HOLMDEL, N.J. — Somerset Development has chosen Structure Tone Inc. to oversee construction plans, renovations and subcontractor management at Bell Works, the complete revitalization of the former Bell Labs campus in Holmdel. Structure Tone will assume management of all ongoing construction projects in the 2 million-square-foot property. Immediate renovations include the implementation of a new safety infrastructure along with a skylight replacement initiative, which will implement photovoltaic panels that will convert solar energy into electricity, reducing Bell Works’ environmental footprint while maximizing the building’s energy efficiency. Earlier this year, the Bell Works team executed a lease with anchor commercial tenant iCIMS, a leading provider of Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) talent acquisition solutions.
PHILADELPHIA — Breslin Realty Development Corp. has announced the opening of a new 58,980-square-foot ShopRite Supermarket at 330 Oregon Ave. in south Philadelphia. The store occupies a former Pathmark store and is operated by Colligas Family Markets, members of the Keasbey, N.J.-based Wakefern Food Corp., a co-operative of more than 250 independently owned stores. The store is located at Whitman Plaza, which has recently undergone an $8 million renovation. The new supermarket was renovated to include a fresh bake shop; full-service meat and seafood departments; prepared foods and catering; and grab-and-go meals such as sandwiches, heat-and-eat entrees and Asian cuisine. The store also features a specialty cheese department, an in-store café, and a shop-at-home delivery service. It employs around 300 workers. Other tenants at the community shopping center include Burlington Coat Factory, Ross Dress for Less, Pet Valu, PennDOT, Club Metro USA, Citizens Bank, Rainbow Shoppes, GameStop, GNC, Payless Shoe Source, and Party City. Breslin Realty Development Corp. manages the center, which was built in 1980 by the Breslin organization, and was previously renovated in 2003. It now sports a new façade and more than 20,000 square feet of updated interior space. Frankie Campione of CREATE Architecture Planning & Design …
MELVILLE, N.Y. — Merrill Lynch Wealth Management has signed a five-year renewal for its 28,522-square-foot lease at the Melville Square Corporate Center at 1305 Walt Whitman Road in Melville. The Feil Organization owns the building, which is located in the heart of Long Island’s corporate headquarters corridor on the border of Nassau and Suffolk counties. Merrill Lynch has been a tenant in the building since the property’s renovation in 1999. Feil acquired the three-story, 165,310-square-foot building in September 2015 and plans major upgrades including the relocation and installation of a full-service café, creation of a high-tech conference center, and renovation of the fitness center. David Turino and Nicholas Forelli of Feil represented the landlord. Vince LaManna and Richard Freel of CBRE represented Merrill Lynch.
NEWARK, N.J. — The New Jersey Performing Arts Center (NJPAC) and developer Dranoff Properties have started construction of One Theater Square, a $116 million high-rise multifamily complex in Newark. One Theater Square will be the first new ground-up, upscale residential high rise in the city since 1960, according to the developers. The 22-story project will be situated on 1.2 acres across from NJPAC and Military Park. It will contain 245 units, most of which will be one- and two-bedroom apartments that will range in size from 585 to 1,700 square feet. The project includes 24 affordable housing units that will be marketed as artist residences, though they will be available to anyone who meets the financial criteria. The ground floor will include 12,000 square feet of retail space. One Theater Square will have a 24-hour concierge, rooftop community gathering space, fitness facility and multiple club rooms. Developers plan to complete the project in the summer of 2018. The public-private partnership includes contributions from the City of Newark; the State of New Jersey; Prudential Financial; Fifth Third Bank; Dranoff; and NJPAC. Philadelphia-based Dranoff Properties develops, builds, finances and/or manages multifamily developments in and around the Northeast. Carl E. Dranoff founded the …
MIDDLETOWN, CONN. — Seavest Healthcare Properties LLC recently sold its two medical office buildings at the Middletown Medical Complex to Healthcare Trust of America, a public REIT. The transaction resulted from an unsolicited offer for the extensively renovated and improved properties at 520 and 540 Saybrook Road, which total which totaling 64,065 square feet, in Middletown. Seavest Healthcare Properties acquired the properties in 2010. The Middletown campus features five buildings and is affiliated with the nearby 275-bed Middlesex Hospital.
