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CPACE: An Affordable Solution for Mid-Construction Capital
CPACE financing is an innovative solution offering low-cost, long-term capital that can also be retrofitted.
ATLANTA (Jan. 17, 2024) – Officials of Peachtree Group today announced that the company originated $73 million in a construction loan and CPACE financing for the development of a 263-room dual-brand Home2 Suites (130-key) and Tru by Hilton Hotel (133-key) in San Diego, Calif., on behalf of Baxter Hotel Group, a San Diego‐based, vertically integrated real estate development and management company. Baxter plans to begin construction on its 16-story, dual-branded hotel this month and expects a22-month construction timetable.
The Peachtree Group team originated a $50.4 million floating-rate construction loan over a three-year term and $22.6 million of fixed-rate commercial property clean energy (CPACE) financing amortized over 25 years, which in total represented 64% of the total development cost.
“We were able to execute an innovative capital stack with the addition of CPACE in an otherwise difficult financing market that provided ample capital for the construction to begin while saving the sponsor 200 basis points in interest rate spread,” said Jared Schlosser, Peachtree’s senior vice president, head of hotel origination and CPACE.
The construction budget has CPACE-eligible items, including seismic improvements, lighting, building envelope, HVAC, plumbing and qualifying soft costs.
The hotel will be located at 1357 5th Avenue and will cater to transient and extended-stay guests, offering a new product that has been historically underserved in the market. The high-quality amenities proposed are not typically seen in limited-service hotels, like sustainable designs to achieve Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) certification, a ground-floor restaurant and a rooftop pool fully equipped with a restaurant and bar offering panoramic views of Downtown San Diego.
About Peachtree Group
Peachtree Group is an investment firm driving growth with a diverse portfolio of commercial real estate assets and other ventures. The company has executed hundreds of investments since its inception, focusing on real estate acquisition, development and lending valued at almost $9.3 billion in total market capitalization. Today, Peachtree manages over $2.5 billion in equity, augmented by services designed to protect, support and grow its investments. For more information, visit www.peachtreegroup.com.
Contact:
Charles Talbert
678-823-7683
ctalbert@peachtreegroup.com
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Commercial Property Assessed Clean Energy (C-PACE) is an innovative financing program that is gaining popularity across the U.S., as it offers a low-cost, long-term capital solution that doesn't require upfront equity from the property owners. The central appeal for using this program for energy-efficient upgrades and retrofits is that any level of C-PACE used will lower the overall cost of capital compared to mezzanine, third-party equity or even many senior loans. This is impactful for commercial property developers.
In the current market, the cost of capital has increased significantly, along with higher interest rates and wider spreads from lenders. In addition, higher financing costs put pressure on loan-to-value (LTV), loan-to-cost (LTC) ratios, and the amount of capital lenders are willing to provide, reducing liquidity for new developments. Construction costs have also increased significantly with back-to-back years of double-digit increases, with further increases in 2023 as CBRE expects a growth of 5.4% for construction costs.
Low-Cost, Fixed-Rate Capital
C-PACE is in heavy demand because it's a fixed-rate product, starting in the mid-single digits. It also can be up to 35% of the capital stack. With a typical senior loan at 65% loan-to-value, providing C-PACE at 30% of the stack, the lender becomes below 40%, lessening its capital risk. As a result, it is helping development projects across all real estate sectors pencil to start construction and those in mid-construction reach get completed.
Mid-Construction Case Studies
Today we see more requests for this financing as budgets are blowing out with cost overruns. C-PACE provides the needed capital when the developer cannot offer additional equity or banks are unwilling. The following are examples of mid-construction projects that utilized C-PACE funding from Peachtree to bring projects across the finish line.
- C-PACE for Cost Overruns. A developer faced roughly $2 million in cost overruns for a five-story, 58-key hotel in Florida that was 65% complete. Peachtree provided the developer $4.5 million in C-PACE financing with a 30-year term of 6.82%.C-PACE.
- Can be Utilized Retroactively. One of the benefits of C-PACE for mid-construction projects is it can be used retroactively. Similar financing was utilized to construct a $32 million multifamily and retail project in Rehoboth, Delaware. Construction on the project began in January 2021 and was 40% completed. Peachtree provided the developer $4.8 million in C-PACE financing with a 25-year term at 7.25%. Most of the funds were used retroactively for the building envelope, HVAC, lighting, plumbing, elevator, seismic and other qualifying soft costs.