As our economy fades out of one decade and cruises into the next, a look in the rearview mirror reveals more than 10 years of expansion and 10-year GDP growth in excess of 26 percent. Sean Beuche, Marcus & Millichap The Philadelphia and Northeastern retail investment sales markets should be both thankful for progress made and road bumps navigated and mindful of several current trends affecting transactions and challenges looming on the horizon for owners and tenants of single and multi-tenant retail assets alike. Savvy Investors enter 2020 with the wind at their backs in many respects while also facing some familiar and unconventional challenges ahead. The 3.7 percent unemployment remains near a 50-year low, meaning that consumers are gainfully employed with money to spend. Mixed-use developments that capture the live-work-play lifestyle are ubiquitous and keep placemaking everywhere they spring up. Millennials and baby boomers alike are demanding walkable communities and opportunities to spend more of their money closer to home via dining out, signing up for memberships at gyms and fitness centers. Both these groups are enjoying the experiential retail that every landlord desires in their centers and portfolios. Stocks of publicly traded retailers like Target, Walmart, and Home …
New Jersey
JERSEY CITY, N.J. — NAI James Hanson has brokered the sale of a 3,401-square-foot retail building in Jersey City. The two-story property is located at 356 Central Ave. in the Central Avenue neighborhood. Joan Cenicola and John Schilp represented the seller, Wells Fargo, in the transaction. The buyer and sales price were undisclosed.
JERSEY CITY, N.J. — JLL has arranged a $20.5 million loan for the acquisition of The Ashton, a newly completed, 93-unit apartment community in Jersey City. Rialto Capital Management provided the two-year, floating-rate loan to Normandy Opportunity Zone Fund LP, an investment fund managed by Columbia Property Trust. The Ashton offers one- and two-bedroom units with amenities including an 8,000-square-foot deck and a fitness center. Jon Mikula, Andrew Zilenziger and Zachary Chaikin of JLL placed the loan.
Hackensack Meridian Health Opens 100,000 SF Seniors Housing Community Near New York City
by Alex Patton
MANALAPAN, N.J. — Hackensack Meridian Health has opened The Villas in Manalapan, a seniors housing community located approximately 30 miles east of Trenton. The property spans 100,000 square feet across seven acres and offers independent living, assisted living, memory care and skilled nursing. The number of units was not disclosed. The company is marketing the property to Staten Island residents looking to downsize. Independent living residences are available as studio, one- or two-bedroom apartments with monthly rates starting at $4,950.
MOORESTOWN, N.J. — Private equity investment firm Tryko Partners has acquired Lutheran Crossings at Moorestown, a seniors housing community in Moorestown, an eastern suburb of Philadelphia. Situated on 14 acres, the property features 201 beds of skilled nursing and a 63-unit assisted living campus. The new ownership will implement a two-phase, $12 million capital improvement campaign and will rebrand the property as Cambridge Rehabilitation & Healthcare Center and Cambridge Enhanced Senior Living. Immediate improvements, valued at approximately $4 million, will include the modernization and reintroduction of two units housing 81 skilled nursing beds. Further improvements will include the incorporation of a therapy gym, renovations to the facility’s lobby and common areas and upgrades to mechanical systems and roofs. Marquis Health Services, Tryko Partners’ healthcare affiliate, will manage the community. The sales price was undisclosed.
GARFIELD, N.J. — StorageBlue, a storage operator serving the New York metropolitan area, has opened a 650-unit self-storage facility in Garfield, a northwestern suburb of New York City. Located at 170 River Drive, the 60,000-square-foot facility was redeveloped from a former macaroni factory. The conversion project began in August 2019 and is valued at $6 million. The facility offers amenities such as outdoor drive-up units, surveillance and U-Haul truck rental.
PISCATAWAY, N.J. — Third party logistics provider Hall’s Warehouse Corp. has renewed its 135,000-square-foot industrial lease in Piscataway, a southwestern suburb of New York City. The property is situated within Rutgers Industrial Center, a five-building, 535,000-square-foot complex located at 120 Circle Drive N. The tenant has leased space at the property since 2003. Brian Dudzinski of Atlantic Real Estate Services represented Hall’s in the lease negotiations. Levin Management Corp. is the asset manager of the complex.
Cushman & Wakefield Brokers Sale of 42,653 SF Fox Hollow Industrial Science Center in Branchburg, New Jersey
by Alex Patton
BRANCHBURG, N.J. — Cushman & Wakefield has brokered the $6.4 million sale of Fox Hollow Industrial Science Center, a 42,653-square-foot industrial property in Branchburg, a southwestern suburb of New York City. Situated at 3434 Route 22, the property features 22-foot ceiling heights and convenient access to Interstates 28 and 78. Andrew Schwartz, Andrew Merin and David Bernhaut led a Cushman & Wakefield team that represented the seller, DLP Real Estate Capital, in the transaction. The team also procured the buyer, a private investor.
GLEN RIDGE, N.J. — The Avison Young New Jersey project management group has completed the ground-up construction of a 45,000-square-foot, Class A medical office building in Glen Ridge, an eastern suburb of New York City. The facility features adaptable medical office units for physicians and specialists and is situated adjacent to Mountainside Medical Center. Existing buildings on the site were demolished as part of the project. NK Architects designed the facility. One Bay Urban Renewal LLC, an affiliate of The Hampshire Cos. LLC., owns the property.
Ready Capital Closes $15.8M Acquisition Loan for Industrial Property in Rahway, New Jersey
by Alex Patton
RAHWAY, N.J. — Ready Capital has closed a $15.8 million loan for the acquisition, renovation and stabilization of an approximately 270,000-square-foot, Class C, industrial warehouse property in Rahway, a southwestern suburb of New York City. The property is situated in the Linden submarket. Upon acquisition, the sponsor intends to implement capital expenditures for roof repairs, façade work and deferred maintenance. The, nonrecourse loan carries a hybrid interest rate, or part-fixed- and part-floating rate. The loan features a 60-month term, flexible prepayment and is inclusive of a facility to provide future funding for capital expenditures and tenant leasing costs.