MCB Real Estate Completes Three Grocery-Anchored Retail Exits and Brings Post Commons and Cobbler Crossing to Market

Baltimore — MCB Real Estate, an institutional commercial real estate investment management firm and developer with nationwide holdings, today announced the completion of three grocery-anchored retail dispositions: Easton Commons in Houston, Texas; Alafaya Square in Oviedo, Florida; and Damascus Shopping Center in Damascus, Maryland. The firm has also brought Post Commons, a grocery-anchored center in Melbourne, Florida and Cobbler Crossing, a grocery anchored center in a northwest suburb of Chicago, to the market.

“These transactions highlight the value of an intensive asset management approach. For each asset, we executed a business plan that required thinking creatively about site plan reconfiguration and leveraging anchor tenant relationships to drive value through an improved rent roll and an attractive institutional exit. The continued demand we saw from publicly traded REITs and private fund investors reflects the strength of grocery-anchored retail fundamentals and the quality of well-located assets that have been thoughtfully repositioned and managed,” said Nick Tortorice, Senior Managing Director, Retail Acquisitions, for MCB Real Estate.

Tortorice joined MCB through its acquisition of Epic Real Estate Partners, adding Easton Commons and Alafaya Square into MCB’s portfolio. As an owner, operator, and investor, MCB draws on in-house expertise across acquisitions, asset management, leasing, property management, construction, and development to create value from acquisition to disposition.

National retail fundamentals remain strong, with limited availability and low levels of new construction. U.S. retail vacancy stood at 4.3% in the third quarter of 2026, close to record lows, and net absorption of 10.5 million square feet was the strongest quarterly total since 2023, Colliers reports.

“Our strategy is to acquire well-located grocery-anchored centers where we see a clear opportunity to create value through active ownership. While strong demographics and high-quality anchors provide an excellent foundation, our focus is on what we can improve through leasing, capital investment, redevelopment, and hands-on asset management. The results at these properties reflect the strength of that approach,” Tortorice added.

Easton Commons

The Houston-based center was first acquired by Epic in 2013 and exited, then reacquired in September 2023.  Epic leased the approximately 41,000-square-foot vacant junior-anchor space to EOS Fitness, secured a 10-year Kroger extension, and contributed capital toward improvements to Kroger’s fuel station, strengthening the anchor tenancy and reducing near-term rollover risk. The results are visible in consumer traffic: ranked by visits, the center moved from #14 to #5 among 35 shopping centers within five miles.

Alafaya Square

After center in Oviedo, Florida center was recapitalized in July 2022, the Publix anchor was demolished and rebuilt, delivering a new store backed by a 20-year lease. Approximately $2 million was then invested in access and visibility improvements, including a reconfigured primary entrance and access from a third public road, and IHOP was relocated to accommodate the expansion of Planet Fitness. The center reached 100% occupancy and now ranks #1 by visitation among 18 shopping centers within five miles, capturing nearly 10% of all visits in that radius.

Damascus Shopping Center

Following its acquisition in 2022, the Maryland center was repositioned through an active value-add strategy that included tenant renewals, small-shop leasing, property upgrades, and operational initiatives designed to improve the customer experience and strengthen its long-term income profile. Those efforts drove monthly visits to an average of 13% above 2021 levels. Combined with a stable grocery anchor and improved operating fundamentals, these enhancements positioned the center for a successful sale and generated significant interest from investors.

Post Commons

Post Commons, a Publix-anchored shopping center at 4100 N Wickham Rd in Melbourne, Florida, was acquired for its high visibility in one of the busiest corridors in East Central Florida. The business plan leveraged anchor relationships to negotiate lease extensions with Publix Supermarket and Beall’s, adding term and de-risking the asset. In-line tenants were replaced with more desirable national credit retailers at increased rental rates, and more than $1.8 million was invested in capital improvements to enhance the property’s appearance and address deferred maintenance. The center drew nearly 2 million visits over the past year, up 4%, with Publix accounting for 48% of visits, and it climbed from #4 to #2 among seven shopping centers within five miles. After a four-year hold, the property is now being marketed for sale.

Cobbler Crossing

Cobbler Crossing in Elgin, Illinois, a northwest suburb of Chicago, is anchored by a top-performing Jewel-Osco. The business plan used our anchor relationship to work through restrictive lease provisions, along with a nearly 50% increase in grocer volumes over the past 7 years, to then lease remaining vacancies through a light capital program and enhanced tenant improvement allowances. The center drew 2.24 million visits from roughly 189,000 unique visitors over the past year, and nearly 27,000 square feet of new leases and renewals over four years show its ability to attract and retain premier retailers.

In addition to Post Commons and Cobbler Crossing, MCB has Ventana Village, a Bashas’-anchored shopping center in Tucson, Arizona, on the market. The center draws from one of Tucson’s most affluent trade areas, and visitors return an average of 2.1 times per month, giving any potential buyer a high-income, repeat-visit base with room to lease up and reposition.

MCB maintains a strong retail portfolio of approximately 11 million square feet that is 94% leased. For more information on Post Commons, Ventana Village, and Cobbler Crossing, please contact info@mcbrealestate.com.

All visits, visits per square foot, and ranking figures are based on Placer.ai location analytics data.

About MCB Real Estate

Founded in 2007, MCB Real Estate is a community-centric, privately held national commercial real estate investment management and development firm headquartered in Baltimore, Maryland. MCB boasts a nationwide portfolio of $4.5 billion in assets under management, totaling approximately 23 million square feet, with almost six million square feet in its development pipeline. Property types include industrial, office, retail, mixed-use, multi-family, and healthcare. The firm offers a seamlessly integrated suite of commercial real estate investment services, including acquisitions, development, construction, asset management, property management, leasing, marketing, financing, and legal expertise, ensuring comprehensive support throughout every stage of an asset’s lifecycle.