Avison Young Oversees Zaragon Acquisition of RAM Steel Framing Headquarters For $7.55 Million

Avison Young’s Florida Capital Markets Group closed the $7.55 million industrial sale-leaseback of the 105,000 SF RAM Steel Framing headquarters location at 7400 N.W. 37th Ave. in Miami. Zaragon, Inc., purchased the property. With the sale, Zaragon secured a long-term, absolute triple net (NNN) lease with a single tenant that is a leader in supplying manufactured steel products to South Florida’s robust pipeline of active commercial developments. Avison Young Principals David Duckworth; Michael T. Fay, who is also Managing Director of the firm’s Miami operations; John K. Crotty, CCIM; Vice Presidents Brian C. de la Fé; David F. Spillers, SIOR; and Associates Emily Brais and Berkley Bloodworth facilitated the transaction on behalf of RAM Steel Framing.

“The sale-leaseback represents a trend of single-tenant industrial deals having the highest chance to close in the current market environment,” said Duckworth. “With the investment appeal of RAM Steel Framing as a high-quality tenant, we successfully negotiated and closed the deal during the COVID-19 shutdown without any pricing adjustments.”

RAM Steel Framing is a full-line manufacturer of drywall and structural framing for commercial and residential construction, with recent high-profile projects including the Miami International Airport expansion, the Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino guitar-shaped tower in Hollywood, and the luxury Aston Martin Residences in Downtown Miami. The company is one of the fastest-growing steel manufacturers in the country and the largest manufacturer in South Florida, with additional manufacturing facilities in Orlando, Florida, and Chesapeake, Virginia.

“The absolute NNN investment opportunity was ideal in that all of the building’s structural and operating expenses will be the responsibility of the tenant,” continued Duckworth. “RAM Steel Framing is considered an essential business, and therefore offers great stability as a tenant.”

Located within an Opportunity Zone along Miami’s Hialeah industrial corridor, the industrial asset is approximately three miles from the Miami International Airport to the south and six and a half miles from Port Miami to the east.

Miami’s industrial market continued to outperform all other asset classes through 2019 and into 2020. According to research by Avison Young, overall vacancy in Miami-Dade County was 3.86%, with vacancy in the Hialeah submarket at 2.90% as of first-quarter 2020. Industrial rental rates hold firm due to low vacancy rates and strong fundamentals across the South Florida region.

$800 Million Sale of Second Largest Hotel in South Florida Falls Through

An $800 million deal between Jeffrey Soffer’s Fontainebleau Development and Brookfield Property Partner’s Diplomat Beach Resort Hollywood was called off on May 8 as the effects of COVID-19 on South Florida’s hotel and tourism industries continues to cause havoc. The 1,000 room Diplomat Beach Resort Hollywood, located at 3555 South Ocean Drive in Hollywood, FL, is the second largest hotel in South Florida following Soffer’s 1,600 room Fontainebleau Miami Beach, whose $975 million CMBS loan entered special servicing in March 2020. Fontainebleau Development is reportedly still in discussions with Brookfield Property Partners and may revisit the acquisition in the future.

The Diplomat Beach Resort Hollywood was first marketed for sale in January 2019 asking $1 billion, $1 million per room. Brookfield Property Partners, which is the real estate division of the Toronto-based Brookfield Asset Management, acquired the hotel for $460 million in 2014 and rebranded the flag from a Westin hotel to a Curio Collection by Hilton. In 2017 Brookfield completed a $100 million renovation and in September 2019 led a $168 million refinancing of the hotel with the funding provided by Morgan Stanley, J.P. Morgan and Wells Fargo.

Malls Across Miami Are Reopening Today As Miami Enters Phase 1 Of Reopening From The COVID-19 Shutdown

“Although we live in a city without seasons, this feels like Spring,” said Miami Design District visionary Craig Robins as Miami enters Phase 1 of its reopening plan. As per approval by Governor Ron DeSantis, Miami-Dade and Broward County can begin to reopen as of today, May 18, 2020, following the COVID-19 lockdown that has marred the United States since early March. Golf courses and marinas opened several weeks ago with restrictions, and now retail, restaurants, barbershops and salons may open - with restrictions. Bars, nightclubs, movie theaters and beaches are not part of the Phase 1 reopening plan and have no set reopen date.

