NEW YORK CITY — Natixis has provided a $250 million first mortgage CMBS loan to JEMB Realty for the refinancing of 75 Broad St. in Manhattan. JEMB Realty purchased the office tower in 1999, and has renovated it into a property geared toward high-tech tenants. More than $50 million in improvements have been made to the 34-story, 650,000-square-foot property in recent years. Steve Kohn and Alex Hernandez of Cushman & Wakefield advised the borrower in the transaction.
NEW YORK CITY — Englewood Construction’s retail group has begun construction on a 40,000-square-foot American Girl Place store located at 75 Rockefeller Plaza in New York City. American Girl will move to the new space this fall from its current location at 609 Fifth Ave. The 75 Rockefeller Plaza store will be the 12th project Englewood has completed for American Girl since 2008. Cincinnati-based architecture firm FRCH Design Worldwide designed the new American Girl store, which will span two floors with direct entrances from both 51st and 52nd streets.
ROCHESTER, N.Y. — KeyBank Real Estate Capital has provided an $11.6 million Freddie Mac first mortgage loan for Kings Court Manor Apartments in Rochester. The 184-unit multifamily property was built between 1968 and 1970. Dirk Falardeau of Key’s commercial mortgage group arranged the financing with a seven-year term, two-year interest-only period and a 30-year amortization schedule. The loan was used to refinance existing debt.
ELIZABETH, N.J. — Marcus & Millichap has brokered the $2.6 million sale of a 16,208-square-foot retail property in Elizabeth. Michael Lombardi of Marcus & Millichap’s New Jersey office marketed the property on behalf of the seller, a private investor. Lombardi also secured and represented the buyer, another private investor. The property is located at 251 N. Broad St.
BOSTON — After more than three years of ownership, Shorenstein Properties has sold Center Plaza, a 741,200-square-foot mixed-use asset in downtown Boston. Synergy Investments, a Boston-based real estate owner and investor, and GreenOak, an international real estate investment and lending firm, have jointly purchased Center Plaza for $365 million. Developed by Beacon Capital in phases in the late 1960s and early 1970s, Center Plaza consists of three interconnected, nine-story buildings comprising more than 600,000 square feet of office space, 77,000 square feet of street-level retail and a below-grade parking garage with 575 spaces. Situated at 1-3 Center Plaza, the retail and office development features nearly 875 feet of frontage along Cambridge Street. Center Plaza, which is currently 60 percent leased to 31 tenants, sits at the entrance to Boston’s Beacon Hill neighborhood. The project is situated across the street from Boston’s City Hall. Shorenstein Properties purchased Center Plaza in January 2014 for $307 million, according to the Boston Business Journal. The media outlet also reported that Shorenstein’s planned $25 million overhaul of Center Plaza never took shape. The NGKF Capital Markets Boston team led by Robert Griffin, Edward Maher, Matthew Pullen and James Tribble represented Shorenstein Properties, which sold the …
SOMERVILLE, N.J. — Sterling Properties will develop a four-story, 69-unit apartment property near downtown Somerville. Set to deliver in 2018, the property will be located at 110 S. Bridge St., which is within walking distance of New Jersey Transit’s Somerville Station, and will be known as SOMA. Floor layouts will consist of studio, one- and two-bedroom units. Initial site work on the property will begin this spring. Designed by architecture firm Comito Associates, SOMA’s units will range from 585 to 1,290 square feet with features including nine-foot ceilings and stainless steel appliances. Common area amenities will include a fitness studio and tech lounge. Interior Design firm Mary Cook and Associates will design the project’s unit interiors and common space.
BURLINGTON, VT. — Rouse Properties has formed a joint venture with Devonwood Investors LLC, owner of Burlington Town Center, to redevelop the retail property into a mixed-use development with apartments, retail, restaurants and offices. The joint venture is expected to close on the property in the next few weeks and will then begin construction on the project, which is expected to cost $225 million. HFF’s Porter Terry arranged the redevelopment financing. The project has received zoning approval from the Burlington Development Review Board. Groundbreaking is expected in mid-2017, with the project completed in phases over three years.
SPRING HOUSE, PA. — MRA Group has acquired the former Rohm & Haas research and development campus located at 727 Norristown Road in the Philadelphia suburb of Spring House. Now known as the Spring House Technology Park, the complex spans 591,000 square feet across 11 buildings. The 133-acre campus is located near the Fort Washington exit of the Pennsylvania Turnpike. MRA will renovate the park to include office and laboratory facilities, a hotel, co-working space, on-site daycare, a gym and a 40,000-square-foot retail village. The property was initially acquired in 1962 by Rohm & Haas Co. and developed into Spring House Technical Center, a research and development campus. The existing buildings were constructed between 1963 and 1995, with 75 percent dedicated to laboratory use and the rest used for offices. The Dow Co. acquired Rohm & Haas in 2012, and by 2015 Dow relocated its employees to a new facility in Collegeville, Pa. In 2015 MRA Group entered into discussions with Dow to acquire the property in its entirety, with closing occurring in late March 2017.
MORRISTOWN, N.J. — Vision Real Estate Partners has acquired 1776 On The Green, an office property in downtown Morristown. The company plans to update the 150,000-square-foot tower in collaboration with the adjacent Pioneer Park improvements project. Located at 67 Park Place East, 1776 On The Green is situated on the Morristown Green at the corner of Speedwell Avenue. Cushman & Wakefield arranged the transaction with the seller, Deutsche Bank Asset Management. Built in 1973, the property is undergoing interior upgrades and sits on top of a parking garage shared with the Headquarters Plaza. Vision Real Estate Partners plans to immediately renovate the 10-story building with lobby and common area upgrades and the creation of a third-floor amenity lounge.
GREECE, N.Y. — Colliers International has represented the buyer in the $16.9 million purchase of a freestanding BJ’s Wholesale Club located at 300 Bellwood Dr. in the Rochester suburb of Greece. The net leased structure spans 119,600 square feet on 11 acres and includes 485 parking spaces. The Colliers retail team of William Aiello, George Lulos and Larry Kostelac represented the buyer, Professional Properties LLC.