HOUSTON — JLL has negotiated the sale of West U Marketplace, a 60,136-square-foot shopping center in Houston. Whole Foods Market anchors the center, which also houses tenants such as Yoshi Sushi, Natural Pawz, Island Grill, French Cuff Boutique and River Oaks Nail & Spa. Chris Gerard, Ryan West and Katherine Miller of JLL represented the seller, an affiliate of New York-based Camden Securities Co., in the transaction. Brixmor Property Group (NYSE: BRX) acquired the asset for an undisclosed price.
Retail
LOS ANGELES — Los Angeles-based Tauro Capital Advisors, on behalf of borrower IBF Properties, has facilitated a $149.7 million, one-year, floating-rate bridge loan for a 24-property Walgreens portfolio. The stores are located in nine states across the United States, primarily in Tennessee, Wisconsin and Alabama. The borrower is purchasing retail assets occupied by investment-grade tenants and plans to create a REIT to hold and operate the portfolio of income-producing real estate. Matt Bucaro, Eric Alvarez, Michael Bucaro, Matthew Ingle and Garryn Laws of Tauro Capital Advisors arranged the financing transaction. Benefit Street Partners was the lender. Totaling 314,852 square feet, the borrower purchased the portfolio in 2021. After acquisition, longer leases were negotiated for the majority of the tenants, which provided stability for those investors purchasing dividends within the REIT and offering a level of commitment by Walgreens to the sites and a low probability of leaving.
YONKERS, N.Y. — A joint venture between Nuveen Real Estate, Taconic Partners and North American Properties has acquired Ridge Hill, a 1.2 million-square-foot office and retail development in Yonkers, located north of New York City, for $220 million. Built in 2011, Ridge Hill is currently 71.7 percent leased. Tenants include Whole Foods Market, Lowe’s Home Improvement, Dick’s Sporting Goods, T.J. Maxx, H&M, LA Fitness, L.L. Bean, Showcase Cinemas, Legoland Discovery Center, Guitar Center, The Container Store and Westmed Medical Group. Dave Monahan, Cameron Pittman, Chris Angelone, Jose Cruz and Andrew Scandalios of JLL represented the seller, QIC US Management Inc., in the transaction. Kellogg Gaines, Aaron Niedermayer, Evan Pariser, Claudia Steeb and Joy Dracos, also with JLL, arranged $181.3 million in acquisition financing on behalf of the joint venture, which plans to enhance Ridge Hill’s public spaces, street design and parking areas. The new ownership also plans to target locally inspired food and beverage concepts, as well as national luxury apparel and boutique fitness users.
MADISON, WIS. — Milwaukee-based developer Klein Development, in partnership with Hintz Holdings, has acquired a three-story building located on Madison’s Capitol Square. Located at 14 W. Mifflin St., the property was originally constructed in 1924 as Baron’s Department Store. It is currently home to Rare Steakhouse on the ground floor. The building’s second and third floors boast roughly 20,000 square feet of vacant commercial space. Klein plans to reposition the property with assistance from Eppstein Uhen Architects. Renovations will be made to the first-floor lobby and restrooms on the second and third floors. Chase Brieman of CBRE will handle leasing. The seller and sales price were undisclosed.
MILLSBORO, DEL. — Ohio-based owner-operator Chase Properties has acquired Peninsula Crossing, a 334,000-square-foot retail power center located in the southern Delaware city of Millsboro. Lowe’s Home Improvement and PetSmart anchor the open-air center, which will soon be adding German discount grocer Aldi to its tenant roster. According to mallsinamerica.com, other tenants at Peninsula Crossing include Supercuts, Mattress Firm, AT&T, GNC and Burger King. The seller and sales price were not disclosed.
Elev8 Fun to Replace Former Sears at Simon’s Treasure Coast Square Mall in Jensen Beach, Florida
by John Nelson
JENSEN BEACH, FLA. — Simon Property Group has signed Elev8 Fun to a 115,000-square-foot lease to backfill a former Sears department store at Treasure Coast Square Mall in Jensen Beach, a suburb of Port St. Lucie. The entertainment venue will feature go-carts, arcade games, laser tag, 12 bowling lanes and axe throwing, as well as party rooms, meeting space and a restaurant with a full bar. This location will be the third Florida venue for Elev8 Fun, which has identified 15 potential locations at malls and shopping centers around the state for its expansion. PrimeTime Amusements, a gaming machine supplier based in Fort Lauderdale, is a partner in the new Elev8 Fun location at Treasure Coast Square Mall.
HOUSTON — The Festival Cos. has unveiled renovation plans for River Oaks District, a 250,000-square-foot mixed-use development located at 4444 Westheimer Road in Houston. The 14-acre property was developed in 2015 and offers office space and luxury residential units alongside retail and restaurants. Enhancements will include the construction of a public park on the property’s western side, the redevelopment of the central plaza and the addition of three restaurants (Bari, Little Hen and Oio De Agua) with outdoor dining space. Construction is set to begin this month, with completion slated for the fall. Additionally, several new retailers are set to open this year, including Assouline bookstore, Jenni Kayne, La Vie Style House, Icon Luxury Sound, LoveShackFancy, Lunya, Lahgo, Teressa Foglia, The Conservatory, Yellow Korner and Zimmermann.
DALLAS — A partnership between Los Angeles-based CIM Group and Open Realty Advisors has sold a portfolio of 15 single-story retail buildings totaling 124,000 square feet in the Knox-Henderson neighborhood of Dallas. The sale, which according to Culture Map Dallas fetched a price of $85.4 million, included a 4.3-acre parcel that can support up to 160,000 square feet of new development. The tenant roster encompasses retailers such as Sprouts Farmers Market, Warby Parker, Bonobos, CorePower Yoga and Heyday Skincare, as well as an array of food and beverage users. Ryan Shore, Chris Gerard, Barry Brown, Erin Lazarus and Beth Copeland of JLL represented the partnership in the transaction. New York-based Acadia Realty Trust purchased the portfolio.
DEPTFORD, N.J. — SRS Real Estate Partners has negotiated the $17 million sale of a 60,750-square-foot retail property in the Southern New Jersey community of Deptford that is fully leased to Best Buy on a triple-net basis. The electronics retailer has occupied the six-acre site for more than 25 years. Andrew Fallon and Rick Fernandez of SRS represented the seller, a Chicago-based private investment firm, in the transaction. The buyer was Michigan-based REIT Agree Realty Corp. (NYSE: ADC).
SAN DIEGO — MetroGroup Realty Finance has secured $18.5 million in financing for a 56,173-square-foot retail center in San Diego. The undisclosed borrower developed the property in two phases in 2002 and 2013. The financing features a maximum loan-to-value ratio of 60 percent for 10 years with a 30-year amortization schedule. Tenants at the property at the time of financing included Subway, several service and fitness tenants, and a service station and car wash. The use of the funds was not disclosed.