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National Weather Service forecasters confirmed over the weekend that a sixth tornado touched down in Southwest Florida the morning of Jan. 16.

An EF-0 tornado touched down in Cape Coral between Trafalgar Parkway and Pine Island Road, causing no reported injuries and only minimal damage.

That same morning an EF-2 tornado with 118 mph winds touched down in the Iona region of South Fort Myers off John Morris Road causing four reported injuries, and damage to more than one hundred mobile homes, including 30 that were destroyed. Other structures were damaged in the Gulf Harbour Yacht and Country Club, Kelly Greens, and McGregor Woods neighborhoods for a total of more than $1 million in estimated damages according to Lee County officials.

Other tornadoes touched down that same morning in Collier and Charlotte Counties as a storm front moved through the region including a tornado that flipped a semi tractor-trailer on its side, temporarily blocking westbound traffic on I-75.

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National Weather Service confirms 6th tornado in SW Florida on January 16 - WGCU News

The Hoover City Council on Feb. 21 plans to vote on whether to rezone 15.7 acres along U.S. 280 to make way for 120 townhomes and three commercial buildings totaling about 25,000 square feet.

The property is at 5352 U.S. 280, directly across from the Walmart Supercenter. It currently is zoned as a general business district in unincorporated Shelby County and includes a pawn shop, which would be torn down to make way for two restaurants and a 12,600-square-foot commercial building, said Signature Homes President Jonathan Belcher, who is working with Terra Equities on the proposal.

Just south of the 4.5 acres of commercial space to be developed by Terra Equities, a little further away from U.S. 280, would be the 11 acres for the 120 townhomes, according to plans submitted to the city of Hoover.

To the west is an AT&T building and self-storage facility, and to the east are several homes, including mobile homes, along Lyndon Drive.

Signature Homes and Terra Equities also are asking for the land to be annexed into Hoover if their rezoning request is granted by the council. The Hoover Planning and Zoning Commission on Jan. 10 recommended the City Council approve the rezoning request.

Belcher said the residential portion of the development is expected to be a $40 million project.

He is proposing two-bedroom or three-bedroom townhomes with roughly 1,600 square feet of space each and likely priced in the high $200,000s. He plans to pattern the development after the Edenton Lofts that Signature Homes developed in 2010 off Cahaba Beach Road.

None of the townhomes would have garages, but there would be 225 parking spaces for residents, Belcher said. That is a higher ratio of parking spaces per townhome than Signature Homes has in Edenton Lofts, and there have been no issues with inadequate parking there.

Based on past experience, Belcher said he would expect one out of every 10 townhomes to include a child for the Hoover school system. The Hoover school system has greater capacity for handling more children on the east side of the city.

The commercial portion of the development, to be handled by Terra Equities, is expected to be a $10.3 million project and include 190 parking spaces for the two restaurants and third commercial building, Belcher said.

The commercial property should generate an estimated total revenues of $16 million to $17 million a year, Belcher said. That would mean $560,000 to $595,000 in annual sales taxes for the city of Hoover, $640,000 to $680,000 in annual sales taxes for the state, $80,000 to $85,000 in annual sales taxes for Shelby County and $80,000 to $85,000 in annual sales taxes to schools in Shelby County.

It should also generate $44,000 to $45,000 a year in property taxes, while the residential property should generate about $66,000 a year in property taxes for the school system, Belcher said.

Hoover Councilman Mike Shaw, when this project first was presented to the zoning board in November, said he knows there are a lot of technology jobs in the nearby Meadow Brook Corporate Park, and he would like to see places for those workers to live close by, so this type of housing in that location is appealing to him.

The property that Signature Homes and Terra Equities want to buy is now owned by Sams Real Estate Investment Trust and Sharit Real Estate Holdings.

The City Council also on Feb. 21 is expected to consider several amendments to the citys zoning ordinance, including amendments that would:

Create a specific zoning district for senior living/retirement communities, separate from independent and assisted living centers, that is designed to accommodate multi-family communities designed for people ages 55 and older and less like institutional senior living facilities.

Create a specific zoning district for gymnasiums and fitness/exercise centers.

Permit taller buildings in commercial zones with conditional use approval.

Reclassify gasoline stations as conditional uses in planned commercial districts.

Provide for additional off-street parking areas for townhome developments.

The zoning board recommended approval of those and several other amendments.

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Council to consider 120 townhomes along US 280 - Hoover Sun

An extra mobile home is to be added to a gypsy and traveller site on the edge of a Banbury area village after councillors gave plans the green light at their meeting this week.

It will mean that four mobile homes along with a touring caravan and an amenity building will now be sited off Mollington Lane, Warmington, with all the residents being related.

Objections had been raised by the parish council and the local district councillor along with two members of the public and committee members were told others living in the village were opposed to the plans but were too scared to come forward.

