NEW YORK CITY — New York City-based investment firm iStar Inc. (NYSE: STAR) has entered into an agreement to sell its portfolio of net-leased office, industrial and entertainment properties for roughly $3 billion. The properties are located in various markets throughout the country and total approximately 18.3 million square feet. The buyer is an affiliate of New York City-based private equity firm Carlyle Group. The deal is expected to close before the end of the first quarter. The stock price of iStar Inc. closed at $24.94 per share on Wednesday, Feb. 2, the first full day of trading after the deal was announced. The stock price is currently up more than 50 percent from its mark of $15.81 a year ago.
The multifamily investment sales sector had well-documented success in 2021 with a record volume of over $220 billion in transaction activity. Factors driving competition for transactions within the sector included: increasing home prices, widespread interest in renting and the easing of COVID-19 restrictions bringing renters back into the nation’s cities, all of which drove the average, nationwide multifamily occupancy rate above 97 percent. With firmly rooted fundamentals, investor interest across the spectrum of multifamily has been intense. Traditionally popular core investment products (stabilized and value-add assets located in primary and secondary markets) were the clear winners with investors. Some multifamily REIT stocks increased by 75 to 100 percent in 2021, explains Arthur Milston, senior managing director with NAI Global and co-head of the company’s Capital Markets Group. Milston sat down with REBusinessOnline to explain where NAI Global sees growth and opportunities in 2022. REBusiness: Who are the primary investor groups acquiring multifamily? What types/locations are they attracted to? Milston: Historically, multifamily has always had very fragmented ownership compared to other asset classes. Currently, the dominant players are the large aggregators of product, whether it be REITs or institutional investors that are buying, typically in conjunction with an operating partner. Pension …
LANSING, MICH. — Ultium Cells, a joint venture between General Motors Co. (NYSE: GM) and LG Energy Solution, has unveiled plans for a $2.6 billion investment to build its third battery cell manufacturing plant in the United States. The facility, which will be located in Lansing, the state capital, is part of a larger $7 billion investment in four Michigan manufacturing sites to increase battery cell and electric truck manufacturing capacity. Detroit-based GM says this is the single largest investment announcement in its history. The Michigan Strategic Fund Board approved $824.1 million in incentives for the projects, according to local media reports. Ultium Cells will build the new plant in Lansing on land leased from GM. The facility is expected to create 1,700 new jobs when fully operational. Site preparation on the roughly 2.8 million-square-foot property is scheduled to begin this summer, and the plant is expected to open in late 2024. The facility will supply battery cells to Orion Assembly in Michigan and other GM electric vehicle (EV) assembly plants. “This significant investment demonstrates our commitment to strengthen our Michigan and U.S. manufacturing presence and grow good-paying jobs,” says Mary Barra, GM chair and CEO. “We will have the …
NEW YORK CITY AND PHILADELPHIA — Blackstone Real Estate Income Trust Inc. (BREIT) has agreed to acquire Resource REIT, a publicly registered, non-traded REIT based in Philadelphia, for $3.7 billion in an all-cash transaction. Under the terms of the deal, BREIT will acquire all of the outstanding shares of common stock of Resource REIT for $14.75 per share, including the assumption of existing debt. The transaction is expected to close in the second quarter. Resource REIT’s portfolio currently consists of 42 garden-style apartment communities totaling more than 12,600 units across 13 states, including Arizona, Colorado, Florida, Georgia and Texas. “This transaction represents a continuation of our high-conviction investing in top-quality multifamily communities in growth markets across the country,” says Asim Hamid, senior managing director at Blackstone. “We intend to capitalize on our expertise, scale and management practices to ensure these properties are well maintained and provide an exceptional experience for residents.” Lazard Frères & Co. LLC is acting as exclusive financial advisor to Resource REIT, and DLA Piper LLP is acting as the firm’s legal counsel. BofA Securities, BMO Capital Markets Corp., Eastdil Secured Advisors LLC and RBC Capital Markets LLC are acting as financial advisors to BREIT. Simpson Thacher …
By Katie Sloan The pandemic has brought many challenges to the student housing industry, particularly as it relates to the much anticipated — and often dreaded — summer turn season. In 2020, the biggest hurdle was keeping shared spaces sanitized while maintaining the safety of residents and onsite staff. Owners and operators had the added challenge of navigating labor shortages, which left many companies scrambling to find everything from cleaning crews to onsite staff, and supply chain issues that resulted in everything from paint to furniture and appliances being stuck offshore or in ports, with little predictability as to delivery. Student Housing Business polled a number of owners, operators and vendors on their thoughts and best practices for circumventing supply chain issues in the new year. Owners & Operators Plan Ahead Owners and operators are getting on the ball and starting to plan. “I’m no expert on the supply chain, but our experience this year really has focused on furniture delivery, whereas in the first year of COVID-19 it was supplies for cleaning and sanitizing,” says Christine Richards, president of management at Core Spaces. “Items that were supposed to be delivered in June were showing up in December, which created …
