BOSTON — Boston-based Fantini & Gorga has arranged $13 million to refinance three properties — located at 20 Winthrop Square, 85 Franklin St. and 77 Franklin St. — in Boston’s financial district. Wayne Clough and Despina Hixon of Fantini & Gorga arranged financing with one of the firm’s correspondent insurance companies. The three buildings are conjoined and collectively include 98,350 square feet of office and retail space. A.W. Perry has owned and managed the properties for several decades.
NEW YORK CITY — Eastern Consolidated has arranged a $26.4 million bridge loan from G4 Capital that will fund the recapitalization of a ground lease at 285 Schermerhorn St. in Brooklyn. Jonathan Aghravi and Charles Han of Eastern Consolidated represented the borrower, 285 Schermerhorn LLC, which plans to redevelop the site from its current seven-story structure to a 116,433-square-foot, 14-story residential building with 132 condominiums and 3,400 square feet of ground-floor retail space. Brooklyn Community Services owns the property and will maintain its headquarters in the building during and after the construction phase.
NORTH ATTLEBORO, MASS. — Stubblebine Co./CORFAC International and Atlantic Commercial Real Estate LLC have arranged the sale of 20 Alice Agnew Dr. in North Attleboro for $3.6M. HTI Medical purchased the property, a 44,450-square-foot office/warehouse building. David Stubblebine, James Stubblebine and Rob Stave of Stubblebine Co., represented the seller, Mercury Trading International, and Mark Kearins of Atlantic Commercial Real Estate LLC represented the buyer. 20 Alice Agnew Drive is the former home of Mercury Trading International and is located in the North Attleboro Industrial Park. HTI Medical was established in 1997 as a provider of clinical laboratory and ultrasound equipment.
BOSTON — Skanska USA has topped out 121 Seaport, a 17-story, 400,000-square-foot office building under construction in Boston. The construction milestone marks the completion of the building’s steel frame. Designed by CBT Architects, 121 Seaport is scheduled for completion in the first quarter of 2018. The property is located in Boston’s Seaport district across from District Hall and Seaport Square Green. Its three-story lobby will face Boston Harbor and open onto Harbor Way, a 70-foot-wide pedestrian street. A team of nearly 200 construction workers has put more than 35,000 hours into the project to date.
WORCESTER, MASS. — David Cohen and Jim Cozza and Kelleher & Sadowsky Associates have brokered the $5.5 million sale of 225 Shrewsbury St. in Worcester. The 33,000-square-foot retail space is located on 2.4 acres. The property currently includes four current tenants and will be expanded this year.
Investors are attracted to Boston due to its diverse economy, education base and strong market fundamentals. In fact, major corporations like GE, Reebok, New Balance, and most recently Asics have all relocated to the city or are in the planning to relocate or rebrand here. As a result of this heightened interest in Boston as a global headquarters destination, the city is expected to grow, which in turn creates housing demand. Rhythm between Cap Rates and Interest Rates As investors know, there is a direct correlation between cap rates and interest rates. However, while a correlation exists, not all buyer profiles are necessarily affected in the same way in a shifting interest rate environment. Highest impact: Leveraged buyers would be most impacted by rising interest rates since they are typically trying to maximize leverage when pursuing an acquisition. With shifting interest rates, higher rates have a direct impact to potential returns. If leveraged buyers can borrow less at high rates, this has a direct impact to pricing/cap rates. Within the leveraged buyer profile, groups possessing strong balance sheets and banking relationships will be less impacted than groups not necessarily in the same financial position. Moderate impact: Cash and low-leverage buyers …
BOSTON — Citizens Commercial Banking has provided a $70 million loan to TS Lodging LLC / Norwich Partners to partially finance the construction of a 340-room Marriott Moxy Hotel on the corner of Stuart and Tremont streets in downtown Boston. Citizens is the lead debt arranger of the four-bank group. Construction has begun on the property, which is slated for delivery in the fourth quarter of 2018. Norwich Partners has developed more than two dozen chain-affiliated hotels across New England and Florida. Boston’s Marriott Moxy Hotel will span 142,400 square feet across 25 stories with an illuminated rooftop lounge, 24-hour café, coffee bar, restaurant and lounge. The second and third floors will include common areas, with a fitness center on the third floor.
BOSTON — Chevron Partners, a privately-held real estate firm, has acquired 260-262 Commonwealth Ave. in Boston from Commonwealth Realty Trust for $14 million. The 1880-built brownstone will be redeveloped into five apartments, which will be known as Maison Commonwealth. The property, currently a dorm for Bay State College students, includes on-site parking for each residence and is a joint venture between developers Fulton and Marcel Safar. Chevron Partners’ first residential property, Maison Vernon, is located at 41 Mount Vernon St. in Beacon Hill. The renovation is scheduled for completion in late spring 2019.
BOSTON — Cottonwood Management Group is opening a new Boston regional office at 101 Seaport Blvd. in the city’s Seaport district. The California-based asset management and development company has also commenced pre-construction on its Seaport Square Parcel M1M2 development, which is located next door. The M1M2 project consists of 1 million square feet of mixed-use development over 3.5 acres in Seaport Square. The residential component includes 730-plus units in two condominium towers and one luxury rental tower. In addition to the residences, the project includes 125,000 square feet of two-story retail and restaurants centered around a vibrant public courtyard. Construction is scheduled to span three years with phased completion dates in late 2019 to early 2020. In addition to serving as its regional office, part of Cottonwood’s Seaport Boulevard space will be used as the sales center for the project’s residential component. The company is preparing for an official groundbreaking for the project in May.
STOUGHTON, MASS. — Colliers International – Boston, the exclusive agent for CuraHealth Hospital at 909 Sumner St. in Stoughton, has arranged a 26,000-square-foot lease with Bay Cove Human Services, headquartered on Canal Street in Boston. Bay Cove will immediately occupy the space and will relocate its addiction services program, which was previously located on Boston’s Long Island. The program was uprooted in 2014 when the bridge connecting to Boston collapsed. David Ellis of Conway Commercial represented the tenant. The campus consists of a medical office building and a hospital building, connected by a recently renovated lobby. In addition to a full-service cafeteria, the building boasts a new HVAC system, piped oxygen, medical gas, steam sterilization and emergency generators.
