK provided construction financing for the project. The Stacks is jointly owned by Akridge, National Development, Bridge Investment Group, Blue Coast Capital and institutional funds managed by National Real Estate Advisors. The project team expects to fully deliver The Stacks by the end of 2025.
MIAMI BEACH, FLA. — Cronheim Hotel Capital (CHC) has arranged an $85 million loan for the refinancing of Grand Beach Hotel, a 424-room hotel in Miami Beach. The 21-story property is situated near the entrance to the Miami Beach boardwalk and one block from the Fontainebleau, a hotel/resort. The unnamed borrower, which developed the Grand Beach Hotel in 2009, is in the midst of a full renovation to the hotel’s lobby, bar, coffeeshop, boutique restaurant, spa and guest rooms. David Poncia, Dev Morris, Allison Villamagna and Andrew Stewart of CHC arranged the financing through an unnamed life insurance company. The five-year loan features a fixed interest rate and interest-only payments for the full term.
INDEPENDENCE, KY. — Kroger has opened a new “spoke” industrial facility in Independence that will grow the grocer’s delivery presence in Northern Kentucky. The new facility will work in concert with Kroger’s existing customer fulfillment center in Monroe, Ohio, which is roughly 45 miles north of the spoke facility via I-75. Kroger associates will assemble orders at the Monroe facility, which will then be trucked to the Independence property and sorted and shipped out to customers in refrigerated delivery vans. At full operating capacity, the Independence facility will employ 100 associates. The property is the second spoke facility in Kentucky, joining a Louisville property that opened in May 2022.
SRS Brokers $14M Sale of Office Flex Property in Springfield, Virginia Leased to Cox Communications
by John Nelson
SPRINGFIELD, VA. — SRS Real Estate Partners has brokered the $14 million sale of a single-tenant flex office property in Springfield that is leased to Cox Communications. Located at 7741 Southern Drive, the 61,700-square-foot building was delivered in 1993 and has been occupied by Cox and its predecessor ever since. The property features offices, a laboratory, warehouse and auto repair space, as well as five loading bays and 414 surface parking spaces. Andrew Fallon and Philip Wellde Jr. of SRS represented the seller, Vienna, Va.-based WTG Properties Inc., in the transaction. The buyer, an entity doing business as CIA-7741 Southern Drive LLC, is a private real estate investment group based in Northern Virginia.
Capstone Negotiates Sale of Wallace Studios Affordable Housing Community in Nashville
by John Nelson
NASHVILLE, TENN. — Capstone Cos. has negotiated the sale of The Wallace Studios, a 131-unit affordable housing community located at 97 Wallace Road in Nashville. Built in 1974 as an Americas Best Value motel, the property is situated at the intersection of I-24 and Harding Place. The Wallace Studios is the fourth motel conversion property for the buyer, AGB Real Estate, who partnered with SL Cap and RBSR LLC on the acquisition. Austin Heithcock, Adam Klenk, Jordan Arand, Josh White and Blake Wiser of Capstone brokered the transaction. The seller and sales price were not disclosed.
NEWTON, MASS. AND ATLANTA — The RMR Group, an alternative asset management company based in Newton, has purchased the multifamily platform of Carroll, a multifamily investment firm based in Atlanta. RMR has acquired 100 percent of the equity interests of MPC Holdings (Carroll) in an $80 million, all-cash transaction. Founded in 2004, Carroll provides asset and property management services to 81 multifamily properties comprising more than 28,000 units that are primarily located across the Sun Belt. Carroll had approximately 700 employees as of first-quarter 2023. The acquisition will add $7 billion in assets under management (AUM) to RMR, which had $37.3 billion in AUM as of first-quarter 2023. Carroll will retain existing general partner co-investments and promote fees derived from those investments. The Carroll acquisition will give RMR a foothold in the multifamily sector for the first time and will include the company’s property management division, Arium Living. RMR acquires properties for four publicly traded REITs: Service Properties Trust, Diversified Healthcare Trust, Office Properties Income Trust and Industrial Logistics Properties Trust.
Excelsa Properties Purchases Concord Park at Russett Apartments in Metro Baltimore for $105.5M
by John Nelson
LAUREL, MD. — Excelsa Properties has acquired Concord Park at Russett, a 335-unit multifamily property located at 7903 Orion Circle in Laurel, a suburb of Baltimore. The undisclosed seller sold the value-add property to Excelsa US Real Estate II LP and an Excelsa co-investment vehicle for $105.5 million. The buyer assumed an in-place, interest-only loan on the property that was underwritten with a fixed 3.4 percent interest rate and has six years of term left. Excelsa supplemented the loan with a fixed-rate, interest-only loan with a similar maturity date that has a weighted average interest rate of 3.7 percent. The company also plans to make $4.4 million in capital improvements to Concord Park at Russett, including a new roof, HVAC systems, new signage, parking garage repairs, new kitchen appliances and hardwood flooring, among other improvements. Existing community amenities include a resort-style swimming pool, clubhouse with a fireplace, business center, theater room, fitness center, yoga and HIIT training studio, library and a business lounge.
UPPER MARLBORO, MD. — Finmarc Management Inc. has sold Largo Town Center, a 280,000-square-foot power retail center in the Washington, D.C., suburb of Upper Marlboro, for $70 million. The Bethesda, Md.-based investment firm purchased the shopping center in 2019 when it was 80 percent occupied. John Donnelly of John C. Donnelly Inc. and Arthur Benjamin and Alex Alperstein of AdvisoRE LLC represented the buyer, an investment group led by Bethesda-based KPI Commercial LLC, in the transaction. Joseph Hoffman of Kelley Drye Warren provided legal services to Finmarc. During its nearly four-year ownership period of Largo Town Center, Finmarc initiated capital improvements and executed multiple leases, including Burlington, Foot Locker and Urban Air Adventure, the latter of which is expected to open this fall. Other notable tenants are anchors Marshalls and Shoppers Food Warehouse, as well as Advanced Auto and Dollar Tree.
Cushman & Wakefield Brokers $59.6M Sale of Bang Energy’s Former Warehouse, Adjacent Land in South Florida
by John Nelson
PEMBROKE PINES, FLA. — Cushman & Wakefield has brokered the $59.6 million sale of Bang Energy’s former warehouse and distribution center in Pembroke Pines, as well as an adjacent 23.2-acre parcel. Mike Davis, Dominic Montazemi, Rick Brugge, Rick Colon, Greg Miller and Mike Ciadella of Cushman & Wakefield represented the seller, entities doing business as Sheridan Real Estate Investment A LLC and Sheridan Real Estate Investment C LLC, in the transaction. Located at 20311 Sheridan St., the property includes a 224,560-square-foot building that once doubled as a manufacturing facility for Bang Energy’s energy drinks and the company’s corporate accounting office. The buyer, a new entity led by Summit Real Estate Group’s Arrowrock US Industrial Fund IV, is planning to overhaul the facility and is actively marketing the building for lease. The adjacent land, 13 acres of which are developable, is zoned for industrial ground-up development. Construction of an approximately 280,000-square-foot building on the property is anticipated to commence in the first quarter of 2024, with delivery slated for fourth-quarter 2024.