Editor's picks: Some of my favorite stories of 2018

I’ve never been a big fan of grandiose big-stories-of-the-year pieces. Big events tend to have long tails, so reciting a list of the most significant stories means cramming together months worth of coverage. Besides, do you really need reminded that Sprint may merge with T-Mobile? Picking a list of my favorite stories of 2018 is … Read more

11 Mass. business leaders to watch in 2019

As another year goes into the books, it’s worth examining exactly who’s going to make a big splash as the calendar turns to January. This year’s roster of business leaders to watch in the upcoming year includes an outspoken city official, a local surgeon who’s aiming to reform health care for three of the country’s … Read more

Today’s construction industry workforce demolishing stereotypes

Far gone are the days when the stereotypical profile of a construction worker actually held true. Today, there is not one single face of the industry. Construction professionals today show diversity in age, race, ethnicity, gender, and socioeconomic status, and with efforts underway to strengthen the industry by enhancing heterogeneity, it will become even more … Read more

How three local real estate companies compete successfully against giants

Major national and international real estate players and investors have dominated the Boston real estate market for the last several years. With rising costs for land, labor and materials and fierce competition for tenants, the question arises as how local real estate players survive. Three successful companies provide answers to that question: The Grossman Companies, Intrum and Chapelbridge … Read more

Maui County purchases 262 acres from Alexander & Baldwin

Maui County closed on a $6 million purchase of 262 acres of Alexander & Baldwin’s agriculture land in the lower Pulehu/Omapio area on Monday. The county said it secured $5 million in general obligation bond funds through the state of Hawaii in addition to $1 million from its own funding to acquire the land, which … Read more

Minnesota-based fastener distributor buys Ralph Lauren building for $20 million

Fastenal Co. (Nasdaq: FAST), a Minnesota-based distributor of industrial and construction supplies, paid $20 million for Ralph Lauren Corp.’s building at Piedmont Centre Business Park last week. According to records with the Guilford County Register of Deeds, the deal closed Friday for the 69 acres at 4100 Beechwood Drive, which has a tax value about … Read more

Here's how Orlando project values fared in November

A new report from Dodge Data & Analytics shows Orlando-area construction companies pulled permits valued at $136.76 million in November, an 80 percent decrease compared to $673.14 million in November 2017 value for commercial projects in Orange, Seminole, Osceola and Lake counties. Area homebuilders fared better in November, pulling permits valued at $421.18 million compared with $399.88 million … Read more

Senator Hotel sold to Bay Area group for $46.9 million

San Rafael-based Seagate Properties has bought the Senator Hotel office building in downtown Sacramento, at a price almost 50 percent higher than when it last changed hands three years ago. Seagate, making its second purchase in the Sacramento region, bought the 180,123-square-foot building of nine stories at 1121 L St. for $46.9 million. Swift Real … Read more

The Warner Building has sold for nearly $380M

The Warner Building has officially changed hands. JBG Smith Properties Inc. (NYSE: JBGS) has sold the 621,000-square-foot office building, located at 1299 Pennsylvania Ave. NW, to an affiliate of CBRE Global Investors for $376.5 million, according to the D.C. Recorder of Deeds. The 13-story Warner building is the 23rd-largest office building in Greater Washington, per … Read more

New hotel on Fort Lauderdale beach obtains $18M construction loan

A Cambria Hotel & Suites will rise a block from the beach in Fort Lauderdale after a developer obtained an $18 million construction loan. Coral Gables-based Marquis Bank awarded the mortgage to Hotel Motel Inc., with managing member Jai Motwani as the guarantor. It covers the 1.11-acre site at 2201, 2202, 2221, and 2231 N. … Read more

Five real estate projects to watch in 2019

Forecasters have been predicting the end of a commercial real estate boom for a couple years now, and so far the market remains hot. That means 2019 could be another big year for development in the Twin Cities. Here’s what I will be watching in 2019.

