Philadelphia is well positioned in the Northeast to flourish in the industrial sector in 2017. With a centralized position in the Boston-New York-Washington, D.C. corridor, Philadelphia has capitalized on its superb location to firmly establish itself as a distribution hub leading to sustained positive momentum in all key market sectors. The e-commerce market has been experiencing significant growth and the demand for near immediacy in delivery has been the driving force behind the strong performance of the industrial sector nationwide over the past few years, especially in the Northeast. In 2016, the industrial sector in greater Philadelphia had a banner year for absorption with a net positive of 9.27 million square feet absorbed. That represents the largest growth in occupancy since the onset of the Great Recession and places Philadelphia among the top performing markets in the U.S. for net absorption in 2016. Vacancy rates for the region have fallen to 6.9 percent — the lowest they’ve been since 2008. Asking rental rates rose steadily throughout 2016 and stood at $4.77 per square foot at year-end – the highest they’ve been since 2008. Following a record year for industrial sales in 2015, sales volume remained strong in the greater Philadelphia …
NEW YORK CITY – Construction manager Richter+Ratner (R+R) and architect Beyer Blinder Belle have completed the interior fit-out of Xavier High School’s 45,000-square-foot Fernandez-Duminuco Hall. The project is located on six floors and the cellar level of a 25-story mixed-use building at 35 W. 15th St. Xavier is a Jesuit college preparatory school for young men founded in 1847 in the Chelsea neighborhood of Manhattan. The school’s campus includes six buildings located alongside the Church of Saint Francis Xavier. Fernandez-Duminuco Hall is Xavier’s first campus expansion in more than 90 years. The $11.7 million, nine-month project called for the construction of a science, technology, engineering, arts and math (STEAM) classroom, music facilities, a recording studio, student project space and a multi-use area that hosts theater productions and major assemblies. Fernandez-Duminuco Hall is located within a larger 170,000-square foot, 330-foot tall luxury residential condominium tower named 35XV, which was designed by FXFowle. The developer, Alchemy Properties, obtained the air rights for the new building from Xavier High School in exchange for locating the hall inside the new development. In addition to R+R, Beyer Blinder Belle and McLaren Engineering, the project team included owner’s representative Sterling Project Development; structural engineer for the …
NEW YORK CITY – Madison Realty Capital (MRC), an institutionally-backed real estate investment firm focused on real estate equity and debt investments, has provided an $18 million first mortgage loan to finance the acquisition of an eight-property, 64,438-square-foot mixed-use portfolio in Greenpoint, Brooklyn. The portfolio consists of 3 Sutton St., 5 Sutton St., 657 Meeker Ave., 661 Meeker Ave., 667 Meeker Ave., 669 Meeker Ave., 673 Meeker Ave. and 164-166 Kingsland Ave. The buyer contributed $11 million of cash equity to complete the acquisition, and plans to maximize value through renovation and repositioning. In total, there are 73 market rate residential units and 14 commercial units in the portfolio. Rosewood Realty Group’s Aaron Jungreis, Ben Khakshoor and Mike Kerwin brokered the deal.
LONG BRANCH, N.J. – Conceptual renderings of the interiors and common areas are now available for South Beach at Long Branch, a luxury residential project. Currently under construction, South Beach at Long Branch occupies 1.7 oceanfront acres between Ocean Avenue and Ocean Boulevard at the intersection of North Bath Avenue. FEM South Beach Urban Renewal is the developer for the project, which will include 47 one- to five-bedroom multifamily residences ranging from 1,352 to 3,382 square feet, with pre-construction pricing starting at $1.2 million. Completion is slated for spring 2019. Construction crews will pour concrete and place footings and foundations in the next 90 days. Members of the architectural, construction and design teams include construction managers David Ulassin and Jared Yorder of Cornerstone Construction, interior designers Brian Dumervil and Steven Gurowitz of Interiors by Steven G., site engineer John Buletza of Nelson Engineering and architect Stephen Carlidge of Shore Point Architecture.
Providence, R.I. – The Armory Revival Co. (TARC) has recapitalized Rising Sun Mills, a 313,000-square-foot mixed-use complex with 135 residential units and 130,000 square feet of commercial space located at 166 Valley Street in Providence. On-site management by TARC will oversee new construction commencing immediately with lobby renovations. The recapitalization will also fund tenant improvement projects, accounting for 90,000 square feet of available commercial space. CBRE’s Andrew Galvin leads the leasing efforts for Rising Sun Mills. Located two miles from downtown Providence, Rising Sun Mills is accessible from Routes 6 and 10 as well as Interstate 95. The campus includes 135 residential units and offers office tenants a parking ratio of four per 1,000 square feet. The site features a waterfall and walking/bike paths along the Woonasquatucket River. The property features the on-site Café at Easy Entertaining and offers proximity to local and regional restaurants in Olneyville Square, Atwells Avenue and on Broadway.
