BOSTON — Lument, a commercial real estate lender based in New York City, has opened a new office at 10 Arch St. in downtown Boston. The Boston team will focus primarily on originating agency loans and proprietary capital for institutional and private multifamily owners. Brian Sykes, a 30-year industry veteran, will lead the new office along with managing director Jon Wood. The duo previously worked together for nearly 10 years at Capital One and at Deutsche Bank. Rounding out the team are director Tim Smits; vice president Mike McNeill; assistant vice president Mitchell Goldenberg; and administrative assistant Christine Mahoney. Lument has about 30 offices across the country.
QUINCY, MASS. — Citizens Bank has provided a $128.7 million construction loan for Ashlar Park, a 465-unit multifamily project located on the southern outskirts of Boston in Quincy. Ashlar Park will feature an outdoor terrace overlooking a pool with cabanas and lounge areas; a 3,200-square-foot fitness center with outdoor yoga space; a multi-level club room/resident lounge; coworking space; a library; and a conference room. Construction of the four-building community, which is located at the site of the former Quincy Medical Center, will be carried out in phases. Initial occupancy is slated for April 2023, with full completion scheduled for April 2024. Jeff Black, Bryan Koop and Sean Burke of Colliers arranged the loan on behalf of the borrower, locally based developer FoxRock Properties.
LUNENBERG, MASS. — A joint venture between The Brennan Group, John M. Corcoran & Co. and Berkeley Partners has broken ground on Lunenberg Central, a 372,000-square-foot warehouse and distribution center in the northern central part of Massachusetts. The site offers proximity to Interstates 190 and 495. Building features will include a clear height of 36 feet, 71 dock doors, 402 car parking spots, 94 trailer parking stalls (expandable to 120) and build-to-suit office space. GMA Architects is designing the project, and ARCO National Construction is serving as the general contractor. Construction is slated to be complete in the first quarter of next year. CBRE arranged construction financing on behalf of the joint venture through Cambridge Savings Bank. Newmark will lease the facility.
HAVERHILL AND LOWELL, MASS. — Los Angeles-based CIT Group has provided a $35.6 million acquisition loan for two multifamily properties totaling 107 units in Boston’s North Shore area. The Heights at Haverhill is located about 40 miles north of the state capital, while Thorndike Exchange is located about 30 miles northwest of Boston in Lowell. Both properties include ground-floor commercial space. The borrower was not disclosed.
BOSTON — CBRE Investment Management has acquired a partial interest in 100 Binney, a 432,932-square-foot life sciences building in Boston’s Kendall Square neighborhood. The percentage of the interest was not disclosed. The 10-story building was constructed in 2018 and was fully leased at the time of the sale, with pharmaceutical giant Bristol Myers Squibb serving as the anchor tenant. Robert Griffin, Edward Maher, Matthew Pullen and Samantha Hallowell of Newmark represented the undisclosed building owner/seller in the recapitalization deal and procured CBRE Investment Management as the buyer.
AMHERST, MASS. — CBRE has brokered the sale of North 116 Flats, a 404-bed student housing community serving students at the University of Massachusetts at Amherst, located in the central part of the state. Built in 2020, North 116 Flats totals 150 units that were approximately 95 percent occupied at the time of sale. Georgia-based Landmark Properties acquired the property from Dallas-based Fountain Residential Partners for an undisclosed price. Jaclyn Fitts, William Vonderfecht, Casey Schaefer, Biria St. John and Simon Butler of CBRE brokered the deal.
MASHPEE, MASS. — Greystone has provided a $24.8 million Freddie Mac Optigo loan for the refinancing of a 70-unit seniors housing property in Mashpee, a town on Cape Cod. Built in 2018, Laurentide at Mashpee Commons includes studio, one- and two-bedroom units and offers assisted living and memory care services. Approximately 10 percent of the units are designated as affordable housing by the Cape Cod Housing Authority. Shailini Nehra of Greystone arranged the transaction on behalf of the owner-operator, Northbridge Cos. The fixed-rate, nonrecourse loan carries a 10-year term and 30-year amortization schedule.
REVERE, MASS. — A partnership between Houston-based Hines, Connecticut-based investment firm Belfonti Cos. and Bridge Investment Group has broken ground on Revio Revere Beach, a 209-unit multifamily project located just east of Boston. The project will feature ground-floor retail space and 20,000 square feet of amenities, including a pool, courtyard and roof deck all overlooking the Atlantic Ocean. Santander Bank is financing the construction of the project, which is scheduled to be fully complete by the second quarter of 2024.
By Becky Bedwell, vice president of development, Cottonwood Group As one of Boston’s fastest-growing and most dynamic areas, the Seaport District has gotten a lot of attention as it has undergone a multitude of transformations over the past 150 years. The area has evolved from a bustling railyard and shipping area in the early 20th century to a no-man’s land of parking lots in the 1990s to its most recent iteration: The Innovation District. While the spotlight is only growing brighter as several high-profile residential and mixed-use projects come on line in this distinctive and in-demand neighborhood, the headlines tell only part of the story. The Seaport District’s seemingly sudden emergence is the result of more than a decade of development and over $22 billion in public funding — efforts that have helped draw hundreds of new businesses and support a growing list of noteworthy developments. The challenges faced and opportunities realized by developers in this part of town reveal some important truths about what it takes to create great civic spaces and successful multifamily developments — not just in this city and this area, but in urban communities around the country. What follows are some best practices, consideration and …
BOSTON — On behalf of Boston Global Investors, JLL has arranged $542.5 million in financing for 10 World Trade, a 555,250-square-foot speculative life sciences project in Boston’s Seaport District. The financing package consists of a $382.5 million construction loan from an undisclosed life insurance company and $160 million in joint venture equity contributions from PGIM Real Estate and Wheelock Street Capital. Designed by Sasaki, the 17-story building will house office and life sciences users on floors three through 17, while the ground floor will feature a two-story public atrium with a 45-foot domed ceiling, a food hall and a garden lounge. Sitework began recently, and completion of the project is slated for late 2024. Anthony Cutone and Andrew Gray of JLL structured the financing on behalf of the borrower. JLL has also been retained to lease the building.