WATERTOWN, MASS. — New York-based Clarion Partners has received a $94 million loan for the refinancing of LINX, a 185,015-square-foot life sciences facility in the western Boston suburb of Watertown. Completed in 2018, the two-story facility was fully leased at the time of the loan closing to three tenants: C4 Therapeutics, Addgene and Tectonic Therapeutic. Amenities include a grab-and-go café, indoor bike storage space, a locker room with showers, green space, a bocce ball court and shuttle service to Harvard Square. Riaz Cassum, Amy Lousararian and Robyn King of JLL arranged the five-year loan through European lender Société Générale on behalf of Clarion Partners.
Massachusetts
MANSFIELD, MASS. — Marcus & Millichap has brokered the $4.7 million sale of a 25-unit apartment building in Mansfield, a southern suburb of Boston. The building at 1 Samoset Ave., which is known locally as “The Grain Mill” and was converted from that use to residential in 1981, consists of 24 one-bedroom apartments and a two-bedroom penthouse. Evan Griffith and Tony Pepdjonovic of Marcus & Millichap represented the seller and procured the buyer, both of which were local limited liability companies, in the transaction.
AYER, MASS. — Cushman & Wakefield has negotiated a 113,382-square-foot headquarters lease in Ayer, located northwest of Boston. The industrial building at 3 Nemco Way features 20 tailboard loading docks, high-bay distribution warehouse capabilities and office space. Nick Bruha, Blake Baldwin and Shayne O’Neil of Cushman & Wakefield represented the tenant, laboratory equipment supplier CELLTREAT Scientific Products, in the lease negotiations. The name and representative of the landlord were not disclosed.
AUSTIN, TEXAS — American Campus Communities (ACC) has delivered new student housing projects totaling $855 million this year. Together, the six communities — which include Meadows Apartments at Princeton University, Casa del Valle at Arizona State University, The Ridge Graduate & Professional Housing at Emory University, xučyun ruwway Graduate Student Apartments at University of California Berkeley, East Campus Graduate Apartments at The University of Texas at Austin and Graduate Junction at MIT — feature 3,867 beds. Austin, Texas-based ACC is the third-party developer and manager for Graduate Junction (676 beds), East Campus Graduate Apartments (784 beds), The Ridge Graduate & Professional Housing (535 beds) and Meadows Apartments (604 beds). Amenities at Meadows Apartments at Princeton University include a communal kitchen, children’s playroom and a market and café. In addition to a communal kitchen, The Ridge Graduate & Professional Housing at Emory University features a fitness center, study areas and a parking garage. At Graduate Junction at MIT, amenities include study areas, a recreation center and gym and indoor bike storage. ACC is the owner, developer and manager of Casa del Valle at Arizona State University, which offers 507 suite-style beds with social lounges, Zen areas and landscaped outdoor amenities. ACC …
CHICOPEE, MASS. — Regional brokerage firm Northeast Private Client Group (NEPCG) has arranged the $10.5 million sale of Brook Edge Apartments, an 82-unit multifamily complex in the western Massachusetts city of Chicopee. The property, which according to Apartments.com was built in 1970, comprises 36 studios, 30 one-bedroom units and 16 two-bedroom apartments. Taylor Perun of NEPCG represented the seller and procured the buyer, both of which requested anonymity, in the transaction.
MALDEN, MASS. — JLL has negotiated a 60,000-square-foot life sciences lease in Malden, a northern suburb of Boston. The tenant, locally based battery maker Alsym Energy, is relocating its headquarters from nearby Woburn to Exchange 200, a 352,000-square-foot facility that is a redevelopment of a former office building. Molly Heath, Chris McCauley and Anslee Krouch of JLL represented the landlord, a joint venture between Boston-based Berkeley Investments and Chicago-based Singerman Real Estate, in the lease negotiations. Bill Lynch and Caroline Evans of Colliers represented the tenant, which will continue operations at its Woburn facility.
WALTHAM, MASS. — CBRE has brokered the sale of Gardencrest Apartment Homes, a 696-unit multifamily community located in the western Boston suburb of Waltham. Built in phases on a 34-acre site between 1949 and 1972, Gardencrest consists of 64 buildings that house a mix of traditional apartments and direct-entry townhomes with an average size of 906 square feet. Amenities include a pool, clubhouse and a fitness center. Simon Butler, Biria St. John, John McLaughlin and Brian Bowler of CBRE represented the seller, an affiliate of Virginia-based Harbor Group International, in the transaction. The team also procured the buyer, an affiliate of San Francisco-based Fowler Property Acquisition, which has rebranded the property as ReNew Waltham.
PITTSFIELD, MASS. — New Jersey-based intermediary Cronheim Mortgage has arranged a $7.4 million refinancing of Merrill Road Retail Plaza in the western Massachusetts city of Pittsfield. Built in 1971, the property was fully leased at the time of the loan closing to tenants such as T.J. Maxx, HomeGoods, Harbor Freight, Aspen Dental, Sally Beauty Supply and Planet Fitness. Andrew Stewart, Dev Morris and Brandon Szwalbenest of Cronheim arranged the 10-year loan on behalf of the borrower, Phoenix Realty Management.
NEW BEDFORD, MASS. — CBRE has brokered the $14.2 million sale of Kings Plaza, a 168,000-square-foot shopping center in New Bedford, located near the base of Cape Cod. The center is home to tenants such as Savers, Ocean State Job Lot, McDonald’s, FunZ Trampoline Park and EC Barton Home Outlet. Nat Heald and Jordana Roet of CBRE represented the seller, Virginia-based REIT Cedar Realty Trust, in the transaction. The buyer was a undisclosed private investor.
Carmel Partners Purchases Downtown Boston Multifamily Tower Using $137.3M Acquisition Financing
by John Nelson
BOSTON — Carmel Partners, a San Francisco-based multifamily investor, has purchased LUKA on the Common, a 30-story apartment high-rise in downtown Boston. Northern Virginia-based AvalonBay Communities sold the 398-unit property, which was formerly known as the AVA Theater District. Carmel Partners utilized a $137.3 million Fannie Mae acquisition loan to fund the purchase. Jeff Burns, senior managing director of multifamily finance at Walker & Dunlop, originated the five-year, interest-only loan on behalf of the buyer. The agency loan features an early rate lock. “Boston’s multifamily fundamentals are among the strongest in the nation, driven by limited existing and future supply,” says Burns. “The housing scarcity has impacted both rent growth and the for-sale condominium market [in Boston] and has enabled us to refinance successfully alongside the team at Carmel.” The sales price was not disclosed, but the Boston Business Journal reported that the property traded for $212 million. Walker & Dunlop’s investment sales team in Boston, which brokered the transaction, disclosed it was the highest price paid for an apartment complex in the city in more than a year. Lee Bloch, partner at Carmel Partners, says that LUKA on the Common has an “enviable location” as it is about a 10-minute …