Commercial Observer: Peachtree Group Provides $43M Loan in Fort Lauderdale Hotel Recap
Peachtree Group originated a $43.0MM recapitalization of the 218-room dual-branded Home2 Suites/Tru Fort Lauderdale Downtown.
Discover Creative Capital Solutions in a Challenging Market
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In the latest episode of Peachtree Point of View podcast, CEO Greg Friedman sits down with EVP Jared Schlosser, who specializes in hotel lending and C-PACE financing. Their conversation offers valuable insights into navigating today's dislocated credit markets and finding creative solutions to capitalize commercial real estate projects.
Jared, who joined Peachtree in 2019 after beginning his career during the 2007 market downturn, provides a unique perspective on the dramatic shift in credit markets since then. He explains how developers are struggling with rising costs and persistently high interest rates that make traditional financing structures difficult to pencil.
Senior + CPACE
The discussion centers on how Peachtree is helping clients overcome these challenges, with particular focus on C-PACE (Commercial Property Assessed Clean Energy) financing as an innovative tool. This state-by-state legislative product allows financing for specific elements of construction (roofing, HVAC, elevators, etc.) through long-term fixed-rate loans repaid via property tax assessments.
What makes this strategy particularly powerful is the ability to combine C-PACE with senior debt to achieve higher leverage at a lower blended cost of capital. For example, on a $100 million project, developers might secure $30 million through C-PACE at 7.5% fixed (half the cost of traditional mezzanine debt), allowing them to finance 75% of project costs at favorable rates while maintaining acceptable returns.
Case Study: Washington Multifamily
Jared shares a recent success story from Washington state where Peachtree provided both senior debt and C-PACE financing, partnering with Hickory for mezzanine debt to deliver an impressive 87% capital stack. With Peachtree providing 70% through the combined senior and C-PACE loans, the borrower secured an attractive blended cost of capital for a higher-lever age construction loan. The multifamily project is located in an underserved secondary market with limited recent development—a focus area for Peachtree.The deal also featured flexible terms allowing the borrower to potentially payoff the C-PACE portion if rates decline.
Key Takeaways:
- C-PACE financing offers developers a powerful tool to replace more expensive capital in the stack, potentially reducing costs by hundreds of basis points compared to traditional mezzanine or preferred equity.
- In today's market, there are "no slam dunks" - every deal has challenges requiring creative solutions, thorough vetting, and proper risk structuring.
- Peachtree's ability to provide both senior loans and C-PACE financing creates a significant competitive advantage, allowing them to deliver financing packages higher up the capital stack.
- Speed and execution are critical in this environment, as many lenders fail to close deals due to improper risk assessment or changing credit committee decisions.
- Secondary markets with limited new supply present attractive investment opportunities, particularly for multifamily development.
Listen to the full Peachtree Point of View podcast to gain deeper insights into how you can leverage these creative capital solutions for your next commercial real estate project. Follow Peachtree Point of View on your favorite podcast platform to stay informed on investment strategies in today's challenging market.
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Peachtree Group originated a $43.0MM recapitalization of the 218-room dual-branded Home2 Suites/Tru Fort Lauderdale Downtown. The floating-rate note carries a 36-month term with two extensions. The sponsor, Driftwood Capital, acquired the site in 2016 and developed the hotels, which opened in November 2020.
The dual-branded hotels (315 NW 1st Avenue) are in Fort Lauderdale's Flagler Village submarket, near key corporate and leisure demand drivers. Fort Lauderdale benefits from strong long-term fundamentals, bolstered by Florida’s position as the nation’s leader in net income migration. Downtown Fort Lauderdale has experienced significant growth, with a 35.4% population increase from 2020 to 2023. The area is home to approximately 200 company headquarters and is well-positioned for the continued return to office, with more than 70% of office workers back—20 percentage points above the national average. Key demand drivers include the Broward County Convention Center, which is expanding to become the nation’s sixth largest, and Port Everglades, one of the world's busiest cruise ports. These factors, combined with the region’s economic resilience, make Fort Lauderdale a compelling market.
