WASHINGTON, D.C. — The U.S. economy added 916,000 jobs in March, the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) reported Friday. Economists surveyed by Dow Jones had expected the report to show a gain of 675,000 jobs, and this increase was the largest spike seen since August 2020. The unemployment rate fell to 6 percent in March. Revisions added 156,000 jobs to the totals for January and February. This growth follows the widespread administration of the COVID-19 vaccines and President Joe Biden’s $1.9 trillion stimulus package. However, there is still about 5 million less Americans who are working this year compared to a year ago. Additionally, economists surveyed by CNBC are worried about inflation due to the government stimulus money. Over the past year, the hospitality and entertainment industries have been among the hardest hit job sectors, but with less government restrictions, these industries have been able to recover. The leisure and hospitality sector saw the most growth in March with 280,000 new jobs. With lessening pandemic restrictions, restaurants and bars are starting to open back up to more people. Restaurants and bars saw 176,000 jobs added to their sector as well. The hospitality and leisure sector, however, still is 3.1 million …
Southeast
WILMINGTON, N.C. — Edgewater Ventures is co-developing with McKinley Building Corp. the Wilmington Trade Center, a three-building, Class A industrial park that will total 425,000 square feet upon completion. Construction is underway on Building 1, a 157,610-square-foot facility that will feature tilt-up concrete construction with extensive glass lines, 32-foot clear heights, an ESFR sprinkler system and a 180-foot deep truck court. The property is slated to deliver in early September and will accommodate tenants ranging in size from 22,000 to 157,610 square feet. Wilmington Trade Center is situated on Highway 421 near the interchange at Interstate 140. The development is 4.2 miles from downtown Wilmington, 6.7 miles from Wilmington International Airport and 8.7 miles from the Port of Wilmington.
MIAMI GARDENS, FLA. — Bridge Development Partners has signed City Furniture to a 286,991-square-foot lease at Bridge Point Commerce Center in Miami Gardens. The Fort Lauderdale-based home furnishing retailer signed a long-term lease to fully occupy Building C and will utilize the space as a new distribution center. Located on a 185-acre site at 4310 NW 215th St., Bridge Point Commerce Center offers Florida Turnpike frontage. The park is located 21 miles from Miami International Airport and 19 miles from Fort Lauderdale. Phase I of the Class A industrial park, which includes three buildings totaling 1.1 million square feet, was delivered in January 2021 and is now more than 80 percent leased. HapCor, a grocery distributor and retailer to the Caribbean and Latin America, is another tenant in the project’s first phase. Site work is underway for Phase II, which encompasses two buildings totaling 1.5 million square feet. Bridge Development expects to complete the second phase in early 2023. Divisible to 40,000 square feet, the first two buildings in Phase I total 286,991 square feet and feature 32-foot clear heights, and the third building is a 534,816-square-foot, cross-dock facility with 36-foot clear heights. Divisible to 80,000 square feet, Phase II …
JACKSONVILLE, FLA. — CBRE has arranged financing for a new 133-unit multifamily project in Jacksonville called The Hendricks at San Marco. The $30 million apartment development in the city’s San Marco neighborhood will be located near the corner of Atlantic Boulevard and Hendricks Avenue. Jeff Kinney and Phil Rachels of CBRE arranged the funding on behalf of the development team, Harbert Realty Services and Corner Lot Development. The financing included a three-year construction loan through First Horizon Bank and joint venture equity from GMC Properties, which will also manage the property upon completion. The Hendricks at San Marco will be located next to the Publix-anchored East San Marco shopping center. Construction on the apartment community is expected to start this month.
LOS ANGELES — Westwood Financial LLC has acquired Prosperity Village Square and Fountains West, two Publix-anchored shopping centers in the Southeast. Prosperity Village Square was developed in 2016 and is located in the Highland Creek suburb of Charlotte. Fountains West is a neighborhood center located in the western Orlando suburb of Ocoee, Fla. Westwood Financial acquired the assets in a single transaction from one undisclosed, private seller. CBRE acted as lead broker on the deal, the price of which was not disclosed. The Los Angeles-based investor financed the purchase of Prosperity Village using a combination of existing cash on hand and proceeds from its unsecured credit facility. Westwood completed the closing of Fountains West subsequent to assuming an existing loan on the property and funded the remaining portion of the purchase price with cash on hand. Prosperity Village was 96 percent occupied at closing, while Fountains West was fully occupied and experienced little turnover during 2020.
