David deVilliers, Jr.
Analyst · Rhizome Partners
Thank you, John, and good morning to those on the call this morning. Let me now provide you with our third quarter highlights and add a bit of detail to those provided by John in his opening remarks. As of the close of the third quarter, our Asset Management segment consisted of three commercial properties: The Cranberry Business Center in Harford County, Maryland; the land at 21st Street in Jacksonville, Florida; and lastly, our home office, a multi-tenanted office building in Hunt Valley, Maryland. In July, we finalized the sale of 1801 62nd Street in Baltimore, Maryland, our latest spec building that was completed in April of 2019. The sale generated $12.3 million in cash and a profit of $3.8 million, which we are seeking 1031 exchange opportunities. As you may remember, the vast majority of Asset Management was reclassified to discontinued operations in 2018 and early 2019 as a result of the warehouse platform sale. This quarter, we continued to grow occupancy at Cranberry Run from 71.9% as of June 30 to 78.6% at quarter's end. A significant $2 million renovation project is now complete, and the upgrades to the buildings have been well received by the market. Total revenues for this business segment were $721,000, up $291,000 over the same period last year. Operating profit was a positive $35,000, up $195,000 from an operating loss of $160,000 in the same period last year, primarily due to our new spec building at 1801 62nd Street reaching 100% occupancy and continued increased occupancy at Cranbury Run. In the Mining and Royalty segment, total revenues were $2,507,000 versus $2,302,000 in the same period last year. Total operating profit was $2.2 million, an increase of $179,000 versus $2,059,000 in the same period last year. As of quarter's end, aggregates royalties were within 1% of last year's record numbers through the first nine months. And like last year, the royalties we have collected so far are greater than those collected any entire year prior to 2017. Finally, unrelated to any mining activity, local government exercised its right of eminent domain on some of our Fort Myers quarry to extend a roadway and ease traffic congestion in the area. We received $2.2 million in cash, incurring a $1.9 million profit. Under IRS Code 1033, we have up to three years to invest the profits in a light kind asset in order to defer this federal tax liability. This resulting roadway extension will greatly benefit any second-like developments on the remaining FRP-owned acreage once mining reserves are depleted. With respect to ongoing and new projects in the Development segment, we have several highlights. First, this quarter, we received final permits and began construction on two speculative warehouse buildings at Hollander Business Park in Baltimore, Maryland, adjacent to the previously mentioned 1801 62nd Street, which we sold last quarter. Totaling 147,000 square feet, the two industrial buildings are planned for delivery in the third quarter of 2021. Two, Phase 1 of our joint venture with St. John's Properties, consisting of four buildings totaling 72,080 square feet of single-storey office and 27,950 square feet of small bay retail space in Baltimore County, Maryland, saw some activity this quarter as our percentage leased increased to 47% with the addition of the project's first retail tenant. Entitlements continue for our project in Hampstead, Maryland, known as Hampstead Overlook, which received concept plan approval this spring for the 255 single-family and townhouse building lots proposed. We are currently seeking preliminary plan approval from the town and the county. This is a critical step in moving the development forward and a prerequisite for final plan approval, which secures the entitlements necessary to develop the project. Relative to our lending ventures platform, the first phase of settlement at the Hyde Park subdivision in Baltimore County, Maryland, closed in May of this year on the 122 townhouse and four single-family recorded lots. The settlement produced $2.67 million in principal and accrued interest. This quarter, we received the remaining $1.67 million in principal and $322,600 of accrued interest. Additional profits from the repayment of an $800,000 note, which accrues interest as expected over the next 12 to eight months prior to its maturity in March of 2022. Our other lending ventures project, the residential development called Amber Ridge, located in Prince George's County, Maryland, is currently in the initial stages of horizontal development. Two national homebuilders are under contract to purchase all 187 lots following the completion of certain infrastructure improvements. The first section of these lots are scheduled to be turned over in the second quarter of 2021. These lending ventures appear to have nice returns as we look to benefit from the surge in homebuilding and the shortage of lots in the areas we are concentrated. Moving on to Phase 2 of our Riverfront on the Anacostia project in Washington, D.C., known as Maren. It welcomed its first tenant in late March of this year. This 14-storey mixed-use development consists of 264 apartments and 6,937 square feet of first floor retail. During the third quarter, Maren received 100% of its use and occupancy certificates and has seen robust leasing activity, increasing from 45% leased and 23% occupied at the end of June, to 76.14% leased and 68.94% occupied at the end of the third quarter. The retail component is 74% leased, with the large retail suite totaling 5,111 square feet, signing a tenant at the end of the second quarter. As with Dock 79, this is a joint venture with MidAtlantic Realty Partners or MRP. FRP maintains a majority interest in this project. The first phase of our mixed-use residential and retail development in Northeast Washington, D.C., known as Bryant Street, was 78% complete overall at the end of the third quarter, with the first of four buildings scheduled for delivery in the fourth quarter of this year and the remaining three buildings expected to be complete by the fourth quarter of 2021. This phase consists of 488 apartments and 85,681 square feet of first floor and freestanding retail. Approximately 44,000 square feet of this retail is pre-leased. Project is running on time and within budget. This property is located in a designated opportunity zone, which allows us to defer a $14.9 million tax liability associated with the warehouse platform sale in 2018. This project is also a joint venture with MRP, and FRP holds a major interest. In December of 2019, the company contributed $37.3 million of equity into a new joint venture agreement with MRP for the development of a mixed-use project known as 1800 Half Street. The development is located in the Buzzard Point area of Washington, D.C., less than 0.5 mile down river from Dock 79 and Maren. It lies directly between our two-acre site on the Anacostia, currently under lease by Vulcan Materials, and Audi Field, the home stadium of the D.C. United professional soccer team. The 10-storey structure will house 344 apartments and 11,246 square feet of ground floor retail. The project is a qualified opportunity zone