Cllr Mark Burstall, chairman of Warmington and Arlescote Parish Council, said: There is already a great deal of tension between the settled community and the travellers.

"Many local people said they wanted to object to this application but felt unable to do so because of the perceived threat to them and their families.

"If you decide to grant this application then something must be done to resolve this issue.

The need for pitches should not be exaggerated - in nearby Farnborough there are insufficient travellers to take up the available pitches.

This is an attempt to increase the number of traveller pitches on the site by one.

"It may not sound very much but in reality it is a 33 per cent increase. Once again the applicant has seen fit to act first and then make a retrospective application once found out.

Ward member Cllr John Fielding (Con, Red Horse) added: I respect the needs of the travelling community and Im not against helping them find suitable sites - but this application is one of many that could be classified as creeping development.

Planning officer Erin Weatherstone explained that while there might be vacancies on pitches outside of the district, Stratford District Council had a shortfall of 59 and some of this could be met through the intensification of existing traveller sites.

In her report to councillors she added: In this case there are not considered to be any alternative sites and the personal circumstances of the applicant have been considered, including the personal links of the new occupiers with the applicant.

The plans were approved by a majority decision.

Cllr Bill Fleming (Con, Bidford West and Salford) added: We have refused them in the past and inspectors always overturn them.

"Stratford does have a shortage of sites so from that perspective it is always difficult to get these things stopped.

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Extra mobile home to be added to traveller site on edge of Banbury area village despite councillors' objections - Banbury Guardian

Theres no doubt that were waist deep in a sector rotation (to be kind) or a slow moving correction (to be dour). Either way, there are still opportunities in the market and one more popular choice is becoming dividend stocks.

You have heard by now that interest rates, which in this case means mortgage rates, are rising. The first response to this is to avoid real estate. But thats not necessarily the lesson.

If real estate values are rising faster than rates, then its still a good net investment. And the fact that theres still more demand than supply suggests were still in a sweet spot.

Also, if youre a real estate investment trust (REIT), you can also raise rents or lease rates. And most of your debt has been acquired under low-rate loans, so your margins grow.

Thats why I wanted to share these dividend stocks with you now. They have rock-solid dividends and still have plenty of growth left up their sleeves.

Source: SERDTHONGCHAI / Shutterstock.com

If you heard about the recent kerfuffle regarding restrictions on certain airplanes landing at U.S. airports due to 5G signals, then you understand that 5G is a totally different animal than 4G.

And thats a good thing for this dividend stock. AMT is one of the leading telecom tower owners and operators in the world at this point.

I has been in the business since 1995, so it had a headstart on many competitors and has been able to consolidate its lead by acquisition or competition. And the good news for the company is 5G requires an entirely new set of antenna arrays, repeaters, etc.

The telecom tower industry has some pretty significant barriers to entry at this point. And given AMTs strategic properties it has built in the past few decades, it has a comfortable competitive moat.

AMT stock still has a 10% gain in the past 12 months, and a 2.3% dividend. Its trading at the midpoint of its 52-week range. This is a long-term buy as are all quality dividend stocks at current prices.

This stock has a B rating in my Dividend Grader.

Source: Ken Wolter / Shutterstock.com

Whenever theres economic disruption like a pandemic or the current supply chain issues, or sector booms like real estate, electric vehicles, etc., people rethink their living arrangements.

Some downsize. Others move to where the new opportunities lie. Some move to find new opportunities. Some start side gigs to supplement their income.

Whatever the reasons, storage units become strategically valuable. In good times and bad times, storage units do very well.

Last year, EXR was the second largest self-storage facility REITs in the U.S. It has over one million units and it also has a reinsurance business, which offers insurance to storage renters.

EXR stock has gained 65% in the past 12 months and trades in the upper end of its 52-week range. It has a solid 2.6% dividend. This is a quality long-term dividend stock.

This stock has an A rating in my Dividend Grader.

Source: Jonathan Weiss / Shutterstock.com

The digital economy is in full swing. And e-commerce truly became an entrenched consumer behavior during the pandemic. That means the U.S. market needs more warehouses to distribute all those goods.

It just so happens that DRE is one of the largest warehouse REITs in the business. And many of its best customers are e-commerce businesses. This bodes well for its future growth. It means its current properties are running on all cylinders and it has the wherewithal to build out more facilities to expand its distribution effectiveness.

Its been in business since 1972, so it has seen all there is to see in the REIT world. If youre looking for a conservative dividend stock that is hooked into one of the biggest long-term trends around, DRE has to be on that list.

DRE stock has grown 45% in the past 12 months yet has a current of just 24. While its dividend is just 1.9%, its rock solid.

This stock has an A rating in my Dividend Grader.

Source: Andriy Blokhin / Shutterstock.com

While everyone is transitioning to work from home and staring at computer screens once again, theres one sector that continues to exist, whether were looking or not outdoor advertising. Im talking about billboards, buses, airports, etc.

