LAWRENCEVILLE, GA. — Highlands Residential and Perennial Properties have formed a joint venture to build Park Place Apartments, a 148-unit active adult community in Lawrenceville, approximately 30 miles northeast of Atlanta. Construction of the project is already underway, and first move-ins are scheduled for 2024. The senior population of Gwinnett County is expected to grow by 33.6 percent over the next 10 years and Atlanta metro wide by 47 percent, according to the developers. Atlanta-based Highlands Residential is the developer and at completion Perennial Properties will be the property manager. The group also developed and manages The Chateau by Highlands, a 152-unit luxury active adult community in Braselton, about 20 miles further northeast of Park Place.
CONCORD, N.C. — Lansing Melbourne Group (LMG) and Denholtz Properties have opened Novi Flats, a 48-unit apartment community located in downtown Concord, about 27 miles northeast of Charlotte. The property is the first of three adjacent properties being built by the LMG-Denholtz joint venture. The other two communities will be the 167-unit Novi Rise, which will open later this year, and the 89-unit Novi Lofts that is set to open in late 2024. Novi Flats features an upscale industrial aesthetic and units come with quartz countertops, GE stainless steel appliance packages and in-unit washers and dryers. Select units have walk-in showers and closets, balconies and USB outlets. Amenities include a private CrossFit gym, bike room and package concierge, as well as connection to Concord’s Spring Street parking deck via a sky bridge. Novi Flats also features 2,333 square feet of street-level retail space.
MIAMI — Marcus & Millichap has brokered the $6.7 million sale of a freestanding store in west Miami that is leased to Walgreens. The 13,650-square-foot store is located on a 1.4-acre parcel at 16690 SW 88th St. and is an outparcel to Kendall Pointe, a shopping center anchored by Aldi and PetSmart. Built in 2004, the store is subject to a new 15-year triple-net lease with Walgreens. Jonathan De La Rosa and Eduardo Toledo of Marcus & Millichap’s Miami office represented the buyer, a local private investment firm, in the transaction. The seller was also not disclosed.
MORGANTOWN, W.VA. — Maverick Commercial Mortgage Inc. has arranged a $5.4 million loan for the refinancing of a 114-bed student housing property situated adjacent to the campus of West Virginia University in Morgantown. The 34-unit property is located at 251 Stewart St. and features controlled access, 24-hour maintenance and a fitness center. Maverick Commercial arranged the 10-year, fixed-rate loan with a 25-year amortization schedule through an unnamed national bank on behalf of the borrower, a national developer based in Indianapolis.
For real estate investors who have an acquisition teed up or who need to refinance, the prospects of finding debt today are arguably the bleakest they have been since the financial crisis 15 years ago. Higher interest rates and concerns over growing distress convinced banks and other lenders to move to the sidelines several months ago, thwarting commercial real estate investment sales. In turn, that is fueling broad uncertainty over what properties are really worth, which only begets more unease among banks. But private debt funds, which typically provide short-term rate bridge loans, are more likely to make deals when banks will not, says Jeff Salladin, a managing director with Dallas-based debt fund Revere Capital. That’s because debt funds like Revere raise capital from sophisticated investors to fund their loans, he says, while banks rely on deposits. That subjects banks to stringent regulatory oversight, which is especially intense in today’s debt climate. “All investors dislike uncertainty, and banks are investors by another definition,” states Salladin, who oversees real estate lending for Revere. “As a result, we could be in the first inning of a golden era for debt funds like ourselves, because we’re more flexible in way banks can’t be.” …
WHITE MARSH, MD. — Merritt Properties has begun construction on White Marsh Interchange Park, a 750,000-square-foot industrial project located at 10301 Philadelphia Road in White Marsh, roughly 17 miles outside Baltimore. Upon completion, the development will comprise nine one-story buildings situated on 56 acres. The first phase of the project will include three buildings totaling 235,000 square feet. The buildings will feature 20- to 32-foot clear heights, truck courts with rear-loaded docks and drive-in capabilities and parking with trailer storage. Merritt Construction Services will manage the construction, the first phase of which is scheduled for completion next spring. Merritt acquired the land for the project in 2021.
NEW KENT, VA. — Texas-based Buc-ee’s has purchased 27.7 acres off I-64 in the Richmond suburb of New Kent, with plans to develop the brand’s first location in Virginia. Upon completion, the Buc-ee’s Super Center will comprise 75,000 square feet of retail space, 120 fueling stations, electric vehicle chargers and more than 650 parking spaces. Construction on the project is scheduled for completion within the next 24 months. Nathan Shor of S.L. Nusbaum Realty Co. represented both the seller and Buc-ee’s in the land acquisition.
LANTANA, FLA. — The Praedium Group has acquired Manor Lantana, a 348-unit multifamily community located in Lantana, a city in South Florida’s Palm Beach County. Built in 2022, the property comprises four four-story buildings, 18 two-story villas featuring tuck-under garages and a two-story clubhouse. Apartments at the community average 1,164 square feet. Amenities include a spa, golf simulator and a fitness center. The seller and sales price were not disclosed.
NEWPORT NEWS, VA. — Cushman & Wakefield | Thalhimer’s Capital Markets Group has brokered the $8.2 million sale of Turnberry Crossing, a retail center in Newport News. Located at 12638 Jefferson Ave., Goodwill anchors the 53,775-square-foot center, which was 95 percent leased to 17 tenants at the time of sale. Other tenants include Hertz, Papa John’s and DaaBIN Store. Catharine Spangler of Thalhimer arranged the transaction on behalf of the seller, Stavins & Axelrod. Raleigh-based Prudent Growth Partners acquired the property.
CHATTANOOGA, TENN. — Four new retail tenants will join Hamilton Place, a 1.2 million-square-foot enclosed shopping mall in Chattanooga. Crunch Fitness will open a 35,000-square-foot location at the property’s former Sears location, and restaurants Texas Roadhouse, Taco Mamacita and Community Pie have also signed leases. Construction on the Crunch Fitness space is scheduled to begin in August, with the opening planned for later this year. Work is currently underway on Community Pie and Taco Mamacita, which will open in July and next year, respectively. Texas Roadhouse is also scheduled to open next year, with construction anticipated to begin later this month. Chattanooga-based CBL Properties is the landlord and purchased the mall’s former Sears building in 2017.