Taurus Investment Holdings To Redevelop Civica Center Into Medical Space

The Boston-based Taurus Investment Holdings has acquired the Civica Center for $30.5 million in Miami’s hot Allapattah neighborhood. The Civica Center is located at 1050 NW 14th Street at the entrance to Miami’s Health District, which is home to a large concentration of medical firms and institutions including the University of Miami Leonard Miller School of Medicine. The Civica Center broke ground in 2014 and was developed by the Swerdlow Group. The two-story retail property was sold with an adjacent parking lot and the deal also included a small office building. The Dallas-based Rockpoint Group was the seller.

Tenants at Civica Center include 7-Eleven, Au Bon Pain, Burger King, Chicken Kitchen, Dunkin’ Donuts, Flavors, Food Court, Gateway Dental, Jimmy John’s, La Estancia, Optical Boutique, Panera Bread, Pasha’s, Quest Diagnostics, Salsa Fiesta, and Smoothie King, amongst others.

Taurus has been agressively acquiring life-sciences and medical buildings and plans to convert the 0.77-acre parking lot into a giant 460,000-square-foot medical office building. It also plans to expand the existing 47,000-square-foot retail building into a 62,500-square-foot retail and medical office property. Taurus expects to start work on the redevelopment in the next 24 months.

Billionaire Investor Carl Icahn Officially Relocates Icahn Enterprises From Manhattan To Sunny Isles Beach

Billionaire investor Carl Icahn has reportedly officially finalized the move of Icahn Enterprises from New York City to South Florida. Icahn Enterprises has moved into their 23,463 SF lease on the 12th floor and penthouse of Milton Tower, located at 16690 Collins Ave. in Sunny Isles Beach. The firm previously was located in the General Motors Building in Manhattan. Icahn is the latest ultra high-net-worth investor to relocate his firm from high tax northern-states such as New York to more tax-advantageous states such as Florida.

Milton Tower was completed in March 2020 and was developed by J. Milton & Associates. The office tower spans 102,000 SF, rising 12-floors with 6-floors of parking. Office spaces are customizable and range from 3,000 square feet to 13,900 square feet and feature floor-to-ceiling glass windows offering views of the Atlantic Ocean, Intracoastal and Sunny Isles skyline. Milton Tower offers first-class amenities include 24/7 access and security, a gym, ground-floor cafe, wifi-connected common areas, electric vehicle charging, emergency power, outdoor terraces and parking.

Leasing was launched in 2019 and the building is currently 50% occupied with tenants including family offices, law firms, investment companies and hedge funds. Much like Icahn, there is reportedly strong interest from firms relocating from the Northeast.

WeWork Leaves Lincoln Road Location As Landlord Seeks $19.5 Million In Unpaid Rent

WeWork’s trouble’s due to COVID-19 continue as the landlord of their 350 Lincoln Road location has sued the co-working giant in Miami-Dade Circuit Court. SML 350 Lincoln Inc., an entity controlled by Shaul Levy and Meir Levy, alleges that WeWork breached their lease by failure to pay rent in April, May and June while occupying the 40,000 square foot space and now owes in-excess of $19.5 million in back-rent and legal fees. WeWork said in a statement that the lawsuit is without merit and will continue to work with the landlord to resolve the situation in a mutually beneficial fashion. WeWork’s 16-year lease at 350 Lincoln Road began in November 2014 and runs through October 2030.

WeWork will close the Lincoln Road location on August 14 and has also moved to consolidate its Miami Beach members to 429 Lenox Avenue. Last month we reported that Goddard Investment Group has moved to evict WeWork from the Lenox Avenue location, but the two parties were reportedly able to resolve their differences.

WeWork, which is now led by CEO Sandeep Mathrani, still has locations in Downtown Miami, Brickell and Coral Gables. Times have not been good to WeWork following its failed IPO in 2019. The coworking giant recently announced that it will being closing its first location to ever open in New York City and saw its valuation slashed from over $47 billion to $2.9 billion.