WASHINGTON, D.C. — A total of 719,000 Americans filed for unemployment assistance for the week that ended March 27, the U.S. Department of Labor reported Thursday. The amount of initial jobless claims was higher than the 675,000 figure that economists surveyed by Dow Jones predicted and is an increase from last week’s revised amount of 658,000. Continuing claims, for which data lags a week, decreased by 46,000 to a little more than 3.8 million. Despite the unemployment insurance claims being higher than what economists predicted, many believe the economy is improving. CNBC reports the total number of people receiving unemployment benefits dropped by 1.5 million, which the news company attributes to pandemic-related benefits. This report follows President Joe Biden’s $2 trillion spending plan released yesterday that will add to the $5 trillion of stimulus spent to aid the U.S. economy. ADP, a payroll processing firm, stated that firms across the country added 517,000 workers in March, which is the biggest monthly job gain since September, according to CNBC. The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics will release its March 2021 jobs report tomorrow morning.
ASHBURN, VA. — A joint venture between Novais Partners and the Hanover Co. has announced plans for Rivana at Innovation Station, a 4.4 million-square-foot mixed-use development located 30 miles outside Washington, D.C., in Ashburn. The 103-acre, transit-oriented project will be developed adjacent to Loudoun County’s extension of the Metro Silver Line, one stop from Washington-Dulles International Airport. Current plans for the project include 2,000 multifamily units; 1.8 million square feet of Class A office space; a 185,000-square-foot retail village; a 265-room boutique hotel; and a network of green and public spaces, including an 11-acre park. At the center of the project will be Rivana Village, a walkable network of retail and creative office space inspired by the communal villages that dot Virginia’s landscape. Tenants for this portion of the project will include creative, independently-owned restaurants and local retailers. The development’s office space will include hotel-quality amenities as well as post-COVID-era design and engineering, with advanced filtration systems, upgraded air filters and enhanced cleaning protocols. Each office building is targeting LEED certification. The project’s development team plans to submit a land use application next week for consideration by the Loudoun County Board of Supervisors. Pending legislative approval, Novais expects to break ground …
CHESAPEAKE, VA. — Summit Pointe Realty LLC has broken ground on Mosaic, a mixed-use multifamily community in the Hampton Roads town of Chesapeake. The $68 million project will include 507,495 square feet of apartments, restaurants, shops and a public parking garage. The six-story apartment community will offer 270 one-, two- and three-bedroom residences with full balconies. Eight residences are designed as two-story lofts with street-level access. Community amenities will include a clubhouse, fitness center, concierge services, swimming pool, lap pool with infinity edge, cabanas, firepits, dog walk and a dog-wash station. Mosaic property will also have more than 30,000 square feet of street-level retail and restaurant spaces. An imbedded 515-car public parking garage comprising 185,000 square feet will also be developed as part of Mosaic. Construction will commence April 1, and delivery of the first residential and commercial spaces is anticipated in summer 2022. Mosaic is the multifamily component of Phase II of Summit Pointe, a $330 million mixed-use development situated on 69 acres along Volvo Parkway. When complete, Summit Pointe will include more than 1 million square feet of office space, up to 500,000 square feet of retail space, approximately 250,000 square feet of hospitality and conference space and …
ATLANTA — Trammell Crow Co. and High Street Residential are co-developing the remaining phases of Technology Enterprise Park (TEP) in Midtown Atlanta. Georgia Advanced Technology Ventures (GATV), a Georgia Tech-led cooperative organization that is overseeing this project, chose the two firms to deliver a mixed-use, life sciences center within TEP. Construction is slated to begin in early 2022. For each of the five planned project phases of TEP, there is a grant to establish a sustainable education and training program for residents, Georgia Tech students and teachers in surrounding neighborhoods to expose them to careers in the biomedical and life sciences industries. TEP currently has two existing buildings that house research and lab space. The property will begin the park’s long-term expansion with Phase I, which will feature two buildings that include 370,000 square feet of lab and office space and 280 residential apartments.
WHITE MARSH, MD. — Merritt Properties has purchased 10301 Philadelphia Road in White Marsh for $34.5 million. The property is a former GM Baltimore Global Propulsions Systems site that opened in 2000 to produce transmissions and electric motors before it closed in 2019. Bo Cashman and Jonathan Beard of CBRE represented the unnamed seller in the transaction. Located off Interstate I-95 near Interstate 695, the 56-acre project will be known as White Marsh Interchange Park. White Marsh Interchange Park is located within Merritt’s Baltimore County east portfolio, which has been 97 percent occupied since 2016. Baltimore-based Merritt Properties plans to construct up to nine, one-story buildings totaling approximately 750,000 square feet, which will create space for 50 to 100 businesses, leasing from 2,700 to 50,000 square feet or more. The company anticipates that these businesses will provide jobs for 1,200 to 1,500 people. Merritt Construction Services, the construction division of Merritt Cos., will manage future construction.