BILLERICA, MASS. — Calare Properties has completed the sale of a laboratory space located at 749 Middlesex Road in Billerica. An undisclosed buyer purchased the property for $6.2 million. Calare Properties originally acquired the vacant 40,000-square-foot lab facility in 2013 for $3.3 million while concurrently leasing the entire property to RainDance Technologies, a biotechnology company.
BEDFORD, MASS. — The Davis Cos. (TDC) has executed a lease renewal with iRobot. The global consumer robot company has renewed its long-term lease for 208,686 square feet of space at The Xchange. TDC renovated the eight-building, 475,000-square-foot office park into a cutting-edge technology campus. Matt Daniels of JLL represented the landlord, while John Varholak and Ron Friedman of Transwestern Consulting Group represented the tenant in the transaction.
CLIFTON, N.J. — Brooklyn-based Damascus Bakery has signed a 15-year lease for an industrial and warehouse facility located at 65 Industrial Street South in Clifton. Tulfra Real Estate and The Hampshire Cos. own the 204,000-square-foot building, which was formerly occupied by GlaxoSmithKline. The property recently underwent a $10 million upgrade and renovation after it was acquired by Tulfra and The Hampshire Cos. in 2015. A family-owned and operated bakery since 1930, Damascus Bakery is a large-scale baker of paninis, pitas, roll-ups and wraps. The bakery currently has operation facilities in Brooklyn, New York, and Newark, New Jersey. Mark Tannen of United Realty and Steven Fleissig of Greenberg Traurig LLP represented the tenant, while Chris Hile, Jenna Imperatore and Harold Imperatore of JLL, along with Mitchell Berkery of CSG Law, represented the landlord in the deal.
One might expect that the industrial real estate market is in rough shape in a state with a projected $1.7 billion state budget deficit, where the capital city (Hartford) has discussed bankruptcy, and where one of the most famous employers (General Electric) has moved out — not to mention the state’s high taxes and high wages. However, the industrial real estate market is one of the tightest I’ve seen in Connecticut in more than 31 years. Each region in the state is experiencing varied levels of success, but overall the industrial market is healthy, with dropping vacancy rates, increasing rental rates, and decreasing cap rates. The game changer is big box distribution and third-party logistics activity throughout the region. In a market where a 75,000-square-foot deal used to be major news, we have seen numerous leases and new construction deals over 200,000 square feet in the past two years. E-commerce activity includes Amazon (1.5 million square feet in Windsor), FedEx (550,000 square feet in Middletown), and UPS (239,000 square feet in Windsor). Other significant transactions include Trader Joe’s (750,000 square feet in Bloomfield), Mobis Parts America (291,000 square feet in South Windsor), Vistar NE (296,000 square feet in South Windsor), …
BOSTON — CBRE/New England has arranged the sale of the leasehold interest of Boston’s Old City Hall, an 83,700-square-foot mixed-use building located at 45 School St. in downtown Boston. Synergy Investments acquired the property for $30.1 million. Constructed between 1862 and 1865, the building was renovated in 1970 by the seller, Architectural Heritage Foundation, after being vacated by the City of Boston in the mid-1960s. Dave Pergola and Brian Doherty of CBRE/NE represented the seller and procured the buyer in the deal.
NEW YORK CITY — Knighthead Funding has closed a $15 million first mortgage acquisition loan for three industrial buildings in the East Williamsburg section of Brooklyn. The borrower was not disclosed. The property has an existing as of right to build a residential development containing approximately 103,500 square feet. The property was acquired for $28 million.
BRICK, N.J. — Gebroe-Hammer Associates has arranged the sale of Olympic Gardens, a mixed-use property located along Route 88 in Brick. Brick APTS LLC acquired the property from Longwood Ave LLC for $10.1 million. The property features an 80-unit multifamily complex and an adjacent 14,336-square-foot office building. Joseph Brecher and Adam Zweibel of Gebroe-Hammer represented the seller and secured the buyer in the deal.
NORTH HAVEN, CONN. — O,R&L Commercial has arranged the sale of an industrial park located at 222 Universal Drive in North Haven. The 11-building park totals 133,283 square feet; each building is on separate utilities. Corporate Drive Properties acquired the park from Branco Inc. for $3.7 million. Frank Hird of O,R&L Commercial represented the seller, while Bryan Atherton of Northeast Investment Realty represented the buyer in the transaction.
LAKE GROVE, CARLE PLACE AND VALLEY STREAM, N.Y. — NAI Long Island has brokered deals for three new corporate locations for AT&T Mobility in Lake Grove, Carle Place and Valley Stream for a total transaction value of $15.5 million. Al Centrella of NAI Long Island brokered the three transactions on behalf of AT&T Mobility. The company acquired a 4,164-square-foot retail space located at 2093 Smith Haven Plaza in Lake Grove. Matthew O’Grady of C&B Realty represented the undisclosed seller. In Carle Place, AT&T leased a 5,000-square-foot retail space at 235 Old Country Road from Jim Dalta of Park East LLC. In the third transaction, AT&T leased 4,500 square feet of retail space within Plaza at Green Acres in Valley Stream from Jeremy Isaacs of Ripco Realty in conjunction with Macerich.
SOUTH PORTLAND, MAINE — The RAM Companies has completed the disposition of RiverPlace, an apartment complex located at 1 River Place Drive in South Portland. RiverPlace Properties LLC acquired the 136-unit property for an undisclosed price. Situated on 11 acres, the four-building complex features apartments with private decks and central A/C, a waterfront pool, tennis courts, a clubhouse with fitness center, a private dock for canoes and kayaks, gated access and covered parking. Simon Butler of CBRE represented the seller, while Jim Harnden of Harnden Commercial Brokers represented the buyer in the transaction. RiverPlace was opened by developer Howard A. Goldenfarb and his team at RAM in 2003.