Lamar has been in the outdoor advertising business since 1902 and has hundreds of thousands of billboards and their property around the country. Its been a REIT for almost a decade now.

Granted, this isnt a hot growth industry. But LAMRs stable business model means its a solid dividend stock with reliable growth. Its a great foundational total return choice.

LAMR stock has gained nearly 30% in the past 12 months, and still has a 3.7% dividend. It also has a $10 billion market capitalization, so its not going to blow away in stiff economic winds.

This stock has a B rating in my Dividend Grader.

Source: Arina P Habich / Shutterstock.com

One of the big changes the pandemic has brought to the U.S., in particular, is a new way to think about work and life. Younger generations have taken to the road in massive numbers, as have younger families and retirees.

Because of this, motor home lifestyles have changed from the old days. Modern mobile homes and communities have more amenities and modern conveniences. Living out of a motor home or a recreational vehicle (RV) is a much different experience.

One company thats responsible for these changing expectations is ELS. It has more than 200 RV resorts and campsites, and 23 marinas with more than 6,000 slips in 33 states and British Columbia. Plus its a niche REIT in this sector.

Its not one of the sexiest dividend stocks on the list, with its current 1.9% distribution, but ELS has a nearly $15 billion market cap. It has plenty of cash to splash on new properties and upgrades to existing ones. ELS stock is up 19% in the past 12 months, and plenty of growth down the road (pun intended).

This stock has a B rating in my Dividend Grader.

Source: rafapress / Shutterstock.com

I have to assume that if you havent heard of the supply chain issues that have been rocking the U.S. economy you live off the grid somewhere and just arrived in civilization to check your email or fantasy football teams efforts.

PLD is one of the worlds largest REITs focused on logistics properties. And at this point, it has around 1 billion square feet of them spread across 19 countries. Its mission is to thrive in high-barrier, high-growth markets where it can create a competitive moat. And it has done a very good job of it.

Remember, as a REIT, it leases these properties to the companies that operate the facilities. Its not a cause of the supply chain crisis. And its products are in high demand, so it has pricing advantages right now and moving forward.

PLD stock has returned 55% in the past 12 months, but it has plenty of growth left ahead. That kind of growth reduces the dividend, so its one of the lower distributions of the dividend stocks here, at 1.6%. But whether its growth or income, PLD is worth a place in your portfolio.

This stock has a B rating in my Dividend Grader.

Source: travelview / Shutterstock.com

In 2015, Caesars Entertainment Corporation (owner of Caesars Palace Casino and other casinos and resorts) filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy. In 2017, VICI was spun off as a REIT that now owns 29 casinos, hotels, and racetracks, as well as four golf courses around the U.S.

While the pandemic hurt Las Vegas and other business, its properties are coming back to life again. More than the other dividend stocks here, VICI is a comeback story. Also remember VICI has the Caesars name, so it has made a significant effort to offset lost foot traffic in its properties with a big push into online betting.

The good news for investors, especially those looking for big paying dividend stocks, is that VICI is a bargain here. The stock has a current price-earnings (P/E) ratio below 15 and has a 12-month return just below 3%. But its current dividend is almost 5.3%. VICI is set up for growth and solid dividends moving forward.

This stock has a B rating in my Dividend Grader.

On the date of publication, Louis Navellier has positions in AMT and EXR in this article. Louis Navellier did not have (either directly or indirectly) any other positions in the securities mentioned in this article.

The InvestorPlace Research Staff member primarily responsible for this articledid not hold(either directly or indirectly) any positions in the securities mentioned in this article.

Louis Navellier, who has been called one of the most important money managers of our time, has broken the silence inthis shocking tell all video exposing one of the most shocking events in our countrys history andthe onemoveevery American needs to make today.

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7 Dividend Stocks to Profit off the Hot Real Estate Market - InvestorPlace

FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. Very little vacant land is left for building homes in South Florida, but just how scarce are the options? As the region struggles with a housing shortage, the amount of vacant land zoned for residences is down to less than 1% in parts of the region.

The South Florida Sun Sentinel requested the amount of all vacant land parcels that are currently zoned vacant residential or vacant commercial from the Palm Beach County and Broward County property appraisers office.

According to an analysis of the data, there are only about 20 square miles, or less than 1%, of land that remains vacant and zoned for residential use. For perspective, Palm Beach County is 2,383 square miles. On top of that, those 20 square miles are fractured into hundreds of lots all over the place.

Its even worse in Broward County. Of the countys 1,323 square miles, only 5 square miles, or less than 1%, remain vacant and zoned for residential use.

Miami-Dade County did not return the request for information.

Much of the vacant land in Palm Beach County is parceled in the western parts of the county, such as Belle Glade, Clewiston and in areas such as Westlake and Loxahatchee. For Broward County, the land is more scattered, with areas of remaining land concentrated in the areas of Southwest Ranches, Davie and west of Sunrise.

