$21,600,000 Construction Financing and $10,700,000 JV Equity for 142-Unit BTR Community; Savannah, GA

Transaction Description:

George Smith Partners successfully placed $39,000,000 in construction debt and advised on $20,000,000 Limited Partner equity for the ground up construction of 137-unit mixed-use development with ground floor retail in Midtown Sacramento, CA. The Project is the second asset that GSP has structured both debt and equity for a sequence of planned multifamily developments. Pricing for the non-recourse construction loan tightened from the first transaction six months ago.

The site will be developed into a seven-story building consisting of six levels of rental units, parking, and ground floor retail. Situated in Midtown, Sacramento’s trendiest neighborhood, the Property is walking distance to restaurants, shops and is conveniently positioned near the rail station and a local highway. The area has increasingly attracted significant public and private investment due to its proximity to employment hubs and lifestyle amenities.

The capital markets were weary of ongoing supply chain and increasing construction costs. GSP worked with the Lender and equity investor to structure contingency levels that were acceptable to both. The Sponsor was provided with competitive, non-recourse construction loan and an investor that could grow with their future development needs.

Transaction Description:

George Smith Partners successfully placed $10,000,000 of joint venture equity for the construction of a 134-unit workforce housing development in a tertiary Mountain State market. There is considerable demand due to the quality of life and a D1-university in close proximity. GSP structured a 90/10 co-invest with an out of state developer with a robust pipeline.

Though guided to an expeditious close, the equity raise faced a few challenges. GSP brought the deal to market early in COVID when the economic ramifications of stay-at-home policies were uncertain. Additionally, the Project’s location in a tertiary market with only 50,000 people led to multiple groups being hesitant to deploy capital. However, the effects from COVID and the state’s pro-business economic policies eventually were shown to be a positive factor in multifamily demand.

Transaction Description:

George Smith Partners successfully advised on $7,100,000 in joint venture equity financing for a 109-unit build-to-rent and Opportunity Zone transaction in Phoenix, AZ. This single family for rent community will offer one, two and three-bedroom detached homes with upscale furnishings and private yards for most units. This was the first transaction for our Sponsor who is optimistic about the popularity and emerging trend of the build-to-rent niche.

Transaction Description:

George Smith Partners advised on the placement of $51,750,000 and $16,200,000 Senior Debt and Mezzanine debt respectively for the ground-up development of an institutional quality 204,275 SF outdoor shopping center that will be located along Kuakini Highway, one of the island’s most trafficked thoroughfares. The Property, which sits on a rare fee-simple 20-acre site, will provide patrons with easy access to both Henry Street and Palani Road and over 700 parking spaces (representing a parking ratio of 4:1,000 SF).

Challenges:

Although the Sponsors who partnered with a major life company, had extensive prior career experience in the field of commercial real estate development, the Project represented the Sponsor’s largest development to date. The development of the Project had already commenced adding another layer of complexity to the transaction.

Solutions:

GSP focused on the lack of new retail development on Kona and specifically the anchor tenant’s commitment to relocate their store from an adjacent shopping center (less than 0.50 miles). In addition, GSP was able to convey to capital sources the immense value of the fee simple ownership of the site – a rare occurrence in Hawaii where most land is leased from the State. Ultimately GSP was able to identify two lenders who not only understood the value of the fee simple ownership of the site but also understood the lack of new retail space and the subsequent demand.

Transaction Description:

George Smith Partners successfully advised on $12,000,000 in joint venture equity financing and $23,900,000 in non-recourse senior construction financing for the ground-up development of a 185- home build-to-rent community. Single-family-for-rent communities are a newer asset class and this project was among the first in the market. These communities offer the experience of living in a single-family home with the ease and cost of living in an apartment building. The Sponsor expects the project to be well received as there are distinct competitive advantages over the existing apartment product in the market place for several reasons including the new construction, low density and both interior and exterior privacy.

Transaction Description:
George Smith Partners arranged $25,000,000 of Mezzanine construction financing and supported the sponsor in negotiating the $80,500,000 senior financing for a speculative, mixed-use, office and retail project located on North Scottsdale Boulevard and Tempe Town Lake in Tempe, Arizona. This phase of the development includes 250,000 square feet of a 15 story, Class A, high rise office space and 44,000 square feet of lifestyle retail space.

Challenges:
Given the perceived historical volatility of the Phoenix and Tempe office markets, and the speculative nature of the business plan, many potential investors were unwilling to take on the risk. Preleasing was critical to the advancement of the Project and to the capital markets. The Senior Lender mitigated the uncertainty by requiring a minimum leasing threshold to be achieved prior to advancing any loan proceeds. However, the local leasing market would not commit to new leases without a committed delivery date.

Solution:
The Sponsor, with George Smith Partners’ assistance, was able to develop an alternate structure to the Senior Loan. This allowed the Sponsor to fully engage the equity solution and provide a certain completion date to the Lenders and the tenant market.