With limited new supply and growing demand, Fort Lauderdale's market dynamics favor ADR growth. Expansion of the convention center, increasing cruise port activity, and strong economic fundamentals further support sustained demand.
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Commercial Observer: Peachtree Group Lends $59M on San Antonio Hotel Recap
Peachtree Group originated a $59.0MM recapitalization of the 343-room dual-branded AC Hotel and Element San Antonio Riverwalk.
Peachtree Group originated a $59.0MM recapitalization of the 343-room dual-branded AC Hotel and Element San Antonio Riverwalk. The floating-rate note carries a 36-month term with two, 12-month extensions. The sponsors, Winston Hospitality and Concord Hospitality Enterprises, purchased former office towers—Riverview Towers—in December 2019 and spent two and a half years undergoing a multi-phase, adaptive reuse renovation to transform them into dual-branded hotels, which opened in 2022.
Located adjacent to San Antonio's famed Riverwalk, the #1 attraction in Texas, the hotels benefit from the city's strong tourism market, drawing over 39 million visitors annually, and its status as the third-fastest-growing city in the U.S., with a 3.8% population increase from 2020 to 2022. They remain the newest hotels in their competitive set.
The AC Hotel and Element are the first new Marriott-branded hotels in the Riverwalk Historic District since 2011, standing out in a downtown market where extended-stay offerings are predominantly Hilton-branded. As premium Marriott properties, they benefit from access to the Marriott Bonvoy loyalty program, the world's largest travel loyalty program, boasting over 200 million members and growing.
Read Full Article on commercialobserver.com
Commercial Observer: Peachtree Closes $35M C-PACE Construction Loan on South Florida Apartments
Commercial Observer | Starlife Group has secured $35 million of construction financing through Peachtree Group to build a multifamily development in Hollywood, Fla.
This article is republished with permission from Commercial Observer
Commercial Observer (February 4, 2025) - Starlife Group has secured $35 million of construction financing to build a multifamily development in Hollywood, Fla.,Commercial Observer can first report.
Peachtree Group originated the fixed-rate Commercial Property Assessment Clean Energy (C-PACE) loan on the developer’s planned 200-unit 21 Hollywood project.
SF Capital Group’s Matt Shane arranged the transaction, which will be used to support the 13-story project’s energy efficiency, envelope enhancements and hurricane resiliency measures.
Jared Schlosser, Peachtree Group’s senior vice president, said the long-term structure of the deal was an ideal approach for the project amid a high interest rate climate, with Peachtree covering 40 percent of the cost and Starlife Group contributing 60 percent equity. The 30-year loan is non recourse outside of a completion guarantee, according to Schlosser.
“We handled theconstruction draws just like you would on a senior construction loan and wewere even able to fund a little bit of capital at close for the project to getstarted, so it ends up being a pretty accretive alternative compared to justtaking a low-leverage bank loan,” Schlosser told CO.
“It acts like an insurance product where it’s a construction-to-perm deal, but it doesn’t have the traditional rights and remedies and recourse that may come along with traditional long-term financing,” Schlosser added. “Here it’s just a straight annual payment, which is easier to navigate for the borrower.”
Located at 2100 N.Federal Highway, the 21 Hollywood project broke ground late last year and is slated for completion in February 2027. Community amenities will include an infinity pool, a fitness center, outdoor kitchens, co working space and a dog park. The property will also feature 9,997 square feet of ground-floor retail.
Fort Lauderdale-based Starlife purchased the 1.48-acre site across from South Broward High School for $6.5 million in 2023, according to the South Florida Business Journal. The development was designed by Kobi Karp Architecture.
“Conventional construction loans are hard to find these days,” Shane said. “There was significant equity brought into the project, so it made the deal easy to do with PACE.”
Officials at Starlife Group did not immediately return a request for comment.