Broward County is a sought-after place to live as people from all over the world are making it their home. Although impossible to say for certain, it is my belief that the lack of vacant land is a contributing factor in the increase in value for the existing homes and properties and likely will be for the foreseeable future, said Marty Kiar with the Broward County Property Appraisers Office.

South Florida is in the midst of a real estate boom fueled in part by record low inventory and an influx of new residents. One of the most important factors in the housing shortage, however, is the scarcity of land on which to build. Developers are having a hard time finding vacant land zoned for residential commercial use, as each county is braced by the ocean on one side and the Everglades on the other.

Broward County is one of the most land-constrained markets in the country, said Brent Baker, division president with Pulte Group, who builds homes throughout Palm Beach County and Broward County. Palm Beach County is slightly better.

Many of Pultes projects are reflective of the land constraints that South Florida is facing. Theyve had to turn to land-use conversions, building on areas that were once golf courses or flea markets.

Pulte isnt the only developer turning to outlying areas in a quest to find land.

AKAI Estates turned to Southwest Ranches, out in the western part of Broward County, and Symphony at Jupiter, a new housing community, is built on one of the few remaining parcels of land in Jupiter, that was at one point a nursery.

Land scarcity will drive up land prices, explained Ken H. Johnson, real estate economist with Florida Atlantic University.

It causes the price to be significantly higher. Its pure supply and demand, added Baker. As the availability of land dwindles, that reduces the supply, and that ultimately makes it harder and more expensive for the builder and the developer to get housing on there.

It also motivates developers to build costlier homes. The more expensive land gets, the more value you need to put on it on the land, said Michael Sochaczevski, a developer on the AKAI Estates team.

The AKAI Estates development sells custom homes built on about 2 acres of land ranging from $8 million to $13 million.

All of these factors help fuel South Floridas affordable housing crisis.

Beyond vacant lots, there are other open spaces in South Florida, some held as nature preserves, while other areas consist of agricultural lands, golf courses or industrial lands. These could be rezoned in the future to accommodate residential developments.

Broward County currently has about 19 square miles of land that are golf courses, agricultural properties and other large parcels, while in Palm Beach County, around 684 square miles are zoned as agricultural or agricultural residential.

Were going to be looking for land, said Johnson.

Case in point, former President Donald Trump announced plans to convert the Blue Monster golf course at Trump National Doral, one of four golf courses there, into a luxury housing, retail and commercial space.

And last year, Miami Dade County commissioners voted 10-2 to redevelop the Calusa Country Club into a 550-home development by GL Homes.

The land shortage is happening as population growth in the tri-county area is expected to rise over the next 10 years: Palm Beach County should see the population increase by 14% over the next 10 years, while Broward County should see increases of 12% and Miami-Dade 8.7%, according to numbers provided by Johnson.

Whether and how that land is rezoned remains to be seen.

Golf courses have seen a resurgence in popularity, preventing some of the courses that may have been converted from doing so, said Baker. There is a chance that some of the larger nurseries could be redeveloped. The rezoning process can take anywhere from 18 months to 24 months, Baker said.

2022 South Florida Sun-Sentinel. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.

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New Construction? S. Fla. Is Almost Out of Land - | Florida Realtors

TOWN OF NEWBURGH - A New Jersey developer with four warehouses in Orange County is addingtwo more to its stock, across from the Newburgh Mall.

One of the new Matrix Development Group buildings will be 927,041 square feet, andthe other will be 215,200 square feet. Both will be built on a 90-acre property at thecorner of Route 300 and Interstate 84, near Matrix's other warehouse by Stewart Airport.

Developers will use local labor on the construction, which is alreadyunderway.

This new project is one of the latestin a steady stream of warehouse proposals that have come to Orange County since2019.

Currently, some 40 warehouse projects are in the works or in the planning stages, saidAlan Sorensen, the county's planning commissioner.These includenew construction and expansions.Some are undergoing lengthy environmental reviews and approval processes, he noted.

Most of the Orange County warehouse projects are locatedin the village of Goshen, and towns of Wawayanda, Montgomery and Wallkill.

Walgreens is considering leasing the smaller warehouse for a micro-fulfillment centerin one half and subletting the other half, according to a presentation at the Orange County Industrial Development Agency's Jan. 19 meeting.

A determining factor for Walgreens moving in will be if it gets asales tax exemption for the cost of specialized robotics needed at the site, according to paperwork filed with the IDA.

Gary Hans, head of acquisitions at Matrix, based in Cranbury, New Jersey, said in an interview on Jan. 14 he wasn't worried about not immediately having tenants for the project.

"We're confident enough in the market that we think both buildings will probably be leased before we're done constructing them," Hans said.

He expects construction to wrap by the end of the year or early 2023, depending on weather and supply issues.

