Los Angeles (November 15, 2021) — Mesa West Capital has provided the joint venture of The Green Cities Company and American Realty Advisors with $100 million in first mortgage debt to refinance 5 MLK, a recently completed mixed-use development in Portland, OR.
The 17-story LEED Gold building developed by The Green Cities Company consists of 220 multifamily units on top of 118,000 square of commercial office space, 14,000 square feet of ground floor retail space, with subterranean parking for 165 automobiles. The glass curtain wall building is located at 5 SE Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd, in the popular Close-In Eastside neighborhood at the foot of Burnside Bridge providing residents with a direct connection via bicycle or automobile to Old Town and Downtown Portland. In addition to the numerous entertainment, dining and shopping options in the Close-In Eastside neighborhood, residents also can walk to the nearby Pearl District, one of Portland’s more popular shopping destinations.
Mesa West Capital’s five-year, floating rate, non-recourse loan retires the existing construction loan, with a portion of the proceeds to be used for costs associated with stabilizing the commercial and residential space.
The residential component, which offers a mix of studio, one- and two-bedroom floorplans has seen significant leasing velocity since being delivered in late 2020. The residential units have been built with top quality finishes that are complimented with 30,000 square feet of shared tenant amenities that includes a fitness suite with yoga studios and showers, conference center with private work pods, wellness rooms, outdoor deck with swimming pool, outdoor bar area with firepits and grilling stations, dog wash station, and multiple indoor lounges on the 6th and 17th floors. The retail and office components of the Property are currently vacant.
“The Close-In Eastside neighborhood has experienced substantial redevelopment activity in the last 10 years spurred in part by the investment in transportation infrastructure by the city of Portland,” said Mesa West Director Joshua Westerberg who led the origination team out of the private lender’s San Francisco office. “This activity has resulted in a significant increase in the residential population along with a migration of commercial tenants to newly constructed and converted creative office buildings. At the base of the Burnside Bridge, 5 MLK sits at the center of this activity and is well poised to capture both residential and commercial demand in greater Portland. The sponsor has an extensive history developing and operating some of the city’s most prominent buildings and we are confident in their ability to successfully capitalize on 5 MLK’s unique potential.”
Ramsey Daya, Vice Chairman with Newmark arranged the financing. Gibson, Dunn, and Crutcher LLP represented Mesa West Capital as legal counsel for the transaction, led by a team including Mark Osher, Eric Steiglitz and Adam Hopkins.
About Mesa West Capital, LLC
Mesa West Capital is a leading commercial real estate debt fund manager and portfolio lender. With offices in Los Angeles, New York, Chicago and San Francisco, Mesa West has been one of the leading providers of commercial real estate debt since its founding in 2004. Mesa West provides non-recourse first mortgage loans for core/core-plus, value-added or transitional properties throughout the United States. Mesa West’s lending portfolio includes all major property types with loan sizes ranging from $20 million up to $400 million. Since inception, the firm has sourced and closed more than 300 transactions totaling over $20 billion.
About The Green Cities Company
The Green Cities Company has driven innovation in real estate investment management for over a decade through the confluence of environmental, social, and investment value. With this forward-thinking strategy and fully integrated in-house expertise, the firm acquires, manages, and develops office, mixed-use and multi-family assets. Deep experience in select U.S. markets, combined with meaningful attention to ESG considerations, positions The Green Cities Company for enhanced tenant retention and superior operations. This differentiated approach, along with disciplined risk management, encompasses the environmental footprint of an asset, the diversity and inclusivity of its community, and the wellbeing and fulfillment of its occupants and neighbors. Each member of the team is dedicated to a resilient investment portfolio that yields results to the firm’s investors, employees, tenants, and communities
About American Realty Advisors
American Realty Advisors, LLC (“ARA”), headquartered in Los Angeles, CA, is a private equity real estate investment manager working on behalf of institutional capital and has over $10.5 billion in assets under management. Through a series of fund offerings of core, core-plus, and value-add real estate strategies, including equity, debt, preferred equity, and mezzanine and hybrid debt, ARA invests in a wide range of opportunities in industrial, residential, office, retail, and other property types nationwide.