In May 2020, a group of WeWork’s members moved toward suing the co-working giant demanding that WeWork cease collecting rental fees. Many tenants had already requested rent relief, cancelled their leases or stopped paying, which 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 has retained Newmark Knight Frank and JLL to try to renegotiate leases and negotiate concessions from landlords at some of their properties as the firm try to stave off a potential bankruptcy.

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. In addition, the Tokyo-based SoftBank led by Masayoshi Son and a special committee of WeWork board members have been locked in a legal battle after Softbank 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 following WeWork’s failed IPO.

Swire Properties Sells Two Brickell City Centre Office Buildings For $163 Million Amid Pandemic

Swire Properties has sold Two Brickell City Centre and Three Brickell City Centre for a combined $163 million, $630 per square foot, amid the COVID-19 pandemic. Each Class A Office building is roughly 130,000 square feet with the pricing broken down by $80.3 million for Two Brickell City Centre and Three Brickell City Centre sold for $82.7 million. The buyer was reportedly the Santa Monica-based Northwood Investors. Tenants of the office buildings include the law firm Akerman LLP, McKinsey & Company, and WeWork. The properties were first marketed for sale in January 2020.

Swire Properties plans to use the proceeds to fund future development, they have Brickell City Centre’s Phase 2 planned in partnership with Carlos Mattos to build a 100,000 SF expansion with a 54-story, 588-unit residential tower, and a 62-story, 384-unit residential tower with commercial space and additional parking.

Two Brickell City Centre and Three Brickell City Centre are located at 78 Southwest Seventh Street and 98 Southeast Seventh Street. Brickell City Centre was completed in 2016 and designed by Arquitectonica. The development features an opener shopping mall anchored by Saks Fifth Avenue, Casa Tua Cucina and CMX Theaters, the Rise and Reach condo towers and the East Hotel.

Goddard Investment Group Moves To Evict WeWork From South of Fifth Location

WeWork’s landlord at 429 Lenox Avenue, Goddard Investment Group, has moved to evict WeWork from their South of Fifth location at 429 Lenox Avenue in South Beach. The 43,500 SF building is fully leased by WeWork who skipped out on rent payments for April, May and June. An eviction notice reportedly alleges WeWork behind in excess of $650,000 in unpaid rent which must be paid by today or WeWork must vacate the property (July 7, 2020). WeWork first opened the South of Fifth location in early 2016 and is committed to the NNN lease until 2031. Goddard Investment Group financed 429 Lenox Ave. with a $23 million floating-rate loan issued by Granite Point Mortgage Trust, Inc. In Miami WeWork has other locations at 350 Lincoln Road, Brickell, Downtown Miami and Coral Gables.

Times have not been good to WeWork following its failed IPO in 2019. The coworking giant recently announced that it will being closing its first location to ever open in New York City and saw its valuation slashed from over $47 billion to $2.9 billion.

In May 2020, a group of WeWork’s members moved toward suing the co-working giant demanding that WeWork cease collecting rental fees. Many tenants had already requested rent relief, cancelled their leases or stopped paying, which 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 has retained Newmark Knight Frank and JLL to try to renegotiate leases and negotiate concessions from landlords at some of their properties as the firm try to stave off a potential bankruptcy.

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. In addition, the Tokyo-based SoftBank led by Masayoshi Son and a special committee of WeWork board members have been locked in a legal battle after Softbank 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 following WeWork’s failed IPO.

International Materials Signs 20K SF Lease In Delray Beach To Relocate HQ

International Materials, Inc. (IMI), an international trading and logistics provider, has signed a 20,052-square-foot lease with Samuels & Associates to relocate and expand its corporate headquarters from Boca Raton to the Offices at 4th & 5th Delray. Located in Delray Beach’s central business district, IMI’s new headquarters will settle into nearly two-thirds of the mixed-use building’s third-floor Class A office space at 25 SE 4th Ave.