Matrix estimates the project could produce 300-500 temporary construction jobs and 300-400 permanent jobsonce it is finished.

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Newburgh Supervisor Gil Piaquadio isn't thrilled with the warehouse plans, but is not entirely opposed to them either.

"That particular location on Route 300I always felt would be our retail area," Piaquadio said. "And it pretty much is." He acknowledged that attempts to further the retail landscape have not been successful."So, we'll have to live with the warehouses," he said.

Past efforts to turn the land into another mall have failed. Waterstone Properties Group originally pitcheddevelopingitinto a bustling town center with 700,000 square feet of retail space. It later tweaked its plans by scaling backtheretail to 275,000 square feet, but still could not fulfill the retail leases, Piaquadio said.

"Right now, everybody's buying so much online that it's created such a need for these warehouses and retail stores are really being shorted,"Piaquadiosaid.

In some of Orange County's more rural communities, warehouse development has roused locals.

"The problem I have is that the infrastructure doesn't exist to take care of this business correctly," said Chris Miele,president of Concerned Citizens of the Hudson Valley.

That's true in Hamptonburgh, Miele said, where New Jersey-based Real Deal Management is building warehouses. But Miele said the small hamlet doesn't have the services or facilities to support this industry.

"We don't have parking spaces. We don't have hotels ... We don't have repair shops. When a truck breaks down, we don't even have enough tow trucks that are big enough to tow a tractor-trailer.And we have all these low underpasses," Miele said.

But the Matrix site in Newburgh is"actually not a terrible, horrible location for a warehouse" because the area is already industrial, Miele said.

Matrix, which develops, ownsand operates office, residential, hospitalityand industrial properties, has developedmore than 40 million square feetin New Jersey, Pennsylvania and New York, including 5 million square feet in the past five years in Orange County and Staten Island.

When the Newburgh buildings are finished, Matrix will have about 2.7 million square feet of warehouse space in Orange County, Hans said.

Another New Jersey developer, Real Deal Management (RDM Group), had as many as 19 pending plans for warehouses in Orange County last year.

Development has been steady since before the pandemic, said Sorensen, Orange County's planning commissioner,and he sees that continuing for the foreseeable future.

E-commerce has boosted demand for warehouses, Hans said, but there are many other reasons to develop here.

While some of this growth can be attributed to local stores' need for extra storage, it is perhaps the region's access to major roads (Route 17, the Thruway, Interstate 84) thatis key, according to Hans and Orange County'sSorensen.

"One-day travel time from Orange County, they (drivers) can cover all of New England," Hans said. "They can get to Toronto and Montreal.They can go as far west as Detroit and Indianapolis and as far south as Charlotte."

And while warehouse development is booming, Miele believes that Orange County needs to further diversify economic development.

Miele pointed to the county's growing film industry, noting that it employs various types of local labor, including carpenters, painters, artists,and pumps money into hospitality businesses.

"They (economic develop agencies) are taking advantage of a good, solid roadway system, but they're not taking advantage ofeverything else the area has to offer, which are beautiful rolling hills, beautiful vistas, great tourism potential, smaller or at-home type industries or service industries," Miele said.

lbellamy@th-record.com

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Newburgh warehouses add to steady development in Orange County - Times Herald-Record

Ocala Mall To Open In March

The Ocala Mall is scheduled to open in March at the old Kmart location on east Silver Springs Blvd. They will have about 120 vendor spots.

Doug Engle, Ocala Star-Banner

Right now, the old Kmart building at 3711 E. Silver Springs Blvd. in Ocala doesn't look like much. Piles of wooden planks are scattered around the unfinished floor. Stray chairs, trash cans and ladders dot the 83,000 square feet of show floor that has been vacant since the department store closed in April 2018.

Despite the appearance of the abandoned space, Greg Park and around 40 vendors who have signed up for spaces in the Ocala Mall see its potential to be a bustling market with a unique variety of offerings once doors open in March.

Though the mallhas been labeled as an "indoor flea market,"those associated with the operation hesitate at the term and consider it more of a miniature mall.

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I think people, when they first heard that we're opening up the flea market here, were kind of nervous. They don't want a flea market here in town, Park, owner of the new mall, said. It's not your traditional used sneakers and T-shirts. It's going to be majority all brand new items at half the price that you're going to pay anywhere else.

Park also operates the Tampa Mall, which he says has been very successful and sold out for the past two years. He initially passed on the opportunity to open the mall in Ocala a few years ago but came back to it last year after another owner tried to start the operation and ran out of money, leaving many expectant vendors without a location.

Due to fire code, Park is able to use only around 63,000 square feet of the space for 100 to 120 or so vendors. About 10 will be restaurants, and there is space outside for five food trucks. A garage will offer space for automotive service vendors, and there will be new air conditioning and bathrooms in the building.

