Wednesday, December 26, 2012

Taylor & Mathis of Florida Successful in Leasing Up 1101 Brickell in Miami, FL


1101 Brickell, Miami, FL
MIAMI, FL –When Taylor & Mathis of Florida was selected to assume leasing responsibilities at the iconic 1101 Brickell in January of 2010 the project was 30% occupied.

 Since taking over the leasing assignment, commercial brokerage team Taylor & Mathis has completed over 30 deals totaling 140,000 square feet with a total value of over $50 million.

 These deals have taken building occupancy from 30% to 84% with proposals out on the majority of vacant spaces. The leasing team includes:  Brian Gale, Ryan Holtzman, Andrew Trench and Jeannette Mendoza.

Brian Gale

The two iconic office towers totaling 251,000 square feet are located at the heart of Miami’s signature Brickell Avenue. 

“We have seen a flurry of leasing activity within the past year,” said Taylor & Mathis broker Brian Gale.  “Not many buildings on Brickell Avenue have seen this much positive absorption in such a short period of time.”

The new ownership group, Florida East Coast Realty (FECR), is finalizing a $12 million, top-to-bottom renovation.

For a complete copy of the company’s news release, please contact:

Brian Gale,
 Principal
Taylor & Mathis of Florida

South Florida's 1st Website Dedicated Exclusively To Pre-construction Condos



Jenny Huertas
MIAMI, FL -- As South Florida prepares to surpass the 100-proposed-condo-towers threshold sometime early next year, the tricounty region's first new website - CraneSpotters.com - and newsletter - CraneSpotters.com Bulletin - dedicated exclusively to pre-construction condo projects in Miami-Dade, Broward, and Palm Beach counties is scheduled to debut in January 2013 some five years after the local real estate crash began in 2007.

Powered by the licensed Florida brokerage CVR Realty™, the soon-to-be-launched CraneSpotters.com website will be dedicated exclusively to the tri-county region's burgeoning pre-construction condo market east of Interstate 95 from Coral Gables to Jupiter.

CVR Realty™ -  the market intelligence source behind CraneSpotters.com - will continue to operate a 2,000-page website and full-service boutique brokerage dedicated exclusively to South Florida's condo market.

"The South Florida pre-construction condo market is proving to be confusing and overwhelming for prospective buyers who are trying to understand and evaluate the rapidly changing market," said licensed real estate broker Jenny Huertas, who manages CVR Realty™ and formerly ran the international division of Condo Vultures® Realty LLC.

"With CraneSpotters.com, we intend to provide pre-construction buyers with a definitive source on the growing list of newly proposed condo projects - and the respective developers - proceeding forward in South Florida. The goal is to reinforce our position as South Florida's condo experts for existing and proposed projects."

For a complete copy of the company’s news release, please contact:

Condo Vultures® LLC is a real estate consultancy and marketing company based in the 225 Midtown Building at 225 NE 34th St., Suite 209B, Downtown Miami, Florida, 33137. Condo Vultures® LLC can be reached at 800-750-0517.

HFF closes sale of two Publix-anchored retail centers in South Florida



Plantation Towne Square, Plantation, FL
MIAMI, FL – HFF announced it has closed the sale of Plantation Towne Square, a 108,111-square-foot retail center in Plantation, Florida, and Colonial Shopping Center, a 67,351-square-foot shopping center in Miami, Florida.

HFF marketed the properties on behalf of the seller, Plaza Development Realty, Inc (“Plaza Development Realty”).  Entities affiliated with Publix Super Markets, Inc. purchased both properties subject to existing financing.


Colonial Shopping Center, Miami, FL
Plantation Towne Square was developed in 2001 and is 98.6 percent leased to tenants including Publix, Publix Liquors, Starbucks, Verizon, Bank United, Gamestop, Hair Cuttery and Allstate. 

 The property is situated on a 10.6-acre site at 6905-6989 West Broward Boulevard in the city of Plantation just west of the Fort Lauderdale CBD.

