ATLANTA AND NEW YORK CITY — Blackstone Real Estate Income Trust Inc. (BREIT) has entered into a definitive agreement to acquire Preferred Apartment Communities Inc. (PAC) for approximately $5.8 billion. Under the terms of the agreement, BREIT will acquire all outstanding shares of PAC’s common stock for $25 per share in an all-cash transaction. PAC’s portfolio includes 44 multifamily communities totaling approximately 12,000 units concentrated largely in Atlanta, Orlando, Tampa, Jacksonville, Charlotte and Nashville, as well as 54 grocery-anchored retail assets comprising roughly 6 million square feet in Atlanta, Orlando, Nashville and Raleigh. BREIT will also acquire PAC’s two Sun Belt office properties and 10 mezzanine/preferred equity investments collateralized by new or under-construction multifamily assets. “Investing using BREIT’s perpetual capital will enable us to be long-term owners of these vibrant communities,” says Jacob Werner, co-head of Americas acquisitions for BREIT. “The company’s grocery-anchored retail portfolio performance has also been strong and resilient, and we believe these types of necessity-oriented assets located in areas with growing populations are well positioned for continued growth.” Joel Murphy, PAC’s chairman and CEO, says the transaction is an excellent outcome for shareholders and the culmination of efforts over the past few years to simplify and …
Multifamily
By Clara Wineberg, principal and executive director, SCB Boston As we have all been forced to reexamine how we interact with and live in our homes during two years of a global pandemic, lessons learned for architects, developers and interior designers have been bountiful. In early 2020, those of us in the multifamily industry were wary about how we would make it all work; now, however, we realize the challenges we have faced in the last 24 months have provided immense opportunities to improve design of modern housing communities. In 2022 and beyond, multifamily design will continue to evolve to meet the changing definition of “home,” and how it connects us to our loved ones, communities and even ourselves. Everything From Home While home used to be just a place to hang one’s hat at the end of the day, in 2020, home took on a whole new meaning. It became not only the place we rest, but also our workplace, our children’s classroom, our fitness center and our entertainment venue. Our whole lives were — and to some extent still are — encapsulated within our homes. We expect this trend to continue moving into the future post-pandemic world. The …
PLANO, TEXAS — Los Angeles-based investment firm Jacobson Co. has acquired Morada Plano Apartments, a 183-unit multifamily property located on the northern outskirts of Dallas. The property was completed in 2020. According to Apartments.com, the community features studio, one- and two-bedroom units ranging in size from 602 to 1,207 square feet. Amenities include a pool, fitness center, business center, rooftop terrace, game room and a pet play area. Los Angeles-based CIT, a division of First Citizens Bank, provided an undisclosed amount of acquisition financing for the deal. The seller was not disclosed.
ZMX, Forbes Plunkett Secure Construction Financing for $67.7M Multifamily Project in Metro Nashville
MADISON, TENN. — Nashville-based ZMX Inc. and Forbes Plunkett Real Estate & Development has secured construction financing for The Northern, a 297-unit, garden-style multifamily development in Madison. Atlanta-based Patterson Real Estate Advisory Group arranged the development financing with Origin Investments and Fifth Third Bank for the $67.7 million project. Construction is slated for completion by early 2024. The Northern will offer studio, one-, two- and three-bedroom floorplans ranging from 592 square feet to 1,285 square feet. Community amenities will include a pool, fitness center, clubhouse with outdoor grilling areas, several green spaces and pocket parks, dog park and a dog spa. The project is located close to downtown Nashville.
TAMPA, FLA. — Athens, Ga.-based Landmark Properties has plans to develop The Metropolitan at Tampa, a 760-bed student housing community within a half-mile of University of South Florida (USF). Construction is slated to begin in June with the property opening to students in August 2024. The Metropolitan at Tampa will offer studio, one-, two-, three- and four-bedroom floorplans. In total, the four-story residential community will include 276 units and 1,779 net square feet of ground-floor retail space. The property was formerly a Quality Inn hotel. Located at 2701 E. Fowler Ave., The Metropolitan’s features will include fully furnished units, a complete appliance package and high-speed internet and cable. Community amenities will include a rooftop pool deck, ground floor courtyards, fitness center, 620-space covered parking deck and study and gaming lounges.
