PHILADELPHIA — Philadelphia Hospitality Partners L.P. has sold a majority interest of the Ritz-Carlton Philadelphia to Carey Watermark Investors Inc. The 299-room hotel features 26,000 square feet of meeting space, two food and beverage outlets and the Richel D’Ambra Spa and Salon. The new owner plans to implement a comprehensive $21.3 million, or $71,000 per key, renovation of the property beginning in the third quarter. The Ritz-Carlton Hotel Company will continue to manage the property. Hodges Ward Elliott represented the seller in the transaction. Financial terms of the sale were not released.
KIRKWOOD, N.Y. — An affiliate of Blue Bell, Pa.-based Equilibrium Equities Inc. has acquired a distribution center located at One Grosset Drive in Kirkwood, within the Greater Binghampton, N.Y., area. Penguin Random House LLC sold the property for an undisclosed price. The buyer plans to immediately rebrand the 514,000-square-foot center as a multi-tenant distribution facility called Triumph Business Center. Situated on 51 acres, the property features 28- and 29-foot ceiling heights, a 62,000-square-foot rack-support section, and a fully automated storage and retrieval system with an 82-foot ceiling height. Planned renovations include improved exterior aesthetics, lighting and signage upgrades, minor building system repairs and improved truck loading. Pre-leasing activities for the rebranded center have already commenced.
EAST HAVEN, CONN. — TS East Haven LLC, an entity controlled by Ceruzzi Properties, has sold Trolley Square, a retail center in East Haven, to a Manhattan-based private investor for $22 million, as part of a 1031 exchange. Located at the intersection of Hemingway Avenue and Main Street, the 107,921-square-foot shopping center is anchored by a Stop & Shop and fully leased to a variety of national and local tenants. Jeffrey Dunne, David Gavin, Chris Angelone and Nat Heald of CBRE represented the seller and procured the buyer in the transaction. Robert Von Ancken of Newmark Grubb Knight Frank advised the buyer and secured a second mortgage to complete the purchase on behalf of the buyer.
EDGEWATER, N.J. — Mark Scott’s Commercial Mortgage Capital (CMC) has arranged $12.5 million in construction financing for Phase II of The Pearl, a residential project on New Jersey’s Gold Coast in Edgewater. The financing was arranged with CIT on behalf of the borrower and developer, National Resources. Located at 45 River Road, The Pearl will feature 63 condominiums with 10-foot ceiling heights with full-height windows, high-end natural finishes and sustainable energy systems. On-site amenities will include a 24-hour concierge service, state-of-the-art fitness center, an outdoor pool with views of Manhattan, rooftop deck, restaurants, shops and riverside parks. National Resources partnered with Lessard Design Associates and Alan Tanksley Interiors to transform the six-story commercial building, which was originally designed by Skidmore Owings & Merrill for Lever Brothers in 1953, into a residential project.
SOUTH PLAINFIELD, N.J. — Bussel Realty Corp. has arranged the sale of an industrial property located at 111 Somogyi Court in South Plainfield. Somogyi Holdings LLC purchased the 64,990-square-foot property for $4 million. Situated on six acres, the property features 20-foot ceiling heights, 1,200 amps of electric power, 10 tailboards, seven drive-ins, wet sprinklers and rail service. David Blitt and Robert Sager of Bussel Realty represented the buyer, while CBRE represented the undisclosed seller in the transaction.
EAST HARTFORD, CONN. — Sentry Commercial has brokered the sale and acquisition of an industrial property located at 60 Meadow St. in East Hartford. Arthur J. Hurley Co. purchased the 52,214-square-foot facility for $1.5 million from New Boston Fund. The electrical wire and cable distribution company plans to expand operations into the property this fall. Sentry Commercial was the sole broker in the transaction.
PURCHASE, N.Y. — WESTMED Medical Group has opened its fifth full-service office in Westchester County, N.Y. Located at 3030 Westchester Ave. within Purchase Professional Park in Purchase, the four-story, 85,000-square-foot medical office property is the first new construction along the Interstate 287 corridor in more than 25 years. Developers Simone Healthcare Development and Fareri Associates completed the $22 million property in less than 14 months. The medical facility will offer a variety of specialty practices, including internal medicine, pediatrics, dermatology, endocrinology, ENT, plastic surgery, reproductive endocrinology, critical care and neurology among others.
BOSTON AND LOS ANGELES — Boston-based Sperry Van Ness International Corp. (SVNIC) has partnered with Los Angeles-based DealPoint Merrill to form a private equity firm. Operating under the name of SVN DealPoint Merrill Realty Partners, the new firm will capitalize on SVNIC’s access to investment opportunities, which will be then matched by DealPoint Merrill’s development experience. Kevin Maggiacomo, president and CEO of SVNIC, explains that the “goal of the new partnership is to build preeminent investor value by acquiring co-investment assets, which are fundamentally sound but undervalued.” “On a risk-adjusted basis, we prefer apartments, multi-tenant retail, self-storage and medical properties,” notes David Frank, CEO of DealPoint Merrill. “The new partnership will secure multiple rounds of real estate equity investment with the first tranche of approximately $100 million in the first year to acquire property in the name of the partnership.” SVNIC has approximately $9.1 billion in annual sales volumes and 190 national sales offices. DealPoint Merrill has acquired more than $2 billion in assets and attracted more than $1 billion in equity for commercial real estate investments.
NEW YORK CITY — Pembrook Capital Management LLC has secured a $20 million first mortgage loan for the acquisition of a retail property located at 468 Columbus Ave. in Manhattan’s Upper West Side. The property is currently a three-story, 15,000-square-foot vacant retail asset with the potential for residential development. The undisclosed borrower plans to lease the current three floors to a retail tenant and redevelop the property for residential use by adding five additional floors of apartments. Upon completion, the new property is expected to be eight stores with 31,000 square feet of rentable space. Terence Baydala of Pembrook arranged the financing.
HOLMDEL, N.J. — Cronheim Mortgage has arranged $13.4 million in refinancing for Kohl’s Plaza, a retail plaza located at the intersection of Route 35 and Union Ave. in Holmdel. The 10-year loan, which was placed with Voya Insurance and Annuity Co., features a 25-year amortization schedule. Purchase, N.Y.-based National Realty & Development Corp. manage the property, of which Tarrytown, N.J.-based Gibraltar Management also owns an interest. An 87,932-square-foot Kohl’s and a 37,020-square-foot Stein Mart anchor the property. Other tenants include Jersey Mike’s, 7-Eleven, Harmon Stores and Beach Bum Tanning. Andrew Stewart, Dev Morris and Allison Moravec of Cronheim Mortgage secured the financing for the borrower.