NEW YORK CITY — Metropolitan Realty Associates and joint venture partner TIAA Global Asset Management have acquired HUB LIC, a four-story commercial building located at 47-25 34th St. in Queen’s Long Island City, for $89 million. At the time of acquisition, the 326,000-square-foot property was 48 percent leased to a mix of tenants, including POLO Ralph Lauren, TEC Systems (Honeywell), Eleni’s Bakery, Gracie and Richelieu. The buyers plan to redevelop the property into office and retail space to attract a large-format retailer and offer 80,000 square feet of contiguous office space on a single floor. The building features 16- to 21-foot ceilings, a floor-to-ceiling window line, a 7,000-square-foot pitched skylight on the second floor, skylights throughout third floors, abundant parking and eight loading docks. Doug Harmon, Adam Spies, Adam Doneger and Josh King of Eastdil brokered the sale of the property, while Grant Frankel and Rob Turner, also of Eastdil, arranged acquisition financing for the transaction.
New York
NEW YORK CITY — Cushman & Wakefield has launched an Automotive Specialty Practice group in response to the recent transformation and growth in the auto industry. Led by Jeffrey Green, the group includes a global, cross-discipline team of real estate and business advisors to auto manufacturers, suppliers, distributors and retailers. Cushman & Wakefield is the first commercial real estate service firm to market a global comprehensive Auto SPG offering. The offering’s mission is to deeply understand and address the distinctive challenges of the automotive sector from labor issues, logistics, infrastructure, technology, credits and incentives to the unique requirements of the real estate itself. Cushman & Wakefield has has relationships with various automotive industry clients around the world, including Toyota, BMW, FCA, Mercedes Benz, Magna International, Hyundai and JLR.
NEW YORK CITY — Meridian Capital Group has arranged $7 million in financing for the acquisition of a warehouse located in the Astoria section of Queens. The one-year loan, provided by a local balance sheet lender, features full-term interest-only payments. Located at 19-79 Steinway St., the single-story, 10,000-square-foot warehouse offers easy access to New York City’s major distribution channels and close proximity to the N and Q subway lines. Bryan Geffen and Brian Flax of Meridian negotiated the loan for the undisclosed borrower.
NEW YORK CITY — Cammeby’s International has started construction of Neptune/Sixth, a mixed-use development located at 532 Neptune Avenue and 626 Sheepshead Bay Road in Brooklyn’s Coney Island. As the comprehensive redevelopment of the former Trump Village Shopping Center and Royal Palace Baths, the community-oriented development will feature a variety of services and retail options, residential and office space, public space and parking for more than 800 vehicles. Construction on the first phase — a standalone, seven-story, 161,000-square-foot retail and commercial building at 626 Sheepshead Bay Road — is underway, with completion slated for summer 2017. Cammeby’s plans to begin site work for the 90,000 square feet of retail space at Neptune Avenue this fall, and the project’s second phase, including a residential component, is scheduled to break ground in late 2017. New York-based S9 Architecture is designing the project. Winick Realty Group has been retained as the exclusive retail leasing agent, while The Lawrence Group is overseeing leasing for the project’s office space.
Meridian Capital Group Secures $60M in Refinancing for 131,358 SF Office Property in Manhattan
by Amy Works
NEW YORK CITY — Meridian Capital Group has arranged $60 million in CMBS financing for the refinance of an office property located at 286 Madison Ave. in Midtown Manhattan. The borrower is APF Properties. Provided by Jeffries LoanCore, the 10-year loan features a fixed interest rate and full-term interest only-payments. The 23-story building features 131,358 square feet of office space. Tal Bar-Or, Raj Khatiwala and Kyle Kite of Meridian’s New York City headquarters negotiated the transaction.
ROCKVILLE CENTRE, N.Y. — Q10|New York Realty Advisors has arranged a $7.5 million permanent loan for Best Western Mill River Manor, located at 173 Sunrise Highway in Rockville Centre. The 10-year non-recourse loan features a 4 percent interest rate for the first five years. The full-service hotel features a banquet facility, on-site parking and a swimming pool. Jeanne Cronin and Zeev Douek of Q10 secured the financing for the undisclosed borrower.
NEW YORK CITY — Cushman & Wakefield has arranged the sale of a commercial building located at 73 Hudson St. in Tribeca. An undisclosed buyer acquired the five-story building for $15.1 million, or $1,315 per square foot. The building contains 11,500 square feet as built and offers approximately 2,800 square feet of unused development rights. The building features a ground-floor retail unit and four floor-through units above, which were delivered vacant upon sale. Will Suarez, Maurice Suede and Sean Rucker of Cushman & Wakefield represented the undisclosed sellers, while Alex Pisa of The Corcoran Group represented the buyer.
PGIM Real Estate Takes 40 Percent Interest in Eleven Madison Avenue in Manhattan for $480M
by Amy Works
NEW YORK CITY — PGIM Realty Estate has acquired a 40 percent interest in Eleven Madison Avenue, a 2.3 million-square-foot office property in Midtown South, from SL Green Realty Corp. for $480 million. The new ownership joint venture is seeking a modification to the mortgage on the property. If the modification is not obtained within six months after the closing, SL Green may repurchase the sold interest from PGIM Real Estate. The partnership expects the modification to be granted during the fourth quarter of 2016. PGIM Real Estate has a one-year option to acquire an additional 9 percent stake in the venture at the same gross property valuation of $2.6 million. Darcy Stacom and William Shanahan of CBRE advised SL Green on the deal.
RXR Realty Buys Long-Term Leasehold in Brooklyn for $28.7M to Develop Residential Building
by Amy Works
NEW YORK CITY — An affiliate of RXR Realty has acquired the long-term leasehold of 810 Fulton Street in Brooklyn from an affiliate of GFI Development Co. for $28.7 million. Located in Brooklyn’s Fort Greene neighborhood, the property includes approved plans for a 363-unit, 328,000-zoning-square-foot residential building. Totaling 393,000 gross square feet, the property will also feature below-grade parking and 33,235 square feet of retail space facing Vanderbilt Avenue, Fulton Street and Clermont Avenue. Initial site work for the project began in 2015. Broadway Construction Group, an affiliate of GFI Capital Resources Group, and RXR have entered into a construction management agreement for the construction of the property. Construction is expected to begin in earnest this fall, with leasing slated to start in 2018.
NEW YORK CITY — GFI Realty Services has arranged the sale of a four-story, walk-up apartment building, located at 2105 Foster Ave. in Brooklyn’s Flatbush section. An undisclosed buyer purchased the property for $6.5 million, or $311,900 per unit. The pre-war building totals 26,640 square feet and features 21 apartment units. Erik Yankelovich of GFI Realty represented the undisclosed seller and buyer in the deal.