Permanent booths vary in size but start at 10 feet by 10 feet for $400 a month. Some anchor stores are as big as 5,000 square feet. Vendors can also sell outdoors in the garden center for free. Park plans to sell produce at wholesale prices to attract customers too.

That's going to give opportunities to our vendors to make sales, and I can only be successful here if my vendors are successful, he said. These vendors that I met here are really great people, and I want all of us to be successful together.

Katherine Zuniga, owner of LuZunika, was one of the vendors who had previously paid a deposit and prepared to open under the last owner. She plans to sell various hand-crafted productsincluding soaps, creams, bath bombs, bath salts, candles, resin art and crochet items.

It's all about hoping, she said of opening a business and putting faith in the new space. It's important to Ocala to have small businesses, and right now with what's been happening around with COVID and everything, a lot of people are opening small businesses and they need that outlet.

For Zuniga, its a way to evolve her side business, which she considers her passion, and begin to pursue a dream of having a physical location rather than only selling at events and online.

Audra Caffrey, owner of The Ice Queen, also sees the Ocala Mall as a way to maintain a brick-and-mortar presence without the cost of going it alone. She recently sold her mobile Italian ice truck, opting for a 10 feet by 15 feet space at the mall.

We're just really excited that this is an opportunity that's going to help a lot of vendors who can't get out to events for whatever reason, and the prices are within reason. How can you pass it up? she asked. You can tell (Greg is) somebody who cares about the vendors that are going to be in here, and that is really important.

Caffrey will sell homemade Italian ice, shakes, real fruit smoothies, floats, gourmet sundaes, hot pretzels and popcorn.

This is going to be something new and fresh, and I think a lot of people are excited that this has been vacant for so long to have something to regenerate this area over here, she said, noting that Marion Countys other flea markets have been around a while.

Melanie Henson, who refurbishes furniture under Mels Marvelous Finds, is also pleased about expanding into a bigger space in the air-conditioned Ocala Mall.

This gives me an air conditioning type of environment so that my furniture doesn't get ruined, because when you deal with natural wood, the weather kind of warps it, she said. To bring it into an environment like this, it'll give me a better opportunity, and at my age, the air conditioning is good for me too. When I move in here, I'll be 70 years old."

Henson describes her business as taking old furniture and bringing it back to life. She creates one-of-a-kind pieces of various themes, including steampunk, Victorian, coastal and country.

She also hesitates to call it a flea market, instead opting for a mall of exceptionally different kinds of eclectic things.

This is an opportunity for the neighborhood, she said. This is something that gives everybody in the city of Ocala something different to look forward to. It gives them a place to go. It gives them a variety of things to look at.

Married couple Rocky Newman and Tressa Sanchez own RTS Liquidations in Anthony and will be expanding their business to a second location with a 2,000-square-foot anchor store at the Ocala Mall.

We do a little bit of everything from tools to housewares to small appliances, furniture, Sanchez said. We do a lot of liquidations, which is overstocks, customer returns, things like that, but we also do furniture restorations.

They aim to keep their prices around 50% of retail stores.

We're very particular about who we buy from and how much we'll pay for it so we can keep that margin where we want it to be, which is low, Newman said. Were all in it to make money, but the whole idea is to save people money.

Newman and Sanchez are also excited to be part of a community of vendors rather than another standalone building.

I think its absolutely great that theyre going to do something with this instead of just let it sit here and be dormant, Newman said. It'll bring a little bit more commerce back to this side of town.

Park is working with the city to approve construction plans and hopes to hold a grand opening forthe Ocala Mall in March. He plans for it to be open 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. Wednesdays through Sundays and 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. on Fridays and Saturdays.

Contact reporter Danielle Johnson at djohnson@gannett.com.

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Retail vendors, restaurants, food trucks: New Ocala Mall will be housed in old Ocala Kmart - Ocala

Multifamily developer Northland on Monday announced it has acquired a four-parcel 0.76-acre high-rise development site located at the corner of 17th and Spring streets in Midtown. Northland paid $19 million, according to property records held in Fulton County.

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17th and Spring represents the most compelling multifamily development site in Midtown Atlanta today, according to a press release. The site is in the heart of Midtown, surrounded by nearly 30 million square feet of office space that is either existing, under construction or proposed. 17th and Spring is also directly adjacent to Midtown Union, a mixed-use project currently under construction that will bring 32,000 square feet of retail to the developments front door.

Northland will design, entitle, capitalize, and develop the project without joint venture partners, and its vision for the site is a generational multifamily-anchored high-rise tower, activated by engaging street level retail.

This site represents one of the few generational opportunities nationally to create an iconic example of thoughtful urban placemaking through a dynamic housing and retail mixed-use development, Santo Dettore, Director of Development at Northland, who will lead the upcoming 17th and Spring development project, said. Atlantas incredibly exciting North Midtown neighborhood exemplifies the perfect ecosystem to execute on this vision.

