New York City is booming. The local economy is the strongest it has ever been, with total employment numbers reaching all-time highs totaling over 4.2 million jobs through May 2015. This has led to a strong office market performance during the first six months of 2015, as office-using employment continues to grow, up 2.5 percent over the past 12 months. Demand for space continues to keep availability below 10 percent, and at 9.6 percent, Manhattan availability is down 50 basis points from last year. Despite minimal increases in Manhattan overall asking rents, up only 2.9 percent year-over-year through June, some submarkets are exceeding previous record-high asking rents from 2008. The demand from creative and tech tenants looking for space in Midtown South over the past few years has pushed asking rents up 19.1 percent above all-time highs. Downtown overall average asking rents have reached historical highs this year as well, and at $57.78 per square foot, rents are 10.3 percent higher than the previous highs in 2008. Most of this increase can be attributed to new construction at the World Trade Center site. Despite this, Midtown overall asking rents are still 5.3 percent off historical highs from 2008. Throughout Midtown, …
SYRACUSE, N.Y. — Apple Hospitality REIT has closed on the acquisitions of the 102-room Courtyard by Marriott Syracuse Downtown at Armory Square and the 78-room Residence Inn by Marriott Syracuse Downtown at Armory Square for a combined purchase price of $42 million. The Courtyard and Residence Inn hotels, both located at 300 West Fayette Street within the historic Armory Square area of Downtown Syracuse, are approximately two miles from Syracuse University as well as the State University of New York Upstate Medical University and Upstate University Health System. Both hotels opened in 2013.
NEW YORK CITY — J.D. Carlisle Development Corp., in partnership with DLJ Real Estate Capital Partners and Mitsui Fudosan America Inc., has launched leasing at One Sixty Madison, a new residential tower located in NoMad, at the nexus of Chelsea, Gramercy and Midtown. Designed by SLCE Architects, the 45-story octagonal building features 319 rental residences in a mix of studios, one- and two-bedroom homes. The interior spaces, which were designed by Philip Koether Architects, feature floor-to-ceiling windows, oak floors and panoramic views. On-site amenities include the Three Sixty Lounge atop the building, an indoor fireplace, two expansive rooftop terraces, a 14,000-square-foot Park Lounge, a fitness center, valet and concierge services, bicycle storage and a fully attended lobby.
MINEOLA, N.Y. — Cushman & Wakefield has brokered the sale of Century Plaza, an office building located at 330 Old Country Road in Mineola on Long Island. TIAA-CREF sold the 115,000-square-foot office property to Lalezarian Properties for an undisclosed price. Originally built in 1990 and renovated in 2009, the three-story property features 475 covered parking spaces. At the time of sale, the property was 95 percent leased to a variety of tenants, including Oracle America Inc., Did-it.com, Liberty Mutual Insurance, Veritext Corp., Nationwide Mutual Insurance, and Kelly, Rode & Kelly LLP. Andrew Merin, David Bernhaut, Gary Gabriel, Kyle Schmidt and Andrew MacDonald of Cushman & Wakefield represented the seller and procured the buyer in the transaction.
LATHAM, N.Y. — Berkadia has closed a $15.4 million refinancing loan for Latham Crossing, a retail property located in Latham. The 10-year, fixed-rate loan, which was provided by a conduit lender, features a 30-year amortization schedule with 2 years of interest-only payments, a 75 percent loan-to-value ratio and 1.25 times debt-service coverage. Located at 609 Troy Schenectady Road, the 100,000-square-foot center is fully occupied by a variety of tenants, including PetSmart and Staples. John DiCrocco of Berkadia’s New York City office arranged the financing for the undisclosed borrower.
MELVILLE, N.Y. — NorthMarq Capital has arranged $10.8 million in refinancing for a 111,700-square-foot office building located at 425 Broad Hollow Road in Melville. The five-year loan features a 30-year amortization schedule. Ernest DesRochers and Charles Cotsalas of NorthMarq arranged the financing through a national bank for the undisclosed borrower.
NEW YORK CITY — Super Fi Emporium has purchased 12,000 square feet of retail space at HAP Investment’s residential building located at 2211 Third Ave. in East Harlem for an undisclosed price. The buyer plans to open a supermarket in the ground-floor retail space of the 120,000-square-foot rental project, which will feature 78,000 square feet of residential space, 12,000 square feet of commercial space, 5,000 square feet of parking and 700 square feet of community facility space. Faith Consolo, Joseph Aquino and Arthur Maglio of Douglas Elliman represented the seller, HAP Investment, and buyer in the transaction.
NEW YORK CITY — The Brodksy Organization has opened City Tower, the market-rate residential component of downtown Brooklyn’s City Point development, for leasing. Located at 10 City Point Place, the 48-story property features 440 studio, one- and two-bedroom residential units, beginning on the 20th floor. The units feature 5-inch wide oak plank flooring throughout the living areas and kitchens, custom cabinetry and recessed lighting in the kitchen. On-site amenities include more than 23,000 square feet of indoor and outdoor spaces, including a basketball court, health club, residents’ lounge with café, a green terrace on the 18th floor and a sky terrace on the 43rd floor. Additional amenities include a 24/7 doorman, bicycle storage and a business center. Designed by COOKFOX, the property is slated to achieve LEED Silver certification. Pricing starts at $2,450 per month for a studio, $3,000 per month for a junior one-bedroom, $3,300 per month for a one-bedroom and $4,500 per month for a two-bedroom apartment. City Tower is part of City Point, a 1.8 million-square-foot retail, commercial and residential property in downtown Brooklyn being developed by Washington Square Partners and Acadia Realty Trust.
NEW YORK CITY — Marcus & Millichap has arranged the sale of a mixed-use property located at 1208 Nostrand Ave. in Brooklyn. The 7,128-square-foot asset sold for $2.2 million. Derek Bestreich, Erik Rodriguez and Seth Schiffman of Marcus & Millichap’s Brooklyn office represented the seller, a private investor, and secured the buyer, a limited liability company, in the transaction.
Seven years after the worst recession this country has seen since the Great Depression, New York City is riding high again. Manhattan has emerged as a vital center for global retail activity where we continue to see dynamic growth — driven by its economic fundamentals, urban migration, and its cultural and lifestyle attractions. Gone are the days when suburban expansion sounded the death knell for high street retail. Since 2010, in the near-aftermath of the economic collapse and for the first time in decades, urban cores are growing at a faster rate than their suburban counterparts. Eighty percent of Americans now live in urban areas, and retailers and property owners in New York City and around the world are scrambling to adapt. Millennials represent 24 percent of the overall U.S. population and are leading this urban charge. They want to live close to work. They’re driven by technology — and they demand an omni-channel retail experience that integrates smartphone and tablet use with a personalized, service-oriented, in-store approach. And importantly, it’s estimated they will represent nearly 30 percent of U.S. retail spending — the total of which was $4.6 trillion this year — by 2020. Manhattan also continues to benefit …