Following the opening of Palm Beach County over the past several weeks, malls in Miami are welcoming back patrons in Miami Design District, Brickell City Centre, Bal Harbour Shops and Aventura Mall, in addition to Broward County’s Sawgrass Mills mall leading the charge. While the malls may be open, individual businesses within them are making their own decisions as to which day and how they will relaunch operations. Robins indicated that Miami Design District will see most of their tenants open by Wednesday, May 20 along with parking, public art and centralized services. Shoppers will also be able to pick up a mask at any MDD information desk. Bal Harbour Shops and Brickell City Centre opened May 18.

Restaurant openings have been a hot topic of discussion as they begin opening their dine-in services back up at 50% capacity and with six foot social distancing between parties. Bar counters are closed to seating and a maximum of four people can be seated at a table unless they are members of the same household, which are capped at six. Patrons must wear face masks when they are not at their table and employees must wear masks at all times. All menus must be single use and restrooms must limit their capacity to one person at a time. Retail has similar restrictions limiting capacity to 50% and requiring all customers and employees to wear a mask at all times.

Authorities will monitor and assess how Phase 1 of reopening progresses over the next several weeks before approving a move to Phase 2 or instituting new restrictions to help stop the spread of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Rieber Developments Breaks Ground on 12|12 Aventura in the Aventura Health District

Aventura-based Rieber Developments has announced the groundbreaking of 12|12 Aventura, a 10-story complex comprising of a 30,000-square-foot gourmet marketplace and food hall, 25,000 square feet of offices, a 160-residence luxury senior residential component, and a structured parking garage, all with interiors designed by Interiors by Steven G.

The Arquitectonica-designed mixed-use project and its sister development Ivory 214, a medical and professional office building accompanied by a Tapestry Collection by Hilton™ hotel, will both serve as the epicenter of a planned ‘Aventura Health District.’

12|12 Aventura is nestled near a designated ‘medical office district’ which includes many of Aventura’s leading medical facilities. The $100 million project is also surrounded by 300 medical and professional practices and services, including Aventura Hospital, one of the only two facilities in Miami-Dade County with the designation of a Level II trauma center.

The centrally located development is also situated less than a mile away from Aventura Mall and from major thoroughfares including US 1, I-95, and the Florida Turnpike. With its own vibrant Chelsea Market-style food hall on the ground floor, 12|12 Aventura is uniquely positioned to serve the local community and guests alike a designation for shopping and dining.

“Breaking ground on 12|12 Aventura is a significant milestone for us, especially in these challenging times,” said Bernardo Rieber, principal of Rieber Developments. “Our philosophy in creating this project has always been to bring something new and unique to the neighborhood, melding community, culture, health, and wellness to benefit the area. We are extremely proud to move one step closer to delivering this project, and furthering the Aventura Health District.”

Cervera Real Estate is the exclusive brokerage for 12|12 Aventura’s office condos, forty percent of which are already sold and under contract. Construction is being led by Winmar Construction, an affiliate of Coastal Construction. The development is expected to be completed in 2022.

By Isabella Zimmermann

WeWork Lawsuit-Threat By Tenants Requesting Rent Relief Sends Shudders Through $5.5 Billion Of CMBS Debt

A group of WeWork’s members have moved toward suing the co-working giant in a letter sent by Walden Macht & Haran demanding that WeWork cease collecting rental fees. Many tenants have already requested rent relief, cancellation of their leases or stopped paying, which has put over $5.5 billion of CMBS loans backed by WeWork occupied properties at risk. Some of the CMBS loans back WeWork flagship locations in New York and San Francisco. WeWork, who was previously valued at $47 billion before dropping to a pre-covid valuation of $8 billion, has been working to renegotiate leases and has even skipped out to rent at some of their properties. This has in turn caused the price of bonds backed by payments from WeWork to fall drastically.

WeWork has made an effort to keep their locations open during the COVID-19 pandemic, but many of their tenants have expressed that they think WeWork should have shut their locations. Should WeWork not, Jim Walden of Walden Macht & Haran, threatened to start an arbitration process for WeWork members if the company continues to collect the fees in his letter to the company.

“State and local authorities around the country have directed businesses to cease operation and have prohibited workers, including our clients, from using their workplaces,” said Jim Walden. “As long as this pandemic prohibits our clients from using their WeWork office spaces, the purpose of their membership agreements is frustrated, thus excusing their obligation to pay membership fees.”

Tenants have accused WeWork of turning their backs on small business by continuing to collect fees. Due to WeWork’s short term lease model, the co-working giant is more at risk than the standard office landlord as many of WeWork’s tenants have elected not to renew and can be more flexible about actually going to an office as opposed to working from home. Many of WeWork’s tenants do not want to take the risk of going to their WeWork office location during the middle of the COVID-19 pandemic with 1.37 million confirmed cases in the US. Walden claims that the way the leases are structured are closer to that of gym memberships as opposed to true office leases, meaning that under New York law members are not liable for payments if they cannot physically access the space.

