BOSTON — Newmark Knight Frank (NKF) has negotiated the $42.4 million sale of 8 Newbury Street, a 17,023-square-foot office and retail building located in Boston’s Back Bay area. A Rolex flagship store occupies the ground- and second-floor retail spaces of the property, which was originally built in the 1920s. Robert Griffin, Geoffrey Millerd and Paul Penman of NKF represented the seller, a joint venture between UrbanMeritage and L&B Realty Advisors, in the transaction. The trio also procured the buyer, a partnership between Chile-based family office Corso and GLL Real Estate Partners, an international real estate fund manager based in Germany.
Massachusetts
CAMBRIDGE, MASS. — MassHousing has provided $87.2 million in financing for the renovation and preservation of a 300-unit affordable housing community located at 808 Memorial Drive in Cambridge. MassHousing provided the borrower, Homeowners Rehab Inc., with a $61.5 million tax-exempt construction and permanent loan, $24.9 million in taxable and tax-exempt tax credit equity bridge financing and a $787,763 interest reduction payment (IRP) loan. The project will also use $8.9 million of income during the construction period for development costs. Renovations are expected to be complete by the end of 2022. Bruner Cott is designing the project, and NEI General Contracting is handling construction.
CANTON, MASS. — Dunkin’ Brands Group (NASDAQ: DNKN) reported a total decrease in revenue of 20 percent during the second quarter and announced that it will close about 350 stores worldwide during the second half of the year. These closures follow the company’s announcement to shutter about 450 stores that are housed in Speedway gas stations and convenience marts. Canton, Mass.-based Dunkin’, which also owns Baskin-Robbins, reported that approximately 90 percent of its international locations for both Dunkin’ and Baskin-Robbins were open as of July 25. Dunkin’s stock price opened at $68.61 per share on Friday, July 31, down from $81.58 per share a year ago.
HULL, MASS. — Cornerstone Realty Capital has arranged a $6.5 million construction loan for a 42-unit multifamily project in Hull, a town located on Nantasket Beach. The property will consist of studio and one-bedroom units, as well as 1,600 square feet of ground-floor retail space. Units will feature stainless steel appliances, granite countertops and living areas with a mix of vinyl-wood flooring and carpeting. The loan carried an 85 percent loan-to-value ratio, 24 months of interest-only payments and a 30-year amortization schedule. A contingent of community bankers provided the financing. The borrower was not disclosed.
BOSTON — Gene editing firm CRISPR Therapeutics has signed a 263,500-square-foot life sciences lease at The 105, a new development in Boston’s Seaport District by Breakthrough Properties. Construction of The 105 began earlier this year and is expected to be complete in early 2022. Cushman & Wakefield represented the tenant in the lease negotiations. Newmark Knight Frank represented Breakthrough Properties, which was launched in 2019 by New York City-based Tishman Speyer and biotech investment firm Bellco Capital. Gene editing refers to technologies that give scientists the ability to change an organism’s DNA.
BOSTON — Vitus, a national owner and builder of affordable housing, is underway on the redevelopment of Fort Hill Gardens and Esperanza Trust, two communities totaling 82 units in Boston’s Roxbury neighborhood. Vitus expects to invest about $100,000 per unit, with construction expected to be complete this winter. The kitchens, bathrooms and living rooms will all be upgraded with fresh paint and new doors and windows. Both properties will also receive exterior improvements such as new roofing and curb and walkway upgrades.
BOSTON — MassHousing, an independent public agency that funds affordable housing projects in Massachusetts, has provided a $30.3 million in loans for the refinancing, renovation and preservation of affordability of Newcastle Saranac in Boston’s South End neighborhood. The borrower, a partnership between Fenway Community Development Corp. and Schochet Cos., acquired the property in 2018 when its 97 affordable housing units were at risk of being converted to market-rate residences. The financing package consists of a $17.6 million tax-exempt construction and permanent loan, a $10.5 million tax credit equity bridge loan and $2.25 million in Section 13A preservation financing. The latter piece of the capital stack preserves the affordability of units, 38 of which are reserved for renters earning 30 percent or less of the area median income (AMI); 31 of which are for households earning 60 percent or less of AMI; 13 of which are restricted for tenants earning 90 percent or less of AMI; and 15 of which are earmarked for renters earning 100 percent or less of AMI.
FALL RIVER, MASS. — Boston-based investment firm Rhino Capital Advisors has purchased a 200,000-square-foot data center located in the southern Massachusetts city of Fall River. Rhino Capital is acquiring the center in a sale-leaseback deal in which the seller has committed to a new 10-year lease at the newly built property. Brett Paulsrud and Madeline Joyce of JLL arranged a $10.3 million acquisition loan through Cambridge Savings Bank on behalf of the new ownership.
STOUGHTON, MASS. — Stubblebine Co., a locally based brokerage firm and member of CORFAC International, has arranged the $4.2 million sale of a 78,000-square-foot industrial portfolio in the southern Boston suburb of Stoughton. The portfolio consists of three buildings that are primarily leased to Peak Party Rentals. David Stubblebine, James Stubblebine and David Skinner represented the buyer, Tosca Drive LLC, in the transaction. Mark Donahue of Donahue Associates represented the seller.
SPRINGFIELD, MASS. — MGM Resorts International (NYSE: MGM) has reopened its casino in the western Massachusetts city of Springfield at 25 percent of its original capacity due to the COVID-19 pandemic. As of July 13, there were 112,000 confirmed coronavirus cases in the state of Massachusetts and 8,330 deaths. At this time, the resort’s 240-room hotel and spa remain closed, limiting the amenity options for guests to the 125,000-square-foot casino and three of the property’s food and beverage establishments, which will also operate at limited occupancies. Valet parking is also unavailable at this time. Employees and guests are required to wear masks in public settings, and plexiglass barriers have been installed in certain areas where social distancing is difficult to maintain. MGM has also set up handwashing stations throughout casino floor and will use digital menus as its restaurants to minimize sharing of surfaces.