Month: March 2020

A recent post by the St. Louis Fed, The Economic Effects of a Pandemic, discussed the economic effects of the Spanish Influenza of 1918-1920, referencing the chart, embedded herein, of average hourly earnings in various United States sectors.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the Spanish Flu pandemic infected about a third of the population of the world, killing 50 million or more people in the process. As one would expect, it had economic effects, as well.

The graph herein displays hourly wages for various trades within in the United States. A morbid feature of this data is a run-up of wages from 1918 to 1920, followed by a drop with the recession of 1921, consistent with the economic theory behind a sudden loss of population, i.e. a drop in labor supply. A similar effect has apparently been observed for the Black Death. Like I said, morbid…

Any student of history will note that in the case of the Spanish flu its effects are surely entangled with those caused by World War I. However a St. Louis Fed Review article and other work by its Thomas Garrett has indicated not all U.S. cities were affected in the same way by the Spanish flu or by WWI casualties and, exploring these differences, the effect of the Spanish flu on wages was real and in fact larger than the effects of WWI.

So what does this mean for today, for a world much different than 1918? Who knows, frankly. One would think the industrialized world is much more capable of dealing with such; I certainly land in that camp. The counter would be, however, that the world is more interlinked than then, causing more issues.

Addressing the morbid effect on wage growth more directly, it is worth noting that fatalities seem to be highly concentrated in people generally out of the workforce (retired) already, which might mitigate such an effect. Personally, as this feels like a movie, I’m waiting for the part where Bruce Willis swings in on a rope screaming “yippie ki yay mother ducker” and fixes all this.

Like this (pardon his mispronouciation of “ducker”):

Complex Miami Riverside plan criticized but advances

The ambitious plan to provide the City of Miami with a new government administrative building near the current Miami Riverside Center on the Miami River has taken a step forward. But not before a city review board criticized the proposal for its lack of a grand or distinctive public entrance to the city’s new structure. The project, with a working title of Riverside…

As Miami Worldcenter rises, deals to sell its land continue

Even as the giant Miami Worldcenter builds up and out, deals continue to take place. Recently, Miami Worldcenter Associates sold a 1-acre parcel for $27 million, and Miami’s Urban Development Review Board voted unanimously to recommend approval of the 52-story Miami World Tower, which will house 560 residential units and about 3,000 square feet…

Multifamily Execs On Coronavirus: Keep Calm And Nab Those Low Mortgage Rates

Faisal Ashraf woke up Monday morning ready to work on $200M worth of deals in London hotels when fears about the coronavirus rippled through the world and caused the largest single-day stock market drop since the Great Recession. Ashraf, who, as founder and CEO of advisory firm Lotus Capital Partners, connects lenders and borrowers, didn’t sweat it. The…

US hotels report plunging occupancy rate on coronavirus fears

It’s official: the coronavirus outbreak has hit the fundamentals of U.S. hotels. The occupancy rate nationwide plunged 7.3 percent from this time last year to 61.8 percent, according to data released Wednesday by hotel research firm STR. Figures reflect changes from March 3-9, 2019, compared to March 1-7, 2020. Revenue per available room also sank, 11.6 percent…

Coronavirus spurs refinancing spree as rates sink to 50-year lows

Homeowners are rushing to refinance amid historically low mortgage rates. The volume of refinance applications grew 79 percent in the first week of March — the highest since the post-recession period, Yahoo Finance reported, citing data from real estate finance trade group the Mortgage Bankers Association. The increase was the largest week-over-week since…

Airbnb settles litigation with Miami development group alleging fraud

Harvey Herndandez Two months ago, Airbnb alleged Miami developer Harvey Hernandez’s NGD Homesharing defrauded the short-term rental company in a partnership and stole $1 million. NGD struck back a few days later alleging Airbnb engaged in bad faith and breached its contract. Now the two sides have settled and voluntarily dismissed both lawsuits…