Sares Regis Multifamily Buys Arboretum at South Mountain Apartments in Phoenix for $118.2M
by Amy Works
PHOENIX — Sares Regis Multifamily Value-Add Fund IV has acquired Arboretum at South Mountain, a multifamily property in the Ahwatukee Foothills Village region of Phoenix. Khosro Khaloghli sold the asset for $118.2 million, or $379,006 per unit. Built in 1999 on 12.5 acres, the 15-building property features 312 apartments with nine-foot ceilings, full-size washers/dryers and private balconies or patios. The community also offers a swimming pool and freestanding fitness center with pool views. Cliff David and Steve Gebing of Institutional Property Advisors, a division of Marcus & Millichap, represented the seller and procured the buyer in transaction.
LOS ANGELES — LA Apartments has purchased Venice-Mar Vista Portfolio, a six-property apartment portfolio in the Westside region of Los Angeles. A family trust sold the asset for $30 million. Built between 1961 and 1971, the portfolio includes: 17 units at 11735 Culver Blvd. 14 units at 11964 Lindblade St. 10 units at 4316 Berryman Ave. 18 units at 2712 Abbot Kinney Blvd. 24 units at 711 and 715 Machado Drive 16 units at 450 S. Venice Blvd. Kevin Green, Joseph Grabiec and Greg Harris of Institutional Property Advisors, a division of Marcus & Millichap, and Peter Castleton of Voit Real Estate Services represented the seller and procured the buyer in the deal.
CHICAGO — The Habitat Co., a Chicago-based multifamily developer and operator, plans to build a 33-story apartment high-rise in its hometown. The firm closed on the site acquisition at 344 N. Canal St. in Chicago’s Fulton River District that is currently home to the five-story Cassidy Tire brick building. Designed by Solomon Cordwell Buenz, the new tower will rise 375 feet and feature a glass façade. Habitat’s joint venture partner on the project is Diversified Real Estate Capital LLC, a private equity investment firm based in Chicago. The land seller was not disclosed. “As we know from experience, there will always be a demand for Class A rentals in prime city locations like 344 N. Canal, so the fact that a highly experienced and successful developer like The Habitat Co. was behind the building only made it that much more attractive for us to be part of the project,” says Jeff Cherner, executive vice president of Diversified Real Estate Capital. Habitat Co. will begin demolition and break ground on the 343-unit property this spring, though a target delivery date was not disclosed. Upon completion, the unnamed community will feature a mix of studio, one- and two-bedroom units, as well as …
COVID-19 has changed many investors’ approaches to the seniors housing sector. The pandemic caused a major shift in who’s buying and who’s selling. Some of the biggest buyers in 2019 were the biggest sellers in 2021. For example, institutional investors went from buying more than $2 billion in 2019 to selling more than $3 billion through the first three quarters of 2021. That’s according to Real Capital Analytics, a New York City-based data firm. The numbers are based on publicly announced deals over $2.5 million. “There still is an element of fear and uncertainty,” says Jim Costello, senior vice president with Real Capital Analytics. “We saw early in the pandemic that some of the management issues resulted in more fatalities. It’s not the problem now that it was then, but that comes with higher costs. More spending has to be done to mitigate the risks involved. That changes the investment opportunities.” These changes have led to a growing bid-ask spread in the marketplace. Buyers aren’t willing to spend as much, knowing that expenses are higher now, but sellers aren’t necessarily willing to reduce prices, says Costello. At least in 2020, this resulted in a massive dip in overall deal volume, …
AUSTIN, TEXAS — JLL has arranged an undisclosed amount of construction financing for The Travis, a 50-story multifamily tower located at 80 River St. in downtown Austin’s Rainey Street District. The 423-unit project is currently slated for a fall 2024 completion. Campbell Roche and Robert Wooten of JLL arranged the debt through JP Morgan Chase on behalf of the borrower, a partnership between metro Dallas-based Genesis Real Estate Group and PGIM Real Estate.