NEW YORK CITY — Locally based brokerage firm Ariel Property Advisors has negotiated the $16.5 million sale of two apartment buildings totaling 110 units that are located at 226 and 259 W. 144th St. in Harlem. The elevator-served buildings both rise six stories and include one ground-floor commercial space between them. Victor Sozio, Shimon Shkury, Gabriel Elyaszadeh and Remi Mandell of Ariel represented the undisclosed seller in the transaction. The buyer was also not disclosed.
PITTSFIELD, MASS. — New Jersey-based intermediary Cronheim Mortgage has arranged a $7.4 million refinancing of Merrill Road Retail Plaza in the western Massachusetts city of Pittsfield. Built in 1971, the property was fully leased at the time of the loan closing to tenants such as T.J. Maxx, HomeGoods, Harbor Freight, Aspen Dental, Sally Beauty Supply and Planet Fitness. Andrew Stewart, Dev Morris and Brandon Szwalbenest of Cronheim arranged the 10-year loan on behalf of the borrower, Phoenix Realty Management.
By Taylor Williams From an investment perspective, the New Jersey industrial market has plenty going for it: residential density throughout, proximity to major ports, high barriers to new development — but not even those fundamentals could shield the sector from macroeconomic variables that have caused deal volume and velocity to drop in recent years. Given the benefit of hindsight, the decline in industrial investment sales activity between late 2022 and early 2024 is not really surprising. Like most major industrial markets, those of both Northern and Southern New Jersey saw explosive demand for space in the early months of the pandemic as Americans sheltered in place and did their shopping online. Rents soared to record highs; cap rates compressed to historic lows. Institutional capital planted its flag in the Class A trophy space, and investors of all types duked it out for everything else. It was a hell of a party, but it couldn’t last. And when the lights began to come back on in the form of rising interest rates, sellers that didn’t have to sell generally chose not to. “Cap rates leveled off with the pricing discovery that went on when interest rates started rising,” explains Marc Isdaner, …
NEW YORK CITY — Shawmut Design & Construction has completed The St. Vincent Health Sciences Center, a $106 million academic project located on the campus of St. John’s University in Queens. The 70,000-square-foot facility functions as a pass-through from the Residence Village to the Great Lawn and the main academic hub of the campus. The building houses classrooms, laboratories, patient simulation spaces and private study rooms, as well as a multi-story “living room,” which functions as a social hub and collaborative space for students and faculty. CannonDesign served as the project architect.
EXTON, PA. — Locally based developer Hankin Group has broken ground on Phase II of Keva Flats, a two-building, 96-unit multifamily project in Exton, about 35 miles west of Philadelphia. Phase I of Keva Flats featured 242 units in one-, two- and three-bedroom floor plans across six buildings. Amenities include a fitness center with yoga and Pilates studios; resort-style pool with a sundeck; outdoor grilling stations, fire pits and lounges; an 11,000-square-foot clubhouse; outdoor multi-sports court; and a rooftop terrace. Completion of Phase II is slated for fall 2026.
NEW BEDFORD, MASS. — CBRE has brokered the $14.2 million sale of Kings Plaza, a 168,000-square-foot shopping center in New Bedford, located near the base of Cape Cod. The center is home to tenants such as Savers, Ocean State Job Lot, McDonald’s, FunZ Trampoline Park and EC Barton Home Outlet. Nat Heald and Jordana Roet of CBRE represented the seller, Virginia-based REIT Cedar Realty Trust, in the transaction. The buyer was a undisclosed private investor.
NEW YORK CITY — Locally based brokerage firm Ariel Capital Advisors has arranged the $3.6 million sale of a six-unit apartment building located at 151 Smith St. in the Boerum Hill neighborhood of Brooklyn. The four-story building consists of five market-rate apartments and one rent-stabilized apartment, as well as two retail spaces. Sean Kelly, Nicole Daniggelis and Stephen Vorvolakos of Ariel represented the seller, Doreen DeLeon, in the transaction. The buyer was Faisal Kassim.
NEW YORK CITY — Private equity firm 17Capital has signed a 16,298-square-foot office lease in Midtown Manhattan. The firm will relocate and expand from SL Green’s 77-story One Vanderbilt tower to the entire 29th floor of 10 Bryant, a 30-story building located at 452 Fifth Ave., in early 2026. Paul Glickman, Ben Bass, Kristen Morgan and Kate Roush of JLL represented the landlord, Property & Building Corp. Ltd., in the lease negotiations. David Mainthow and Troy Elias of Cushman & Wakefield represented the tenant.
BOSTON — Carmel Partners, a San Francisco-based multifamily investor, has purchased LUKA on the Common, a 30-story apartment high-rise in downtown Boston. Northern Virginia-based AvalonBay Communities sold the 398-unit property, which was formerly known as the AVA Theater District. Carmel Partners utilized a $137.3 million Fannie Mae acquisition loan to fund the purchase. Jeff Burns, senior managing director of multifamily finance at Walker & Dunlop, originated the five-year, interest-only loan on behalf of the buyer. The agency loan features an early rate lock. “Boston’s multifamily fundamentals are among the strongest in the nation, driven by limited existing and future supply,” says Burns. “The housing scarcity has impacted both rent growth and the for-sale condominium market [in Boston] and has enabled us to refinance successfully alongside the team at Carmel.” The sales price was not disclosed, but the Boston Business Journal reported that the property traded for $212 million. Walker & Dunlop’s investment sales team in Boston, which brokered the transaction, disclosed it was the highest price paid for an apartment complex in the city in more than a year. Lee Bloch, partner at Carmel Partners, says that LUKA on the Common has an “enviable location” as it is about a 10-minute …
NANTUCKET, MASS. — DXD Development has broken ground on a 667-unit self-storage facility on Nantucket, an island located off the coast of Massachusetts. SmartStop will manage the facility, which will span 96,238 net rentable square feet, including climate-controlled and vehicle storage spaces. Park East Construction Co. will serve as the general contractor for the project, which is being financed by Centreville Bank. Completion is scheduled for the third quarter of 2025.