“Crowdfunding” is a word that can evoke negative connotations in commercial real estate. The financing mechanism was tarnished by the fallout from this past summer's CrowdStreet saga, in which Nightingale Properties, the New York-based real estate investment firm, misappropriated investor funds raised on the platform. Even before that, the history of CRE crowdfunding was littered with failures, as concepts like Fundrise and Cadre pivoted away from the model, while others, including RealtyShares and Prodigy Network, fell by the wayside. But one developer hopes to rebrand the strategy and give it fresh life, utilizing crowdfunding to give smaller investors in traditionally underrepresented communities their first taste of property ownership — and a stake in the health of the areas they live in. 
The Chicago Trend Corp. negotiated a deal to acquire the 27K SF Roseland Center at 100 W. 111th St. for $6M and is seeking community investors to reach a $100K minimum capital investment. Individuals can invest as little as $1K. For that level of investment, Trend projects a total return… Read the full story here. | 
