Construction on the 73-story Wilshire Grand Hotel, office and retail complex in Downtown Los Angeles’ Financial District, coupled with Google’s recent purchase of 12 acres for development in Playa Vista prove the region’s office market is alive and well. It may even be enjoying a bit of a rebirth in this post-recovery period. Los Angeles, unlike many other comparable U.S. metropolitans, is composed of several distinct business centers that make it difficult to generalize about the overall market. Separated by only a few miles, there are nonetheless very distinct markets that comprise LA, due, in no small part, to the lack of a fully integrated public transportation system and long-standing traffic that remain a barrier to full connectivity between the various areas. With that in mind, there are some very evident trends emerging out of Downtown and the Westside, which includes Century City, Westwood, Santa Monica, Playa Vista and adjacent cities. Downtown is enjoying a resurgence. It now has a real live-work vibe due, in large part, to the highly successful LA Live mixed-use hotel, retail and entertainment development adjacent to Staples Center. A variety of high-rise condominiums and apartments now make it possible to actually live Downtown. With new …
ATLANTA — Billionaire entrepreneur and legendary media mogul Ted Turner, who along with Coca-Cola and Delta Air Lines helped put Atlanta on the map, captivated a packed house at restaurant 103 West on Wednesday afternoon during the annual luncheon of the Buckhead Coalition. Business and political leaders from across Atlanta and Fulton County gathered to hear the 76-year-old, straight-talking Turner reflect on his life and career during a one-on-one interview with Sam Massell, president of the Buckhead Coalition and former mayor of Atlanta from 1970-74. Turner didn’t disappoint. He and Massell bantered back and forth for 20 minutes, leaving the audience hungry for more. The Background Turner began his career as an account executive with the Turner Advertising Co., which made a substantial profit selling billboard ads. In 1970, he entered the television business when he acquired an independent UHF station. In 1976, Turner purchased Major League Baseball’s Atlanta Braves and launched the TBS Superstation, originating the “superstation” concept. The following year, Turner Broadcasting System Inc. acquired the National Basketball Association’s Atlanta Hawks and in 1980 Turner launched CNN, the world’s first live, 24-hour global news network. Over the next two decades, the company built a portfolio of cable television …
CHICAGO — Mid-America Real Estate Corp. has arranged the $2 million sale of The Columbian Retail Shops in Chicago. Chicago-based Newcastle Limited purchased the 6,600-square-foot, two-tenant retail property for $2 million. The Columbian Retail Shops is located at the northwest corner of S. Michigan Ave. and E. Roosevelt Road. The center features retailers Burger Bar and Elements Therapeutic Massage.Joe Girardi and Carly Gallagher of Mid-America were the exclusive brokers in the transaction on behalf of Boston-based Long Wharf Real Estate Partners LLC.
SAN ANTONIO — Institutional Property Advisors, a division of Marcus & Millichap, has arranged the sale of Castle Hills Townhomes, a 149-unit, townhome-style apartment complex in San Antonio. The property was built in 1998 on eight acres and is located one block east of Northwest Military Highway. The complex is near the South Texas Medical Center and the United Services Automobile Association’s headquarters. Will Balthrope and Drew Kile of IPA represented the seller, Sendera Investment Group LLC of Austin. Hayden Properties, of Oregon, is the buyer. The previous owner completed an exterior renovation and the interiors of 63 percent of the apartments have been upgraded. Castle Hills Townhomes includes one-, two- and three-bedroom floorplans with an average unit size of 1,000 square feet.
LEWISVILLE, TEXAS — Berkadia Commercial Mortgage LLC has secured a $55 million loan for the construction of Discovery at the Realm, an apartment complex that will be located in Lewisville. Joseph Hevey of Berkadia worked with the borrower, Bright Realty, to secure the three-year, interest-only loan through Mutual of Omaha Bank. The bank provided $43 million in senior debt financing. Great Southern Bank of Springfield, Mo., also participated in the construction loan, and Cornerstone Real Estate Advisers LLC provided $12 million in mezzanine debt financing. Construction will begin on Discovery at the Realm in December. The property will be located at the southeast corner of Windhaven Parkway and Castle Hills Drive, 25 miles north of Dallas. The complex will consist of 423 units located across three buildings on more than 20 acres of land. The total cost for the project will be more than $75 million. BB&M Architecture is providing architectural services, while Andres Construction of Dallas will serve as the general contractor.
RIVERSIDE, CALIF. — Scuderia Development has acquired a 600,000-square-foot industrial property in Riverside for $43.5 million. The Class A property is located at 14600 Innovation Drive, within the Meridian Business Park. Scuderia plans to utilize the space as a warehouse and distribution facility for its aluminum products. The property includes 4,160 square feet of office space. Other notable tenants at Meridian Business Park include Sysco Corp., Yucaipa Company (Fresh & Easy), Kia Motors and McLane Foodservice. Newcastle Partners completed the property in late 2013. Phil Lombardo and Chuck Belden of Cushman & Wakefield represented both the buyer and Newcastle in this transaction.
LEWISVILLE, TEXAS — Bright Realty has brokered the sale of the company’s former headquarters located at 4228 N. Central Expressway in Lewisville, a Dallas suburb. The four-story mid-rise, known as the Bright Building, spans 54,000 square feet with three levels of underground parking. Nathan Denton of Lee & Associates represented the buyer, Caddo Holdings, in the transaction. Shawn Hall of Bright Realty worked on behalf of the seller. The building is located on the east side of Central Expressway and served as the corporate headquarters of Bright Realty for more than 12 years. The company relocated to a brand-new office in Castle Hills, a master-planned community in Lewisville developed by Bright Realty in 2013.
WEBSTER GROVES, MO. — Construction has begun on a new customer electrical substation and on an underground electrical infrastructure at Webster University in Webster Groves. Kwame Building Group Inc. (KWAME) is the construction manager on the project, which will be completed in July 2016. The new substation will provide electrical capacity for future campus expansions and remove the campus from the neighboring electrical load, increasing electrical capacity for future community development. The project requires the complete shutdown of several campus facilities with minimal disruption to classes and other university activities.Phase I of the electrical distribution work is scheduled for completion by the end of October and Phase II of the electrical work is scheduled to begin by the end of 2014. William Tao & Associates is the engineer and Castle Contracting is the general contractor for the first phase of the project.
NEW CASTLE, PA. — Brick, N.J.-based Tryko Partners has acquired Crestview Garden Apartments, located at 1139 Pin Oak Dr. in New Castle, for an undisclosed price. The apartment community features 184 affordable residential units. Tryko plans to immediately invest $1 million in improvements to the property, including common area renovations, a new property-wide security system, and kitchen and bathroom improvements in individual units. CBRE Capital Market’s Philadelphia office arranged financing for the acquisition through TriState Capital Bank. Tryko Partners is a private equity real estate group that specializes in project-based Section 8 Homeowners Assistance Program transaction and property repositionings.
SAN ANTONIO — ARA has arranged the sale of Park West & Parliament Bend, two apartment complexes totaling 559 units in San Antonio. Pat Jones and Matt Michelson of ARA represented the seller, Regional Investment & Management, in the transaction. Regional Investment & Management is a California-based owner and operator of multifamily communities throughout Texas. The buyer is a private owner/operator. Park West consists of 327 units and was built in 1979. Parliament Bend consists of 232 units and was built in 1981. Both Class B complexes are located in the Castle Hills submarket in north-central San Antonio. The complexes were 95 percent occupied at the time of sale.