BOSTON —Gazit Horizons, a subsidiary of global real estate firm Gazit-Globe, has purchased a 50,000-square-foot office and retail building located at 1430 Massachusetts Ave. in Boston. University Common Real Estate sold the property for $45 million in an off-market transaction. The historic building is located within the Harvard Square area and was originally constructed in the 1830s as a dormitory for the Ivy League university. Gazit Horizons will implement a value-add program that will renovate the lobby, common areas and building systems and will operate the building in a joint venture with private investment firm Hennick & Co.
Massachusetts
MALDEN, MASS. — CBRE has negotiated the $95.5 million sale of Strata, a 295-unit apartment community located in the northern Boston suburb of Malden. The sales price equates to approximately $324,000 per unit. The property, which was 100 percent occupied at the time of sale, is situated on 8.4 acres and offers one-, two- and three-bedroom units with an average size of 892 square feet. Amenities include a pool, outdoor grilling areas and fire pits and a fitness center. Simon Butler, Biria St. John and John McLaughlin of CBRE the seller, Boston-based Taurus Investment Holdings, and procured the buyer, an affiliate of The Green Cities Company of Portland, Oregon.
BOSTON — A joint venture between affiliates of Magellan Development Group, RAS Development, Cypress Equity Investments and USAA Real Estate will develop a 194,000-square-foot life sciences facility and a 450-unit apartment building in the Somerville area of Boston. The development represents the first phase of the master plan for the revitalization of Union Square, a project that will ultimately span 2.4 million square feet of commercial and residential space. The project also includes the addition of an MBTA Green Line station. Daniel Kaufman, Frederic Wittmann and Brett Paulsrud of JLL arranged construction financing through Bank OZK for both the life sciences and the multifamily components of the project.
BOSTON — Berkadia has provided a $17.5 million Fannie Mae loan for the refinancing of a portfolio of 11 multifamily properties totaling 89 units in Boston. The properties are primarily located in the Dorchester and Mattapan areas on the city’s south side. Mitch Sinberg, Matthew Robbins and Wesley Moczul of Berkadia originated the 12-year, fixed-rate loan on behalf of the borrower, BT Holland Real Estate.
EVERETT, MASS. — The Neighborhood Developers, a Massachusetts-based nonprofit organization, is underway on construction of an affordable housing project in Everett, a northern suburb of Boston. The project will add 77 units for seniors age 62 and above, as well as a 4,000-square-foot healthcare facility, to the local supply. The project also includes six townhomes that will be listed for sale at below-market prices. A completion date was not disclosed.
BOSTON — Global investment management firm Loomis, Sayles & Co. has signed a 232,000-square-foot office lease extension and restructuring at One Financial Center in downtown Boston. Ron Perry, Larry Epstein and Matt Perry of Avison Young represented the tenant in the lease negotiations. Bill Anderson, Dave Martel and Allison Cavanaugh of Newmark represented the landlord, a joint venture between MetLife Investment Management and Norges Bank Investment Management. The deal, which keeps the tenant on the premises with a reduced footprint through 2037, marks the largest office lease transaction in Boston since mid-2019, according to the brokerage team.
WILMINGTON, MASS. — An affiliate of Harbor Group International (HGI) has purchased Regency Place, a 120-unit multifamily property in Wilmington, a northern suburb of Boston. The property is situated on 11.8 acres and features one- and two-bedroom units with an average size of 1,012 square feet. Amenities include a pool, fitness center and a community room. Simon Butler, Biria St. John and John McLaughlin of CBRE represented the seller, an institutional investor advised by CBRE Global Investors, and procured HGI as the buyer.
HANOVER, MASS. — Callahan Construction Managers has broken ground on a 114-bed assisted living community in Hanover, located southeast of Boston. Benchmark Senior Living will operate the property, which will comprise 97 units and 91,000 square feet. Amenities will include a library, activity rooms, salons, wellness rooms and outdoor courtyards. Completion is slated for summer 2022. The project marks Callahan’s fourth assisted living project with Benchmark in New England.
NEEDHAM, MASS. — Locally based firm SSG Development has completed a 986-unit self-storage facility at 540 Hillside Ave. in the southwestern Boston suburb of Needham. Westport Properties Inc. will manage and operate the Class A property, which totals 123,000 square feet of climate- and non-climate-controlled space, under its U.S. Storage Centers brand.
LAWRENCE, MASS. — Unitex, a provider of commercial laundry services, has opened a 90,000-square-foot industrial facility, located north of Boston, in a move that is expected to add about 200 new jobs to the local economy. The facility is located at the site of the former plant of can manufacturer Crown Holdings and will be used to service the metro Boston life sciences and healthcare industries. Seyon Group, a Boston-based investment firm, owns the building in which the facility is situated.