Racially insensitive comments lead to two Portland Business Alliance board resignations

A longtime Portland commercial real estate leader has stepped down from a Portland Business Alliance committee, and the Alliance itself, after making racially insensitive comments. As first reported by the Oregonian, J. Clayton Hering, who retired after a long stint of leading the Norris, Beggs & Simpson commercial real estate firm, resigned from both the … Read more

CBRE New England adds to Boston leadership team

CBRE New England, the region’s largest real estate brokerage, will have a new member of its leadership team effective Jan. 1.  Jodie Poirier, who previously led a CBRE office in the South Bay area of Los Angeles, will be managing director in Boston, joining Andy Hoar, Kevin Doyle and Steve Purpura. Her appointment follows CBRE … Read more

Ikea closes on land in Houston's Generation Park

The Netherlands-based Ikea, one of the world’s largest furniture distributors, closed on more than 100 acres in Generation Park. Ikea bought a 117.41-acre tract from McCord Development, according to documents filed with the Harris County Clerk’s office. The deal closed on Nov. 6. Ikea also bought an additional 26.02 acres in Generation Park that will … Read more

Houston was slow for apartment rent growth in 2018

A new report found Houston had the fourth-slowest apartment rent growth among large cities in 2018. The nation’s fourth-largest city saw rents grow 1.7 percent year-over-year, or about $18, to an average rent of $1,093 per month, according to the national apartment research site RentCafe’s year-end report that compared 2017 year-end data to 2018 findings. … Read more

Year in Review: Progress made on affordable housing, income disparities but not nearly enough

The pace of the Columbus region’s growth may surprise those who haven’t been paying attention as Ohio’s capital became the most-dynamic city in the Midwest outside of Chicago. MORPC in December updated its population estimates for Central Ohio, concluding the 15-county region added 43,000 people in 2018 alone. The region is now projected to grow … Read more

Sports bar near Grandview shuts down, joining list of 2018 restaurant closings

After nearly 13 years in business, a Grandview-area sports bar and restaurant is closing. King Avenue 5, which opened in 2005 at 945 King Ave., announced on Facebook that Monday would be its last day of business. No reason was given for the closing and the owners had not yet responded to questions. Owner Nick … Read more

$3.8 million community center coming to Amelia Island Plantation

A $3.8 million project is about to break ground in Amelia Island Plantation, a master-planned community in Nassau County. The Amelia Island Plantation Community Association will begin construction on a two-story, 11,230-square-foot center community center on Wednesday, the association announced. The center will be located at the former site of the community’s Property Owners Club, … Read more

Developers nabs $43M construction loan for Palm Beach apartments

Alta Developers secured a $43.1 million construction loan for an apartment complex in Boynton Beach. Pacific Western Bank awarded the mortgage to Alta Boynton LLC, an affiliate of Miami-based Alta Developers, led by Henry Pino. The Alta @ Cortina will have 324 units on Audace Avenue, on the west side of Renaissance Commons Boulevard. General … Read more

FPL sells 71-acre Miami-Dade site to developer

Florida Power & Light Co. sold a 70.8-acre potential development site in Palmetto Bay for $33 million, according to brokers at Avison Young. The property, at 6525 S.W. 152nd St., which is near Biscayne Bay just north of the Charles Deering Estate, was sold to a company led by Oscar Barbara, CEO and chairman of … Read more

A look back at the big projects that opened in Louisville in 2018 (PHOTOS)

This past year was a turning point when it comes to commercial real estate in Louisville. We saw long-awaited projects finally open their doors while the city’s hotel boom firmly took hold as new rooms opened in downtown, NuLu, the East End and Southern Indiana. None was bigger than the 30-story Omni Louisville Hotel, which … Read more

Make your nominations for 2019 Commercial Real Estate Champions

The 30-story Omni Louisville Hotel dramatically altered Louisville’s skyline when it debuted downtown this March. The $315 million project was one of dozens that injected new life and vitality into our city. The Omni will no doubt be a strong contender for one of our 2019 Commercial Real Estate Champions awards. The annual Commercial Real … Read more