GRAND RAPIDS, MICH. — Galactic Toys & Collectibles has opened its second location at 4174 Alpine Ave. NW in the Comstock Park area of Grand Rapids. The store spans 3,862 square feet. The Grand Rapids-based retailer’s first location is on 28th Street near Woodland Mall. Galactic sells toys, board games, action figures and other collectibles. Jon Greenen of Colliers International handled leasing on behalf of Galactic.
STOCKBRIDGE, GA. — Jodeco 158 LLC, a newly formed firm headed by local developers Jeff Grant and David Hughes, will develop Bridges at Jodeco, a $400 million mixed-use project near Interstate 75 in Stockbridge, a southeastern suburb of Atlanta. According to the development team, Bridges at Jodeco will be built on the largest remaining tract of undeveloped land adjacent to I-75 in Henry County. The development will also offer convenient access to the Atlanta Motor Speedway and Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport. The residential component of the 158-acre project currently calls for 300 high-end apartments, 90 single-family attached townhomes and 176 detached single-family homes that may be used for senior living. More than 65 acres have been zoned for retail, dining and entertainment uses. In addition, the development team is seeking to include hotel, fitness and theater users, as well as other service providers for the retail component. About 20 acres of green space will be reserved for walking paths and trails and pocket parks. “Our intention is to create an amenity-rich, live-work-shop-dine-play destination where people can engage and relax in a comforting, family-centered setting,” says Grant, who serves as principal of Jodeco 158. “We believe Bridges at Jodeco will offer …
TOLEDO, OHIO — Welltower Inc. (NYSE: WELL), a Toledo-based seniors housing and healthcare REIT, is continuing to expand its medical office holdings. The company announced five transactions totaling approximately $1.7 billion, including a $787 million portfolio acquisition of 29 Class A medical office buildings from Hammes Partners, a medical office investment firm based in Milwaukee. The 1.5 million-square-foot portfolio is concentrated in the New York City and Boston suburbs and includes properties in California, Texas and Maryland. The portfolio was 97 percent occupied at the time of sale and is affiliated with Baylor Scott & White, Providence St. Joseph, Trinity Health, Medstar and other not-for-profit health systems and multi-specialty physician groups. The portfolio has an average age of 10 years, a weighted average lease term of 12 years and 2.2 percent average annual rent increases. The Hammes transaction is scheduled to close in the fourth quarter of 2019. Separately, Welltower announced four separate outpatient medical transactions that are currently under contract for approximately $885 million. Details on these four deals were not disclosed. “These transactions establish Welltower as the largest commercial owner of medical office real estate in the country, with a platform approaching 30 million square feet,” says Thomas …
POOLER, GA. — Granite REIT has acquired a 689,400-square-foot distribution center located at 100 Clyde Alexander Lane in Pooler, adjacent to another industrial park it owns. The Toronto-based company, which is traded on both the Toronto and New York stock exchanges, bought the 100 Clyde Alexander facility for $47.5 million. The property is situated on 48.3 acres about four miles from the gate of the Port of Savannah. The property offers 32-foot clear heights, four drive-in doors and 120 dock doors. The property was fully leased at the time of sale with more than three years left on the tenant’s lease. The tenant was not disclosed, although the Atlanta Business Chronicle reports the tenant is Best Choice Products, an e-commerce provider with a focus on home furnishings, toys and appliances.
