Apr 06, 2017

CBRE adds to retail team

Taylor

Blankenship

CBRE Group has announced the addition of two members to its retail leasing team. Newly named senior VP, Scott Blankenship comes from Wallace Properties, which six years ago merged with Cascade Commercial Properties, where he was founder and CEO. He has 26 years experience in the field, and counts over 400 transactions during that time. Joining CBRE as senior associate, Kathleen “KT” Taylor also comes from Wallace. She has over 20 years experience in the industry. In a statement, CBRE's John Miller said, “With these two strategic additions to our retail leasing team, we feel poised to take advantage of the upward retail market trajectory here in the Seattle market. Scott, and KT bring vast retail real estate experience within the Puget Sound region, and we look forward to collaborating to deliver more world-class retail outcomes to clients.”

Heartland staffs up

Hartman

Johnson

Striar

The 30-year-old real estate advisory and investment firm Heartland continues to grow. The company has announced three new project managers. Lee Striar comes from Philadelphia, where he specialized in public and private real estate financing and transactions. Craig Johnson previously worked in real estate private equity in New York. And the UW Runstad School-trained Amy Hartman was until recently working with a real estate investment firm in Austin.

William Lyon to be active in Lacey

Three years ago, the Newport Beach, California-based William Lyon Homes bought Polygon Northwest for $520 million. The combined company continues to be very active in the single-family sector, and it has announced a new 55-plus community in Lacey. There and in three other West Coast markets, the Ovation brand will depart “from traditional ‘cookie-cutter' active adult communities by cultivating an appealing brand lifestyle for 55-plus buyers who prefer a more intimate, unconventional and contemporary residential environment.” In a release, the company added, “Each community location will be less remote and self-contained than typical active adult settings and will ensure lifestyle priorities are accommodated with access to retail, restaurants, outdoor recreation, medical centers, airports and more. Since approximately 70 percent of this market segment expects to postpone retirement, they will also be within comfortable proximity of business centers.” Ovation at Oak Tree, in Lacey, will offer two- and three-bedroom homes with attached two-car garages, along with trails, green spaces and a fitness center. A start date wasn't specified.

Andover grows, gains recognition

The Andover Company has announced the hiring of Jake Monroe, who joins the company after interning at Rosen Harbottle. At the same time, the firm announced that it has been recognized by CoStar as a top leasing firm in the Puget Sound area for the 14th year in a row. In addition, CoStar has honored the firm's Brian Bruininks and David Baumer as Industrial Power Brokers. Founded in 1978, Andover has 14 agents. It is a division of CORFAC International.

Free rent for winning prose

It sounds too good to be true. In its third annual essay contest, Walls Property Management will provide a year's free rent to the winning respondent, in 350 words, to the following question. “How would a free apartment for one year allow you to give back to the community?” The contest deadline has been extended to Saturday. The one-bedroom apartment will be in Ballard, Magnolia, Wallingford or Queen Anne, in a building managed by Walls. The winner will be announced April 30, with a move-in date of June 1. Certain conditions apply. More details can be found at essayforfreeapartment.com.

Mar 30, 2017

Fresh leadership at Oyhut Bay

Oyhut Bay, a new walkable beach community being built in Ocean Shores, has announced a new management team. Patrick Brunstad of Ocean Shores will lead the overall project management and serve as spokesman. Founders Stavros and Colleen Anasasiou will retain their ownership share but will focus on other projects. The master-planned community near the 683-acre Oyhut Wildlife Recreation Area will have cottages to rent or buy, condos and retail. Waterfront access will be on canals and lakes that feed into the bay. Jeff Foushee represents the Oyhut Bay ownership and development team. The team announced that the Oyhut Bay Bistro and Sidewalk Cafe will open soon, followed by a coffee and gift shop. A second retail building is under construction and a new dock will open this summer.

Sushi coming to Bellevue's Alley 111

Skanska said sushi restaurant Minamoto will open this spring at Alley 111 in downtown Bellevue. The eatery will take 3,144 square feet. Minamoto is the creation of chef Dylan Xu, whose local team includes sushi chef Grant Lin and general manager Issac Zhang. The three collaborated on Xu's Iki Modern Japanese Cuisine in New York. Lin said, “We're excited to team up again to introduce our first West Coast restaurant in Bellevue at Alley 111. Our years of experience working together and our vision for high-end, Japanese food will create a one-of-a-kind experience.” Alley 111 opened in 2015. Skanska says the 12-story, 260-unit apartment building is 97 percent leased.

ULI spring meeting May 2-4

The dates have been set for Urban Land Institute's spring meeting at Washington State Convention Center: May 2-4. The midweek gathering includes tours, panels, forums and speakers. There will be a pre-meeting railroad junket to Portland (May 1), as well as tours of the Seattle waterfront, Bellevue (including Microsoft and the Spring District), and South Lake Union. Social events will include a Capitol Hill bash hosted by restaurateur Matt Dillon at Optimism Brewing Co. and a Pioneer Square pub crawl/art walk during the regular First Thursday art walk. Details and registration: spring.uli.org.

Eastside suburbs still growing

Not everyone wants to live in a SLU apartment, so Summit Homes of Washington has partnered with San Diego's Presidio Residential Capital to create two new single-family communities. In Sammamish near Beaver Lake, Ivy Estates will have 10 Craftsman-style homes ranging in size from 2,300 to 3,400 square feet. And in Woodinville, Autumn Grove offers 13 homes with three-car garages and up to six bedrooms. Summit and Presidio have previously developed 11 residential projects in the Puget Sound area. Summit has developed 3,000 homes in 20 years and Presidio has $2.5 billion in assets under management.