                Colonial Shopping Center is located on a six acre site at 9510 - 9698 SW 160th Street adjacent to South Dixie Highway (US-1) in Miami.  

Luis Castillo
Developed in 1997 and expanded in 2007, the property is 95.8 percent leased to tenants including Publix, Family Dollar, FootLocker, MetroPCS, RadioShack, Gamestop and Space Coast Credit Union.

The HFF team representing the seller was led by director Luis Castillo, senior managing director Daniel Finkle and senior analyst Robert Saracco.  With these transactions, HFF has closed 22 retail centers sale transactions totaling over $429.6 million in Florida in 2012.

Daniel Finkle
“Plantation Towne Square and Colonial Shopping Center are among the most successful and highest volume grocery-anchored shopping centers in South Florida,” said Castillo.  “There was an incredible level of demand for this core, grocery-anchored retail and we expect this trend to continue well into next year.”

For over 30 years, Plaza Development Realty has offered exceptional space for rent throughout Miami, Miami Beach and Plantation through leasing, management and construction of successful shopping centers in Miami-Dade and Broward County, Florida.


For a complete copy of the company’s news release, please contact:

Kristen M. Murphy
Associate Director
HFF | 9 Greenway Plaza, Suite 700 | Houston, TX 77046
tel 713.852.3500 | cel 617.543.4873 | fax 713.527.8725 |


HFF closes sale and arranges acquisition financing for 17000 Katy Freeway in Houston, TX




17000 Katy Freeway in Park Ten Office Park,
Houston, TX
HOUSTON, TX – HFF announced  it has closed the sale and arranged acquisition financing for 17000 Katy Freeway, a 174,521-square-foot office building in Houston’s Energy Corridor.

                HFF marketed the property on behalf of the seller, Black Forest Ventures.  DRA Advisors, LLC purchased the asset for an undisclosed amount.  

Rusty Tamlyn
HFF also worked on behalf of the buyer to secure a five-year acquisition loan through Wells Fargo.
                17000 Katy Freeway is fully leased to Mustang Engineering and the John Wood Group.  The property was completed in 2007 and is situated on the north side of Interstate 10 within the Park Ten Office Park in Houston’s Energy Corridor.

The HFF investment sales team representing Black Forest Ventures was led by associate director Trent Agnew and senior managing directors Rusty Tamlyn and Dan Miller.

Trent Agnew
HFF’s debt placement team representing the buyer was led by senior managing director Wallace Reid, managing director Matt Kafka and director Colby Mueck.

“DRA Advisors has been aggressively looking to expand its holdings in Houston and recognized the opportunity to acquire a Class A asset with tremendous upside due to its tenancy and location within one of the country’s hottest submarkets, the Energy Corridor,” said Agnew.

Black Forest Ventures is a privately-owned asset management company based in The Woodlands, TX, which controls holding in the real estate, aviation, hospitality and technology fields.

For a complete copy of the company’s news release, please contact:

Kristen M. Murphy
Associate Director
HFF | 9 Greenway Plaza, Suite 700 | Houston, TX 77046
tel 713.852.3500 | cel 617.543.4873 | fax 713.527.8725 |


HFF closes sale of Hyatt Regency in Tampa, FL



Hyatt Regency Hotel, Tampa, FL
MIAMI, FL – HFF announced  it has closed the sale of the Hyatt Regency, a 521-room hotel in Tampa, Florida.

                HFF marketed the Hyatt on behalf of the seller, AREA Property Partners.  Driftwood Hospitality Management, LLC purchased the property.

                The Hyatt Regency is located at 211 North Tampa Street in downtown Tampa.  The hotel features a restaurant and bar, 30,000 square feet of meeting space, heated outdoor pool, rooftop sundeck, fitness center and gift shop.  Following a renovation, the hotel will be converted to the Hilton-brand.

Paul Hsu
The HFF investment sales team representing the seller was led by senior managing director Daniel Peek, associate directors Paul Hsu and Max Comess and senior real estate analyst Cyrus Vazifdar.