“Our clients have no legal obligation to pay their membership fees while the purpose of their membership agreements remains frustrated by the COVD-19 pandemic,” Walden wrote. “Ignoring this fact, WeWork continues charging these members full monthly fees and refuses to offer concessions or compromise.”

WeWork’s problems do not end there. Former CEO and co-founder Adam Neumann is reportedly under investigation for self-dealing by the New York State Attorney General. Additionally, one of WeWork’s major financial backers, the Tokyo-based SoftBank led by Masayoshi Son, walked away from a $3 billion tender offer in April 2020 which was part of the $9.5 billion bailout package SoftBank signed with WeWork in October 2019 following WeWork’s failed IPO. In May 2020 a special committee of WeWork board members filed a motion in Delaware to prevent SoftBank from disbanding the company as they purse legal action against the majority owner SoftBank Group Corp. WeWork’s special committee also represents minority shareholders including co-founder Adam Neumann. SoftBank and the SoftBank Vision Fund, which is a tech-focused venture capital fund with includes capital from the Saudi Arabian and Abu Dhabi sovereign wealth funds, Apple, Qualcomm, Foxconn and Sharp, have invested $14.25 billion into WeWork.

Artefacto Begins Construction on New DOMO-Designed U.S. Flagship In Coral Gables

Brazilian furnishings brand Artefacto has celebrated the groundbreaking of their new US flagship in Coral Gables located on the highly-trafficked US-1. The 45,000 SF bi-level structure will feature an eye-catching modernist design by the renowned DOMO Architecture + Design, with interiors by Patricia Anastassiadis. The showroom is set to open mid-2021, and marks the brand’s 28th location worldwide.

Headed by CEO Paulo Bacchi, Artefacto entered the U.S. in 2002 as an anchor tenant to Coral Gables’ Merrick Park. Bacchi continues to make his mark on Coral Gables with the sleek new showroom at 101 South Dixie Highway, along one of Miami’s major transportation arteries.

“I’m very proud of our continued growth in Miami, and our showroom expresses the remarkable warmth and luxuries found in Artefacto home environments,” says Bacchi. “Now we will capture eyes in all directions with an innovative aesthetic that anchors US1 with incredible style.”

Exteriors will showcase dramatic street-level window displays of Artefacto’s exclusive collaborations with such notable talents as Alejandro Estrada, Piegatto, Sergio Matos and Patricia Anatassiadis. In-line with the brand’s commitment to embracing sustainable practices, the showroom’s exterior concept features lush, green walls with the highest level of quality natural, raw materials.

Lennar Locks Down $44.8 Million Construction Loan For Wynwood Green

Lennar has locked down a $44.8 million construction loan for Wynwood Green, an 11-story, 189-unit residential rental apartment building which will also feature 17,000 SF of commercial space and 324 parking spaces. The loan was provided by Santander Bank. Wynwood Green will be located on a 1.26 acre site which was the former site of the popular food-truck and bar station at Wynwood Yard, 48, 56, 64, 70, 82, 90 and 98 NW 29th St. and 63 NW 28th street. Initial designs are by architecture firm Dorsky + Yue International. The site of Wynwood Green was sold to Lennar by David Lombardi of Lombardi Properties, who was one of the pioneers in the emergence of Wynwood.

The Miami-based publicly traded Lennar Corporation (LEN) is known as one of the largest homebuilders in the United States, but also retains ownership interests in 53 apartment communities. Wynwood Green would also be their first multifamily project within the city of Miami. Lennar Corporation is run by Executive Chairman Stuart Miller, whose father Leonard Miller was one of the founders in 1956. In 2019 Lennar was ranked 154th on the Fortune 500 and the company operates in 21 states.

Why Rent Strikes Are Bad for Everyone and What’s Going to be Done about Unemployment?

Since thousands of businesses were deemed non-essential and forced to shut their doors, reemployment assistance claims over the last six weeks have surpassed two million in South Florida. With a tourism-dependent economy plus an older population, Florida is more vulnerable to economic shock, which is why it is one of the top five states with the highest number of claims. The longer the standstill goes on, the worse the economic fallout will be. 

As May rents come due and unemployment rates continue to jump, providing assistance to households should be a top priority for policymakers. The prospect of a rent strike has been trending in the news and on social media, but a voluntary movement to skip rent payments could destabilize not only the housing market, but the American economy as well. How many months of working capital do small businesses have to stay afloat, in order for those furloughed and laid off employees to have jobs to return to after nationwide and state stay-at-home orders are eased and how will South Florida’s real estate market fare in the coming months? 

