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Gap Inc. to Close 230 Stores, Spin Off Old Navy

by Taylor Williams March 1, 2019

SAN FRANCISCO — Gap Inc. (NYSE: GPS) will close approximately 230 Gap specialty stores within the next two years, the San Francisco-based apparel chain announced in its fourth-quarter and 2018 fiscal year reports, released Thursday. Gap Inc. also revealed plans to spin off Old Navy, a brand it established in 1994, into a separate publicly traded entity, as well as to rebrand itself under a yet-to-be-determined name. In explaining their reasoning behind the split, company leaders cited a growing divergence between the customer bases, operating strategies and value-creation mechanisms of Gap and Old Navy, with the latter outperforming the former. According to The Wall Street Journal, Old Navy accounted for nearly half of Gap Inc.’s total 2018 sales of $16.6 billion. The new company will carry Gap-brand apparel in addition to clothing lines from sister brands like Athleta and Banana Republic. The two companies will trade under different ticker symbols and have separate management and leadership structures, as well as distinct financial profiles, company executives said. The company estimates that the closures of the 230 stores — roughly 20 percent of its total global store count— will result in approximately $625 million in annualized sales losses. Additionally, the company estimates …

March 1, 2019

Market Reports Multifamily Texas Texas Market Reports

Why Arlington Should Be on Every Multifamily Developers’ Radar

by Taylor Williams March 1, 2019

Our borrowers’ favorite question is, “Where should we build next?” As a lender specializing in financing Texas apartment communities, it’s hard to get the answer wrong. Our state is full of cities adding jobs and people at faster rates than the nation as a whole. As we drill down to help our clients differentiate between “good markets” and “good opportunities,” we focus on several factors including the current rental market, supply and demand and location. When considering these factors, the city of Arlington stands out as an overlooked “good opportunity.” It’s surprising how little attention this city of 400,000 in the middle of the metroplex has received from multifamily developers in recent years. Even as home to an ever-expanding General Motors assembly plant, one of the state’s largest universities, an entertainment district featuring two $1 billion stadiums, an extensive highway system, easy access to Dallas-Fort Worth (DFW) International Airport and a pro-growth local government, we haven’t worked with a developer yet that had Arlington on its list before we talked. Yet the selling points are obvious. Current Rental Market Overall, market-rate properties in Arlington show steady occupancy at 93 percent with average rents of $1.20 per square foot and annual …

March 1, 2019

California Features Multifamily Walker & Dunlop Western Western Feature Archive

Expect Multifamily Debt Market to Grow Overall in 2019, Says Walker & Dunlop’s Jeff Burns

by Taylor Williams February 28, 2019

SAN DIEGO — While agency volume may decrease slightly in 2019 due to tougher energy conservation standards in green lending programs offered by Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, the multifamily debt market overall is expected to grow this year, according to a veteran mortgage banker. Jeff Burns, managing director at Walker & Dunlop’s Walnut Creek, Calif., office, spoke to REBusinessOnline at the MBA 2019 Commercial Real Estate Finance/Multifamily Housing Convention & Expo. The event, held at the Manchester Grand Hyatt San Diego, took place Feb. 10-13. Although the 10-year Treasury yield is down about 50 basis points since reaching 3.2 percent in early November, most economists expect long-term rates to rise in 2019. (Investor worries over trade conflicts, a volatile equities market and falling oil prices led to a precipitous drop in the yield on the benchmark Treasury note.) Burns, who is responsible for new loan origination in California and the western United States, discussed trends in agency lending as well as the state of the multifamily market. What follows are his edited responses: Rebusinessonline.com: What trends are you seeing in agency financing for the multifamily sector in the western region? Jeff Burns: Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac continue to …