investment and will defer a bit over $10 million of taxes associated with 2018's warehouse platform sale. In June, we closed on a $74 million construction loan and subsequently began construction at the end of August of this year. We expect to deliver this project in the fourth quarter of 2022. In addition to 1800 Half Street, and also in December of 2019, we ventured outside of Washington, D.C. and entered into two joint venture agreements with Woodfield Development, a strategic new partner, to invest in two separate and distinct residential development projects in Greenville, South Carolina. Woodfield has vast experience developing residential and mixed-use projects throughout the Southeast and Washington, D.C. The first project called Riverside is a 200-unit apartment project in which FRP contributed $6.2 million in exchange for a 40% ownership interest. Construction began during the first quarter this year and is expected to be complete in the third quarter of 2021. This is a qualified opportunity zone investment. Our second project with Woodfield is a 227-unit mixed-use development entitled.408 Jackson, a nod to Sholess Joe Jackson, who actually live on the site, and which is adjacent to Greenville's Minor League Baseball Stadium, which houses an affiliate of the Boston Red Sox. This project will also include 4,700 square feet of retail space. FRP received a 40% ownership position in this project in exchange for $9.7 million. Closing on the property occurred at the end of April of this year. Construction is also under way, and the project should be ready to receive its first tenant in the second quarter of 2022. This project is also a qualified opportunity zone investment, along with Riverside, allows us to defer a total of $4.3 million in taxes. Moving on to our stabilized Joint Ventures Business segment. Relative to Dock 79, net operating income for the quarter was $1,634,000, down 11.6% over the same period last year. Average occupancy during this quarter for the apartments was 93.29%. This past quarter, the retention rate was 52.3%, but with no rate increases due to a statutory prohibition by the District of Columbia due to COVID. The rent freeze is currently expected to last into the first quarter of 2021. We will continue to renew and sign tenants at their existing rates, preferring terms of occupancy over chasing rent growth. The retail component of Dock 79, which totals approximately 14,600 square feet, remain at 76% occupied and 76% leased as of the end of the quarter. Unfortunately, our retail tenants were shut down from March 16 through the end of June as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, with the exception of one of the restaurants being partially open for carryout. All three retail tenants are now open, albeit nowhere near the normal occupancy. Rent payments have resumed for the most part. Our key guiding principle in this situation is maintaining open communication while preserving our rights as landlord while we wait to see what the future holds for these businesses. The goal is to be a good partner in our existing tenant base and to assist them through this unusual time. We partnered with these existing tenants because we believed in their concepts and business plans, and we continue to do so. The remaining retail space had an executed letter of intent to lease prior to the COVID-19 breakout and is now back on the market. Dock 79 is a joint venture between MRP, in which FRP holds a 66 ownership percent interest. So to summarize FRP's movement in the mixed-use development. Prior to December of 2019 – 2019, we had ownership in 305 completed units at Dock 79, and we're committed to another 752 units, for a total of 1,057 units. As of December 2020, we will have completed 723 apartment units with the inclusion of Maren and the first of four buildings of Bryant Street. We now have 1,105 units under construction, with future delivery dates ranging from the beginning of the third quarter of 2021 through the fourth quarter of 2022. As of December 2022, the total completed apartment inventory within our portfolio is projected to be 1,828 units, in which we currently hold an average ownership of 62%. And finally, relative to the new asset introduced to this business segment in July of last year, a 294-unit Hickory Creek apartment complex in Richmond, Virginia, things remained status quo in the third quarter, with average occupancy running above 94%. The distribution was on time and for the anticipated amount of $86,000. Our $6 million investment in this project is a part of the 1031 like-kind exchange. Complex was constructed in 1984 and substantially renovated in 2016. The business plan calls for further refurbishments to the interiors departments and the increasing of rents prior to selling the project at a greater value after an appropriate hold period. FRP is fortunate to have a focused and talented team that has recently been quite active in leasing, development and sales, across multiple business segments. However, it's important to note that, like the rest of the world, we've changed due to COVID. Our operations, communications, workflow and access have all been altered. But we are committed to our mission and remain mindful of the unprecedented impact COVID is having on us all. We are considered an essential business and continue to operate at full capacity, while heeding the guidance of the federal government and orders issued by the state and local authorities. Our offices in Baltimore, Maryland are open for limited activities on site, and all employees are set up to operate fully from their homes. When required, our employees are physically distancing and employing other measures to ensure the protection of the folks with whom we interact as we go about our business. At the end of the first quarter, requests for forbearance were limited to four tenants: three retail restaurants at Dock 79 and one small office tenant whose business focus was related to hotel services. At the end of the second quarter, all but one of the aforementioned tenants had made significant progress toward clearing late rents and expenses. By the end of the third quarter, notable progress in working through appropriate payment schedules has continued. To be sure, FRP is not unscathed by COVID-19. However, the retail tenants at Dock 79 currently represent a total of 6% of the company's net operating income, and for the time being, appear to be faring better than most in their category. Our tenants continue to operate, though perhaps on revised schedules and conditions, and with few exceptions, continue to pay rent as usual. We are mindful of the challenges that are facing our tenants, partners and employees every day. And we strive to be good stewards of our stockholders' faith, as well as the trust and support of our business partners. COVID-19 marks a new beginning and will change the way we behave personally and professionally. But with all challenges come opportunity. Lastly, I would encourage everyone to visit our newly minted website at www.frpdev.com, which now better reflects the company we have become, the investments we make and the future we seek. Thank you. And I'll now turn the call back to John.