HOUSTON — CyrusOne Inc. (NASDAQ: CONE) has entered into a definitive agreement to sell four of its data centers in Houston for approximately $670 million. Under the terms of the agreement, DataBank Holdings Ltd. will acquire Houston West I, II and III, as well as Houston Galleria. The four facilities total more than 300,000 square feet. Additionally, CyrusOne will lease back the Houston West III shell to support a lease signed with a customer in the fourth quarter of 2021. The transaction is expected to close by the end of this quarter. Proceeds from the sale will be utilized to fund future development projects. “We are excited to execute on our capital recycling initiative to fund our continued growth,” says David Ferdman, interim president and CEO of Dallas-based CyrusOne. “This divestiture further optimizes our portfolio as we redeploy capital into accretive developments across core markets with diverse hyperscale and enterprise demand in the U.S. and Europe.” The transaction marks DataBank’s entry into the Houston market. “With our deep roots in Texas, [Houston] was a logical metro for us to expand into and allows us to bring our digital infrastructure and interconnection solutions to the fourth-largest metro in the U.S.,” says …
ARLINGTON, VA. — JBG Smith (NYSE: JBGS), an owner and developer of mixed-use properties in the greater Washington, D.C. market, has begun construction on a pair of multifamily towers at 2000 and 2001 South Bell Street in Arlington. The development is expected to bring 775 apartments and nearly 27,000 square feet of retail space to National Landing, a neighborhood anchored by Amazon’s HQ2 campus and the Virginia Tech Innovation Campus, both of which JBG Smith is developing. “The start of construction at 2000 and 2001 South Bell Street is a major milestone in National Landing’s ongoing transformation and delivers on our pledge to build new housing in lockstep with Amazon and Virginia Tech’s growth in the neighborhood,” says Bryan Moll, executive vice president of development at JBG Smith. KPF designed 2000 South Bell Street to be a modern, 25-story glass tower with 355 multifamily units situated above approximately 15,000 square feet of street-level retail space. The adjacent 2001 South Bell Street was designed by Studios to be a 420-unit, 19-story tower with a green-glazed brick façade and approximately 10,000 square feet of street-level retail space. SK+I will serve as the architect of record for both towers, which are designed to …
By James Yoakum, Associate, Real Estate & Finance Group, Kleinbard LLC Real estate, as an asset class, encompasses countless different niches and subsectors, each of which can appeal to a broad range of investors. From an investor’s point of view, the common denominator across the various real estate asset classes — from single-family homes to apartments to trophy office towers — is the ability to leverage investments in a way that simply isn’t available for most other investment options, not just with bank loans or other sources of debt capital, but also with equity from passive investors. In a nutshell, one reason for real estate’s broad appeal among investors is the ability to control a valuable asset using mostly (or sometimes entirely) other people’s money. When developers set out to raise funds from other people’s money for the first time, there are a few basic considerations to keep in mind. These five simple questions for first-time real estate fundraisers will make your efforts as effective as possible and provide for a successful ongoing relationship with the investors entrusting you with their money. What do I bring to the table? There are more ways than ever for people to invest their …
SANDY SPRINGS, GA. — Cushman & Wakefield has arranged the sale of Park at Abernathy Square, a 484-unit apartment community located in Sandy Springs, about 16.4 miles north of downtown Atlanta. The sales price was $132.6 million, or more than $274,000 per unit. Mike Kemether, Travis Presnell and James Wilber of Cushman & Wakefield represented the seller, Atlanta-based Clark Ventures, in the transaction. San Francisco-based Stockbridge Capital Group acquired the property. Built in 1977 and renovated in 2019, Park at Abernathy Square offers one-, two- and three-bedroom floorplans with an average unit size of more than 1,100 square feet. Unit features include walk-in closets, patios and balconies, granite countertops, stainless steel appliances, pantries, dishwashers and washer and dryer hookups. Community amenities include a clubhouse, pool, laundry facilities, tennis court, picnic area, fitness center, business center, playground and a car charging station. Located at 6925 Roswell Road, the property is located off Ga. Highway 400 and is situated close to Buckhead, Roswell and Alpharetta. The apartment community is also 5.9 miles from Georgia Perimeter College and 3.1 miles from the Art Institute of Atlanta.
CAMBRIDGE, MASS. — Newmark has arranged the $815 million sale of Charles Park, a two-building office complex and parking garage in Cambridge. The Davis Cos. and Principal Real Estate Investors sold the asset to an affiliate of Alexandria Real Estate Equities Inc. (NYSE: ARE). Charles Park spans 408,259 square feet and consists of two Class A office buildings, One Rogers Street and One Charles Park. The property also includes a 656-space, seven-level parking garage. Alexandria plans to redevelop the two buildings into life sciences space, but further details of that project were not provided. Situated near Charles Park is the nearly 1 million-square-foot CambridgeSide complex, which is undergoing a residential and retail development. Charles Park is also located near two Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority (MBTA) subway stations, the campus of Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), the new Cambridge Crossing mixed-use development and Massachusetts General Hospital. “Charles Park is well positioned along Kendall Square’s rapidly expanding First Street corridor with immediately recognizable architecture highlighted by its distinctive horseshoe-shaped façade,” says Edward Maher, vice chairman with Newmark. “The asset is further surrounded by an unmatched laboratory and technology mecca in the life sciences epicenter of the world.” Maher, along with Robert Griffin, …