BOSTON — Craft brewing companies, liquor distilleries and wineries that also serve food have been included in Phase II of the Massachusetts reopening plan, according to a statement by Gov. Charlie Baker on Monday, June 1. The ruling clarified initial confusion as to whether craft beverage producers would be treated as restaurants, which will reopen in Phase II, or bars, which will reopen in Phase III. The state, particularly the metro Boston area, is known for a robust community of craft breweries, including Boston Beer Co., owner of Samuel Adams Boston Brewery. However, beverage producers that do not also serve food will be treated as bars. Massachusetts began Phase I of its reopening plan, which included the gradual reopening of outdoor services, construction, personal services, curbside retail and office space, on May 18. Gov. Baker is expected to decide if the state will proceed to Phase II, which includes in-store retail, restaurants, lodging and additional personal services, on Monday, June 8. As of June 2, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported more than 100,800 cases of COVID-19 in Massachusetts and more than 7,000 deaths.
WAKEFIELD, MASS. — Franklin Street Properties Corp. (NYSE: FSP), a Wakefield, Mass.-based REIT, has reported that it collected 95 percent of rent payments due for May at its office properties despite revenue concerns amid the COVID-19 outbreak. When the outbreak began in the United States, office users across the country were forced to lay off employees while others were restricted to working from home. Even as states begin to reopen and some employees are returning to their offices, many companies are reconsidering lease signings and expansions. In addition, Franklin reported that none of its properties has sustained significant damage as a result of the ongoing nationwide protests. Franklin owns and operates 35 office properties totaling approximately 9.5 million square feet, primarily located in infill and central business districts in 10 Southeastern and Midwestern states. Some tenants have requested rent relief in the form of deferrals for varying lengths of time, which Franklin has granted in particular instances while seeking extended lease terms. The REIT’s stock price closed at $5.15 per share on June 2, down from $7.52 per share at the same time last year.
CANTON, MASS. — Service Properties Trust (SPT), a Massachusetts-based REIT, has sold a 674,143-square-foot industrial property in Canton, a southern suburb of Boston. The sales price was $51 million. The property is located at 555 Turnpike St. and was constructed in 1962. SPT purchased the property as part of a net-lease portfolio acquisition in September 2019. The buyer was undisclosed.
WORCESTER, MASS. — Chinese biomanufacturing company WuXi Biologics will develop a $60 million office project in Worcester, approximately 45 miles west of Boston. The 107,000-square-foot building will anchor a 46-acre master-planned biomanufacturing campus called The Reactory, a 470,000-square-foot redevelopment of a site formerly occupied by Worcester State Hospital. Worcester Business Development Corp. (WBDC) sold the 7-acre parcel of land to WuXi for $1.5 million. Brian Cohen, Chris McCauley and Colin Coughlin of CBRE represented WuXi Biologics in the transaction. Jim Umphrey and Drew Higgins represented WBDC. WuXi expects the facility to be operable in 2020.
BOSTON — Beacon Communities Development is planning a 55-unit expansion of The Anne M. Lynch Homes at Old Colony, a 51,000-square-foot affordable housing community in South Boston. Located at 25 James O’Neil St., the 245-unit community is part of a larger 400-unit property called The Homes at Old Colony. The new units will be reserved for low-income seniors. The Architectural Team designed the project. Beacon Communities expects to begin construction this summer and to complete the project in 2022.
CHELSEA, MASS. — Arbor Realty Trust has provided a $59 million Fannie Mae loan for the refinancing of One North of Boston II, a 222-unit multifamily property located in the northern Boston suburb of Chelsea. Arbor provided the 10-year, fixed-rate loan to a joint venture between locally based firms Redgate Capital Partners LLC and TransDel Corp. Located at 150 Heard St., the six-story property totals 182,581 net rentable square feet and features two studio apartments, 161 one-bedroom, 44 two-bedroom and 15 three-bedroom units. The property, which is Phase II of the One North Boston project, was constructed in 2016. Jeff Black, Kevin Phelan, Sean Burke and Bryan Koop of Colliers International originated the loan.
BOSTON — EagleBridge Capital has arranged a $9 million loan for the refinancing of a 40,500-square-foot office building in Boston. A regional financial institution provided the 10-year, nonrecourse loan to the undisclosed borrower at a fixed interest rate of 3 percent. Located at 33 Broad St., the 11-story building is 100 percent leased to tenants in the legal, accounting, consulting, finance and real estate sectors. State Street Eye Health and Expresso Love lease the ground-floor retail space. Ted Sidel of EagleBridge arranged the loan.
WAKEFIELD, MASS. — A partnership between NRP Group and World Premier Investments has begun construction of Grayson Lofts at Wakefield Station, a 184-unit apartment community in Wakefield, a northern suburb of Boston. Located at 178 Albion St., the project is a redevelopment of a three-story mill building that was previously used as office space. The west side of the U-shaped building will retain its office space while the east side will be redeveloped for a residential project featuring one- and two-bedroom floor plans. The development team will also construct an additional three stories on top of the existing building that will also feature residential space. Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce provided construction financing for the project. Construction is slated to be complete in 2021.
ANDOVER, MASS. — IQHQ, a Boston-based REIT, has acquired Innovation Park, an approximately 200,000-square-foot life sciences and office located in the northern Boston suburb of Andover. The sales price was $35.9 million. Located at 4 Corporate Drive, the property features Class A office and lab space, as well as ground-floor retail space. University of Massachusetts Lowell and clinical research firm Ora Inc. recently leased space at the campus. Colliers International represented IQHQ in the transaction.
GREENFIELD, MASS. — Stan Johnson Co. has brokered the sale of a 180,000-square-foot manufacturing facility in Greenfield, a city in northwestern Massachusetts. The property is located at 53 Silvio O. Conte Drive. The facility has been 100 percent leased to Schweitzer-Mauduit International Inc., a manufacturer of paper, film, surface protection supplies and other products, for more than 30 years. Mollie Alteri, Joey Odom, Mike Sladich and Maggie Holmes of Stan Johnson Co. represented the seller, a partnership between Jera Partners LLC and a DRA Advisors LLC, in the transaction. The buyer and sales price were not disclosed.