Northland also acquired SLX Atlanta, a 306-unit luxury mid-rise apartment community located in Chamblee, complete with 24,189 square feet of wellness-focused retail space, at 5211 Peachtree Blvd.

We are excited to welcome SLX into our portfolio and to have secured the most compelling remaining development site in Midtown Atlanta, Matthew Gottesdiener, Northlands Chief Executive Officer, said. Our investing horizon at Northland is fifty years, and we believe Atlantas current nation-leading growth trajectory is just getting started. In only thirteen months during a challenging investment climate, we are grateful to have solidified one of the highest quality multifamily portfolios in the city, with anchor assets in Sandy Springs, Chamblee, and Buckhead, and a Midtown site that will enable Northlands development platform to deliver much-needed housing to the city.

These acquisitions come one year after Northland Chairman Larry Gottesdiener and President and COO Suzanne Abair furthered the organizations commitment to Atlanta by teaming up with former All-Star Renee Montgomery to become the new owners of the WNBAs Atlanta Dream.

Together, Larry, Suzanne and Renee have cultivated a new chapter for the franchise, which was awarded ESPNs Humanitarian Team of the Year award for their heroic social justice work in 2020.

Northland owns and operates a multifamily portfolio that includes more than 26,000 units across the U.S. These acquisitions add to Northlands portfolio of long-term markets within New England, Austin, and Southwestern and Southeastern United States.

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Northland Acquires Land at Corner of 17th and Spring Streets For Multifamily Project - What Now Atlanta

The largest residential development in the U.S. one thats been decades in the making is officially ready to rise.

Post Brothers and Tower Investments have closed $400 million in financing for their 1.9 million-square-foot mixed-use project at Broad Street and Washington Avenue in Philadelphia, Commercial Observer has learned, and have now broken ground on the mega-development.

Bank OZK and Starwood Property Trust provided the debt, with the lenders providing $250 million and $110 million in senior and mezzanine financing respectively, and the remaining $40 million being invested by sponsorship.

The development called Broad and Washington for now will be constructed over several phases, with Bank OZK and Starwoods loan funding the first phase.

Ackman-Ziffs Russell Schildkraut and Christine Zivkovic negotiated the financing, which acts as a construction and project recapitalization loan.

When completed in 2026, the $750 million project will span 1.9 million square feet and include 1,457 apartments, more than 65,000 square feet of retail space on the ground floor, and a parking garage. The first phase scheduled for completion in 2024 will see the building of 600 apartments across four interconnected structures plus 50,000 square feet of ground-floor commercial space.

Broad and Washington, at 1001 South Broad Street in South Philadelphia, nicknamed South Philly, is the largest project in the U.S. to be built to date using prefabricated load-bearing wall panels, allowing the developers to save 25 percent on hard costs versus traditional concrete and steel construction while producing Class A housing.

Bart Blatstein, founder and CEO of Tower Investments and a native Philadelphian, has long proposed a residential complex at the site, and now, with Post Brothers as a joint-venture development partner, construction is finally underway. Post Brothers and Tower Investments plans for a 15-story structure were approved by Philadelphias Department of Licenses and Inspections in August 2021, per the Philly Voice.

Bank OZK and Starwood have previously provided construction financing within the Post Brothers portfolio, for projects including The Atlantic, Presidential Cityand Piazza Alta.

Lot of lenders were interested [in the financing], Matt Pestronk, co-founder of Post Brothers, told CO. We had transacted with both of these lenders multiple times. Its a big project, especially for outside New York City where there are more projects of this size being built. We found there was a lot of competition for the deal, but we ultimately went with lenders we were comfortable with.

Due to the size and complexity of the project a capital stack was required that included the most sophisticated capital providers in the marketplace today, Schildkraut said. All parties including the sponsor, senior and subordinate lenders, their legal and closing teams, and Ackman-Ziff worked cohesively to effectuate this transformative project.

And it wasnt an overnight accomplishment, by any means.

Pestronk joked that the deal came together in three weeks, but in actuality it was more than four years in the making. Post Brothers had a long relationship with Blatstein, and the site was already on the firms radar, even before it entered the Broad and Washington partnership in 2017.

The site was something lots of people were very aware of for a long time, Pestronk said. Every person in development in Philadelphia, and in the northeast, was aware of the site and its prominence.

Ultimately, getting to the construction stage required patience, plus the ability to work closely with the community and the City Planning Commission in order to get their full backing, Pestronk said.

It took the project four years to come together from when we first shook hands with Bart on it, he said. The site had sat vacant for four decades at the time. At one point, the city of Philadelphia owned it and implemented restrictions around what could be built, meaning there were various zoning complications to surmount.

But now, the developers are ready to roll.

The anticipation of the transformative nature has been extensively discussed in the civic and development domain, and the execution of the project itself will greatly exceed all expectations, Pestronk said. The project is now financed to go forward and we are excited to deliver what people have been waiting to see.

