LYNN, MASS. — MassDevelopment has provided $7.5 million in tax-exempt bond financing for a project in the northeastern Boston suburb of Lynn that will convert the upper portion of a former commercial building into a 24-unit affordable housing complex. Units will be reserved for formerly homeless adults aged 18 to 24 that earn 30 percent or less of the area median income. Eastern Bank purchased the bond. The developer, nonprofit organization Harborlight Homes, will also utilize $6.4 million in federal Low-Income Housing Tax Credits to finance construction of the project.
SOMERSET, N.J. — Cushman & Wakefield has brokered the sale of a 49,172-square-foot industrial flex building in the Northern New Jersey community of Somerset. The building at 28 Worlds Fair Drive sits on 4.5 acres, features two side doors and 152 car parking spaces and was 40 percent leased to four tenants at the time of sale. Andrew Schwartz, Jordan Sobel, André Balthazard and Dan Bottiglieri of Cushman & Wakefield represented the undisclosed seller in the transaction and procured the buyer, SL Industrial Partners.
NEW YORK CITY — JLL has negotiated an 18,800-square-foot office lease in Midtown Manhattan. The tenant, private equity firm Christofferson, Robb & Co., will relocate from 720 Fifth Ave. to two full floors at the 27-story building located at 680 Fifth Ave. David Kleiner, Carlee Palmer and Margaux Kelleher of JLL represented the landlord, the family of Josef Buchmann, in the lease negotiations. David Falk and Eric Cagner of Newmark represented the tenant.
By Francis Greenburger, founder, chairman & CEO, Time Equities Inc. The recent changes to New York laws regarding rent-stabilized apartments, included in the 2024 budget legislation and signed into law by Gov. Kathy Hochul, are a step in the right direction. Unfortunately, the step is so small that the effect will be the same as standing still. Much of the initial commentary on 2024 housing law updates was about the so-called “good cause eviction” provisions, which have little to do with eviction but are instead a rebranding of rent control. In 2019, the legislature made significant changes to the rules governing rent-stabilized apartments. Most legislators who voted for this bill undoubtedly hoped to help New York State meet its affordable housing needs, but the opposite has happened. Thousands of low-cost, rent-stabilized apartments have since become vacant and remain so. Many of these apartments were occupied by tenants or families for 40 years or more. Apartments require capital investments periodically, and expectations for housing change dramatically over long periods. Renovating these units to meet modern standards requires significant investment, often mandated by housing code. Until the changes, building owners were willing to make these investments because they were permitted to increase …
BEDFORD, MASS. — JLL has arranged a $150 million loan for the refinancing of Bedford Labs, a 288,000-square-foot life sciences facility located about 20 miles northwest of Boston. Bedford Labs, which sits on a 52-acre site that can support up to 300,000 square feet of new construction, is a redevelopment of a former single-tenant office building. The facility includes a 28,000-square-foot amenity space and was fully leased to biotechnology firm Sarepta Therapeutics at the time of the loan closing. Brett Paulsrud, Tom Sullivan and Mike Shepard of JLL arranged the loan through an affiliate of Apollo Global Management. The borrower is a partnership between AEW Capital Management, Redgate and Optimum Asset Management.
WORCESTER, MASS. — WinnCos. has broken ground on Residences on Lincoln Square, a $51 million seniors housing redevelopment project in the central Massachusetts city of Worcester. The project will transform the historic Worcester Boys Club property, which was originally built in 1930 and has been vacant since 2006, into an 80-unit, age- and rent-restricted complex. The existing building will be redeveloped to house 16 units, and a new building will be constructed to house the remaining 64 units. Residences will come in studio, one- and two-bedroom units, with 11 units to be set aside for residents with disabilities. Full completion of the project is slated for 2026. F.W. Madigan Co. Inc. is serving as the general contractor, and Maugel DeStefano Architects is the project architect.
NEW YORK CITY — Marcus & Millichap has brokered the $6 million sale of a 48-unit apartment building in Brooklyn’s Bensonhurst neighborhood. The six-story building at 7920 19th Ave., which according to LoopNet Inc. was originally constructed in 1931, houses one- and two-bedroom units. John Brennan and Bryan Ellis of Marcus & Millichap represented the seller and procured the buyer, both of which were local limited liability companies that requested anonymity, in the transaction.
HOBOKEN, N.J. — Hain Celestial has signed a 40,000-square-foot office headquarters lease in Hoboken. The provider of healthy foods and personal care services will occupy the entire 12th floor at Waterfront Corporate Center III, a 512,000-square-foot building owned by New York City-based SJP Properties. No third-party brokers were involved in the lease negotiations.
SAYREVILLE, N.J. — CBRE has negotiated the sale of an 8,000-square-foot industrial outdoor storage facility in Sayreville, about 35 miles south of Manhattan. The site spans 1.3 acres and sold for $4 million. Mark Silverman, Elli Klapper, Liam McGregor and Jeremy Wernick of CBRE represented the buyer, Dallas-based Dalfen Industrial, in the off-market transaction. The seller was Florida-based Highpoint Enterprises.
NEW YORK CITY — Developer Lendlease has topped out 1 Java Street, an 834-unit waterfront multifamily project in Brooklyn’s Greenpoint neighborhood. Designed by architecture firm Marvel, the development comprises five interconnected buildings across a full city block. In addition, 1 Java Street will house 13,000 square feet of retail and restaurant space, and 30 percent of the units will be reserved as affordable housing. A syndicate of lenders led by Bank of America provided $360 million in construction financing for the project, which Lendlease is developing in partnership with Australian pension fund Aware Super and will include the construction of an 18,000-square-foot waterfront park. Construction began in spring 2023. Completion is slated for 2026.