East End Capital launches co-living platform with first project in Wynwood

Rendering of East End Capital East End Capital scored initial approval to build two mixed-use projects in Wynwood that will include the company’s first branded co-living development. New York City-based East End is launching its co-living brand, called Foyer. The developer plans to build Foyer-branded, operated and managed buildings nationwide and is…

Coronavirus could expose US hotel owners with high debt

Hotel owners who seized on low interest rates and took on big loans are facing greater exposure as the coronavirus pandemic puts a dark cloud over the industry. At the end of the third quarter of 2019, the U.S. hotel industry had $300 billion of mortgage debt, the Wall Street Journal reported. That figure is a 7.8 percent jump from the same time in 2018…

Industrial e-commerce plays by the numbers

Prologis CEO Hamid Moghadam and Blackstone’s Jonathan Gray In industrial real estate, it’s a close race to the top. Blackstone and Prologis are going head to head to be crowned the firm that holds the most industrial space on the planet. But the logistics real estate investment trust has bested the private equity giant, at least for now. Prologis has ownership stakes…

Connect Capital Miami, Miami’s Affordable Housing Plan, and CRE

The affordable housing crisis hits close to home Let’s cut right to the chase. Across the country, there is an affordable housing crisis. And in Miami, despite robust development and investment opportunities, the city is a high-rent/low-income region, making it one of the least affordable cities in the country. One study reports that 71% of the households in the City…

$5 billion Miami International Airport upgrade ready for takeoff

Miami-Dade lawmakers are days from authorizing $5 billion in bond debt to fund a long list of overhauls aimed at the county’s greatest economic engine, Miami International Airport. The county Aviation Department’s 15-year capital improvement program, approved last year, is focused on growing airport capacity and efficiency. Unlike prior MIA improvement…

Ex-manager quickly becomes architect for Palmetto Bay showcase work

Two major players once thought to be finished with Palmetto Bay’s lengthy effort to transform its downtown area are back in the game, and their return could further delay progress on a new village square. Real estate firm NAI Miami, the second-ranked respondent to Palmetto Bay’s request for bids to redevelop 4.6 acres off US 1 encompassing Village Hall, did…

Vast Plaza Coral Gables rising in segments

At The Plaza Coral Gables, the largest multi-purpose complex ever to rise in that city, progress continues apace. “Our first temporary certificate of occupancy is within reach,” said a release by the developer, Agave Holdings, a group that includes Jose Cuervo spirits. “The office and residential buildings currently under construction in the north parcel are slated…

Moishe Mana land swap deal for Puerto Rican center marches ahead

Developer Moishe Mana has thus far delivered on his commitments in a land swap and construction deal with Miami-Dade for a long-planned Puerto Rican Community Center and Chamber of Commerce, a county official says. The billionaire businessman was by Jan. 31 to have given the county and City of Miami final designs and documents for the $8.36…

Omni mixed-use project to have 42 micro dwellings

A developer is planning a mixed-use residential project for the Omni neighborhood that would include more than 40 micro dwelling units. Wynwood Haus LLC plans to build a 20-story building at 1765 N Miami Avenue with 224 residential units, 5,204 square feet of commercial-retail, a 540-square-foot office, and a parking pedestal with space for up to 222…

Joseph Corradino: Brings urban planning mindset to Pinecrest mayor’s office

For Pinecrest Mayor Joseph Corradino, 2020 represents a triplet of anniversaries and, if he is elected to a second term in November, yet another. Twenty-five years ago to the day of his interview last week, March 4, he married his wife, Mia. That same year, he joined his family’s civil engineering firm, The Corradino Group, for which he today serves as…

Terra, partners pay off Eighty Seven Park’s $155M construction loan

Eighty Seven Park, David Martin of Terra Terra and its partners, developers of Eighty Seven Park, paid off the $155 million construction loan for the recently completed luxury condominium tower in Miami Beach. The 18-story, luxury tower at 8701 Collins Avenue is architect Renzo Piano’s first residential building in the Western Hemisphere. It was developed by…

