FARMERS BRANCH, TEXAS — Executive Refreshments, which provides pantry and vending machine stocking and services, has signed a 19,000-square-foot industrial lease at 13703-13707 Gamma Road in the northern Dallas metro of Farmers Branch. Jeff McVaney of Partners Real Estate represented the tenant in the lease negotiations. Chad Albert and D.J. Draper of Stoic Real Estate Partners represented the undisclosed landlord.
MANHATTAN, Kan. — McCarthy Mortenson NBAF, a joint venture between builders McCarthy Building Cos. and Mortenson Construction, has completed the National Bio and Agro-Defense Facility (NBAF) in Manhattan, approximately 55 miles west of Topeka and 115 miles west of Kansas City. Development costs for the animal disease research facility were estimated at $940 million. Developed to ensure public health and the safety and security of the nation’s food supply, the 707,000-square-foot facility is located on a 48-acre site. It is designed with stringent containment, blast-resistant and anti-terrorism requirements, as well as the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) high-wind design criteria adopted by the Department of Homeland Security. NBAF features laboratories functioning at multiple biosafety levels, including the first facility in the United States with biosafety level 4 containment capable of housing large livestock. The lab portions total 574,000 square feet, while the freestanding, 87,000-square-foot Central Utility Plant houses boilers, chillers, emergency diesel generators and other support elements for the main laboratory facility. In addition to having multiple laboratories, NBAF will also have a biologics development module to explore the development and production of potential vaccines, diagnostic platforms and veterinary medical countermeasures. The property will functionally replace the aging Plum Island Animal …
NEW YORK CITY — Global Net Lease (NYSE: GNL) and The Necessity Retail REIT (NASDAQ: RTL) have entered into a merger agreement under which GNL will acquire RTL in an all-stock transaction. The combined company is expected to own and manage over 1,350 properties with an aggregate real estate asset value of approximately $9.6 billion. Under terms of the merger agreement, GNL stockholders are expected to own approximately 45 percent of GNL post-closing, RTL stockholders are expected to own about 39 percent, and the owner of the former external manager is expected to own up to 17 percent. The merger is projected to generate approximately $21 million in annual cash savings realized within 12 months of transaction close, according to the companies. The combined entity will be internally managed, with external asset and property management functions to be performed by AR Global. Internalizing management is expected to result in approximately $54 million in annual cash savings. Headquartered in New York City, Global Net Lease is a publicly traded REIT that focuses on commercial properties with an emphasis on sale-leaseback transactions involving single-tenant, mission-critical, income-producing net lease assets across the United States and in Europe. Its portfolio features 311 properties totaling 39.3 million square feet across 11 …
ST. AUGUSTINE, FLA. — Steinemann & Co. plans to develop a Bass Pro Shops Outdoor World store along World Commerce Parkway in St. Augustine, approximately 40 miles southeast of Jacksonville. Upon completion, the store will span 100,000 square feet and offer boating merchandise, in addition to hunting, fishing, camping, leisure and athletic gear and apparel. The store will also feature a large aquarium and water features stocked with native fish species, thousands of local antiques and artifacts, hundreds of trophy fish and wildlife mounts and murals depicting local scenes. The store will also offer fishing classes for kids. Set to open in 2024, the St. Augustine store will mark the 13th location for Bass Pro Shops in Florida and will employ about 115 associates.
