NEW YORK CITY — Marcus & Millichap has brokered the sales of two properties in Brooklyn totaling $7.6 million. In the first transaction, a private investor acquired an 80-foot by 90-foot development site located at 242-248 Newkirk Ave. in Brooklyn. The site, which offers 30,497 buildable square feet, sold for $4 million. The site has approved plans for a seven-story, 45-unit apartment building. Derek Bestreich, Steve Reynolds and Thomas Reynolds of Marcus & Milichap represented the seller, a private investor, and the buyer in the transaction. In the second deal, a private investor purchased an eight-unit apartment property, located at 592 Vanderbilt Ave. in Brooklyn, for $3.6 million. Bestreich, Lucien Sproviero and Adam Lobel of Marcus & Millichap represented the seller, a private investor, and the buyer in the sale.
NEW YORK CITY — New York City-based AIG Global Real Estate Investment Corp. has sold a 12-property apartment portfolio in New Jersey, Pennsylvania and Delaware. An undisclosed buyer purchased the 2,811-unit portfolio for $165 million free and clear of existing debt. The garden-style communities feature a mix of one-, two- and three-bedroom units averaging approximately 800 square feet in size. Amenity packages vary by community but include fitness centers, swimming pools, tennis courts, playgrounds and dog parks. Seven properties are in New Jersey, three in Pennsylvania and two in Delaware. Jose Cruz, Andrew Scandalios, Mark Thomson, Kevin O’Hearn, Michael Oliver and Steve Simonelli of HFF represented the seller in the transaction.
BROOKHAVEN, PA. — Maple Shade, N.J.-based Retail Sites LLC has broken ground on The Shoppes at Brookhaven, a 25-acre shopping center located in Brookhaven. The 155,000-square-foot center will be occupied by a 67,000-square-foot Giant Food, as well as LA Fitness, Starbucks Coffee, Smashburger, Pet Valu, Hair Cuttery, Mavis Tire, Sport Clips and a Pennsylvania Wine and Spirits Store. The $33 million shopping center is slated to open in fall 2016. As part of the development, the Borough of Brookhaven will receive more than 10 acres of new public recreation land and will receive a new baseball field valued at more than $700,000. The project will generate in excess of 235 new full-time jobs and 225 additional jobs during the development and construction of the site.
CLIFTON HEIGHTS, PA. — New York Life Real Estate Investors has acquired Home Depot Plaza, a shopping center located in Clifton Heights, an infill suburban submarket of Philadelphia. The property sold for an undisclosed price. The 299,634-square-foot grocery-anchored center was 98 percent occupied at the time of sale. Tenants include The Home Depot, Acme Supermarket, Modell’s and Petco.
CLINTON TOWNSHIP, PA. — Bennett Williams Realty Inc. has arranged the sale of a retail property located at 2020 State Route 54 in Clinton Township. SRI Gopal Properties LLC purchased the 9,100-square-foot property from MDC Development LP for $1.4 million. Chad Stine, Brad Rohrbaugh and Adam Hagerman of Bennett Williams Realty represented the seller in the transaction.
BEDFORD, N.H. — Brady Sullivan Properties has arranged the leases for two office tenants at 2 Commerce Drive in Bedford. PeopleNet Communications Group, a subsidiary of Trimble, leased 5,253 square feet of office space, and SnapDragon Associates has leased 2,300 square feet of office in early 2016. Charles Panasis and Benjamin Kelley of Brady Sullivan arranged the transactions. Terms of the leases were not disclosed.
Despite the clichés and naysayers, Boston’s apartment fundamentals continue to trend at the top of U.S. cities’ forecasts. For developers, investors and borrowers, Boston truly is that city on a hill. Clichés heard often in the commercial real estate community: Interest rates have no place to go but up. Who is going to pay $4.50-per-square-foot rents? Wait until the next wave of units is delivered. Valuation and yield don’t make sense. The facts: Economists have been predicting interest rate increases for the past five years. Market vacancy has been sub-5 percent for more than five years. Every major apartment player owns or is currently building in Boston, averaging $1.2 billion in product for past three years. Boston is a premier gateway city and buyers want in. The Investor Outlook Simplified When cap rates for the most desired real estate class — in a gateway city, in the safest country for investment in the world — average 4.25 percent, it’s a great time to invest. The 2006 cap rates were just 100 basis points above the 10-year risk-free rate. Today they are 2.0 to 2.25 percent. Half of the deals are cash transactions. Locals can only shake their heads at the …
BOSTON — Affiliates of Boston-based Rockpoint Group LLC have acquired 99 Summer Street, an office and retail building located in Boston. Cornerstone Real Estate Advisers sold the 20-story property for an undisclosed price. The 270,000-square-foot Class A building was 95 percent occupied at the time of sale. The property will be managed by a Rockpoint affiliate, Rockhill Management, which provides property management and related services for investments made by Rockpoint-sponsored funds.
YORK, PA. — HREC Investment Advisors has arranged the sale of Yorktowne Hotel, a historic, full-service hotel in York. York County Industrial Development Authority acquired the property for an undisclosed price. First opened in 1925, the hotel features 124 guest rooms. The buyer has substantial renovations and improvements planned for the property. Ketan Patel, Kevin Hanley and Geoff Davis of HREC represented the seller, VIII-Hotel II P Loan Portfolio – Yorktowne LLC, in the transaction.
WORCESTER, MASS. — Kelleher & Sadowsky Associates has arranged the sale of an industrial building located at 70 Quinsigamond Ave. in Worcester. Lutco Inc. acquired the 65,000-square-foot property from A.M. Castle Metals Co. for an undisclosed price. The buyer plans to make several improvements, including significant electrical upgrades, to the property in January 2016.William Kelleher IV and Matthew Mayrand of Kelleher & Sadowsky Associates brokered the transaction.