“The coffee break room, actually, is more contaminated than the restroom”: Open floor offices add to coronavirus concerns

With tech companies and co-working firms leading the way, more office tenants have gravitated toward open floor plans, both to cut costs and encourage the sharing of ideas. But there’s something else the setups could encourage: the spread of a virus or disease. That possibility has increased as the coronavirus continues to spread across the…

Melo Group launches preleasing for latest Arts & Entertainment District rental tower

Renderings of Miami Plaza and Carlos and Martin Melo The Melo Group is getting ready to open its latest rental project in Miami’s Arts & Entertainment District. Melo launched preleasing of Miami Plaza, a 36-story, 425-unit apartment tower at 1500 Northeast Miami Place, next to the Miami-Dade Metromover School Board Station, according to a press…

Latin American investors allegedly lost $250M in Miami real estate Ponzi scheme: lawsuit

For nearly a decade, a trio of Ecuadorian businessmen allegedly ran a real estate Ponzi scheme that defrauded more than $250 million from mostly South American investors, according to a recently filed lawsuit in Miami-Dade Circuit Court that seeks class action status. Last month, 162 of those investors sued Juan Carlos Cortes, Roberto Cortez, Ernest…

Investors Say They Lost $250M In Ponzi Scheme With Nonexistent Real Estate Projects

The members-only Ocean Reef Club in Key Largo, just south of Miami, is one of Florida’s most exclusive communities. Formerly home to Frank and Kathie Lee Gifford, it has its own airstrip, a 175-slip marina, golf courses and a croquet lawn. Now, a complex and globe-spanning lawsuit filed by 162 investors claims they were lured into a Ponzi scheme based on the…

New Retailers Flowing To Lincoln Road After Price Correction

Lincoln Road stretches across the barrier island of Miami Beach, from the Atlantic Ocean on one side to Biscayne Bay on the other. Dotted with a koi pond, and Art Deco architectural elements, it is one of the country’s premier retail high streets. But as rents boomed over the past decade, independent shops gave way to huge brands. Nike, Apple, H&M and J. Crew all have…

Modell’s Sporting Goods prepares to file for bankruptcy

Modell’s Sporting Goods appears poised to become the latest major retailer to file for bankruptcy. The 130-year-old athletic gear company has stopped looking for an investor to help it renegotiate its leases and is no longer seeking better terms from its vendors, according to the New York Post. CEO Mitch…

Small Business Reorganization Act Levels the Chapter 11 Playing Field

By Jacqueline Calderín and Robert Charbonneau In the past, Chapter 11 bankruptcy has been cost-prohibitive for small businesses and often entirely barred their access to the bankruptcy courts. But this year, with the advent of the Small Business Reorganization Act of 2019, the landscape is dramatically changing for small businesses, some high net worth…

Co-working operator NeueHouse expands to Miami

Mauricio Zapata, Lyle Chariff, and Luis Guevara, with a rendering of NeueHouse Miami Co-working operator NeueHouse signed a lease for its first Miami location. NeueHouse is partnering with Casa Tua to open its fifth location in the U.S., the company announced on Friday. It will open at 78 Northwest 37th Street in Miami, near the Shops at Midtown Miami.

For US retailers, coronavirus concerns come home. What are their options?

“Community spread” of the coronavirus in the U.S. has led to a growing fear among retailers. Already grappling with supply-chain uncertainty due to the spreading epidemic, retailers are now contending with the prospect of a decline in sales as consumers opt to avoid public spaces. While American cities have yet to witness the…

Judge’s panel rules over Beach Towing and Deco Capital Group’s fight over Sunset Harbour project

As Deco Capital Group and Beach Towing battle over the development of a retail and residential project in Miami Beach’s Sunset Harbour neighborhood, a panel of judges has issued new rulings. In the latest move, the panel of three Miami-Dade Circuit Court judges last week rejected a petition to overturn decisions by Miami Beach officials allowing…

