SEEKONK, MASS. — MassDevelopment has provided $11 million in tax-exempt bond financing to The Wheeler School in Seekonk, located outside Providence in southern Massachusetts. The college preparatory day school will use the proceeds to build a new pool, preschool facility and make other improvements to the campus. Construction is expected to begin in the coming weeks and to be complete by 2025. Berkshire Bank purchased the bond.
SPRINGFIELD, MASS. — The Michaels Organization, an affordable housing owner-operator, has completed the renovation of Bergen Circle Housing Community, a 201-unit complex in the western Massachusetts city of Springfield. The unit mix consists of 89 one-bedroom units, 72 two-bedroom apartments, 20 three-bedroom residences and 20 four-bedroom units. The majority (170) of the units are reserved for households earning between 50 and 80 percent of the area median income. Michaels bought the eight-building property in 2021 and invested $17 million in capital improvements. MassHousing financed the renovations.
HOPKINTON, MASS. — JLL has arranged the sale of a 56,324-square-foot office and data center located in Hopkinton, about 30 miles west of Boston. According to LoopNet Inc., the two-story building at 117 South St. was built in 1981 and renovated in 1985. Mike Restivo and Scott Carpenter of JLL represented the undisclosed seller in the transaction. Brett Paulsrud and Tom Sullivan, also with JLL, arranged acquisition financing on behalf of the buyer, locally based investment firm Rhino Capital. The new ownership plans to implement a value-add program.
NORWOOD, MASS. — Hobbs Brook Real Estate has broken ground on a 320,000-square-foot office and life sciences project in Norwood, a southern suburb of Boston, that is a build-to-suit for commercial property insurance company FM Global. The project will replace a 1950s-era building with a four-story office, lab and research and development building, as well as add a new 930-space parking garage and outdoor amenity spaces. Payette is the project architect, and Shawmut Design & Construction is the general contractor. Completion is slated for 2026.
MassDevelopment Provides $11M Bond Financing for Student Housing Project in Fitchburg, Massachusetts
FITCHBURG, MASS. — MassDevelopment has provided $11 million in tax-exempt bond financing for a student housing project in Fitchburg, about 55 miles west of Boston. The project will add a two-story building to the campus of Applewild School, a private day and boarding school, that will house 20 bedrooms for 40 students and six faculty apartments. Construction is underway and expected to be complete before the start of the fall 2024 semester. Proceeds will also be used to fund renovations to the preschool and toddler facilities in the Marshall Building. Enterprise Bank purchased the bond.
FALL RIVER, MASS. — Massachusetts-based development and investment firm VMD Cos. will develop The Campus at Innovation Way, a 900,000-square-foot industrial park that will be located near the Massachusetts-Rhode Island border in Fall River. The Campus at Innovation Way will consist of four buildings ranging in size from 203,800 to 291,200 square feet. Each building will feature a clear height of 36 feet, 48 tailboard loading docks and 180-foot truck court depths. The development is fully entitled, and VMD Cos. expects to break ground in the coming days. Delivery is slated for the second quarter of 2025. Newmark has been appointed as the leasing agent.
REVERE, MASS. — A partnership between National Real Estate Advisors, Cathexis and The HYM Investment Group has begun leasing Amaya, a 475-unit multifamily project located in the northeastern Boston suburb of Revere. Designed by ICON Architecture, the project is part of the redevelopment of the 161-acre former Suffolk Downs racetrack and houses 24,000 square feet of ground-floor retail space. Units come in studio, one- and two-bedroom floor plans. Amenities include a pool, landscaped courtyards, an outdoor kitchen with grilling stations, fitness center and a game room with an arcade. Ullico, a Washington, D.C.-based insurance company, financed construction of the project. Rents start at roughly $2,400 per month for a studio apartment.
LOWELL, MASS. — MassHousing has provided $94 million in financing for Westminster Village Arms, a 432-unit affordable housing complex located north of Boston in Lowell. The property comprises 36 three-story buildings and a maintenance building that were constructed in 1970 and last renovated in 2012. Units come in studio, one-, two- and three-bedroom floor plans and are reserved for households earning 60 percent or less of the area median income. Amenities include a pool, basketball court, playground, business center, community room with a kitchen and onsite laundry facilities. The borrower, Related Affordable, will use the proceeds to retire existing debt, preserve the property’s affordability status and fund approximately $20 million in renovations.
CHELSEA, MASS. — MassDevelopment has provided $24.5 million in tax-exempt bond financing for a 66-unit affordable housing project that will be located just south of Boston in Chelsea. The building at 170 Cottage St. will ultimately house 11 three-bedroom units, 43 two-bedroom apartments and 12 one-bedroom residences. Units will be reserved for households earning up to 30, 50 or 60 percent or the area median income. The development will also include onsite parking and 15,000 square feet of open green space. A subsidiary of Eastern Bank purchased the bond, and the project is also being funded by $19.7 million in federal tax credits. The developer is nonprofit agency The Community Builders.
NEEDHAM, MASS. — Regional owner-operator Wingate Living will develop a 69-unit seniors housing project in Needham, a western suburb of Boston. One Wingate Way East will offer one- and two-bedroom units with more than a dozen different floor plans. Amenities will include a pickleball court, rooftop lounge and grille, a golf simulator, art workshop, yoga and spin studios, library and a bistro bar with personal wine lockers. Construction is expected to begin before the end of the year.