Georgia Ports Authority’s (GPA) new $134 million inland port in Gainesville opens in May, almost sure to spur industrial growth in the region.  

At full build-out, the Gainesville Inland Port will have an annual capacity of 200,000 containers. Alliance Industrial is building a 540,000 square foot warehouse complex near the Gainesville Port. Logistics Property is adding 320,000 square feet of industrial buildings to the site.

Direct rail with five days a week service between Northeast Georgia and Savannah gives shippers an alternative to a 600-mile round-trip truck route, reducing trucks on Georgia’s highways and in the Atlanta region. 

GPA’s $1.6 billion renovation of Ocean Terminal in Savannah is progressing. Phase one will open in July 2027. Phase two opens in December 2028. The dock will stretch nearly 2,700 feet, allowing two large ships to dock simultaneously. Ocean Terminal’s renovated container yard will open in phases starting in July 2027 through December 2028.

Barings provided a $134 million loan to refinance the existing loan on Smoky Hollow in Raleigh. The mixed-use development was delivered in 2020 by a joint venture between Kane Realty Corporation, Williams Realty & Building Company, and Lionstone Investments.

Smoky Hollow is comprised of a 283-unit Class-A apartment complex (“The Line”), a highly amenitized 229,000 square foot office building (“421 N Harrington”), and roughly 40,000 square feet of ground floor retail featuring a blend of restaurants and retailers.

The financing from Barings has a five-year term and JLL’s Travis Anderson, Colby Mueck, and Warren Johnson advised the sponsorship on the financing.

Barings says this transaction expands the company’s $24.2 billion real estate debt platform, which leverages the team’s direct origination capabilities and deep credit expertise to invest in loans secured by institutional-quality commercial real estate.