The economic impact of a pandemic : Wages during the Spanish Influenza

How does a pandemic affect an economy? Obviously, it’s a multilayered topic and FRED has limits to what it can reveal. The good news, of course, is that large-scale pandemics are rare. So the economic effects for most of these outbreaks are hard to see by graphing data. But we can take two of the most extreme examples, which will have visible effects in the data…

Chanel to open store in Miami Design District

Chanel signed a lease for a space in the Miami Design District, The Real Deal has learned. The luxury French fashion company will open a store across from Gucci at the entrance to Paradise Plaza on 41st Street in Miami, sources said. Gucci is on the west side, and Chanel will open on the east side. Dacra, led by CEO Craig Robins, declined to comment. Dacra…

Kushner lands $18M loan for Wynwood projects

Rendering of Wynwood 28 and Laurent Morali Kushner Companies closed on a $17.55 million loan for its properties in Wynwood, records show. Wynwood 2 Owner LLC, an affiliate of the New York-based real estate firm, secured the financing from CIT Bank for the properties at 108 and 127 Northwest 27th Street in Miami, where Wynwood 27 and Wynwood 28…

Grand Station tower project in downtown Miami scores $53M loan

Grand Station Partners closed on a $53 million loan for a high-rise rental tower in downtown Miami that counts retired baseball superstar Alex Rodriguez among its investors. The developer, led by Rovr Development principals Oscar Rodriguez and Ricardo Vadia, is building the project as a public-private partnership with the Miami Parking Authority. Kayne…

Video | Integra’s Viewpoint 2020 Report: Macro Factors and the Economy; Office, Retail, and Industrial; Multifamily and Hospitality

Video 1 of 3: Macro Factors and the Economy Video 2 of 3: Office, Retail, and Industrial Properties Video 3 of 3: Multifamily and Hospitality Properties Anthony Graziano, CEO and Chairman of Integra Realty Resources, a provider of commercial real estate market research, valuation, counseling, and consulting services, joins America’s Commercial Real Estate Show…

Toronto REIT to buy Cypress Creek office building for $46M

Slate Office REIT is planning to buy Cypress Financial Center in Fort Lauderdale for $45.5 million. The Toronto-based REIT announced it will buy the 201,305-square-foot office building at 5900 North Andrews Avenue for $226 per square foot. Steelbridge CFC LLC, tied to Miami-based Steelbridge Capital, is the seller. The acquisition is expected to be completed in the…

Video 1 of 3: Macro Factors and the Economy

Video 2 of 3: Office, Retail, and Industrial Properties

Video 3 of 3: Multifamily and Hospitality Properties

Anthony Graziano, CEO and Chairman of Integra Realty Resources, a provider of commercial real estate market research, valuation, counseling, and consulting services, joins America’s Commercial Real Estate Show to discuss Integra’s annual Viewpoint report. Topics covered include their economist’s perspective on the economy, local market growth and national market growth, and expected performance for the major commercial property sectors. This is a three video series covering macro economic factors and the economy in the first video, office, retail, and industrial commercial properties in the second, and multifamily and hospitality properties in the last.

Developers speak out against Moishe Mana as he compares Wynwood campaign to the Arab Spring

As Miami Mayor Francis Suarez and other elected officials urged a truce, Moishe Mana and current and former members of Wynwood Business Improvement District intensified their attacks on one another at competing meetings Tuesday. In recent weeks, Mana sent messages threatening the Wynwood BID…

Development site in Miami’s A&E District asks $21M

A development site in Miami’s Arts & Entertainment District near the condo building Canvas hit the market for $21 million. The half-block property, at 1550 Northeast Miami Place, is in an Opportunity Zone. The Kluger family owns the 0.85-acre site, property records show. Jordan Gimelstein of Dwntwn Realty Advisors is listing the property. Zoning allows for 427…

