In partnership with Bridge Investment Group, Fort Lauderdale-based BTI Partners has secured an $83 million construction loan for a development in downtown Hollywood. The site was home to the long-neglected Hollywood Bread Building on Young Circle. The building was demolished last year. Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce is the lender. Cushman & Wakefield Equity, Debt & Structured Finance team brokered the transaction, which closed on Friday, Aug. 19th.

BTI Partners and equity partner Bridge will build 362 market-rate apartments and about 16,000 square feet of retail space on Young Circle. Located at 1727-1745 Van Buren St.,1700-1716 Harrison St., and 1740-1760 S. Young Circle, the redevelopment of the site is an important step in the revitalization of the west end of Downtown Hollywood anchored by the 10-acre ArtsPark at Young Circle.

“The new Hollywood Bread Building development will continue to inject new life into Downtown Hollywood and is an important milestone to the future redevelopment of a new and revitalized Young Circle,” said Noah Breakstone, CEO of BTI Partners. “Overlooking ArtsPark, easy access to amazing beaches, and close proximity to South Florida’s largest employment hubs, the new mixed-use development will be a tremendous asset for the city and residents looking to live, work and play in Hollywood’s east urban core.”

BTI Partners, a leading developer of master-planned communities and residential properties across Florida, and Bridge Investment Group, a real estate investment manager headquartered in Salt Lake City, Utah, with over $42 billion in assets under management throughout the country, acquired the site for $11 million in June 2021.

“Bridge is excited to bring a development of this quality to Young Circle for Hollywood residents to enjoy,” said David Coelho, Chief Investment Officer of Bridge Development and Opportunity Zones. “We are grateful for all of the support we received from residents, community leaders, and elected officials. We look forward to continuing construction and turning our vision into reality.”

This project is part of BTI Partners’ and Bridge’s larger effort to continue to revitalize Downtown Hollywood. BTI Partners is also in the planning and approval stages of a second project to replace a rundown strip mall a few steps away from the Bread Building with twin modern towers on the east side of Young Circle. The second project will include residential living, shops, restaurants, office space and a skywalk connecting the two towers. Both projects together will represent a direct investment of over $500 million in Hollywood's Young Circle neighborhood.

Cushman & Wakefield Equity, Debt & Structured Finance team, including Steve Kohn, Chris Lentz and Chris Moyer, played a key role in identifying CIBC as the ideal capital source.

“We are pleased to have been involved in the financing of this game-changing development, which will help meet the demand for more housing opportunities in Hollywood as its strategic location continues to attract residents and businesses to the city,” said Kohn, whose team advised BTI Partners on arranging the joint venture with Bridge as well as on securing the construction loan.

Attorneys Luis Flores, Michael Denberg and Sophia Rub of Saul Ewing Arnstein & Lehr represented the developer in closing the transaction.

"We are proud to be part of a development team that is focused on bringing new life to downtown Hollywood, which has so much to offer," said Denberg, Managing Partner of Saul Ewing’s Fort Lauderdale office. "The new Hollywood Bread Building will bring pedestrian activity to the ArtsPark and to the many businesses on Young Circle eager to grow and thrive. This is the perfect urban location to create a highly-desired live, work, play and enjoy environment."