Oceanwide Plaza Lawsuit Settled, But A Sale Remains Elusive

April 2, 2025 / no comments

Oceanwide Plaza, the billion-dollar, graffiti-covered, partially built condo project that looms over Downtown LA is still in search of a buyer, but once it sells, its creditors at least know who will be first in line for payment.
A lawsuit to determine lien priority on the maligned set of towers was resolved Feb. 25, with a judge ruling that the project’s lender, LA Downtown Investment, is first in line for payment rather than contractors that are owed millions.

Arlington Facing ‘Painful Time’ With Federal Cuts. It’s Been Here Before

April 2, 2025 / no comments

The federal government — historically seen as a stabilizing force in the D.C. region — is morphing into a liability as the Trump administration slashes the workforce, office footprint and funding across agencies. 
Arlington County, directly across the river from D.C., has long been home to government tenants and contractors and has relied on them for its economic prosperity. Like the entire region, Arlington is now staring down a threat to that reality. 
“Let’s face it, our regional economic development model is under major disruption right now,” Arlington Economic Development Director Ryan Touhill said Tuesday morning at Bisnow’s Exploring Arlington County’s Next Chapter event.

Hotel Owners Sweat Trump Travel Risk As Debt Tsunami Looms

April 2, 2025 / no comments

With steep new tariffs bearing down, a travel ban in the works and persistent talk of annexing foreign land, hotel owners are wary of the potential travel impacts of President Donald Trump’s policies.
Additional uncertainty has piled on as companies work to complete their recoveries in the face of a growing wave of loan maturities set for this year. 
“As is with a lot of things going on in the economy, it’s very hard to forecast what the President is going to do, and it is conceivable that this isolationism could have a longer-term impact, which is something we’re monitoring carefully,” said Mitchell Hochberg,…

Construction Industry Veteran Brings ‘Better, Smarter, More Efficient’ Approach, Launches GC Firm DeSimone Builders

April 2, 2025 / no comments

After spending 25 years in commercial real estate building and scaling two contracting firms in New York and South Florida, both of which are still active, and delivering over $2B in construction projects, Eric DeSimone is building something for himself and his team.
In February 2025, he launched DeSimone Builders, a general contractor that combines the approach of a contracting firm with the mindset of an owner, DeSimone says.
“I’ve had a successful career generating hundreds of millions of dollars for others,” DeSimone said. “Now I’m taking everything I’ve learned and applying my winning formula to create a better, smarter, more efficient construction…

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…