Amstar, in partnership with leading world-class developer Hines, has announced the acquisition of Rakowicka, a 0.92-hectare land site in the city center of Krakow, adjacent to the central railway station and the Galeria Krakowska. The land plot is the third phase of an existing residential project that was developed by Hines and Heitman.
Amstar and Hines will develop Phase III, which will consist of 26,000 sqm of institutional-quality, for-sale residential apartments with ground-floor retail. Hines and Heitman originally acquired the Rakowicka site in 2010 and successfully completed Phase I in 2014 and are currently developing Phase II.
In response to its newest acquisition, Jeffrey Stonger, Head of Europe for Amstar, noted, “The Company is excited to build on its experience and platform in Poland. We believe Poland is a top market, the Rakowicka site is a premier location, and most importantly the partnership is poised for success.” Amstar entered Poland in August 2014 with its acquisition of Zlota 44 in partnership with BBI Development, another top developer in Poland. Zlota 44 is a 52-story, 287-unit luxury residential tower located in the center of Warsaw, Poland.
Rakowicka has proven to be a successful site for both former owners Heitman and Hines (Amstar’s newest partner). Heitman Portfolio Manager, Matthew Lunt, explains, “The site is one of the best locations for residential in all of Krakow, it is within walking distance to the heart of Krakow yet sits adjacent to the main transportation hub.” Further, Wojciech Rumian, Co-Managing Director for Hines Poland, remarks, “We are excited to begin this partnership with Amstar, particularly with a site that has proven successful on two prior phases developed in a joint venture with Heitman.”
Established in 1987 and headquartered in Denver, Colorado, Amstar is a real estate investment manager that acquires, develops and manages office, multifamily, retail, hotel and industrial properties in select U.S. and international markets. Amstar currently has $1.6 billion in assets under management (as of December 31, 2016).
Hines is a private company specializing in real estate investment, development, and management worldwide. To-date, Hines has completed, acquired, managed or is constructing 1,163 real estate projects with a total area of over 36 million square meters, including residential, commercial, warehouse, hotel, sports, public utility and large-scale complexes. Currently Hines manages 402 multifunctional and infrastructure projects with a total floor area of 16 million square meters. Hines owns offices in 121 cities in 19 countries, controlling assets worth about $30.7 billion, making it one of the largest organizations in the global real estate market.