WOBURN, MASS. — Teresa’s Ristorante will open a 12,500-square-foot Italian eatery in Woburn, a northern suburb of Boston. The space, which features private dining rooms and a patio, is currently being renovated, and the restaurant expects to open this spring. John Halsey and Steve Cusano of Cummings Properties represented the tenant in the lease negotiations. The name and representative of the landlord were not disclosed.
SAUGUS, MASS. — Marcus & Millichap has brokered the $5.8 million sale of a 17,069-square-foot retail property in Saugus, a northern suburb of Boston, that is net leased to Harbor Freight Tools. Gabriel Britti, Ricardo Esteves and Ronnie Issenberg of Marcus & Millichap represented the seller, a limited liability company, in the transaction. The trio also procured an undisclosed, national REIT as the buyer. Thomas Shihadeh of Marcus & Millichap assisted in closing the deal as the broker of record.
SMITHFIELD, R.I. — Boston-based investment firm The Davis Cos. has acquired a 122,000-square-foot life sciences facility at 100 Technology Way in Smithfield, a northwestern suburb of Providence. The acquisition includes a vacant 15.5-acre parcel that can support an additional 175,000 square feet of new development. The seller was Rubius Therapeutics, which most recently used the facility for the development of gene and cell therapy treatments. Davis has hired Newmark to market the facility for lease.
FRAMINGHAM, MASS. — Coworking concept Workbar will open a 21,460-square-foot space at 111 Speen St. in Framingham, a western suburb of Boston. According to LoopNet Inc., the property was built in 1985, rises five stories and totals 119,095 square feet. The property is also in the midst of a $5 million renovation. Philip DeSimone, Andrew Sherman, Todd Alexander and Ross Miner of Kelleher & Sadowsky represented the landlord, a partnership between Paradigm Partners and North Colony Asset Management, in the lease negotiations. Workbar expects to debut the space this spring.
MARLBOROUGH, MASS. — Oxford Properties Group has acquired 92 Crowley Drive, a 120,000-square-foot biomanufacturing facility in Marlborough, approximately 20 miles west of Boston. The property is currently under construction. Resilience, a life sciences company that develops and produces medicine, sold the asset for $125 million. As part of the transaction, Oxford will lease 92 Crowley Drive back to Resilience for up to 30 years. PGIM provided $58 million in fixed-rate acquisition financing for the deal. Upon final completion in late 2023, 92 Crowley will be Resilience’s flagship facility in the U.S., featuring state-of-the-art analytical and manufacturing technology. The facility is designed with multi-modality manufacturing capabilities, dedicated manufacturing suites and complementary office and warehouse space. Resilience has become a leading biomanufacturing company with manufacturing facilities across North America. The transaction at 92 Crowley represents the third sale-leaseback between Oxford and Resilience in a growing strategic partnership. Following the acquisition, Oxford’s biomanufacturing portfolio totals 1.4 million square feet of completed buildings, with a development pipeline of an additional 1 million square feet. While the portfolio is spread across six markets, the largest concentration — 775,000 square feet — is in metro Boston. “We continue to develop a robust expertise on the real …
FRAMINGHAM, MASS. — Paradigm Properties and North Colony Asset Management are underway on a $5 million renovation of an office building located at 111 Speen St. in the western Boston suburb of Framingham. According to LoopNet Inc., the property was built in 1985, rises five stories and totals 119,095 square feet. The project will upgrade the entryway and landscaping as well as further activate indoor and outdoor amenity spaces, which include a fitness center, patio and café/lounge. Completion is slated for the end of the year.
By Ben Starr, partner at Atlantic Retail As the retail real estate industry seeks to understand what may lie ahead in 2023, a study of the wild ride it took in 2022 will likely produce the best clues. As early as March of last year, it was clear that 2022 would be a year of activity like none of the prior 15. While headlines through the spring and summer emphasized a run-up in consumer prices and a recession hovering on the back of interest rate hikes, users of retail space intensified their pursuits of new opportunities, unbowed by the looming economic clouds. Everyone — traditional commodity retailers, direct-to-consumer concepts, restaurants, fitness users, medical and other services — was chasing deals. Whether small or large or in primary, secondary or tertiary markets, activity heated up with each new month. Reflecting Larger Trends With its dense middle-class demographics, close proximity to Boston and high traffic counts, Saugus has historically been in high demand among category killers as well as high-profile service and restaurant operators. Though its local mall, Square One, has struggled as larger, more regional malls rose in upscale neighboring markets, the heavily traveled Route 1 corridor has remained one of …
WESTBOROUGH, MASS. — Locally based investment firm Grossman Development Group has purchased Bay State Commons, a 261,672-square-foot shopping center in Westborough, a western suburb of Boston. Grocer Roche Bros. anchors the center, and other tenants include Boston Interiors, Reliant Medical, Boston Ski & Tennis, Ted’s Montana Grill and Panera Bread. The new ownership plans to upgrade the property’s landscaping, signage and sidewalks. The seller and sales price were not disclosed.
BOSTON — A partnership between Boston-based developer RISE and San Francisco-based DivcoWest has broken ground on The Ellery, a 70-unit apartment complex that will be located in the state capital’s West Roxbury neighborhood. The four-story building will house one- and two-bedroom units, nine of which will be reserved for households earning 70 percent or less of the area median income. The partnership acquired the site last summer and subsequently completed demolitions of existing structures. Full completion is slated for May 2024.
CAMBRIDGE, MASS. — Locally based firm Nauset Construction is underway on the renovation of a 90,000-square-foot data center that is located across the Charles River from Boston in Cambridge. The project represents the third phase of capital improvements at the property at 300 Bent St. Upgrades will include the demolition and excavation of the existing lobby, the revamping of mechanical and utility systems and the addition of another 8,000 square feet of tenant space. Khalsa Design is the project architect. Construction is anticipated to be complete this fall. CEM Realty Trust owns the property.