February 28, 2019

Acquisitions District of Columbia Hospitality Southeast Top Stories

Pebblebrook Hotel Trust Sells Hotel in D.C. for $141.5M

by John Nelson February 26, 2019

WASHINGTON, D.C. — Pebblebrook Hotel Trust (NYSE: PEB) has closed on the sale of Hotel Palomar Washington DC, a 335-room hotel located at 2121 P St. N.W. in Washington, D.C.’s Dupont Circle neighborhood. An undisclosed buyer purchased the hotel for $141.5 million. According to Pebblebrook, the sales price reflects a cap rate of 5.9 percent based on the hotel’s 2018 net operating income. The Bethesda, Md.-based hotel REIT will use proceeds from the sale for general business purposes, which may include reducing the company’s outstanding debt. San Francisco-based Kimpton manages Hotel Palomar, which features an outdoor pool and sundeck, spa services, 24-hour fitness center, business center, bike sharing services and Urbana, an onsite Italian restaurant. Pebblebrook has been on a selling spree for its Washington, D.C., hotels. Last week, the company sold The Liaison Capitol Hill, a 343-room hotel, to REIT Bldg Management Co. Inc. for $111 million. According to Washington Business Journal, Pebblebrook is currently marketing three Kimpton-managed hotels it owns near Dupont Circle. In an investor presentation posted yesterday, Pebblebrook disclosed that its Washington, D.C., hotels comprise 7 percent of the company’s 2018 EBITDA (earnings before interest, tax, depreciation and amortization). Pebblebrook announced last year its intent to …

February 26, 2019

Acquisitions Florida Hospitality Southeast Top Stories

HST Purchases South Beach Hotel for $610M

by John Nelson February 20, 2019

MIAMI BEACH, FLA. — Host Hotels & Resorts Inc. (NYSE: HST) has purchased 1 Hotel South Beach, a 429-room hotel and resort in Miami’s South Beach neighborhood. A partnership between Starwood Capital Group and LeFrak sold the property for $610 million, or a little over $1.4 million per room. Hodges Ward Elliot represented Starwood Capital and LeFrak in the sale. The property features 600 linear feet of ocean frontage and has direct beach access, as well as four pools with elevated decks that provide ocean views. SH Hotels & Resorts, an affiliate of Starwood Capital, will continue to operate and manage the 1.1 million-square-foot property as 1 Hotel South Beach. “We are excited about the opportunity to acquire one of the absolute best luxury hotels in the country and partner with SH Hotels & Resorts as our operator,” says James Risoleo, president and CEO of HST. “1 Hotels is redefining the luxury hotel industry and we could not be more proud to own its flagship hotel. We look forward to being a big part of the brand’s future growth.” Starwood Capital acquired the 1970s-era beachfront hotel in 2012 and executed a $300 million overhaul, including adding 155 condominiums and updating the …

February 20, 2019

New York Northeast Office Top Stories

Analyst: Amazon Abandoning New York City HQ Will Have Greatest Impact on Condo Market

by Kristin Harlow February 15, 2019

NEW YORK CITY — The New York City condo market will likely take the biggest hit after Amazon announced Thursday that it would not move forward with plans to build a second headquarters in the city, according to one REIT analyst. The online retail giant cited a lack of support from state and local elected officials as its reason for pulling out of a massive headquarters plan in the Long Island City neighborhood of Queens. “While polls show that 70 percent of New Yorkers support our plans and investment, a number of state and local politicians have made it clear that they oppose our presence and will not work with us to build the type of relationships that are required to go forward with the project we and many others envisioned in Long Island City,” wrote Amazon in a blog post. Amazon does not intend to reopen the HQ2 search at this time. The company will proceed with its plans for a headquarters in Northern Virginia and operations hub in Nashville. James Sullivan, managing director of equity research for BTIG, says that there are a lot of residential units in the development pipeline in the Long Island City market. “The …

February 15, 2019

Data Centers Development Industrial Office Top Stories

Google to Invest $13B in 2019 on New Data Centers, Offices Across the United States

by Alex Tostado February 14, 2019

MOUNTAIN VIEW, CALIF. — Google (Nasdaq: GOOGL) has announced plans for more than $13 billion in investments during 2019 in data centers and offices across the United States, with major expansions in 14 states. According to a blog post written by Google CEO Sundar Pichai, this will mark the second year in a row that Google will grow faster outside the Bay Area than within it. With the expansions, Mountain View-based Google expects to hire tens of thousands of employees across the country, including 10,000 construction jobs in Nebraska, Nevada, Ohio, Texas, South Carolina and Virginia. The tech-giant will have a presence in 24 states, as well as data centers in 13 communities. “This growth will allow us to invest in the communities where we operate, while we improve the products and services that help billions of people and businesses globally,” Pichai said in the blog post. “Our new data center investments, in particular, will enhance our ability to provide the fastest and most reliable services for all our users and customers.” Data centers In the Western States, south Nevada is set to get a new data center. In the Midwest, data centers will pop up in Ohio, Nebraska and …

