NEW YORK CITY — Vornado Realty Trust (NYSE: VNO) has entered into an agreement with an undisclosed buyer to sell five Manhattan retail properties for $184.5 million. The properties are located at 677–679 Madison Ave., 759–771 Madison Ave., 828–850 Madison Ave., 478-482 Broadway and 155 Spring St. Combined, the properties currently have negative income and a street-level occupancy rate of approximately 30 percent. Vornado is selling the properties in three separate transactions. The sale of the Madison Avenue properties is expected to close in the third quarter, and the sales of the Soho properties are expected to close in the first quarter of 2022.
NEW YORK CITY — Private investment and management consulting firm Dorilton Capital has signed a 5,148-square-foot office lease expansion at 32 Avenue of the Americas, a 1.2 million-square-foot building located in the Tribeca area of Manhattan. The company now occupies 38,648 square feet at the property comprising the entire 26th floor and portions of the 17th and 27th floors. Robert Steinman represented the landlord, The Rudin Family, on an internal basis.
NEW YORK CITY — Locally based brokerage firm Alpha Realty has negotiated the $11.8 million sale of a portfolio of three multifamily properties in Brooklyn’s Boerum Hill neighborhood. The portfolio consists of 10 multifamily units and five retail spaces. The properties are located at 348 Atlantic Ave., 336 State St. and 75 Hoyt St. Lev Mavashev and Daniel Aminov of Alpha Realty represented the seller, an investment fund that was looking to liquidate its Brooklyn holdings, and procured the buyer, a European investment firm. Both parties requested anonymity.
NEW YORK CITY — Cedar, a locally based healthcare financial technology firm, has signed a 66,753-square-foot office lease at 32 Avenue of the Americas in Manhattan’s Tribeca neighborhood. The lease term is five years, and the space encompasses the entire 18th and a portion of the 17th floors of the 1.2 million-square-foot building. Cedar is quadrupling its 17,000-square-foot footprint at 95 Morton Street and plans to take occupancy of its new space in the fourth quarter. Mitti Liebersohn and Evan Foley of Avison Young represented the tenant in the lease negotiations. Robert Steinman represented the landlord, The Rudin Family, on an internal basis.
ROSLYN HEIGHTS, N.Y. — A joint venture between New Jersey-based developer The Hampshire Cos. and Blumenfeld Development Group has begun construction on a 691-unit self-storage facility in Roslyn Heights, located on Long Island. Extra Space Storage will manage the property, the site of which formerly housed a manufacturing plant. The facility, which will be the 44th property developed by Hampshire Cos. for Extra Space Storage in the eastern part of the country, is scheduled for completion in the second quarter of 2022.
NEW YORK CITY — Chicago-based real estate consulting firm Project Management Advisors Inc. (PMA) has signed a lease for approximately 5,000 square feet in the Empire State Building. The new office — the company’s seventh across the country — will bring together PMA’s existing New York staff and the team from LPE Management Services, which PMA recently acquired. The office is scheduled to before the end of the month.
NEW YORK CITY — WHP Global, the parent company of Toys ‘R’ Us, has entered into an agreement with Macy’s (NYSE: M) to open more than 400 toy stores within the department store chain’s existing locations across the country in 2022. In addition to physical merchandise, the new stores will feature interactive experiences and activation centers to enhance the experience for both children and parents. The Wayne, New Jersey-based toy retailer originally announced its intent to close or sell off all of its 700-plus U.S. stores in 2018. New York City-based WHP Global acquired the controlling stake of TruKids Inc., the former owner of Toys ‘R’ Us, in March with plans to reopen some stores.
NEW YORK CITY — A partnership between Mega Development, operator Lantern Organization and the New York City Department of Housing & Preservation will develop Timbale Terrace, a 330-unit affordable housing community in East Harlem. The centerpiece of the community will be a 16,000-square-foot music and arts center that will be operated by the Afro Latin Jazz Alliance. As part of that partnership, adult residents at Timbale Terrace will have access to music-based vocational training, while children can enjoy arts and music education and afterschool programs. Information about income restrictions and a construction timeline was not disclosed.
NEW YORK CITY — Locally based general contractor Omnibuild has begun the gut renovation of 122 Fifth Avenue, a 300,000-square-foot office building in Manhattan’s Union Square neighborhood. Project partners include developer/owner Bromley Cos. and STUDIOS Architecture. The project will upgrade the existing building’s MEP systems and elevators and install a rooftop pavilion with green space and seating areas. In addition, the development team will add a new 10-story structure along 17th Street.
ATHENS, GA. AND NEW YORK CITY — Athens-based Landmark Properties and New York-based Blackstone Real Estate Income Trust Inc. (BREIT) have formed a joint venture partnership in order to recapitalize and acquire eight student housing properties totaling 5,416 beds across the United States. TSB Capital Advisors acted as financial advisor to both Landmark Properties and BREIT in the $784 million deal. The sellers and the locations of the eight student housing properties were not disclosed. Blackstone completed the transaction because the company was looking to grow its student housing portfolio. Jacob Werner of Blackstone said the eight properties are at leading colleges that have rising enrollments. Landmark Properties is a student housing developer and owner-operator with $7.7 billion of properties under management currently. With this most recent student housing transaction, Landmark’s portfolio includes 79 student housing communities. The firm unveiled plans in July to develop three new student housing projects with a total of 2,544 beds across three states.