The 144,733-square-foot, four-story mixed-use project, newly developed in a joint venture between Samuels & Associates and American Realty Advisors, sits in the heart of Delray Beach where there is both a high demand for office spaces and limited Class A office development. The relocation of IMI’s headquarters into the expansive office space will aid in the company’s accommodation of the existing HQ roster of 45 full-time professionals and doubling its team’s numbers by finding talent in line with its anticipated growth trajectory. 

“As a locally owned and managed business, we are thrilled to move back to downtown Delray Beach where many of us have been residents for years,” said Robert Walsh, President of IMI. “The prospect of locating our headquarters in this state-of-the-art building, steps away from Atlantic Avenue, is a dream scenario that will allow us to grow our business and make room for the future. We are grateful for the support we have received from the City and from Samuels & Associates.”

In the transaction, Samuels & Associates was represented by Keith O’Donnell and Gary Gottlieb of Avison Young, while IMI was represented by Ingrid Kennemer of Coastal Commercial Group.

“Samuels & Associates is delighted to welcome IMI to its new space in the Offices at 4th & 5th Delray,” said Peter Sougarides, Principal, Samuels & Associates. “As we continue to implement a thoughtful placemaking process in the dynamic downtown Delray Beach neighborhood, we look forward to welcoming companies and employees who will enliven the local downtown economy.”

Approximately 6,181 square feet of office space now remains on the third floor of the Offices at 4th & 5th Delray. It is only a few steps away from Delray Beach’s Atlantic Avenue, which is composed of 9,000 square feet of boutique retail, lively dining options, green space, and public beachfront. The project also features a dedicated entryway, a flexible floor plan, experiential office design which will allow for a variety of work settings, more than 8,600 square feet of spacious terraces that allow for views of downtown Delray Beach, a 326-space parking garage, an onsite iPic theater, and a restaurant, all of which IMI will have access to.

“This IMI corporate headquarters relocation to the Delray Beach central business district is a testament to the strength of our city and evidence that the investments in our public-private partnerships strategically located for economic development are beginning to pay off,” said Stephanie Immelman, President & CEO of the Greater Delray Beach Chamber of Commerce.

“There is no denying the staying power and increasing vibrancy of Delray Beach's downtown as a corporate destination. We were able to attract a corporate headquarters relocation during this COVID-19 pandemic,” said Mayor Shelly Petrolia. “We are excited to welcome IMI’s headquarters into the City of Delray Beach and look forward to helping IMI grow in our city.”

By Isabella Zimmermann

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.

How Can Offices Fight Off Viruses? Clean Science Solutions Completes 18 Month Field Study To Purify Indoor Environments & Eliminate Most Viruses

Clean Science Solutions, a New York City-based real estate proptech firm that specializes in commercial solutions to purify air and sanitize surfaces, has completed an 18 month field study demonstrating that the technology effectively sanitizes air and surfaces from bacteria, viruses, mold, VOCs, smoke and odors. The timing for such technology is now more important than ever as COVID-19, also known as the novel Coronavirus, has reached pandemic status in the United States.

Clean Science Solutions partnered with a leading New York City-based real estate development and investment firm who owns and manages over 6.5 million SF of property in New York City, to run the 18 month field study to test Clean Science Solution’s PHI-Cell® units within a 50 story, 1.2 million SF building. The firm found the results extremely compelling— lowering VOCs in the air at a rate significantly faster than natural (or HVAC-system-induced) dissipation.

“I’ve always felt like the next revolution in this world is environmental, and now we are looking at an indoor environmental revolution,” said Thomas M. Misisco, the CEO of Clean Science Solutions. “Some commercial properties have contaminated HVAC systems and now, seeing the effects that COVID-19 has had on our community, we expect a rising demand for clean, purified air in both the workplace and residential properties. We offer a solution for building owners to provide their tenants with a cleaner working environment to offer their employees, clients and customers.”

