NEW YORK CITY — Greystone has provided two Fannie Mae loans totaling $30.8 million for the refinancing of two adjacent multifamily properties in the Ridgewood neighborhood of Queens. The first loan totaled $14.2 million loan and was used to refinance a 49-unit property at 1635 Putnam Ave. The second loan totaled $16.6 million loan and was used to refinance a 48-unit property at 1625 Putnam Ave. Both Fannie Mae loans carry 12-year terms with 30-year amortization periods. The borrower was Adar Holdings USA. Anthony Cristi of Greystone originated the loan.
NEW YORK CITY — Greystone has provided a $65 million Freddie Mac loan for the refinancing of One LIC, a newly constructed, 110-unit, Class A multifamily apartment in the Long Island City neighborhood of Queens. Local developer The Lions Group was the borrower. The 16-year, fixed-rate loan refinanced a Bank Leumi construction loan. The property features three retail spaces that are leased to Starbucks, CityMD and apparel retailer Yoyoso. Residential amenities include a fitness center and rooftop lounge. Drew Fletcher, Bryan Grover and Matthew Klauer of Greystone originated the loan.
ALBANY, N.Y. — The Finger Lakes, Southern Tier and Mohawk Valley regions of Upstate New York have met New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s public health guidelines to begin the process of reopening businesses and industries impacted by the COVID-19 heath crisis. The requirements to reopen a region include a 14-day decline in hospitalizations and hospitalized deaths, fewer than two new hospitalizations per 100,000 residents, as well as several other requirements related to hospital capacity and testing availability. Regions that meet the required metrics by May 15 will be allowed to restart construction, manufacturing, retail for curbside pickup, agriculture and forestry operations, as well as some recreational activities. The North Country and Central New York regions are close to meeting all metrics, according to a statement from the governor. As of May 11, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported 334,640 positive cases of the virus in New York and 26,923 deaths.
ALBANY, N.Y. — New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo has extended a ban on evictions due to nonpayment of rent through August 20 for both residential and commercial tenants that have had difficulties paying rent and preserving their businesses amid the ongoing COVID-19 health and economic crisis. The governor originally issued the executive order banning new cases of rent-related evictions on March 20 with the expectation of keeping it in effect for three months. Additional updates to the executive order include rent relief in the form of bans on late fees for missed payments, as well as a new provision that allows renters to use their security deposit as rent payment. As of May 7, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported nearly 319,000 cases of the virus in New York and more than 25,700 deaths.
WESTBURY, N.Y. — Sanders Equities, a New York-based developer, will convert a retail asset in the Long Island city of Westbury as a 153,000-square-foot industrial building. Located at 1085 Old Country Road, the property is situated on a seven-acre site and includes a 192,000-square-foot building, which is currently occupied by a Century 21 department store. Upon Century 21’s exit in spring 2021, Sanders plans to downsize the property to 153,000 square feet and remove the second floor, which will increase the ceiling height to 32 feet. Paul Leone and Margaret Tutone of CBRE will lead the leasing effort of the new industrial asset. The terms and sales price of the acquisition were undisclosed.
PORT WASHINGTON, N.Y. — The total number of customer transactions at restaurant chains nationwide showed improvement for the second week in a row during the week ending April 26, according study by The NPD Group (NPD), a market research company headquartered in New York. The study indicated that total customer transactions were down 32 percent for the week ending Sunday, April 26 relative to that time a year ago. Transaction volume had been down 36 percent for the week ending Sunday, April 19, relative to that time in 2019. Most restaurants in the country have been either closed outright or are operating with severe restrictions since the COVID-19 outbreak began. Even as the economy slowly restarts state-by-state, many consumers remain hesitant to return to dining rooms. NPD reported that approximately 20,000 restaurants restarted in Georgia on April 27, followed by 60,000 in Texas, with both states enforcing strict guidelines for reduced occupancy and heightened sanitation. While more than 300,000 restaurants may potentially reopen for dine-in service in the coming weeks, NPD notes that an unknown number of restaurants may not be able to afford to ever open again. In New York, the epicenter of the coronavirus in the Northeast, restaurants …
NEW YORK CITY — SL Green Realty Corp. has sold 609 Fifth Avenue, an office and retail condominium in Manhattan, to an affiliate of the Reuben Brothers for $168 million. Beginning in 2018, SL Green undertook an extensive repositioning of the entire building, including vacating the previous tenants in the office condominium portion of the property and relocating the office lobby to increase the retail frontage on Fifth Avenue. Sports apparel brand PUMA has leased a 24,000-square-foot retail space at the building for its three-level flagship store. Luxury apparel retailer Vince has leased a 5,000-square-foot retail space in the building. Darcy Stacom, Doug Middleton and David Fowler of CBRE represented SL Green in the transaction.
NEW YORK CITY — In an unprecedented response to unclean conditions amid the COVID-19 outbreak, New York City has ceased its 24-hour subway system, implementing overnight closures beginning in the early morning on May 6. The system’s 472 stations closed for deep cleaning from 1:00 a.m to 5:00 a.m. and will remain closed during those hours until further notice. New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo ordered the shutdown in response to unsafe conditions, including increased crime and homeless sheltering in the subway, despite the Metropolitan Transportation Authority reporting a 90 percent drop in ridership to less than 500,000 passengers per day. New York City remains the epicenter of the virus, and the state had more than 312,800 cases and 24,700 deaths as of May 5, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
MELVILLE, N.Y. — A&G Real Estate Partners (A&G), a Melville, New York-based firm, has launched a structured investment sales division. The four-person team will expand A&G’s in-house capabilities to include sealed bid and live auctions, portfolio sales, note sales and sale-leaseback transactions. A&G previously specialized in brokerage and consulting services for traditional retail, industrial, office and higher education properties. The new team will broaden the firm’s overall range of asset classes served to include investment properties and development projects in the hospitality, multifamily and shopping center sectors. The team includes Jeff Hubbard, Katie DeCoste and Christian Koulichkov, who will all work in A&G’s Melville office, and Jamie Coté, who will work in the firm’s Chicago office.
HACKENSACK, N.J., AND WESTBURY, N.Y. — Sitex Group, a New Jersey-based developer, has acquired two commercial development sites totaling 32 acres in the Meadowlands (New Jersey) and Long Island submarkets. No sales price was disclosed. The sites include a 10-acre tract located at 514-582 S. River St. in Hackensack and a 22.5-acre parcel in Westbury, a city on Long Island. Specific construction plans were not disclosed. Dan Foley and Chris Marx of Savills negotiated the Hackensack transaction. Mark Walsh of Select Real Equity Advisors, along with Jason Miller and Jeffrey Schwartzberg of Premier Commercial Real Estate, negotiated the Westbury transaction. Both sellers were private investors that requested anonymity.