Real Estate News Exchange (RENX)
c/o Squall Inc.
P.O. Box 1484, Stn. B
Ottawa, Ontario, K1P 5P6

thankyou@renx.ca
Canada: 1-855-569-6300

Cominar ‘in transformation’, plans major developments

5 years ago

Cominar REIT (CUF-UN-T) plans to add as many as 1,800 residential units to its largest property, Gare Centrale (Central Station) in downtown Montreal. Central Station is one of 10 Cominar properties in Quebec which offer intensification opportunities for up to 10,000 residential units.

If your CRE holdings “solve a problem,” they’ll continue to experience strong demand according to the Urban Land Institute and PwC’s 41st Emerging Trends in Real Estate report. The survey drew responses from over 2,250 North American industry leaders.

 • 

A consortium of developers and property owners says it has been “blindsided” by Port Moody Mayor Rob Vagramov’s motion that would stymie its preliminary plans to transform 23 acres of light industrial and commercial property into a dense, mixed-use urban neighbourhood.

Summit Industrial Income REIT (SMU-UN-T) plans to purchase an “institutional-quality” portfolio of 37 light industrial properties in Alberta, comprising more than 3.3 million square feet, for $588 million. Of the total, 22 properties are in Edmonton, 14 in Calgary and one in Grande Prairie.

Landmark

 • 

Twenty years after it was conceived, the completion of a Waterfront Drive development in Winnipeg could be at hand. Calgary’s RNDSQR (Round Square) recently acquired two properties and intend to build more than 300 rental apartments split between the two sites.

 •   • 

Google affiliate Sidewalk Labs’ “smart city” proposal for Toronto’s waterfront could hinge on its supplementary request for control of a 20-acre plot that would surround the tech giant’s relocated Canadian headquarters.

First National Financial LP

Sponsored by

Jeremy Wedgbury, Senior Vice President, Commercial Mortgages at First National Financial, and a financing industry veteran, leads a team serving many of Canada’s largest real estate developers and owners. As such, he’s uniquely positioned to comment on commercial property trends.

 •   • 

Crombie REIT (CRR-UN-T) announced it has completed the sale of an 89 per cent non-managing interest in a 15-property portfolio to an affiliate of Oak Street Real Estate Capital, LLC for $193.3 million.

CBRE Land Services

 •   • 

First Capital Realty (FCR-T), one of Canada’s leading developers, owners and operators of mixed-used urban real estate in Canada’s most densely populated centres, announced its Board of Directors has unanimously approved the reorganization of the company into First Capital REIT.

 •   • 

Staff in London’s planning department will issue a request for proposals with the goal of partnering with a private developer to turn a half-acre  surface parking lot into a development that will include a municipal parking garage.

 • 

Sleep Country Canada Holdings Inc. (ZZZ-T) is one of the best-known mattress chains in the country — but recent changes in the market have been enough to cause it a few sleepless nights.

 •   •   • 

When Michael Medline was appointed CEO of Empire Co. (EMP-A-T) in 2017, he already had an Olympic sponsorship on his mind. During his time at Canadian Tire Co., he had seen the impact the marketing partnership had made on the brand.

Calgary Real Estate Forum

 •   • 

Anticipated growth of mega-projects could polarize the construction industry into large general contractors and small subcontractors, with little room in the market for mid-size firms, warns a new report on trends impacting the sector released by the Canadian Construction Association.

 •   • 

Nuveen Real Estate has added to this year’s string of logistics mega-deals by acquiring a 29-million-square-foot portfolio of U.S. industrial properties from Blackstone. The portfolio, valued at $3 billion, consists of more than 100 bulk logistics, light industrial and urban infill properties.

 • 

An Brookfield Asset Management (BAM-A-T) affiliate is in talks to sell the Diplomat Beach Resort, a 1,000-room hotel in Hollywood, Fla., to real estate developer Jeff Soffer, according to sources.

 • 

Mark E. Rose, chair and CEO, announced Avison Young has acquired Phoenix-based Strategic Retail Group (SRG). The purchase establishes Avison Young’s retail brokerage practice in Arizona and complements the firm’s existing retail property management services in the state.

Harbour Equity

 • 

A largely commercial and industrial area of Delta, B.C., could soon transform with mixed-use residential high-rises. A public information meeting will take place at the Sungod Recreation Centre for residents to see what’s being considered for the so-called Townline neighbourhood.

 •   •   • 

To mark World Habitat Day, The Daniels Corporation announced it is providing 10 homes to Habitat for Humanity to help create more immediate opportunities to deliver affordable housing in Toronto and the GTA.

 •   • 

A real-estate project repurposing a large, vacant downtown Edmonton office building to a 177-unit residential suite celebrated its official opening Monday morning. Calgary-based Strategic Group converted the aging Harley Court office building into a collection of one- and two-bedroom units.

 •   • 

Edmonton’s benchmark home price puts the city among the most affordable real estate markets in Canada, a study shows. Realty firm Zoocasa conducted an analysis of median incomes across 15 major markets in Canada, comparing them with the benchmark home price.

Industry Events