If not property maintained, heating ventilation and air conditioning systems (HVAC) are prone to mold growth and harboring viruses and bacteria. Clean Science Solutions offers building owners and tenants a peace of mind trusting that the air and surfaces in their buildings are continuously and actively cleansed to reduce toxins above and beyond the typical HVAC maintenance schedule. The Advanced Oxidation Technology (AOT) works on a molecular level to reduce toxic compounds in the air and on surfaces. The system supplements your existing filter and is 99% effective in reducing viruses and bacteria like MRSA, Swine Flu, Norovirus and more. It also reduces VOCs up to 99%, odors and mold up to 98% and smoke up to 70%.

Clean Science is a licensed distributor and reseller of patented Photohydroionization® PHI-Cell® or REME Halo® patent pending technologies manufactured by RGF Environmental Group, Inc, offers air and surface purification units which leverage AOT to kill bacteria, viruses, mold, and drastically reduce VOCs and odors within interior environments. Over the last 15 years, this technology has been installed to serve customers across several industries including healthcare, food processing, military, government, marine, hospitality, and residential and commercial real estate.

COVID-19 is genetically similar to other viruses that RGF has previously tested. This has given reason to believe that RGF technologies could be effective in reduction of COVID-19, however, no definitive claims can be made at this time. COVID-10 is a member of the RNA Coronavirus subfamily which have validated test results showing a 99+% reduction in similar viruses.

Clean Science products consume very low amounts of energy, about 12 watts, which is about the same as the lightbulb in a refrigerator, and test safe for Ozone levels, emitting little to none. Clean Science Solutions helps landlords bring peace of mind to themselves and their tenants while also helping them reach their target IAQ standards to pass sample tests for LEED Certification.

Galium Capitals Acquires 1333 Main Street Office Assemblage In Downtown Columbia, SC

Galium Capital, LLC, a Miami-based private equity group, has announced the acquisition of 1333 Main St. in Columbia, SC. 1333 Main St. is a premier office building and assemblage in the Downtown CBD of Columbia. The transaction closed for $29,350,000 on February 27, 2020.

“1333 Main is a premier office building in the heart of Main Street in an irreplaceable location in Downtown Columbia. The asset is stabilized and consists of a diverse high-credit tenant mix from both public and private sectors. We see strong potential for the building’s long-term performance as well as the growth of the Downtown Columbia market, specifically on Main Street, over time, and are excited about this latest acquisition,” said Jonathan Slomianski, Acquisitions Associate at Galium Capital.

1333 Main St. was originally built in 1983. Today, the property spans 224,315 SF on 1.83 acres of land on Main Street, a main office corridor. 1333 Main St. was 92% leased at acquisition with a high-credit tenant mix including PWC, CBRE, South Carolina Education Lottery, South Carolina Workers Compensation Commission and Ameris Bank, amongst others.

In addition to the main office building, the total assemblage at 1333 Main St. includes the neighboring developed Vista Garage parking garage across the street with ground floor retail; as well as the adjacent service lot. Tenants in the retail component include the South Carolina Education Lottery, The United States Government and Enterprise Rent-A-Car, amongst others.

“1333 Main Street presented a rare opportunity to acquire a true, Downtown Central Business District office asset just down the road from the state capital of South Carolina. South Carolina is a business-friendly market with a growing economy and population. We are proud to have some of the best tenants in the market,” said Jacques Bessoudo, Managing Partner of Galium Capital.

Huston Green from JLL represented the seller, Albany Road Real Estate Partners, a Boston-based private investment group. Jonathan Zilber from Meridian Capital secured the debt for buyer. The buyer, Galium Capital, manages over $350 million of commercial property comprising of multifamily, office, and retail assets across different national markets. 1333 Main St. is their first acquisition of 2020 and first acquisition in Columbia, SC.