NEWARK, DELAWARE — NGKF Capital Markets has arranged the sale of 242 and 248 Chapman Road in Newark. Equus Capital Partners sold the two-building portfolio to Chapman Business Associates LLC for $15.55 million. Both buildings are 100 percent occupied by two long-term tenants; 242 Chapman Road is a three-story, 65,967-square-foot office building and 248 Chapman Road is a two-story, 77,974-square-foot office building. Recent renovations at the property include new ceilings and lighting throughout, updated lobbies and restrooms, a new roof, HVAC upgrades, and a new fire panel as well as new elevators. The NGKF Capital Markets team comprising Mike Margolis, Dave Dolan and Brett Segal, along with area experts, Neal Dangello and Wills Elliman, represented Equus Capital Partners in the transaction.
NEW YORK CITY — KZA Realty Group recently brokered a three-year lease for a 20,000-square-foot warehouse on Manida Street in the Bronx that allows global delivery box service Marley Spoon to expand into a larger warehouse located in the Bronx. Marley Spoon is a European-based recipe kit delivery service start-up. The company launched its recipe box delivery service in Germany, expanding to the Netherlands and the U.K., and then launching in the United States in 2015 with funding from Kreos Capital, QD Ventures, Luxor Capital and Lakestar. Kathy Zamechansky of KZA Realty Group represented the company in leasing the new, larger warehouse facility after it outgrew its Long Island warehouse space.
PITTSBURGH — The Law Firm Group of Fischer has represented law firm Burns White LLC in its relocation to a new headquarters space in Pittsburgh. Burns White will fully occupy a new build-to-suit 108,392-square-foot property starting in March 2017. The Burns White Center will be a five-story freestanding building with parking located in Pittsburgh’s Strip District at the intersection of 26th Street and Railroad Street. Scott Fabean of Fischer was the lead in representing Burns White. Joe Tosi and Mike Daniels of Oxford Realty Services represented the landlord, Three Crossings Riverfront East LP.
ENGLEWOOD CLIFFS, N.J. — Unilever has chosen a joint venture between OVG Real Estate and Normandy Real Estate Partners to acquire and redevelop the company’s 23-acre, 325,000-square-foot North American headquarters. The site is located at 700 Sylvan Ave. in Englewood Cliffs, just across the Hudson River from New York City. The agreement provides that upon closing, the land and the building will be leased back to Unilever via an 18-year triple-net lease. The sale is expected to close prior the end of 2016. The renovated headquarters will be both LEED- and WELL-certified and benefits will include reducing CO2 emissions, reducing energy consumption by 50 percent, reducing water demand via low-flow plumbing and diverting 75 percent of construction waste from landfills. OVG plans to increase the size of the property by 28 percent to accommodate 1,600 employees. Unilever expects the new campus to be largely finished by the fourth quarter of 2017. Cushman and Wakefield advised in the partnership formation. Other partners include Perkins + Will Architects; Unilever’s legal advisor Robinson Cole; Drinker Biddle & Reith and AKD Advocaten, both serving as legal advisors to the OVG-Normandy joint venture; general contractor StructureTone; and insurance advisor Parallel. — Jaime Lackey
FORT LEE, N.J. — A BFE affiliate has sold the fully leased Polygon Plaza in Fort Lee’s redevelopment district to H&M Group Inc., a New York investor, for $22 million. The 90,000-square foot property is located at 2050 Center Ave. BFE acquired the building in 1994 for $6.4 million from Connecticut Mutual Life, which had acquired it through a foreclosure. Today, Polygon Plaza is leased to a mix of small and mid-sized tenants, including many long-term occupants. Trans-Hudson Management Corp., a BFE affiliate, will continue to manage the building for the new owner. Andrew Merin, David Bernhaut, Gary Gabriel and Brian Whitmer of Cushman & Wakefield represented BFE in the sale. Ashley Kim and Bowen Pak of Eastern International Realty Inc. served as co-brokers for the seller in the transaction.