NEW YORK CITY — Forest City Enterprises, a member of Greenland Forest City Partners (the joint venture developing the Pacific Park Brooklyn project), has closed on financing for the construction of 38 Sixth Avenue, a 303-unit, 100 percent affordable apartment building at Pacific Park Brooklyn, and work has begun on the building. For construction financing of 38 Sixth Avenue, the New York City Housing Development Corp. is providing an $83 million first mortgage loan for the building through the issuance of tax-exempt government debt obligations funded by Citi Community Capital. Greenland Forest City Partners is also receiving a $10 million subordinate loan from HDC and a $2 million subordinate loan from Citibank. Designed by SHoP Architects, 38 Sixth Avenue (formerly known as B3) is the third Pacific Park Brooklyn building on which Greenland Forest City Partners has broken ground since December 2014. The other buildings include 535 Carlton, a 100 percent affordable apartment building, and 550 Vanderbilt, a market-rate condominium building. The first building at Pacific Park, 461 Dean Street (formerly known as B2 BKLYN), broke ground at the end of 2012 and will include 50 percent market-rate apartments, 30 percent middle-income and 20 percent low-income units. 461 Dean Street …
New York
Simone Development to Complete $35M Redevelopment of Historic Boyce Thompson Institute in Yonkers
by Jaime Lackey
YONKERS, N.Y. — Simone Development Cos. is redeveloping the former Boyce Thompson Institute property in northwest Yonkers into an 85,000-square-foot mixed-used complex. The property, which is located at the intersection of North Broadway and Executive Boulevard, will be rebranded as the Boyce Thompson Center and will include office space for business and medical use as well as retail stores, banking and two restaurants. The property — once home to a horticulture research center — was built in the 1920s, and Simone plans to restore the property to its original character. The property has remained abandoned for 40 years, with the main building and greenhouses falling into disrepair. Simone’s redevelopment plan includes construction of a new 18,000-square-foot addition that will resemble the existing 52,000-square- foot structure. A glass “greenhouse” will connect the new building with the existing building and will house an information gallery honoring the Boyce Thompson legacy. A two-level 15,000-square-foot, freestanding building will be built at the corner of Executive Boulevard and Executive Plaza; St. John’s Riverside Hospital in Yonkers has signed a lease for this space to be used for medical offices. The entire $35 million project is expected to require 20 months to complete.
New York Life Real Estate Investors Originates $120M Loan for Port Chester Shopping Center
by Jaime Lackey
PORT CHESTER, N.Y. — New York Life Real Estate Investors originated a $120 million loan for Port Chester Shopping Center, a 507,000-square-foot center anchored by Whole Foods and Kohl’s. The property is located on Boston Post Road in Westchester County. The 15-year loan was made to a joint venture between Depa USA and AVR Realty.
NEW YORK CITY — American Realty Capital Hospitality Trust Inc. (ARC Hospitality) has agreed to acquire a portfolio of 13 hotels from affiliates of Noble Investment Group LLC for $300 million. The Noble portfolio includes 12 select-service and extended-stay hotels and one full-service hotel, totaling 1,913 rooms. The hotels are located in Boston; Atlanta; Monterey, Calif.; Columbus, Ohio; Fort Worth, Texas; Chicago; Minneapolis; Birmingham, Ala.; and Northern and Central New Jersey. The hotels are franchised by major global brands including Hyatt Hotels, Hilton Hotels & Resorts and Marriott International. Hotel flags include Hyatt Place, Hilton Garden Inn, Hyatt House, Courtyard by Marriott and Hilton. ARC Hospitality was represented by Hunton & Williams LLP. The acquisition is subject to franchisor approvals and the completion of due diligence; the acquisition is expected to close in three separate tranches (which are not conditioned on each other) during the fourth quarter of 2015 and first quarter of 2016.
New York City — Lev Mavashev of Alpha Realty represented both the seller and buyer in the $5.6 million sale of 3315 and 3401 Avenue H in the Flatbush Section of Brooklyn. The corner buildings are located across the street from each other at the intersection of Avenue H and East 34th Street. The two properties together total 14,350 square feet with a total of 10 commercial units. Total buildable space for the two lots is 52,000 square feet, making the properties a future development play.
NEW YORK CITY — E&M Associates has acquired two multifamily properties in New York City’s Astoria neighborhood for $72.3 million from Related Cos. Located at 11-15 Broadway and 30-50 21st St., the properties are known as Astoria at Hallet’s Cove and Montenegro of Astoria, respectively. The properties offer a total of 144 rental units and 64 parking spaces. Astoria at Hallet’s Cove is an eight-story, 76,100-square-foot elevator building with 79 apartments, and Montenegro of Astoria is an eight-story, 59,240-square-foot elevator building with 65 apartments. Aaron Jungreis of Rosewood Realty Group represented both properties in the transaction.
NEW YORK CITY — HFF has arranged $25 million in refinancing for an office building located at 99 Madison Ave. in Manhattan. HFF placed the 15-year, fixed-rate loan with Voya Investment Management for the borrower, Windsor Management. Built in 1915, the 124,382-square-foot building features ground-floor retail space with offices on the upper floors. The property is fully leased to 12 tenants, including HAB Bank. Steven Klein and Jonathan Rosner of HFF arranged the financing for the borrower.
NEW YORK CITY — Cushman & Wakefield has brokered the sale of a mixed-use property located at 36-01 Vernon Blvd. in the Long Island City neighborhood of Queens. The asset sold for $2.5 million, or $278 per square foot. The four-story, 9,000-square-foot building features one commercial unit and seven three-bedroom apartments. David Chkheidze of Cushman & Wakefield brokered the transaction. The names of the buyer and seller were not released.
NEW YORK CITY — Silverstein Properties Inc. and Bjarke Ingels Group (BIG) have unveiled 2 World Trade Center, located at 200 Greenwich St. in New York City. The 80-story, 2.8 million-square-foot office building will feature a 38,000-square-foot lobby and access to the World Trade Center Transit Hub. Designed by BIG, the tower will feature a stacked design, which allows for 38,000 square feet of outdoor terraces within the property. Upon completion, the property will be 50 percent occupied by 21st Century Fox and News Corp.
BALDWINSVILLE, N.Y. — CBRE/New England, along with CBRE Syracuse, has brokered the sale of River Mall Shopping Center in Baldwinsville. Phillips Edison & Co. sold the 165,000-square-foot property for an undisclosed price to RMSC Holdings. The property is anchored by Tops Market and fully leased to a roster of national and regional credit tenants. Nat Heald, Bill Moylan, Chris Angelone and Michael Finn of CBRE represented the seller and procured the buyer in the deal.