February 14, 2019

Sunridge Apartments in Nacogdoches, Texas

Features Loans

Financing Flexibility Remains Key in Today’s Fluid Environment

by Jeff Shaw February 14, 2019

Every year brings a few question marks in terms of what’s ahead. Some years have more unknowns than others; many agree 2019 is one of those years. From politics to the stock market to trade tensions, this year has its share of variables on top of traditional uncertainties, such as natural disasters. Add lots of capital chasing fewer deals, an affordability imbalance, and a disconnect between buyers and sellers, and those question marks continue to multiply. Lenders have generally remained disciplined and diligent in the current market, estimating their level of risk and confidence as best they can. While they don’t have a crystal ball any more than the rest of us do, many finance professionals believe flexibility may be the key to thriving in 2019. “Most lenders, particularly Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, have adapted to a more fluid financial climate,” states Marcus & Millichap’s 2019 Multifamily North American Investment Forecast. “Lenders remain cautious, adopting tighter underwriting standards but aggressively competing to place capital into apartment assets.” As with many temporary blips on the horizon, the report recommends seeing the forest as a whole, rather than getting distracted by a few worrisome-looking trees. “Strong demand drivers supporting long-term yield …

February 14, 2019

California Features Western

Fading Tailwinds Will Limit U.S. Economic Growth in 2019, Says MBA’s Chief Economist

by John Nelson February 11, 2019

SAN DIEGO — Despite a strong U.S. job market, GDP growth will slow now that the tailwind from the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act has largely dissipated, predicts Michael Fratantoni, chief economist with the Mortgage Bankers Association (MBA). More specifically, Fratantoni is forecasting the nation’s economy to grow 2 percent in 2019, down from 3.1 percent in 2018. Passage of the sweeping tax bill in late 2017 and signed into law by President Donald Trump “led to some front-loading of some additional spending and benefits, particularly on the corporate tax side that showed up as this faster growth rate in 2018,” explains Fratantoni. “We also know that the budget agreement that was reached [early last year] really concentrated about $300 billion of spending particularly in 2018, maybe a little bit into 2019.” The comments from the veteran economist came during a special session Sunday on the opening day of the 2019 Commercial Real Estate Finance/Multifamily Housing Convention & Expo at the Manchester Grand Hyatt San Diego. Jaime Woodwell, vice president of commercial/multifamily research for MBA, also provided an update on the state of the commercial/multifamily market during the session. The-four day conference has attracted mortgage bankers from across the country. One …

February 11, 2019

Company News Georgia North Carolina Southeast Top Stories

BB&T, SunTrust Agree to Merge in $66B Deal, Creating Sixth Largest U.S. Bank

by Taylor Williams February 7, 2019

ATLANTA AND WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. — In a blockbuster deal, SunTrust Banks Inc. (NYSE: STI) and BB&T Corp. (NYSE: BBT) have entered into an all-stock merger agreement valued at approximately $66 billion. The marriage of these two iconic financial institutions in the Southeast will create the sixth-largest bank in the United States. Under terms of the agreement, SunTrust investors will receive 1.295 shares of BB&T for each SunTrust share they own. That equates to BB&T agreeing to pay $28.1 billion for SunTrust’s equity as of the closing price on Wednesday, Feb. 6. The combined company will operate under a new name and brand and be headquartered in Charlotte, N.C., while maintaining significant operations and investment in Winston-Salem, N.C., and Atlanta. The entity’s headquarters in Charlotte will also feature an innovation and technology center to aid with the transference of digital information. The deal, which is still subject to shareholder approval and other customary regulatory approvals, is expected to close in the fourth quarter of this year. A press release highlighting the agreement says the name of the new entity will be announced prior to the transaction closing. The agreement is being billed by both companies as a “merger of equals.” Shareholders of North …

February 7, 2019

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