ELIZABETH, N.J., AND FORT WORTH, TEXAS — Simon has closed on its acquisition of two retail centers in New Jersey and Fort Worth, Texas, for an aggregate purchase price of $1.09 billion, including the assumption of existing mortgage debt. The two properties were acquired in connection with the closing of Washington Prime Group’s acquisition of Glimcher Realty Trust. Located in Elizabeth, Jersey Gardens, which has been renamed The Mills at Jersey Gardens, features a variety of tenants, including Bed, Bath & Beyond; Century 21; Coach Factory; Forever XX1; Lord & Taylor Outlet; Michael Kors; Neiman Marcus Last Call; Nike Factory Store; Saks Fifth Avenue Off 5th; and AMC Theatres. University Park Village in Fort Worth is tenanted by Ann Taylor, Anthropologie, Apple, Athleta, Banana Republic, Chico’s, Free People, J. Crew, Lululemon Athletica, Madewell, Michael Kors, Pottery Barn, Talbots, Vera Bradley, White House | Black Market, and Williams-Sonoma.
CARLSTADT, N.J. — CenterPoint Properties has sold its facility at 30 Commerce Road in Carlstadt for an undisclosed price. Caudalie, a French skin care company, purchased the property, which is located on 1.44 acres and features two exterior loading docks, in an off-market transaction. The facility offers close proximity to New York and major highways, including Interstate 95, the New Jersey Turnpike and New Jersey Routes 46 and 80. Andrew Houston, Larry Casey and Robin Ritter-Ceriello of DTZ represented the seller in the deal.
PHILADELPHIA — Integra Real Estate Capital has arranged a $1.83 million bridge loan for the acquisition of an office building located on Sandmeyer Lane in Philadelphia. The newly constructed property offers 48,750 square feet of flex office space. Integra was able to close the loan within 16 days to meet the constraint of the buyer’s 1031 exchange deadline. The non-recourse loan features a competitive interest rate and a flexible repayment structure. Igor Goldenberg of Integra negotiated the transaction on behalf of the New York-based ownership group.
BOSTON — The Pebbles Corp. has been selected to develop its first project in Boston. The firm was selected by MassDot and Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority (MBTA) to develop a mixed-use project at Turnpike Air Rights Parcel 13, located at the intersection of Boylston Street and Massachusetts Avenue in Boston’s Back Bay neighborhood. Along with Handel Architects and Utile Inc., a Boston-based think tank, Pebbles has proposed The Viola Back Bay, a $330 million, 390,000-square-foot mixed-use development for the site. The proposed plans include a 156-key boutique hotel, 88 condominiums with unobstructed views of the Charles River, 85 residential apartments, 20,000 square feet of retail and 138 on-site parking spaces. The transit-oriented property will be accessible by Hynes Station and offer ground-floor access via a new entrance on Boylston Avenue. HDR Inc., an architecture and engineering firm specializing in transit projects, will serve as station designer for the project. Parcel 13 encompasses approximately 54,500 square feet of air rights over the Massachusetts Turnpike and portions of the MBTA Green Line tunnel across the street the from Hynes Convention Center. Construction is expected to commence in 24 to 36 months pending the approval process.
NEW YORK CITY — Housing & Healthcare Finance (HHC Finance) has closed and funded a $47 million loan for the acquisition of The Phoenix Center for Rehabilitation and Nursing, formerly Atlantis Rehab Center, in Brooklyn’s Fort Greene section. CareRite Centers purchased the 11-story, 400-bed skilled nursing facility, which overlooks Fort Greene Park and is adjacent to Brooklyn Hospital. The facility provides short-term rehab, respiratory care, IV therapy, wound care, long-term healthcare and hospice care services. The acquisition financing comprised a $41.6 million first mortgage and a $5.2 million mezzanine loan provided by HHC Finance. Additionally, the overall financing package included a $4 million accounts receivable line of credit.
NEW YORK CITY — Ariel Property Advisors has brokered the sale of a 16-building multifamily portfolio in the northern section of Staten Island. A private investor purchased the 177-unit portfolio from a real estate investment firm for $17.89 million. Located at 150, 165 and 220 Trantor Place, the portfolio features 106 one-bedroom units and 71 two-bedroom units. Victor Sozio, Shimon Shkury, Michael Tortorici, Mark Spinelli and Josh Berkowitz of Ariel Property Advisors represented the seller and buyer in the transaction.
NEW YORK CITY — HAP Investments LLC has opened HAP 1, a residential building located at 419 East 117th St. in East Harlem. The six-story property features eight apartments, including a duplex penthouse and full-floor garden apartment. The original building was renovated and two floors and an elevator were added. All units offer Porcelanosa bath and kitchen features, as well as in-unit washer/dyers. The building features a rooftop terrace and a backyard garden, which is available for the lower level full-floor apartment.
STAMFORD, CONN. — Deloitte has taken occupancy of its new offices at BLT Financial Centre at 200 Elm St. in downtown Stamford. The 117,700-square-foot space was tailored to accommodate Deloitte’s Next Generation Workplace, a collaborative environment with flexible workstations. BLT Financial Centre recently underwent a comprehensive renovation and repositioning program. The property comprises two six-story interconnected buildings and features a four-story glass atrium main lobby and 1,400 covered parking spaces. Building and Land Technology owns the 594,000-square-foot property, which it acquired in 2011.
Large-scale new retail development in Connecticut has historically been relegated to super-regional markets or traditional retail nodes — north of Fairfield County, for the most part. It’s really a simple formula: strong national and regional retailers typically want to be surrounded by dynamic retail synergy, and if there’s a great enough demand for a specific market, developers jump on the opportunity to capitalize. It’s happened in Manchester/South Windsor, it’s happened in Milford and its happened in Danbury. From time to time we see pockets of development in less traditional markets but overall, developers stick to “less risky” markets where demand is imminent and the municipalities are of the pro-development variety. Recently, though, larger-scale developments in smaller towns are starting to appear more frequently and retailers and brokers seem to be slowly embracing the emerging trend. Are we running out of developable land in the super regional markets? I don’t think this is the case. I think developers are recognizing that well-placed, large-scale retail projects in smaller towns are garnering significant interest from national brands of all sizes. Developers have had success getting the ever-important anchors to these sites, and that is more than half the battle. -Smaller-format retailers follow in …
NEW YORK CITY — Meridian Capital Group has arranged a $44.8 million loan and $15.5 million in joint-venture equity for the construction of a multifamily property in the Astoria neighborhood of Queens. The three-year, interest-only loan, which was provided by CIT Real Estate Finance, features a LIBOR-based, floating-rate and two one-year extension options. Glenmont Capital Management provided the $15.5 million joint-venture equity. Tal Bar-Or of Meridian Capital Group negotiated the transactions. The undisclosed sponsor plans to develop a 143,320-square-foot structure on the site, which is located at 31-53 31st St. and was acquired through an off-market transaction. The property will feature 114 apartments, parking, retail space, storage and a community facility. On-site amenities will include a 24-hour doorman, sound-proof construction, on-site parking, a laundry room, bicycle storage, a media room, a fitness and yoga room, grocery storage, tenant storage and rooftop decks for grilling and lounging.