Post Brothers also teamed up with Blatstein in the past, on the expansion of the Piazza Alta apartments in Phillys Northern Liberties neighborhood.

Its an honor to work with Post Brothers in developing such a monumental community in our own backyard that will not only set a record for mixed-use housing in Philadelphia, but also the entire country, Blatstein said. Post Brothers is known for offering the most exceptional apartment living in only the most desirable neighborhoods, and the Broad and Washington development will set a new national standard.

BKV Group is the projects architect while Post General Contracting Is the general contractor.

A spokesperson for Bank OZK declined to comment. Starwood officials werent immediately available for comment.

Cathy Cunningham can be reached at ccunningham@commercialobserver.com.

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Post Brothers Closes $400M Construction Loan for Philly Megaproject - Commercial Observer

The Beechwood Organization, one of Long Islands most prolific residential developers, is embarking on some major projects down south.

Jericho-based Beechwood plans to break ground shortly on 319 luxury homes in four different communities in the Charlotte, N.C. metropolitan area.

Were going to the Carolinas because we see strong demand for our quality of home construction and design, said Steven Dubb, a Beechwood principal. We are also following our buyers. While most love living on Long Island, and in their Beechwood home here, there are many who have decided to make a move south for the easy climate and attractive cost of living.

Rendering of homes to be built at Weddington Glen. / Courtesy of 505Design/The Beechwood Organization

In Weddington, an upscale suburb to the southeast of Charlotte, Beechwood is building 35 estate homes in a 48-acre subdivision called Weddington Glen. The homes, to be built in a mix of wooded and meadow homesites, will be priced in the $900,000s with custom homes selling for $1.2 million and up.

In Marvin, known as one of the wealthiest towns in the state, Beechwood will be building 62 custom homes on 86 acres. The new residential community, called Broadmoor at Marvin, will feature homes priced from $1 million to $1.5 million.

Beechwood closed on the Weddington and Marvin properties in December and site development of both are expected to begin soon, with home construction underway in the spring.

A third community for Beechwood is called Ferncliff at Cotswold, where the developer will build five townhomes priced from $750,000 to $1.2 million. Located in Charlottes Cotswold neighborhood, not far from the SouthPark residential and business district, the location of the townhomes provides a convenient commute to downtown Charlotte. Construction on the Ferncliff at Cotswold development is expected to start in the summer.

Site plan for Lakeside Pointe on Lake Norman. / Courtesy of Shook Kelley/The Beechwood Organization

The largest of Beechwoodsfour Charlotte-area projects is Lakeside Pointe on Lake Norman, a mixed-use development of 217 residences that include cottage homes, townhomes and single-family homes and 68,000 square feet of commercial space. The homes at Lakeside Pointe, many with frontage on the lake or water views,will be priced from the $300,000s to $1 million or more.

Amenities at Lakeside Pointe feature 26 acres of natural open space, parks and walking trails and a community center overlooking the lake that will have an outdoor pool, clubhouse, outdoor recreational activities and a privatemarina for residents.

As we grow our presence in the Carolinas, Beechwood explored Weddington, and each additional site under development, as the locations where we could thoughtfully expand our portfolio, said Robert Kardos, Beechwoods regional president for the Carolinas. We are excited to introduce our style of estate and custom homes befitting of these incredible locations and their residents to enjoy for years to come.

Still in the planning stages is Beechwood biggest project yet in the Tar Heel state, a proposed new mixed-use development on 120 acres in Chapel Hill called South Creek by Beechwood. The developer is currently working with the Town of Chapel Hill and local stakeholders to help shape the project, which could include mid-rise condominium buildings, townhomes and duplex homes. Public trails through the large nature preserve on the back portion of the property will likely be part of the plan.

In Chapel Hill, Beechwood is in close consultation about its South Creek proposal with the Town of Chapel Hill and is proposing approximately 600 middle-income townhomes and condos, Dubb said. The housing would sit on 40 acres with an additional 80 acres preserved for green space plus 42,000 square feetfor commercial and retail space.

Beechwood closed on the Chapel Hilldevelopment site last August. The seller, Obey Creek Ventures, had proposed to buildabout 1.6 million square feet of retail, offices and apartments with an 85-acre public park, but the plan never advanced.

Beechwood is hoping to complete the zoning application process with the town and begin site construction soon after, with its first homes at South Creek to be completed in 2024.

And while the developer is making a big investment in North Carolina, Beechwood continues to be busy here on Long Island. The company is in the final phases of 55 and over condo communities with 400 homes in Yaphank and 750 homes plus 118,450 square feet of retail in Plainview. Beechwood is also building 156 condos in East Meadow and a new 237-unit apartment complex in Westbury.

Link:
Beechwood going big with multiple projects in North Carolina - Long Island Business News