                “The Hyatt Regency Tampa is really a wonderful investment opportunity, and we were pleased to represent the AREA team in this important transaction,” Peek noted.  “The property was a key component of the redevelopment of downtown Tampa and now sits in the center a dynamic and expanding central business district.”   

Max Comess

AREA Property Partners is a leading international real estate investor and fund manager on behalf of prominent government and corporate pension funds, sovereign wealth funds, insurance companies, foundations, endowments, and high-net-worth individuals. 

  Since the firm’s founding in 1993, AREA Property Partners has overseen the establishment of multiple real estate funds and joint ventures totaling $14 billion in equity commitments for investments in the United States, Europe and Asia.

Its funds have collectively invested in more than 600 transactions with an aggregated value in excess of $65 billion.  Headquartered in New York, the firm has offices in Atlanta, Los Angeles, San Francisco, London, Paris, Luxembourg and Mumbai.  

AREA’s funds target a broad range of opportunistic, value-added and debt investments in real estate assets and portfolios throughout North America, Europe and India.  For more information, visit the firm’s website at www.areapropertypartners.com.

                Driftwood Hospitality Management, LLC is a hotel management company that operates and develops hotels in the U.S., and affiliates of the company operate in the Caribbean and Latin America. 

  For a complete copy of the company’s news release, please contact:

Kristen M. Murphy
Associate Director
HFF | 9 Greenway Plaza, Suite 700 | Houston, TX 77046
tel 713.852.3500 | cel 617.543.4873 | fax 713.527.8725 |

NAI Realvest Negotiates Expansion Lease with Tenant for over 15,400 SF at The Citadel in East Orlando, FL

 
Citadel III, Orlando, FL
 ORLANDO, FL – NAI Realvest recently completed a lease agreement for 4,393 square feet of office space at Citadel III, 5950 Hazeltine National Drive in southeast Orlando.

The NAI Realvest leasing team of Senior Associate Mary Frances West, CCIM, Matt Cichocki and Kevin O’Connor principals at NAI Realvest, negotiated the transaction representing the landlord, Citadel Partners, LTD based in Groveland, Fla.  

Mary Frances West
Local tenant Pentaho Corporation, already leasing 11,034 square feet at The Citadel III, will expand into two more suites which will increase its occupancy to 15,427 square feet by Jan. 1.

NAI Realvest is the leasing and management representative of Citadel III.

For more information, contact:

Mary Frances West, CCIM, Senior Broker-Associate NAI Realvest, 407-875-9989 mwest@realvest.com;
 Kevin O’Connor or Matt Cichocki, Principals NAI Realvest, 407-875-9989, koconnor@realvest.com or mcichocki@realvest.com
 Patrick Mahoney, President, NAI Realvest, 407-875-9989 pmahoney@realvest.com
Beth Payan, Larry Vershel Communications, 407-644-4142 lversehlco@aol.com

HFF closes $24.8 million sale of The Golden Door Spa in San Marcos, CA


The Golden Door Spa resort, San Marcos, CA
SAN DIEGO, CA – HFF announcedit has closed the sale of The Golden Door Spa, a 41-room luxury spa resort situated on 377 acres in San Marcos, California.

                The property sold for $24.8 million free and clear of existing debt.

The Golden Door Spa is located approximately 40 minutes north of downtown San Diego in Southern California. 

William Stadler
Founded in 1958 and rebuilt in 1975, the award-winning, Japanese-inspired resort pioneered the development of the spa industry in the United States and provides all-inclusive, customizable programs with a focus on holistic wellness to its guests.

Scott Hall
 This exclusive resort features 20 miles of hiking trails, expansive indoor fitness areas, a tennis court, swimming pool and jacuzzi, water therapy pool, Japanese bathhouse and archery range in addition to a 122-acre avocado orchard and organic vegetable and fruit gardens.  The transaction also includes ownership of The Golden Door brand and future resort expansion opportunities.