For the past 10 years, Walters has been creating premium affordable housing that is 100 percent income-restricted and sustainable. The company has delivered a dozen developments throughout New Jersey, and several more are currently under development. The positive benefits and lasting effects of affordable housing impact both the residents living in the homes as well as the communities in which they are located. Each year, more people struggle to afford living in the communities where they work because of a lack of affordable housing stock. Even older adults who have lived for decades in a community have few opportunities to downsize. Many young adults who want to raise their own families in the communities where they grew up cannot afford “starter homes” today. Affordable housing, however, enables people to live where they choose based on their needs and aspirations. A Princeton University study of affordable housing development in Mount Laurel, New Jersey, found numerous benefits: Families moving into high-quality affordable housing experience a safer neighborhood, lower crime rates, better mental health, strong rates of employment and higher wages. By saving money on rent, families can spend more of their household incomes on essentials such as food and healthcare. The study …
CUPERTINO, CALIF. — Apple Inc. (NASDAQ: AAPL) has announced a $2.5 billion plan to address the housing availability and affordability crisis in California. Much like Facebook’s recent announcement to commit $1 billion and build 20,000 affordable housing units in the Golden State, Apple cited the major discrepancy between the paces of population growth and affordable housing development as the key catalyst behind its plan. Earlier this year, Microsoft Corp. and Alphabet Inc., the parent company of Google, also pledged a combined $1.25 billion toward the development of affordable housing in metro Seattle and the Silicon Valley area, where those two firms are respectively based. In supporting this measure, Apple referenced a recent study by real estate brokerage firm Redfin that found that some 30,000 people had vacated the San Francisco area between April and June of this year. The study also found that the rate of homeownership in the Bay Area has hit a seven-year low. Both pieces of information suggest that residents, whether buying or renting, are simply being priced out of the region. In response to the growing cost of housing in California, Gov. Gavin Newsom signed a bill in October that would cap annual rent increases imposed …
NEW YORK CITY — New Senior Investment Group Inc. (NYSE: SNR), a New York-based seniors housing REIT, has agreed to sell its entire assisted living and memory care portfolio for $385 million. The portfolio comprises 28 properties across 14 states totaling 2,840 units. The deal will leave the company with 102 independent living properties and one continuing care retirement community.
MENLO PARK, CALIF. — Facebook (NASDAQ: FB) has committed $1 billion and will partner with the State of California to build 20,000 affordable workforce- and low-income housing units over the next 10 years. Many of the units will serve first responders and teachers who can’t afford to live in the communities they serve, according to a press release from Facebook. According to David Wehner, CEO of Facebook, a family of four making $100,000 in San Francisco is considered low income. “The issue of affordable housing affects people across middle-class and low-income families alike,” says Wehner. Facebook will invest $1 billion over the next 10 years as follows: $250 million to a partnership with the State of California for mixed-income housing on excess state-owned land in communities where housing is scarce. $150 million for production of affordable housing, including housing for the homeless, in the San Francisco Bay Area. Facebook will contribute to the Bay’s Future Fund, the affordable housing investment fund of Partnership for the Bay’s Future, to work toward a more livable, equitable and racially and economically diverse Bay Area. $225 million in land in Menlo Park. This is land Facebook previously purchased, that is now zoned for housing, on which …
CHICAGO — The food and beverage industry dominated much of the programming and sessions at this year’s Chicago Deal Making, hosted by the International Council of Shopping Centers (ICSC). In fact, the keynote speaker was Fabio Viviani, a celebrity chef and hospitality developer. Examples of other food-oriented workshops and panels included “How to Craft Restaurant Deals,” “From Automation to Ghost Kitchens, Understanding the Trends Reshaping F&B” and “Small Bites: New Restaurant Concepts.” The two-day ICSC event took place at Navy Pier on Wednesday and Thursday, Oct. 16-17. The show kicked off with an hour-long session in which retailers pitched their expansion plans in the Midwest. An overwhelming number of participants were restaurants. “Chicago is recognized for being a gastronomical center, not one or two really good chefs and restaurant tours but many,” said Steven Weinstock, first vice president and regional manager of Marcus & Millichap’s Chicago Oak Brook office. “We win as residents of Chicago because they keep trying new concepts.” Weinstock cited the influx of residents in Chicago’s River North, Streeterville and West Loop neighborhoods for helping grow the food industry within the city. This younger, affluent crowd views restaurants as a source of enjoyment and entertainment, he argued. …
NEW YORK CITY — The We Co., parent company of coworking office space operator WeWork, and SoftBank Group Corp. have reached an agreement under which SoftBank will provide $5 billion in new financing and a tender offer of up to $3 billion for existing WeWork shareholders. SoftBank, a Japanese technology conglomerate, will also accelerate an existing commitment to fund $1.5 billion. WeWork chose the rescue offer from SoftBank over a competing proposal from JPMorgan Chase & Co. The announcement comes after well-documented concerns about the coworking giant’s cash flow and leadership. The company’s valuation plunged after it scrapped its initial public offering. WeWork founder Adam Neumann was forced out of his chief executive position after pushback from prospective investors. “It is not unusual for the world’s leading technology disruptors to experience growth challenges as the one WeWork just faced,” says Masayoshi Son, chairman and CEO of SoftBank. “Since the vision remains unchanged, SoftBank has decided to double down on the company by providing a significant capital infusion and operational support.” After closing and following the tender offer, SoftBank’s economic ownership stake in WeWork will be approximately 80 percent, up from about one-third currently. Since SoftBank will not hold a majority …