NEW YORK CITY — Steve Cohen, owner of the New York Mets baseball team, will develop Metropolitan Park, an $8 billion sports-anchored entertainment district in Queens. The development will occupy the 50 acres surrounding the team’s ballpark, Citi Field. The land is currently vacant. Plans for the project include a food hall, an entertainment complex including a Hard Rock hotel, live music venue and gaming, 20 acres of open green space, five acres of community athletic fields and playgrounds, new connections to the waterfront, a renovated mass transit station and improved roads, bike paths and parking infrastructure. Hard Rock International will partner with Cohen for the development, and the project team includes SHoP Architects, landscape architect Field Operations and design and construction firm McKissack. Metropolitan Park is expected to create roughly 15,000 permanent and construction jobs, according to Hard Rock. A construction timeline was not disclosed.
NEW YORK CITY — Locally based firm Simone Development Cos. will undertake a 1.8 million-square-foot expansion of Hutchinson Metro Center, a mixed-use development located in the Morris Park neighborhood of The Bronx. Specific plans for the expansion are still being finalized, but the development can support additional life sciences, technology, healthcare and academic space, as well as hospitality, housing and retail uses. Upon completion, Hutchinson Metro Center will consist of more than 4 million square feet across 75 acres.
YONKERS, N.Y. — MediaPro North America, a provider of Spanish programming, in partnership with Great Point Media, has broken ground on a new film and entertainment production studio at 1500 N. Broadway in Yonkers, a northern suburb of New York City. The campus will feature three sound stages totaling 20,000 square feet, as well as post-production facilities and other amenities to support a range of media production and entertainment endeavors. First Citizens Bank provided construction financing for the project. Completion is slated for next fall.
DEER PARK, N.Y. — CBRE has brokered the sale of Sutton Landing at Deer Park, a 200-unit active adult complex on Long Island. The age-restricted property was built in 2021 and offers amenities such as a pool, fitness center, game room, outdoor grilling and dining stations and a leasing office. Aron Will, John Sweeny and Scott Bray of CBRE represented the seller, a partnership between local developer B2K Development and Chicago-based investment firm Harrison Street, in the transaction. Shawn Rosenthal, Jason Gaccione, Jake Salkovitz, Aron Will, Matthew Kuronen and Michael Cregan of CBRE originated Freddie Mac acquisition financing on behalf of the buyer, Fairfield Properties.
YONKERS, N.Y. — Rockabill and BWE have provided a $16.9 million Fannie Mae loan for the refinancing of Monastery Manor, a 147-unit affordable seniors housing property located just north of New York City in Yonkers. Units are designated for persons 62 years and older who earn no more than 50 percent of the area median income (AMI). The borrower, nonprofit owner-operator Finian Sullivan Corp., will use a portion of the proceeds to fund renovations and extend the property’s affordability status. Jim Gillespie and Ilya Weinstein of BWE originated the loan.
NEW YORK CITY — Eaglestone LLC, a holding company that supports mechanical, fire protection, plumbing and electrical contractors, has signed a 20,955-square-foot office lease in Midtown Manhattan. The lease term is 10 years. Eaglestone is taking space on the ninth floor of the historic Fred H. French Building, which is located at 551 Fifth Ave. and was originally constructed in 1927. Andrew Wiener and Randall Briskin represented the landlord, The Feil Organization, in the lease negotiations on an internal basis.
NEW YORK CITY — LifeSpire Inc., an educational organization that supports individuals with developmental disabilities, has signed a 20,026-square-foot office lease in Midtown Manhattan. The tenant is relocating from the Financial District to the fourth and fifth floors of the 462 Seventh Avenue, a 23-story building that was originally constructed in 1925. Darell Handler of Handler Real Estate Organization represented Lifespire in the lease negotiations. Michael Heaner and Sam Stein represented the landlord, The Kaufman Organization, on an internal basis.
NEW YORK CITY — Institutional Property Advisors (IPA), a division of Marcus & Millichap, has arranged a $9 million loan for the refinancing of an industrial property in The Bronx. According to LoopNet Inc., the property at 656 E. 133rd St. was built in 1930 and totals 124,000 square feet. Matt Polci, Justin Natalizio and Eric Anton of IPA arranged the financing through Citibank on behalf of the borrower, New York-based private investor Guy Roberts.
NEW YORK CITY — Kensington Vanguard National Land Services has signed a 13,394-square-foot office headquarters lease at 41 Madison Avenue in Midtown Manhattan’s Flatiron District. The title insurance agency and Truist Bank subsidiary plans to relocate from 39 West 37th Street to the entire 21st floor of the building in the second quarter of next year. Howard Hirsch and Brett Harvey of JLL represented the tenant in the lease negotiations. Robert Steinman represented the landlord, Rudin, on an internal basis.
NEW YORK CITY — Coworking and office-sharing pioneer WeWork Inc. (NYSE: WE) has filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection. WeWork also plans to file similar protectionary measures in Canada. WeWork has entered into a restructuring support agreement with its creditors representing approximately 92 percent of its secured notes to “drastically reduce” the company’s existing funded debt and expedite the restructuring process. Reuters reports the debt-for-equity swap deal with its creditors totals $3 billion. The New York City-based company plans to continue operations and “further rationalize its commercial office lease portfolio” with its network of office landlords. WeWork’s locations and franchisees outside of the United States and Canada are not part of this process. According to the company website, WeWork operates more than 320 locations globally across various workplace solutions platforms. As part of the filing, WeWork is requesting the ability to reject the leases of certain locations that are “non-operational,” all of which have affected members that have received advanced notice. The company has retained Hilco Real Estate, an Illinois-based real estate restructuring and advisory firm, to assist with lease renegotiations. “WeWork has a strong foundation, a dynamic business and a bright future,” says David Tolley, CEO of WeWork. “Now …