Acquisitions

BOSTON — Carmel Partners, a San Francisco-based multifamily investor, has purchased LUKA on the Common, a 30-story apartment high-rise in downtown Boston. Northern Virginia-based AvalonBay Communities sold the 398-unit property, which was formerly known as the AVA Theater District. Carmel Partners utilized a $137.3 million Fannie Mae acquisition loan to fund the purchase. Jeff Burns, senior managing director of multifamily finance at Walker & Dunlop, originated the five-year, interest-only loan on behalf of the buyer. The agency loan features an early rate lock. “Boston’s multifamily fundamentals are among the strongest in the nation, driven by limited existing and future supply,” says Burns. “The housing scarcity has impacted both rent growth and the for-sale condominium market [in Boston] and has enabled us to refinance successfully alongside the team at Carmel.” The sales price was not disclosed, but the Boston Business Journal reported that the property traded for $212 million. Walker & Dunlop’s investment sales team in Boston, which brokered the transaction, disclosed it was the highest price paid for an apartment complex in the city in more than a year. Lee Bloch, partner at Carmel Partners, says that LUKA on the Common has an “enviable location” as it is about a 10-minute …