NEW YORK CITY — Gene Kaufman Architect (GKA) has received design approval from the NYC Department of Buildings for a Marriott and Residence Inn at John F. Kennedy International Airport in New York City. In addition, The Lam Group has asked GKA to take over work on a Courtyard by Marriott and Residence Inn already under construction at 215 Pearl St. Together, the projects offer 870 rooms and represent 424,000 square feet of hotel space. The 540-room, 270,000-square-foot Marriott-and-Residence Inn at JFK Airport is being designed for Soundview Real Estate Partners and Chartwell Hospitality. The dual hotel property, expected to break ground later this year, will have 4,000 square feet of lounge and bar space and more than 4,000 square feet of meeting space. It will also have an office center, a fitness center and parking. Construction is already underway on GKA’s second dual-hotel project, a 330-room, 170,000-square-foot Courtyard by Marriott and Residence Inn at 215 Pearl St., which is expected to open in 2018. The Lam Group asked GKA to oversee the final design of the building created by the previous architects Nobutaka Ashihara, and to design the interiors for both the hotel’s public spaces and its guest rooms.
BILLERICA and MARLBOROUGH, MASS. — Colliers International has secured acquisition financing for a two-building portfolio purchase consisting of 734 Forest St. in Marlborough and 35 Dunham Road in Billerica. The 120,000-square-foot flex/industrial portfolio sold to a New England-based real estate investment firm. Colliers secured the acquisition financing from Belmont Savings. Adam Coppola, Tom Welch, John Poole and Tonia Jenkins of Colliers arranged financing.
Retail vacancy levels declined in 2012 and 2013 in Eastern Massachusetts following several years of rising vacancy rates during the Great Recession. But since 2013, vacancy rates have been on the rise as shopping habits continue to tilt toward online options. In 2016, retail inventory gained modestly, reaching 194.2 million square feet, an increase of 0.5 percent, although no major center opened during the year. The region added 488,800 square feet of vacant retail space, and the vacancy rate increased to 9 percent. Big box closings — notably Sam’s Club, JCPenney, and Kmart — and the departures of Citibank and City Sports, were the primary cause of increasing vacancy. Nonetheless, the region experienced positive absorption, netting 573,600 square feet. As reported in The KeyPoint Report: Eastern Massachusetts/Greater Boston, Boston and Cambridge ranked one and two in the list of top 10 towns by retail square footage. Abington tops the rankings for lowest vacancy rate. Eight of the top 10 towns with the highest vacancy rates are repeats from the previous year; new additions include Wrentham, site of the 135,000-square-foot Wrentham Crossing, which is vacant and currently for sale. The under-2,500-square-foot size classification remains the largest segment of the market, and …
NEW YORK CITY — HFF has arranged $290 million in financing for the development of 151 E. 86th St., a mixed-use residential and retail project in Manhattan’s Upper East Side neighborhood. HFF worked on behalf of the developer, a joint venture between Ceruzzi Holdings and Kuafu Properties, to secure the construction loan with a foreign capital source. HFF previously sourced financing on Ceruzzi’s behalf for its acquisition of the site in 2014. The property is located at the corner of 86th Street and Lexington Avenue and will include 151,500 square feet of residential space and 36,000 square feet of retail. There will be 61 condominium units averaging 2,485 square feet with floor-to-ceiling windows and views of the Manhattan skyline and the East River. Resident amenities will include concierge service and 6,500 square feet of amenity space, including a fitness facility, lounge, rooftop terrace and children’s playroom. HOK Architects designed the 18-story building and Shelton, Mindel & Associates handled the interiors. The property is due for completion in the first quarter 2019. David Nackoul, Christopher Peck and Scott Findlay led HFF’s debt placement team.
GLEN COVE, N.Y. — RXR Realty has begun construction of Harbor Landing at Garvies Point in Glen Cove. The property is slated for completion in 2019. Harbor Landing, a 385-unit apartment complex, will offer a mix of studios, one- and two-bedroom residences across two buildings. Units will range from 500 to 1,300 square feet. The residences will also feature amenities including a fitness center, club room, private dining room, lobby and on-site parking. The property is being built in conjunction with a condominium development known as The Beacon.
QUINCY, MASS. — Hines is nearing completion of Meriel Marina Bay, a mixed-use development in the Boston suburb of Quincy. Located on a seaside peninsula, the property is situated near I-93 and offers a complimentary shuttle to the Red Line North Quincy MBTA station and a water ferry to downtown Boston. Meriel Marina Bay is a mixed-use development comprising two five-story buildings featuring 352 apartments with garage parking, plus 20,000 square feet of ground-level retail space. Layout options include studios, one-, two- and three-bedroom homes offering views of the Boston skyline, Boston Harbor and the Marina Bay boardwalk. Hines is now leasing the property, with rents ranging from approximately $2,100 to $4,600 per month. The Bozzuto Group will manage Meriel Marina Bay.
NEW YORK CITY — Rosewood Realty has brokered the $31.5 million sale of two apartment properties in Queens. A local investor purchased the contiguous properties, which are located at 71-05 and 71-11 37th Ave. in the Jackson Heights neighborhood. Benson Co. was the seller. The six-story buildings, which were built in 1920, include a combined 106 apartments and span 85,856 square feet. The average rent at the properties is $1,477 per month. Aaron Jungreis of Rosewood Realty Group represented both the buyer and seller in the transaction.
NEW YORK CITY — ABC Carpet & Home has leased 78,000 square feet in Industry City, the 16-building, 6 million-square-foot innovation and manufacturing complex located in the Sunset Park neighborhood in Brooklyn. ABC Carpet & Home, a New York-based seller of home goods, is consolidating its operations — currently located in Hackensack, N.J., and the Bronx — into the space at Industry City’s building 19. Industry City’s director of leasing, Kathe Chase, led the deal alongside Chase Welles of The Shopping Center Group, which was brought onto the project to lease the property’s ground-floor spaces. ABC Carpet was represented internally.
BOSTON — Following a long-term ground lease with the Massachusetts Port Authority (Massport), The Davis Companies (TDC) plans to significantly update 88 Black Falcon Avenue in Boston’s Seaport District. The property, which consists of two three-story interconnected buildings totaling 376,000 square feet, is located within the Raymond L. Flynn Marine Park, which is also home to Cruiseport Boston and the 1.4 million-square-foot Innovation and Design Building. The location offers views of the Boston Harbor as well as direct access to Route 93 and the Massachusetts Turnpike, 550 onsite parking spaces, and its own Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority (MBTA) Silver Line Stop. The buildings at 88 Black Falcon Ave. feature ceiling heights ranging from 14 to 20 feet, as well as efficient office and industrial/R&D infrastructure. Optimus Ride Inc., which develops autonomous vehicle technologies, occupies 19,000 square feet on the building’s first floor. As part of the property’s redevelopment, TDC will improve a portion of the Boston Harborwalk, a public promenade that follows the edge of piers, wharves, beaches, and the shoreline around the Harbor. Completion is scheduled for second quarter 2018. “We are undertaking a thorough re-envisioning of this highly flexible, high-quality historic asset as a premier mixed-use development that …
LOWELL, MASS. — Novaya in a joint venture with Hawk Properties entered into a $13.25 million recapitalization of 10 Technology Drive and 55 Technology Drive located in Lowell. The two assets total 146,696 square of office/R&D space. The portfolio, which was initially acquired in 2012, is 84 percent occupied. Tenants include Evoqua Water Technologies, Borrego Solar and Lowell General Hospital.