By Willy Walker, CEO of Walker & Dunlop I recently had the pleasure of sitting down to talk with some prominent members of the Walker & Dunlop team, including Kris Mikkelsen, executive vice president of investment sales, Aaron Appel, senior managing director of capital markets, and Ivy Zelman, executive vice president of research and securities. In this episode of the Walker Webcast, “State of CRE,” we covered some of the most prominent issues the commercial real estate industry is facing, as well as some headwinds it will continue to face in the future. Changes in Homebuilding and Consumer Spending Although homebuilders had to offer incentives when rates first started increasing last year, they are still seeing a steady demand for homes, as demand still heavily outpaces supply. This imbalance is seen in the new and existing home market. Single-family homes in many markets across the country are in multiple offer situations, indicating that single-family residential real estate is still strong. This is incredible, given the fact that many existing homeowners are locked into mortgage rates in the 2-5 percent range, giving them little reason to move out of their current home. How Mortgage Deals Are Currently Financed Although we are …
By Wes Snow, co-founder and CEO, Ascendix Technologies For the first time since the COVID-19 pandemic began, offices are 50 percent occupied nationally as companies push harder for returns to their buildings — which is good news. Still, amid this encouraging development, inflation, interest rate hikes and general fears of recession might impede businesses planning to align their office rent expenses with the pre-pandemic rates. Can businesses optimize the space they’re already utilizing without renting more? At Ascendix Technologies, a company that has been specializing in custom real estate software development for two decades, we’ve seen a variety of space extension practices applied by office owners and managers. Here are some methods that users can employ too maximize efficiency within their existing footprints. Implement Open Floor Plans Not only do wall-less spaces encourage collaboration among teams and reduce the need for spacious individual offices, they also increase flexibility in terms of how space is utilized. Reconfiguring spaces is easy with movable walls and modular furniture and represents an option that helps growing businesses align their changing needs with the spaces they’ve got. Upgrading open-floor space management with automation is another viable option. With a technology like floor management software or …
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Why Investors Should Love Atlanta’s Multifamily Market
Like most of the country, the metro Atlanta multifamily market has experienced a dramatic storyline over the past three years. While the continuing plot twists are difficult to predict, important cues suggest Atlanta’s multifamily market will reestablish a solid upward path quicker than many other cities in the country. Economic strength Atlanta’s economic fundamentals make it a favored market for investors, lenders, new residents, and business relocations. Today, metro Atlanta’s population stands at approximately 6 million, growing by 64,940 in 2022. Atlanta also added 126,400 new jobs in 2022. Georgia’s unemployment rate of 3.1 percent is below the national average of 3.6 percent. These figures are a key part of Atlanta’s desirability as an investment market and an indicator of the region’s ability to rebound quickly from cyclical economic disruptions. Record volume Atlanta is a top 10 U.S. market for multifamily inventory and investment. As the nation experienced an 11-year economic expansion after the Global Financial Crisis (GFC), Atlanta’s multifamily sales volume averaged between $7 billion and $9 billion annually. When the pandemic hit in March 2020, most industry participants expected a major transaction pullback. The reality proved different. Sales volume dropped initially but rebounded sharply for a full-year 2020 …
FORT LAUDERDALE, FLA. — PEBB Capital and Intalex Capital, in partnership with CDS International Holdings Inc., have acquired 110 East, an office building located in downtown Fort Lauderdale. The 24-story property comprises 343,500 square feet of office space. Christian Lee, Andrew Chilgren, Marcos Minaya and Sean Kelley of CBRE brokered the transaction on behalf of both the buyers and the seller, Stockbridge. The sales price was not disclosed, but multiple media outlets have reported that 110 East traded for $43 million. Travis Herring and Katherine Ridgway of Cushman & Wakefield are working with PEBB and Intalex to oversee leasing of the building, and the partnership has secured 76,000 square feet of new tenancy, with 125,000 square feet of new leases currently in negotiation. Plans for the property include multimillion-dollar renovations to common areas. Greenwall Capital Management advised CDS in the transaction, and Kapp Morrison LLP provided legal representation.
JACKSONVILLE, FLA., AND GREENWICH, CONN.— Jacksonville-based REIT Regency Centers (NASDAQ: REG) has agreed to acquire Urstadt Biddle Properties (NYSE: UBA) in a an all-stock transaction valued at $1.4 billion, including the assumption of debt and preferred stock. Urstadt Biddle Properties is a REIT based in Greenwich that primarily invests in shopping centers. The combined company will have a market capitalization of approximately $11 billion and total enterprise value of approximately $16 billion. The combined portfolio will comprise 56 million square feet of gross leasable area across 481 properties. Regency acquired the company to help expand its footprint in grocery-anchored shopping centers in suburban trade areas in the U.S. Under the terms of the agreement, Urstadt Biddle’s stockholders will receive 0.347 of a newly issued REG share for each UBA or UBP share they own. This represents a total consideration of $20.40 per share based on Regency’s closing share price on May 17, 2023. Upon closing, Regency shareholders will own 93 percent of the combined company, while Urstadt Biddle shareholders will own three percent. The respective boards of directors of both Regency and Urstadt Biddle have each approved the transaction. “The portfolio that Urstadt Biddle has carefully assembled over more than …
BURBANK, CALIF. — Worthe has completed construction of the 800,000-square-foot office project known as Second Century at Burbank Studios. It will serve as the headquarters for Warner Bros. The two LEED-certified office buildings are located on the southernmost portion of the Burbank Studios Lot in Burbank. Frank Gehry and his team at Gehry Partners designed the project. Worthe developed the asset alongside its construction company, Krismar Construction. Stockbridge Real Estate Fund partnered on the project. Second Century was named in anticipation of the upcoming 100-year anniversary of Warner Bros. The buildings will house about 4,500 Warner Bros. employees.