May Day: May 1st Is Here

Multifamily landlords were pleasantly surprised with April collections. In an exclusive webinar interview hosted by PROFILE last week, President of Tate Capital, James Tate, who has over $1B assets under management, told us “We’re 90% collected,” talking about his 10,000+ door multifamily portfolio. Now it’s May 1st and everyone is wondering what May rent collections will be. “May 1st will be a good deciding point to see how many people default,” added Allen Morris, Chairman and CEO of the Allen Morris Companies.  

Morris said his April multifamily rent collections were at 95%. He’s opening two new apartment buildings in Orlando this summer and is taking a proactive leasing approach. “People are signing leases, assuming the University of Central Florida is holding its fall semester. We’re giving tenants a guarantee in their lease. If they delay opening the university, we will delay rent until school opens.” Offering tenants flexibility gives them the security to sign leases now and is helping to forge a positive landlord-tenant relationship that will be dependent on open communication, should issues with payment arise in the future. 

Trending: Socialist Whispers

With talks of rent strikes sweeping the country, landlords have been portrayed as vultures preying on the pockets of financially insecure tenants, when they remain responsible for property taxes and other carrying costs that help pay for public improvements, education and other municipality benefits. Diligent landlords are communicating with their tenants and weeding out those who are taking advantage of the public health crisis, says Shahab Karmely, CEO of KAR Properties. Those who can, should pay rent to support the services their communities need. Those directing their frustrations toward landlords may have valid concerns: with the economy shut down by government-mandated order, how are people supposed to pay bills and keep businesses running?  

In New York, politicians pushing socialist rhetoric and big government reach such as Alexandria Ocasio Cortez have called for rent strikes and rent cancellations. Movements in New York City even claim to have “identified” landlords who can take a “shave”. Lack of payment means that owners will not be able to stay in business and manage the building to the tenant’s expectations, including paying for things like common area maintenance (think: how much does it cost for a cleaning crew to wipe down all public surfaces in a building multiple times a day). Landlords also pay property tax, insurance, debt service, management fees and capital expenditures for improvements. 

Most commercial real estate investments are made by an owner contributing an equity portion to a project, but a majority of the total costs are funded through debt that is usually collateralized by the asset (if it’s senior debt). Typical sources of debt include pension and life insurance funds, which could be the life savings of either a tenant or a landlord. When landlords are unable to meet their debt obligations, the cascading effects don’t stop at their coffers, but trickle down to all Americans. Not making rent payments could derail future opportunities for many, including someone’s retirement age. 

Karmely added “The real pandemic to hit New York City multifamily was the legislature that strangled the landlords in this business,” which will continue to make Florida’s real estate investment climate more attractive. Multifamily product in New York City has been trading between 3-5% cap rate, depending on the neighborhood. The low trading cap rates for core product has made some investors nervous about paying such a premium for an asset that the New York government has so much control over. 

Another risk for New York investors is that South Florida’s pricing for comparative rental and condo inventory is cheaper than it’s NYC counterpart, while providing higher quality-of-life with more space and building amenities. From an investment perspective, it is also easier to manage assets in Florida where there is no government-enforced rent control, rent stabilization, or near-impossible eviction procedures for delinquent tenants.

Opportunities on the Horizon

The cure to the virus is causing an economic calamity that is hitting everybody and everything, which means opportunities will be on the horizon three to four months from now when property owners' cash reserves run dry, especially for retail and restaurant real estate assets. 

Many have posited, is the cure worse than the virus? How long can residential and commercial tenants pay their rent amid an economic shutdown? Will we be able to produce our way out of a recession with unemployment in the double digits? Likely not - Uncle Sam will be waiting in the shadows with hand outstretched to collect his dues. As we all sit on the sidelines, awaiting our fates, the solution appears to be a function of time. 

“My biggest concern is that we were hit with an 11 magnitude earthquake, and we all got knocked down. Unfortunately, after a major earthquake in coastal areas there is a tsunami. My concern is how are these small businesses supposed to remain open and sustain themselves for the next six to eight months unless something material is done by the federal government? Who’s going to hire those 30 million unemployed people back? If you ask me why I can’t sleep at night, that’s what I’m really concerned about,” opined Tate to cheers of “Jimmy Tate for President!” 

-- Special reporting by the PROFILEmiami Team. Isabella Zimmermann, Katya Demina and Demetri Demascus contributed to this article.