The HFF team representing the seller was led by senior managing directors Dan Peek and Bill Stadler, managing director Scott Hall and real estate analyst Alexandra Lalos.
 
“We are extremely pleased to have participated in this unique offering of one of the most well-known destination spa resorts and wellness brands in the world.  

"The property provided an attractive opportunity to investors not only because of its excellent reputation as a leader in the industry but also because of the expansion and redevelopment opportunities it offers,” commented Peek.
  
For a complete copy of the company’s news release, please contact:

Kristen M. Murphy
Associate Director
HFF | 9 Greenway Plaza, Suite 700 | Houston, TX 77046
tel 713.852.3500 | cel 617.543.4873 | fax 713.527.8725 |


HFF closes $19 million sale of Hickory Flat Commons in Canton, GA


Hickory Flat Commons, Canton, GA
ATLANTA, GA – HFF announced it has closed the sale of Hickory Flat Commons, a 114,751-square-foot, grocery-anchored retail center in Canton, Georgia.

HFF marketed the property on behalf of the seller, Connolly Realty Services.  An affiliate of Cole Real Estate Investments purchased Hickory Flat Commons for $19 million.  

Hickory Flat Commons is situated on 18.5-acres at 6764-6776 Hickory Flat Highway about 30 miles north of Atlanta in the Cherokee County/Canton corridor. 

Jim Hamilton
Completed in 2008, the property is 96 percent leased to tenants including Kroger (anchor tenant), Anytime Fitness, Verizon Wireless, Little Caesars, Gymboree and Great Clips.

The HFF investment sales team representing Connolly Realty Services was led by managing directors Jim Hamilton and Richard ReidThomas Falatko, vice president acquisitions, multi-tenant retail, represented Cole in the transaction.

Since its start in1972, Connolly has completed more than 40 retail, commercial land and office projects in the Southeastern U.S. 

Richard Reid
Connolly concentrates in the development of grocery-anchored shopping centers, commercial land subdivisions, and through its affiliate Connolly Net Lease, net lease developments such as Walgreens.  Connolly also invests in real estate and operating companies through its Spruce Street Partners investment company. 

For a complete copy of the company’s news release, please contact:

Kristen M. Murphy
Associate Director
HFF | 9 Greenway Plaza, Suite 700 | Houston, TX 77046
tel 713.852.3500 | cel 617.543.4873 | fax 713.527.8725 |


HFF closes five-property industrial portfolio sale in Houston, TX



Rusty Tamlyn
HOUSTON, TX – HFF announced it has closed the sale of a five-property, 709,114-square-foot industrial portfolio in Houston, Texas.

                HFF marketed the portfolio on behalf of the seller.  Industrial Income Trust (IIT) purchased the assets for an undisclosed amount.

                The portfolio is 98.5 percent leased overall.  The properties included in the portfolio are: 9830-9856 East Freeway (Eastport 8); 6323 Brookhill Drive (Lone Star 3); 552-598 Garden Oaks Boulevard (Pine Forest 18); 4601 South Pinemont (Pineway 1) and 3800-3898 West 11th Street.

Trent Agnew
The HFF investment sales team representing the seller was led by senior managing director Rusty Tamlyn and associate director Trent Agnew.

                “Industrial Income Trust is expanding their presence in the Houston area as earlier in the year, HFF sold them the Northwest 8/Windfern assets,” said Tamlyn.  “The assets within this portfolio were predominately dock hi, front load warehouse buildings with low office finish and urban in-fill locations that were substantially leased with three of the five having new roofs.”

                Industrial Income Trust (IIT) is a non-traded real estate investment trust (REIT) that acquires and operates high-quality distribution warehouses and other industrial properties that are leased to creditworthy corporate customers.
  
