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.
In today’s highly competitive and constantly evolving real estate market, sponsors of retail commercial properties need a reliable financial partner to help them navigate the complexities of this space. There is a perception that capital is non-existent for this sector, but that couldn’t be further from the truth. Peachtree Group Credit has emerged as an industry leader – ranking as the 16thlargest U.S. commercial real estate retail lender ranking as the 16th largest U.S. commercial real estate retail lender – providing creative financing solutions to help clients realize their vision for maximizing return on investment.
The fact is retail, including malls, is experiencing strong leasing momentum with increased foot traffic allowing sponsors to stabilize cash flow levels, which took a hit during the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic. Brick-and-mortar retail locations are a necessary and growing component of a retailer’s multi-channel strategy. While traditional retail struggled before COVID, the pandemic has brought greater appreciation for in-store experiences for certain shopping items. This trend bodes well for retail as an investment.
To remain competitive, retail investors must accelerate their plans and expand their thinking to find ways to keep their retail locations relevant in a changing landscape.
Retail investors are looking at this sector with compelling strategies, including reimagining portions of the property to bring in new tenants, densifying the property by spinning off excess parking into pad sites or value-add components with a plan for re-leasing and some potential redevelopment opportunities.
Peachtree provides needed liquidity for maturing loans, new acquisitions and construction projects.
Some of the recent coast-to-coast mall transactions completed, include:
- Bellis Fair Mall – Originating a$24.0 million first mortgage loan for the 774,264 square-foot shopping mall in Bellingham, Washington.
- Cumberland Mall – Originating a$28.8 million first mortgage loan for the 953,313 square-foot shopping mall in Vineland, New Jersey.
- Greenwood Mall – Originating a$42.3 million first mortgage loan for the 970,523 square-foot shopping mall in Bowling Green, Kentucky.
- The Mall at Robinson – Originating a$25.5 million first mortgage loan for the 874,000 square-foot shopping mall in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.
- TownCenter at Cobb – Originating a $42.0million first mortgage for a 1,200,000 square-foot shopping mall in Kennesaw, GA
- Fairlane Town Center – Originating a $28.0million first mortgage for a 1,450,000 square foot shopping mall in Dearborn, MI
Peachtree actively collaborates with sponsors from the initial concept stage until closing, offering expedited financing explicitly tailored for their business, allowing all parties to achieve a best-in-class financial outcome. Throughout the process, Peachtree keeps up regular touchpoints, ensuring the transactions go smoothly. This further demonstrates Stonehill’s commitment to supporting sponsor capital strategies with execution certainty amid a highly unpredictable funding landscape, increasingly a critical variable impacting retail real estate acquisition competition outcomes.
Having access to an experienced lender can provide valuable expertise and guidance to help you with your investment. With specific retail knowledge, Peachtree can provide insights into effective strategies for success. At Peachtree, we have the expertise to guide you through your options.
Greg Koenig is a senior vice president at Peachtree Group Credit. Before joining Peachtree, he was an executive director at A large private equity firm, focusing on debt originations in all asset classes. Prior to that, Greg was a senior vice president at Newport RE, a German-based real estate investment company, focusing on acquisitions and asset management for its U.S. portfolio. Previously, he was a vice president at Rialto Capital, where he helped underwrite and asset-manage loan portfolios. Before joining Rialto, Greg worked at TriMont Real Estate Advisors facilitating loan workouts and maximizing returns on distressed assets. Greg holds a bachelor’s degree from the University of Connecticut, where he majored in Real Estate and UrbanEconomics.
Contact Greg at gkoenig@peachtreegroup.com or 1-860-833-2285.
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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.
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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.