Bridge Point Commerce Center in Miami Gardens inks lease with Caribbean grocery distributor

A rendering of Bridge Point Commerce Center and Kevin Carroll, Partner, Southeast Region at Bridge Development Partners (Credit: CBRE) Bridge Development Partners scored a 114,808-square-foot lease with a grocery distributor to the Caribbean and Latin America at Bridge Point Commerce Center in Miami Gardens. Chicago-based Bridge Development, which is…

Bridge Development Signs Grocer to 114,808 SF Industrial Lease in Metro Miami

Bridge Development Partners has signed HapCor, a grocer in the Caribbean and Latin America, to a 114,808-square-foot industrial lease within Bridge Point Commerce Center in Miami Gardens. Phase I of the industrial park was delivered in late 2019 and includes three buildings spanning 1.1 million square feet. The buildings feature 32-foot clear heights and are divisible…

Dezer picks up office building next to Intracoastal Mall

Gil Dezer’s Dezer Development paid $15 million for a missing piece of a waterfront assemblage in North Miami Beach where he is planning a mixed-use project. Property records show ASA College Inc. sold the three-story, 33,260-square-foot office building at 3909 Northeast 163rd Street, next to Dezer’s Intracoastal Mall. ASA provided a $7.5 million purchase money…

Treo Group Breaks Ground on $125M VOX Miami Mixed-Use Development

Locally based investment and development firm The Treo Group has broken ground on VOX Miami, a $125 million mixed-use project in South Florida. Treo Group will develop the transit-oriented site, which is located at the corner of U.S. Highway 1 and Sunset Drive, adjacent to the South Miami Metrorail station, in multiple phases. Phase I will feature an eight…

Challenge to Melreese lease enters appeals court

An advocate for green space continues to battle the legality of a referendum that cleared the way for the City of Miami to waive bidding for the development of the Melreese golf course site. Bruce Matheson has appealed a district court judge’s ruling that struck down his challenge to the voter referendum that allowed the city to engage in non-competitive…

Green light on horizon for more downtown Miami parks

It’s been a housing boom, following the Great Recession, that’s seen Miami’s downtown become home to nearly 100,000 residents and more than 100 residential towers. As more buildings go up and more people decide to live in the dense, vibrant neighborhoods of downtown and Brickell, residents’ call for more parks and open spaces could become all the more acute. 

US hotels brace for coronavirus impact

Hotel owners and investors in the U.S. are now in wait-and-see mode, bracing impact amid the spreading coronavirus. Businesses and vacationers around the world have already been canceling reservations and major events have been postponed as coronavirus cases continue to grow. In the U.S., there have been 115 cases in more than a dozen states.

Immocorp Capital pays $15M for site of Miami Gardens City Center

The city of Miami Gardens sold nearly 36 acres near Hard Rock Stadium to Immocorp Capital for $15.4 million, where the development group plans to build a mixed-use project. Immocorp, led by CEO Gilbert Benhamou, and Pascal Cohen, closed on the 35.6-acre assemblage about two weeks ago with plans to build Miami Gardens City Center, Benhamou said. The two…

Michael Stern is moving forward with massive Miami tower project

New York developer Michael Stern is moving forward with plans to build a $500 million mixed-use tower west of Brickell Avenue, which will include 1,000 residential units. The Miami City Commission cleared the way for Stern’s JDS Development Group to work with the city on developing the massive site. The 1.5-acre project calls for a 752-foot-tall tower. Part of…

Fed cuts interest rate amid coronavirus fears; hotel stocks sink

The Federal Reserve announced an emergency rate cut on Tuesday morning, a direct response to growing fears over the economic fallout of the coronavirus, which has already slammed real estate stocks and hit the hospitality industry particularly hard. Stocks began stabilizing Monday on word that the Fed could cut the benchmark rate, but fell Tuesday…