Contact:

Kristen M. Murphy
Associate Director
HFF | 9 Greenway Plaza, Suite 700 | Houston, TX 77046
tel 713.852.3500 | cel 617.543.4873 | fax 713.527.8725 |


HFF closes sale of The Ritz-Carlton Lake Tahoe in California



The Ritz-Carlton Lake Tahoe, Truckee, CA 
TAMPA, FL and SAN FRANCISCO, CA – HFF announced today that it has closed the sale of The Ritz-Carlton, Lake Tahoe, a 170-room luxury resort in Truckee, California.

                HFF marketed the property on behalf of the seller, Truckee Highlands Syndicated Holdings, LLC.  International real estate investment and services company Kennedy Wilson purchased the property free and clear of existing debt.

 The Ritz-Carlton, Lake Tahoe is a AAA Five Diamond resort situated mid-mountain at Northstar California providing ski-in/ski-out access. 

Completed in 2009, the hotel features three dining options including Manzanita, the resort’s signature restaurant by James Beard award-winning chef, Traci Des Jardins. 

Other amenities include the 17,000-square-foot Ritz-Carlton Spa, more than 15,000 square feet of indoor meeting space, two heated outdoor pools, state-of-the-art fitness center and business center. 

Holden Lim
The transaction also included 23 unsold condominium units, ranging between 1,500 and 3,500 square feet, and an adjacent 3.4-acre development parcel.  

                The HFF investment sales team representing the seller was led by senior managing director Dan Peek and managing director Holden Lim along with senior managing directors Michael Leggett and Gerry Rohm, director Max Comess and real estate analyst Cyrus Vazifdar.

Michael Leggett
 “The Ritz-Carlton, Lake Tahoe is one of the most spectacular ski resort hotels in the country, offering a truly unique mid-mountain ski-in/ski-out experience,” commented Peek.

 “Beyond the ski season, it benefits from a beautiful setting for year-round vacationing and meetings in the world-renowned Lake Tahoe area.  We were pleased to represent the seller in the sale of this iconic asset, and believe the Kennedy Wilson team has acquired an asset with tremendous future potential.”

Contact:

Kristen M. Murphy
Associate Director
HFF | 9 Greenway Plaza, Suite 700 | Houston, TX 77046
tel 713.852.3500 | cel 617.543.4873 | fax 713.527.8725 |


American Healthcare Investors Facilitates Acquisition of Houston Hospital and Three Building Senior Care Portfolio in Massachusetts on Behalf of Griffin-American Healthcare REIT II


  
Bellaire Medical Center, Houston, TX
 NEWPORT BEACH, CA – American Healthcare Investors and Griffin Capital Corporation, the co-sponsors of Griffin-American Healthcare REIT II, Inc., announced the acquisition of Bellaire Medical Center in Houston and a three-building portfolio of senior care facilities in Massachusetts by the REIT for an aggregate purchase price of approximately $47.6 million. 

 Currently, the REIT’s portfolio totals 125 buildings valued at approximately $1.14 billion, based on purchase price, diversified across 27 states.  Since Jan. 1, 2012, the portfolio has grown by approximately 160 percent, based on purchase price. 

Danny Prosky
As of Sept. 30, 2012, the Griffin-American Healthcare REIT II property portfolio was 96.8 percent leased with a weighted average remaining lease term of approximately 9.4 years and leverage (total debt divided by total assets) of 32.8 percent.

 “These latest acquisitions further expand and diversify the portfolio of Griffin-American Healthcare REIT II, which has nearly tripled in size since the start of 2012, based on aggregate purchase price,” said Danny Prosky, a principal of American Healthcare Investors and president and chief operating officer of the REIT. 

“Our portfolio represents a broad spectrum of clinical healthcare real estate – medical office buildings, hospitals, skilled nursing facilities and assisted living facilities.”

For a complete copy of the company’s new release, please contact:

Damon Elder
Senior VP, Marketing & Communications
American Healthcare Investors
4000 MacArthur Boulevard
West Tower, Suite 200
Newport Beach, CA 92660

 (949) 270-9207 direct
(714) 356-1460 cell