SALEM, MASS. — California-based investment firm Pacific Urban Residential has acquired Bell at Salem Station, a 266-unit apartment community in Salem. Built on 10.5 acres in 2002, the property features 12 different floor plans with an average unit size of 1,333 square feet. Amenities include an outdoor pool, fitness center, media room and a community room. Simon Butler, Biria St. John and John McLaughlin of CBRE represented the seller, Bell Partners, and the buyer in the transaction. Pacific Urban Residential will rebrand the community as Sofi at Salem Station.
WALTHAM, MASS. — Callahan Construction Managers has broken ground on Broadstone Watch City, a 244-unit multifamily project that will be located in the western Boston suburb of Waltham. The development will span 348,936 square feet and will consist of 195 market-rate residences and 49 affordable housing units. Amenities will include 293 parking spaces, an outdoor pool and courtyard, resident lounges, a conference room and a fitness center. CUBE 3 Studio is designing the project, which is being developed by a partnership between Alliance Residential Co. and The Carlyle Group. Completion is scheduled for May 2022.
BOSTON — Jamestown LP has sold a 50 percent interest in The Innovation & Design Building, a 1.4 million-square-foot office and life sciences property in Boston’s Seaport District. Jamestown originally purchased the building in 2013 and has since invested more than $200 million in its revitalization, with construction of additional office and lab space scheduled to begin later this year. The property now serves as a business hub for companies including Reebok and Autodesk, as well as life sciences users like Ginkgo Bioworks and Living Proof. The buyer was Related Fund Management, the investment management affiliate of Related Cos. and its Boston office, Related Beal. Robert Griffin, Edward Maher, Samantha Hallowell and Dominick Romano of Newmark brokered the deal, which represents a $710 million recapitalization.
COHASSET, MASS. — CBRE has negotiated the sale of Avalon Cohasset, a 220-unit apartment community located about 25 miles southeast of Boston. The property consists of 34 buildings on 61 acres and features 14 different floor plans with an average unit size of 1,333 square feet. Amenities include a pool, fitness center and a resident clubhouse. Simon Butler, Biria St. John and John McLaughlin represented the seller, Avalon Bay Communities, in the transaction. The team also procured the buyer, TruAmerica Multifamily, in its first acquisition in the greater Boston market.
BOSTON — BioMed Realty has acquired the former headquarters of John Hancock Life Insurance Co. in Boston and plans to convert the 14-story building into a life sciences facility. The building, which is located at 601 Congress St. in the Seaport District, features floor plates ranging from 19,000 to 50,000 square feet, 11 elevators, 14-foot ceilings on the second and third floors, 12-foot ceilings on the fifth through 14th floors, a fitness center, six-story atrium, two rooftop decks, conference center and a café. The property has sat vacant since 2018 when John Hancock consolidated its Boston offices to its building in the Back Bay district. BioMed, a Blackstone subsidiary, acquired the 485,000-square-foot property from an affiliate of Manulife Investment Management for an undisclosed price. Robert Griffin, Edward Maher, Matthew Pullen and Samantha Hallowell of Newmark brokered the deal. BioMed says the building is ideal for the planned conversion due to its mechanical and structural infrastructure, collaborative meeting areas and strong visual identity. BioMed is yet to select a general contractor for the conversion project, which the San Diego-based company expects to deliver in the second half of 2022. The Seaport District is situated along the Boston Main Channel and is …
WOBURN, MASS. — CBRE has brokered the sale of Washington Crossing, a 205-unit apartment community in Woburn, a northern suburb of Boston. Built in 2003, the property consists of four residential buildings, a clubhouse and multiple freestanding carports. Units average 1,063 square feet, and amenities include a heated pool, fitness center, business center and a theater room. Simon Butler, Biria St. John and John McLaughlin of CBRE represented the seller, an institutional investor advised by J.P. Morgan Asset Management, in the transaction. The team also procured the buyer, CWMA Baystate LLC.
CAMBRIDGE, MASS. — Developer DivcoWest has topped off 350 Water Street and 450 Water Street, two life sciences buildings in Cambridge that total 906,000 square feet. The buildings are located within the 45-acre Cambridge Crossing campus and will be the future home of biopharmaceutical giant Sanofi, where some 3,000 employees will work. Perkins + Will designed 350 Water Street, and NBBJ designed 450 Water Street. Other tenants at the 4.5 million-square-foot Cambridge Crossing development include Bristol Myers Squibb and Cerevel Therapeutics. Sanofi expects to take occupancy of the buildings in 2022.
BEDFORD, MASS. — Newmark has brokered the $72.5 million sale of One Patriots Park, a 143,616-square-foot life sciences building in Bedford, about 20 miles northwest of Boston. The property was 66 percent leased at the time of sale to tenants such as Homology Medicines Inc., Novartis and N2 Biomedical. Edward Maher, Matthew Pullen, Samantha Hallowell and Dominick Romano of Newmark represented the sellers, Longfellow Real Estate Partners and Bain Capital Real Estate, in the transaction. The team also procured the buyer, a partnership between Jumbo Capital Management and Iron Point Partners.
WESTFORD, MASS. — North Carolina-based investment firm Bell Partners has acquired Hanover Westford Valley and Hanover Westford Hills, two adjacent apartment communities totaling 408 units. The properties are located about 35 miles northwest of Boston and include 12 townhomes. Units feature stainless steel appliances, tile backsplashes, custom cabinets, full-size washers and dryers and private balconies. Communal amenities include two pools, outdoor lounge areas with fire pits, a dog park, pet spa, fitness center, resident clubhouse, private media room with theater-style seating, conference room and private workstations. The seller and sales price were not disclosed.
MassHousing Provides $26.4M in Financing for Affordable Housing Property in Westfield, Massachusetts
WESTFIELD, MASS. — MassHousing has provided $26.4 million in financing for Powdermill Village, a 248-unit affordable housing property in Westfield, located in the southwestern part of the state. The property was built in the 1970s and renovated in 2000. Proceeds will be used to refinance existing debt and to rehabilitate the property with new roofing, siding, flooring, doors and community space. The borrower, nonprofit Affordable Housing & Services Collaborative Inc., will also upgrade balconies, decks, kitchens and bathrooms of the one-, two- and three-bedroom units. The majority of the units (184) are reserved for renters earning 60 percent or less of the area median income.