WEST MELBOURNE, FLA. — MultiVerse Global LLC has unveiled plans to build a 600-unit apartment community within Space Coast Town Center in West Melbourne. MultiVerse Global is partnering with Lake Mary, Fla.-based Integra Land Co. and Atlanta-based JMG Realty on the project. Situated at the intersection of U.S. Highway 192 and St. Johns Heritage Parkway, the community will offer a gym, pool and entertainment areas. Michael Seltzer of Keller Williams/Elite Properties and William Benson of W.H. Benson & Co. represented MultiVerse Global in the land sale. No construction timeline was given.
Southeast
NASHVILLE, TENN. — Embrey Partners has broken ground on Knox at Metrocenter, a 322-unit apartment complex in Nashville. The community is located about one mile north of downtown Nashville and will offer one- and two-bedroom floor plans in two-, three- and four-story buildings. Knox at Metrocenter will overlook Amulet Lake and residents will have access to the Nashville Greenway Trail. San Antonio-based Embrey Partners expects the first units to be ready to lease in spring 2020.
ATLANTA — Transportation giant Norfolk Southern will relocate its headquarters from Norfolk, Va., to Midtown Atlanta. The railroad company is expected to buy a site at 650 W. Peachtree St. from Cousins Properties for $575 million. The Atlanta-based real estate owner and developer will manage the office campus when the project is completed. Norfolk Southern president and CEO Jim Squires says the headquarters will be complete in 2021. The announcement comes on the heels of Norfolk Southern selling its land in downtown Atlanta’s Gulch area for a reported $115 million to Los Angeles-based CIM Group. CIM Group plans to redevelop the 16.3-acre site into a “mini-city,” with office buildings, residential units, hotels, shops and restaurants. The Atlanta City Council approved the plans in November. Norfolk Southern is expected to put money from the sale toward its new headquarters.
VIRGINIA BEACH, VA. — RD Management LLC, Heritage Capital Group and Summit Glory Investment have purchased Latitudes Apartments, a 448-unit multifamily community in Virginia Beach, for $67 million. When the renovation is complete, the asset will feature amenities including a new clubhouse, 24/7 fitness center and an expanded pool area/sundeck. The complex is located at 1701 Chase Point Circle in Virginia Beach, about 15 miles east of Norfolk. The seller was undisclosed.
ATLANTA — Whole Foods Market has officially opened two Atlanta-area Whole Foods Market 365 stores, one at 1555 Church St. in Decatur and the other at 3535 Northside Parkway in Atlanta’s Buckhead district. The locations mark the 11th and 12th stores in the nation for the Whole Foods brand. The two stores employ roughly 200 people combined, according to Whole Foods Market. The Decatur location, inspired by Ponce de Leon Avenue, includes Pour de Leon, a beverage, dining and gathering venue for all ages, including free classic arcade games. The Buckhead store includes the second location of Sublime Tree, a vendor that provides organic smoothies and cold-pressed juices. Coming in early 2019, both stores will feature an authentic Mexican eatery onsite — Loteria Grill from Chef Jimmy Shaw.
DUNCAN, S.C. — CRG, the development arm of Clayco Inc., has purchased 39.3 acres of land in Duncan for the construction of The Cubes at Inland Woods. The speculative, cross-dock distribution center will span 467,200 square feet and feature 36-foot clear heights, 128 dock doors, four drive-in doors, 240 employee parking spaces and 74 trailer parking spaces. The Cubes will be situated less than two miles from the Inland Port Greer and less than three miles from BMW’s Spartanburg plant. The design team includes Clayco and its architect subsidiary BatesForum. Colliers International’s Garrett Scott, John Montgomery and Brockton Hall represented CRG on the land purchase and have also been chosen to manage the leasing of the new building. Atlanta-based The Net Lease Group arranged financing on behalf of CRG. The Cubes at Inland Woods is the second project in CRG’s distribution series. The St. Louis-based developer is also currently under construction on The Cubes at Inland 85 in Spartanburg.
HOUMA, LA. — Southern Properties Capital, a subsidiary of Dallas-based Transcontinental Realty Investors Inc., has purchased The Landing Apartments on Bayou Cane in Houma. The seller and sales were not disclosed. Built in 2005, the 240-unit, garden-style multifamily community features 13 buildings and offers a unit mix of studio, one-, two- and three-bedroom apartments ranging from 500 square feet to 1,500 square feet. Community amenities include a clubhouse with a lounge area, study room with computers, 24-hour exercise facility, volleyball court, open green space and a swimming deck surrounding a pool and hot tub.
There is no shortage of capital available to seasoned multifamily developers and investors because the property sector’s underlying real estate fundamentals remain so strong. That was one of the key takeaways of the ninth annual InterFace Multifamily Southeast, a real estate conference hosted by InterFace Conference Group and Southeast Real Estate Business. The event drew more than 400 multifamily professionals to The Whitley hotel in Atlanta on Nov. 27. Speakers during the development panel said that multifamily real estate has plenty options on both the debt and equity sides, but underwriting financing for new construction can still be a strenuous process because they aren’t seeing as high of returns as years past. “Our return thresholds are lower, that’s a fact,” said Chad DuBeau, senior managing director of Mill Creek Residential Trust. “Construction costs are high and land prices are high. The cost of capital is very reasonable, but when you put all those factors together, underwriting is just difficult.” Panel moderator Ron Cameron, senior vice president and principal of Colliers International, asked his fellow panelists a pointed question about the state of the industry. If the multifamily cycle were a game of golf, what hole is the sector currently on? …
Joint Venture Purchases Multifamily Community, Adjacent Land in Metro D.C. for $100M Development
by Alex Tostado
GLENMONT, MD. — Elion Partners and Buchanan Partners have entered a joint venture to acquire a 164-unit multifamily community and adjacent 3.5-acre parcel in Glenmont for $34 million. The joint venture plans to renovate the existing asset and develop 254 additional units, bringing the project total to $100 million. Construction at the property, located about 12 miles north of Washington, D.C., is set to begin early next year. This is the third joint venture between Elion and Buchanan.
Lincoln Harris Begins Phase II of Legacy Union in Uptown Charlotte, Signs Deloitte as Anchor
by Alex Tostado
CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Lincoln Harris, a real estate development, investment and property management company, has entered Phase II of Legacy Union, a mixed-use development in Uptown Charlotte. Construction of the 362,000-square-foot 650 South Tryon, an 18-story glass building, has begun, and London-based Deloitte, a multinational professional services network and one of the Big Four accounting firms, will occupy the top four floors. Legacy Union spans two city blocks and will feature offices, retail shops, restaurants, hotels, residences, a parking garage, public green space and a pedestrian promenade.