MANCHESTER, N.H. – Mark Whelan of NorthMarq Capital has arranged $2.4 million in earn-out/supplemental financing for a 123-unit multifamily property located in Manchester. The transaction was structured with an eight-year term on a 28-year amortization schedule. NorthMarq arranged financing for the borrower through its relationship with a regional bank.
CROMWELL, CONN. – CBRE Capital Markets’ debt and structured finance team has secured $21.3 million in bridge financing for Cromwell Square, a 218,000-square-foot shopping center currently anchored by a 100,000-square-foot Kmart in Cromwell. Mark Fisher, Michael Riccio and Alex Furnary of CBRE facilitated the loan on behalf of the borrower, Greenwich-based developer/owner/operator HB Nitkin. The 10-year, fixed-rate bridge loan includes two years of interest-only payments and a 25-year amortization schedule. The loan will be used replace an existing $12.1 million loan and provide additional funds for the buyout of an existing Kmart lease. The store will be replaced with a 65,000-square-foot ShopRite grocery store and other tenants. The redevelopment is anticipated to take 18 months. The property is located at 51 Shunpike Road in Middlesex County, immediately west of Route 9 and 1.5 miles east of I-91 on the northwest corner of Shunpike Road and Route 372.
NORTH BERGEN, N.J. – Marcus & Millichap has arranged the sale of Riverview Lofts, an eight-unit apartment property located in North Bergen, for $3.1 million. David Thurston and Charles Loccisano of M&M’s New Jersey office represented the seller, a limited liability company, as well as the buyer. Riverview Lofts is located at 8917 Old River Road in North Bergen, across the street from Edgewater Town Hall.
BLUE BELL, PA. – Keystone Property Group has signed three new leases totaling 66,000 square feet at 5 Sentry Park, a recently renovated two-building office property in Blue Bell. The transactions include a 33,200-square-foot lease with Linde Engineering North America, a 15,700-square-foot lease with Physician Recommended Nutriceuticals (PRN) and a 15,700-square-foot lease with Veterinarian Recommended Solutions (VRS). After acquiring the 133,000-square-foot office property, Keystone completed a reinvestment program to implement functional and cosmetic upgrades. The enhancements include a new amenity area with a fitness center, conference rooms, lounge area, on-site cafe, outdoor patio with seating, roof deck, expanded entrance for the property’s eastern building, refreshed lobby at 5 West and landscaping upgrades. Linde is a Houston-based engineering firm providing technologies for the design and construction of process plants for industries including petrochemicals, gas processing and pharmaceuticals. PRN is a leading producer of food-based supplements and VRS produces health products for pets. Michael Barker and Cody Lehrer of CBRE represented PRN and VRS in their leases, while Patrick Brady and Ryan FitzPatrick of Avison Young represented Keystone.
EAST GREENBUSH, N.Y. – HFF has secured the $15.1 million sale of Columbia Plaza, a 137,647-square-foot grocery-anchored retail center in East Greenbush. HFF marketed the property on behalf of the seller, a partnership between Capstone Realty Group and WP Realty. Nigro Cos., based in Albany, N.Y., purchased the asset free and clear of existing debt. Anchored by Price Chopper, Columbia Plaza is 89.3 percent leased and home to Peebles, Dollar Tree, Pet Stop, Vineyard Wine & Spirit, Nishiki Sushi, Hair Studio One, Liberty Tax Service, Quality Hearing, NBT Bank and Computer Answers. The three-building center was completed in 1988. Situated on 14.6 acres at 501 Columbia Turnpike, Columbia Plaza is located 3.5 miles southeast of Albany. The center’s Columbia Turnpike location places it in one of the main retail corridors in East Greenbush, a community located along the Hudson River. Columbia Turnpike is accessible from Interstates 8, 787 and 90 in addition to State Highways 151, 43 and 9J. The HFF investment sales team representing the seller was led by Jose Cruz, Kevin O’Hearn, Michael Oliver and Stephen Simonelli with assistance from Andrew Scandalios.