BOSTON — RLJ Lodging Trust, a Maryland-based hospitality REIT, has acquired the 205-room AC Hotel by Marriott Boston Downtown for $89 million, or roughly $434,000 per room. The hotel opened in 2018 within the Ink Block, a mixed-use development located at the former site of the Boston Herald headquarters. Amenities include a fitness center, outdoor patios, 2,500 square feet of customizable meeting space and multiple food and beverage concepts. The seller was not disclosed.
WESTBOROUGH, MASS. — Amazon (NASDAQ: AMZN) has opened a 350,000-square-foot robotics facility in Westborough, about 30 miles west of Boston, a move that adds about 200 new jobs to the regional economy. The facility will feature corporate offices, research and development labs and manufacturing space for the production of mobile drive units, which are used for inventory selection and transportation in the company’s automated warehouses. Amazon also operates a robotics facility in North Reading, Massachusetts.
BOSTON — Commercial investment firm FoxRock Properties has acquired a 76,698-square-foot, Class A office building located at 176 Federal St. in downtown Boston for $43.5 million. According to LoopNet Inc., the eight-story building was originally constructed in 1901 and renovated in 1986. At the time of sale, the property was 80 percent leased, with law firm Rich May and financial advisory group Capstone Partners being the largest tenants at roughly 20,000 and 11,000 square feet, respectively. Robert Griffin, Edward Maher, Matthew Pullen and Samantha Hallowell of Newmark represented the seller, Federal Street 176 Holdings Inc., in the deal.
DEER PARK AND HAUPPAGE, N.Y. AND RANDOLPH, MASS. — A joint venture between regional investment firm Pacer Partners and New York City-based Drake Real Estate Partners has purchased three industrial buildings totaling approximately 63,000 square feet. Two of the single-tenant buildings are located on Long Island in the communities of Deer Park and Hauppage, and the third is located in the southern Boston suburb of Randolph. Thomas Didio Jr. of JLL arranged acquisition financing for the transaction through ConnectOne Bank. The seller was not disclosed.
BOSTON — Nuestra Comunidad and Preservation of Affordable Housing (POAH) have broken ground on The Kenzi at Bartlett Station, a 50-unit affordable seniors housing community in Boston. The $27 million project is part of a five-phase redevelopment at a vacant bus yard, which Nuestra Comunidad and Windale Developers now own, located in Nubian Square within the Roxbury neighborhood. The Kenzi will feature 41 one-bedroom units, and three two-bedroom apartments in a 57,576-square-foot building. The housing includes 44 units restricted to Bostonians over the age of 55 who earn at or below 80 percent of the area median income, or $69,000 for a two-person household. The development also includes five units of housing for formerly homeless Bostonians. The project is supported by $15 million in state and federal housing tax credit investments, $4 million from the Massachusetts Department of Housing and Community Development, $1.8 million in Community Preservation Act funding, $750,000 from the Neighborhood Housing Trust, a $700,000 investment by POAH and $500,000 from the Boston Medical Center.
WEST WAREHAM, MASS. — Commercial architectural millwork and cabinetry firm Master Millwork will open a new, 67,000-square-foot headquarters facility in West Wareham, located in the southern part of the state. The company will relocate form a 25,000-square-foot space in the same market. Master Millwork intends to hire 30 additional employees to work at the new facility, which is under construction and expected to be complete in January. Rockland Trust provided the company with a $6 million loan to fund construction of the new facility and acquire key pieces of equipment.
MALDEN, MASS. — Marcus & Millichap has arranged the sale of a 31,135-square-foot industrial building in the northern Boston suburb of Malden. The property was originally built in the 1940s as a metal finishing facility. Harrison Klein and Luigi Lessa of Marcus & Millichap represented the Florida-based seller and procured the buyer, Combined Properties Inc., in the transaction.
BILLERICA, MASS. — A partnership between Arizona-based developer Alliance Residential and GID Real Estate Investments has completed Phase II of The Val, a 211-unit multifamily complex in Billerica, a northern suburb of Boston. Phase I of the project was completed this summer and consisted of 110 units. Residences come in one-, two- and three-bedroom formats, and amenities include a pool, fitness center and outdoor grilling stations. Project partners included architect Cube3, civil engineer Allen & Major Associates, general contractor Erland Construction and leasing/management agent Greystar. Rents start at $2,325 per month for a one-bedroom apartment.
WATERTOWN, MASS. — Locally based developer Berkeley Investments will undertake a project to convert a building at 64 Pleasant St. in the western Boston suburb of Watertown into a 105,000-square-foot life sciences facility. The two-story building offers a conference room, rooftop deck, fitness center and outdoor gathering spaces. Berkeley will upgrade the property’s utility and mechanical systems, elevate the ceiling heights, introduce reinforced concrete floors and add lab space. SGA is the project architect. The development team hopes to complete core and shell construction by the end of next year. Newmark has been tapped to market the building for lease.
HINGHAM, MASS. — CBRE has brokered the $139.2 million sale of The Cove, a 220-unit apartment community in Hingham, located south of Boston. Built in 2020, the property offers a mix of one-, two- and three-bedroom units with hardwood-style flooring, custom cabinets, artisan tile backsplashes and stainless steel appliances. Amenities include a pool, social lounge, fitness center, coworking spaces and pet grooming station. Simon Butler, Biria St. John and John McLaughlin of CBRE represented the seller, a joint venture between Arizona-based Alliance Residential and an institutional investor, in the transaction. The trio also procured an undisclosed institutional investor as the buyer.
