Trump Creates New Office To Run CHIPS Act Program As Lutnick Reportedly Weighs Changes

April 1, 2025 / no comments

President Donald Trump has pulled execution of the CHIPS Act under a new entity overseen by Secretary of Commerce Howard Lutnick, who reportedly intends to take a tougher position on the program meant to spur domestic semiconductor manufacturing.
Per an executive order signed by Trump Monday, the newly created United States Investment Accelerator aims to pull back regulations and hasten the permitting process for projects planning over $1B in U.S. investment. 
The new program will also be responsible for the negotiation of “much better CHIPS Act deals than the previous Administration,” according to The White House’s website. 
Lutnick is planning to tinker with…

Redevco Backs Invesco City Office Retrofit In Debut UK Loan

April 1, 2025 / no comments

Private European real estate giant Redevco has provided its first loan as part of a push into property lending, backing an office retrofit in the City of London.
Redevco provided a £48M facility for the acquisition and refurbishment of the 56K SF 10 Salisbury Square. Original Works, an office retrofit venture between $65B global fund manager Invesco Real Estate and UK development manager Simten, is leading the project.
Original Works launched in January this year, aiming to undertake £500M of London retrofit projects. 10 Salisbury Square is its first scheme. 
The Redevco loan is structured as a green loan in accordance with Loan Market Association Green Loan Principles….

Hudson Pacific Scores $475M In CMBS Financing For LA, West Coast Properties

April 1, 2025 / no comments

Hudson Pacific Properties has closed on $475M of commercial mortgage-backed securities financing for a six-property office portfolio, the REIT announced Monday.
The portfolio is all West Coast assets and includes the Los Angeles properties 11601 Wilshire Blvd. and Element LA.
The latter is home to video game developer and publisher Riot Games and was encumbered by a $168M loan.
“This financing provides us with nearly half a billion dollars of gross proceeds to fully repay our Element LA secured loan and outstanding amounts on our credit facility,” Hudson Pacific Chief Financial Officer Harout Diramerian said in a release announcing the news. “Along with recent and potential…

Women’s Hockey Boom Could Fuel A Real Estate Power Play — But More Capital Needs To Hit The Ice

April 1, 2025 / no comments

Girls hockey is so popular in the U.S. today that Hollywood has jumped on the bandwagon: The sport was a focal point of the 2024 Pixar hit Inside Out 2, a $1.7B box office smash that became the highest-grossing animated film of all time, scoring an Oscar nomination for best animated feature to boot. 
Yet the sport’s longest legacy might not be on the silver screen, but on surging ice rink real estate — if capital can keep up.

FBI Reversal Marks Latest Loss For A County Long In Need Of A Big Win

April 1, 2025 / no comments

It seemed like Prince George’s County had finally landed the massive economic development victory it had long been waiting for in the fall of 2023 when the federal government selected it as the site for a new $3.5B FBI headquarters.
That plan is now likely dead after President Donald Trump announced earlier this month that his administration intends to stop the headquarters move.
The reversal was a huge disappointment for a county that has historically garnered less public and private investment than its neighbors — and was hoping the headquarters would spark an economic renaissance.