Thor Equities lists Lincoln Road building for $17.5M

Thor Equities is looking to sell a retail property on Miami Beach’s Lincoln Road. The building, at 663 to 667 Lincoln Road, is on the market for $17.5 million, or about $3,500 per square foot – about 30 percent below the market’s peak price of about $5,000 per square foot on the pedestrian-only retail street. Thor’s 4,986-square-foot property is about 54 percent…

Hines CEO talks coronavirus, Opportunity Zones and WeWork

Laura Hines-Pierce and Jeff Hines Coronavirus and its impact on the real estate industry were top of mind at the University of Miami’s Real Estate Impact Conference. During a session on development opportunities with Hines executives, Hines President and CEO Jeff Hines said coronavirus is a “major, major concern at this point.” The Houston-based real estate…

2nd Annual Bilzin Sumberg South Florida Redevelopment Conference

Bilzin Sumberg’s Land Development and Government Relations Practice is hosting its 2nd Annual South Florida Redevelopment Conference on March 12 & 13, 2020 in Miami, Florida. This invite-only conference will highlight the latest in the redeveloping and reshaping of the Miami skyline. Expert keynote speakers and panelists will discuss the newest South Florida…

Spotify inks lease for South Florida headquarters in Miami’s Wynwood

Spotify signed a lease in Wynwood for its South Florida headquarters, The Real Deal has learned. The music streaming company has been looking for office space in the Wynwood, Brickell and downtown Miami submarkets for months, sources said. Spotify will be taking all of the 20,000 square feet of office space at the Oasis in Wynwood, a mixed-use adaptive reuse…

Spotify Signs 20,000 SF Office Lease Within Oasis at Wynwood in Miami

Spotify has signed a 20,000-square-foot lease to anchor the office component of The Oasis at Wynwood, a mixed-use development in Miami’s Wynwood submarket. The music streaming company is based in Stockholm and has its U.S. headquarters in New York City. The Oasis at Wynwood will feature 20,000 square feet of office space; 17,000 square feet of retail space…

Firm Arranges Miami Lease for Addiction Institute

Avison Young has arranged a 43,895-square-foot lease for Global Institutes on Addictions at Omni Center in Miami. Principals Scott Goldstein and Keith Edelman assisted the new tenant, while landlord Resorts World Omni was represented by Laurel Oswald, Cristina Glaria and Jon Blunk of Tower Commercial. Last year, Blunk was also involved in a 12,366-square-foot…

All Aboard: Transit-Oriented Development Is Expanding Miami

Driving through Coral Gables, the enclave about five miles west of Downtown Miami that’s home to the University of Miami, afternoon traffic was light from the vantage of Brent Reynolds’ Land Rover: a far cry from the clogged highways you’ll find in the city during the morning and evening rushes. But driving is still often the best option in a city whose public…

Bankers Healthcare buys Miramar office building for new HQ

Bankers Healthcare Group paid $29 million for an office building in Miramar where it plans to base its new headquarters. Bankers Healthcare Group, a financial provider to healthcare professionals, bought the 130,000-square-foot office property at 3700 Lakeside Drive for $223 per square foot, records show. MFC 3700 Investors LLC, led by David Berger and Ezra Katz…

Fort Lauderdale office tower sells for $18M

An office tower next to the courthouse in Fort Lauderdale sold for $18.2 million. A joint venture between Miami-based Highline Real Estate Capital and North Miami Beach-based Sefira Capital sold the 66,426-square-foot office building called Courthouse Place, at 12 Southeast 7th Street, for $274 per square foot. New Haven, Connecticut-based…

Bar Invest Group sells apartment complex in Fort Lauderdale for $58M

Serramar Apartments and Herve Barbera Bar Invest Group sold the Serramar Apartments in Fort Lauderdale for $58 million. The Miami-based company, led by Jacques and Herve Barbera, sold the 302-unit apartment complex at 6701 West Oakland Park Boulevard for $192,000 per unit, according to a press release. Manhasset, New York-based Milbrook…

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