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ATLANTA (Dec. 9, 2024) – Peachtree Group (“Peachtree”) has reached a significant milestone in Commercial Property Assessed Clean Energy (CPACE) financing, surpassing the $1.0 billion mark—a distinction shared by only a select few companies in the industry. In 2024 alone, Peachtree completed 22 CPACE transactions across the U.S., surpassing its previous record for CPACE originations.
"In 2019, we launched CPACE, and today we've surpassed our first billion—a testament to the exceptional team and the strength of Peachtree’s vision,” said Jared Schlosser, Peachtree’s Executive Vice President of Hotel Lending and Head of CPACE. “Our strong foundation has not only fueled Peachtree’s success in CPACE financing but also solidified its position as a leader in the broader commercial real estate lending market.”
In the most recent loan origination rankings by the Mortgage Bankers Association, Peachtree was ranked as the seventh-largest commercial real estate investor-driven lender in the U.S.
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The firm’s $1.0 billion in CPACE financing is rooted in hospitality, which remains its largest segment comprising approximately 45% of its total. However, Peachtree has successfully expanded into other sectors, particularly residential communities (including multifamily, student housing and senior living), which now represent 22% of the portfolio or $220 million. Additionally, the firm has executed numerous CPACE transactions across industrial, mixed-use and office sectors, showcasing its versatility.
“In this challenging lending market, CPACE financing has emerged as a crucial source of liquidity for all commercial real estate sectors. This financing option is becoming increasingly essential as owners grapple with looming debt maturities and limited refinancing opportunities,” Schlosser said.
Commercial real estate remains in a turbulent period with trillions of dollars in debt maturing and refinancing becoming increasingly difficult due to tighter lending standards from traditional lenders. These challenges are reshaping the industry and forcing property owners to seek alternative financing solutions.
“CPACE has been a game-changer, offering long-term fixed-rate financing that lowers the cost of capital while enabling property owners to pursue energy-efficient upgrades with reduced financial strain,” Schlosser said. “Peachtree is proud to lead the way in expanding access to this innovative solution, helping owners across all commercial real estate sectors.”
In just over a decade, CPACE has reached a cumulative $7.2 billion in U.S. commercial real estate financings, according to PACE Nation, confirming the growing market adoption and acceptance of this financing tool.
About Peachtree Group
Peachtree Group is a vertically integrated investment management firm specializing in identifying and capitalizing on opportunities in dislocated markets, anchored by commercial real estate. Today, the company manages billions in capital across acquisitions, development and lending, augmented by services designed to protect, support and grow its investments.For more information, visit www.peachtreegroup.com.
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
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.
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.
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.
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