Rewind: W. Allen Morris, Shahab Karmely And Jimmy Tate On Emerging From the COVID-19 Crisis

On April 30, 2020 PROFILEmiami hosted an interactive webinar discussion focusing on emerging from the COVID-19 pandemic and the resulting economic fallout’s impact on the South Florida real estate market. The panel featured South Florida real estate titans W. Allen Morris, Shahab Karmely and Jimmy Tate who explored topics such as: what effects will we see on South Florida’s real estate markets, how are South Florida’s leading real estate professionals reacting to the crisis, how do you think the workspace landscape will look after we “get back to normal,” where will the smart investments be made and how are they preparing for future opportunities.

Speakers:

• W. Allen Morris - Chairman, President & CEO, The Allen Morris Company

• Shahab Karmely - CEO, KAR Properties

• James D. Tate - President, Tate Capital

• Moderator: Demetri Demascus - CEO & Co-Founder, PROFILEmiami

Watch:

Topics:

• What is your personal outlook on how this will ultimately affect the South Florida real estate markets? Will there be permanent changes to the market or the industry?

• How are you handling projects currently under construction? What lessons did you learn from past recessions and how did they shape how you’re handling today’s crisis? Have you learned any lessons from the COVID-19 crisis?

• If you have capital to deploy, what are principals telling their acquisitions teams right now?

• Where do you think we will see opportunity open up? Who is overleveraged? When will we begin to see properties fall into distress?

• Does a property need to fall into distress for COVID-19’s impact to create an opportunity? What non-distressed opportunities will we see?

• Will opportunity open up for different ways to add value to existing properties or will it change the way you think about developing new properties?

• Where and how will the smart investments be made?

• Who is willing to give you term sheets right now and what type of lenders pulled their term sheets?

• How are you preparing to get your offices back to work and how will the work landscape have changed when we get back to the “new normal.”

Partners:

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Midtown Miami's Most Amenitized Luxury Apartment Tower, Gio Midtown, Receives TCO

Gio Midtown has just received its Temporary Certificate of Occupancy (TCO) from Miami-Dade County. The 447-unit and 39-story tower, which was jointly developed by Magellan Development Group and institutional investors advised by J.P. Morgan Asset Management, began to welcome its first residents on April 15. Bozzuto, which leads the project’s leasing and property management, launched leasing in January. Roughly 8% of the building has reportedly been leased so far.

Located in the heart of Midtown Miami, Gio Midtown offers close proximity to the neighborhood’s various restaurants and shops, as well as Miami’s Design District and Wynwood. Residents will also be given exclusive perks at local businesses, including Tap42 and Barry’s, and will be able to enjoy a plethora of amenities located inside the building.

The 5th floor offers a sprawling pool deck, along with a 25-yard lap pool, cabanas, grilling stations, and an outdoor whirlpool spa. Those wishing to workout can visit the outdoor CrossFit station and basketball court, or head indoors to the 4,471 square-foot fitness club to partake in group classes like yoga, Bootcamp, and Zumba. The spa, sauna, and steam rooms provide a calming space to unwind and relax, as does the Himalayan salt room with its salt floor and rocks which boast restorative properties to improve breathing and skin. 

Residents with pets will also be able to pamper their pets and host playdates in the Dog Lounge and at the spa with on-site groomers. Family-friendly amenity spaces include a designated indoor area ideal for kids’ parties, a private outdoor playground, a game room, and a family lounge. 

Gio Midtown’s floor plans include studios, one-, two-, and three-bedroom residences that range from 386 to 1,919 square feet. Studios start at about $1,58, one-bedroom at $1,775, two-bedroom at $2,775, and a three-bedroom at $3,790. Units’ luxury finishes include ceramic tile backsplashes, quartz countertops, keyless entry, and sprawling terraces.

Designed by bKL Architecture LLC, the project’s exterior features geometric and angled balconies serve as an ode to Italian modernist architecture and mid-century modern design. Fanny Haim & Associates created the property’s common areas with a soothing color palette, unique millwork, and pops of brushed gold.

“We understand that these are challenging times for all, and we hope that Gio Midtown will serve as a sanctuary for our first residents,” said Brian Gordon, executive vice president of Magellan Development Group. “There has been a tremendous amount of support and positivity amongst our team and we appreciate everyone who has played a pivotal role leading up to this milestone. We are optimistic that Gio Midtown will set a new standard for multifamily living in South Florida.” 

Gio Midtown was built and designed to LEED Silver sustainability standards and offers a bike workshop and wash station, as well as electric car chargers. It expects to receive its LEED certification in about a year. 

By Isabella Zimmermann