Tishman Speyer Secures Basis Investment Group as Equity Partner on Santa Monica Collection Development

BIG, one of the U.S.'s only African American, Female Majority-owned and -led CRE and Multifamily Investment and Lending Platforms, Takes 11% Stake in Tishman Speyer's First Los Angeles-Region Residential Development

NEW YORK and SANTA MONICA, Calif., Jan. 25, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Tishman Speyer today announced it has secured the Basis Investment Group (BIG) as an equity partner in the Santa Monica Collection, its portfolio consisting of eight development sites across nearly 3.1 acres in Downtown Santa Monica, CA.

A certified minority and woman-owned commercial real estate investment manager, BIG has committed $30 million – 11 percent of the total equity – to the development, which will encompass 617 apartments, 116 of which will be designated as affordable, and approximately 31,000 square feet of retail. With entitlements in place, Tishman Speyer expects to start work on the first four buildings in early 2023 with the remaining four commencing in 2024. 

The Santa Monica Collection will address an acute need for more modern, high-quality rental housing at multiple price points in Downtown Santa Monica, a neighborhood known for its vibrancy, attractive outdoor lifestyle and proximity to innovation job centers. The development will create a critical mass of new housing within easy walking distance to world-class restaurants, shops and nightlife options, as well as the Downtown Santa Monica light rail station.

"We are pleased to be partnering with Basis Investment Group to cultivate a thriving mixed-use community in the heart of Downtown Santa Monica," said Tishman Speyer CEO Rob Speyer. "This partnership illustrates our commitment to embedding diversity into all aspects of our business. By making a conscious effort to remove structural and institutional impediments to equitable representation, we strengthen our firm and the communities served by our investments." 

In 2021, Tishman Speyer announced that it had raised $30 million in equity from 161 individual Black and Latinx investors for the Enterprise Research Campus, a 14-acre mixed-use campus it is developing in partnership with Harvard University. In doing so, Tishman Speyer surpassed its initial target of allocating five percent of the $500 million in equity to minority investors for the first phase of the project, which will include 900,000 square feet of labs, offices, apartments, and a hotel.

"Inclusive capital matters and we are excited to partner with Tishman Speyer in their commitment to providing investment opportunities in large scale development projects for MWBE capital providers like Basis," said Tammy K. Jones, CEO and Founder of Basis Investment Group (BIG). "We applaud Tishman Speyer for being a leader in breaking down barriers and creating access to wealth creating- joint venture opportunities that diverse firms have largely been excluded from."

Since its inception in 2009, BIG has been at the forefront of enacting and empowering change while embedding ESG considerations into its business and investment decisions. As one of the only African American, female majority-owned and -led CRE and multifamily investment and lending platforms in the U.S., Basis is a testament to the positive impact generated by a thoughtful and intentional approach to diversity, equity, and inclusion. Basis has implemented significantly increased due diligence, risk analysis, and environmental, social, and governance (ESG) reporting processes to provide greater transparency for all Basis clients and stakeholders, further solidifying the company as a forward-looking change agent within the industry.

About Tishman Speyer (tishmanspeyer.com)
Tishman Speyer is a leading owner, developer, operator and investment manager of first-class real estate in 33 key markets across the United States, Europe, Asia and Latin America. Our portfolio spans market rate and affordable residential communities, premier office properties and retail spaces, industrial facilities, and mixed-use campuses. We create state-of-the-art life science centers through our Breakthrough Properties joint venture, and foster innovation through our strategic proptech investments. With global vision, on-the-ground expertise and a personalized approach, we are unparalleled in our ability to foster innovation, quickly adapt to global and local trends and proactively anticipate our customers' evolving needs. By focusing on health and wellness, enlightened placemaking and customer-focused initiatives such as our tenant amenities platform, ZO., and our flexible space and co-working brand, Studio, we tend not just to our physical buildings, but to the people who inhabit them on a daily basis. Since our inception in 1978, Tishman Speyer has acquired, developed, and operated 522 properties, totaling 218 million square feet, with a combined value of over $129 billion (U.S.). Our current portfolio includes such iconic assets as Rockefeller Center in New York City, The Springs in Shanghai, TaunusTurm in Frankfurt and the Mission Rock neighborhood currently being realized in San Francisco.

About Basis Investment Group (www.basisinvgroup.com)
Basis Investment Group is a diversified commercial real estate investment platform investing across the capital stack throughout the United States. With offices in New York, Chicago, and Irvine, CA, Basis has successfully closed over $4 billion in transactions across multiple strategies and asset classes. Basis Investment Management Group is registered as an investment adviser with the Securities and Exchange Commission. Basis, a certified Minority and Woman-Owned Business (MWBE), focuses primarily on investments in the middle markets where it has deep relationships. Basis originates and acquires fixed rate senior mortgage loans, bridge loans, mezzanine loans, preferred equity, structured equity and B-piece investments.

SOURCE Tishman Speyer