READING, MASS. — Henderson Global Investors has acquired Reading Commons, a 204-unit luxury multifamily community located in the Boston suburb of Reading, for $48.5 million. The property was originally developed by Archstone Properties in 2006; occupancy was 97 percent at the time of closing. Henderson has selected Boston-based Corcoran Management Co. to manage day-to-day operations of the property. Henderson acquired Reading Commons on behalf of CASA Partners IV, the company’s value-add fund. The acquisition marks the funds first purchase in the Northeast and its third property acquired in 2008.
ALBANY, N.Y. — The grand opening has been held for Hotel Indigo Albany–Latham, a 107-room boutique hotel located in the Wolf Road business district of Albany. Owned by Shaker Hills Hospitality under an exclusive license agreement with Atlanta-based InterContinental Hotels Group, the five-story hotel features a fitness center, a 24-hour business center and approximately 1,200 square feet of meeting space. Food and beverage options include a Starbucks Coffee location and Blue Stone Bistro, which contains a 40-foot long bar and two separate dining rooms that can accommodate up to 125 people. The restaurant will open in January. The hotel was re-branded a Hotel Indigo after a $4 million renovation. DeLaCruz Enterprises provided interior design work for the project. The Albany location marks the second Hotel Indigo in New York.
NEW YORK CITY — LCOR has secured $33 million in construction financing for a 142-unit residential rental property located at 34 Berry St. in the Williamsburg neighborhood of Brooklyn. Amenities for the $69 million project, which is scheduled for a spring 2010 completion, will include a landscaped outdoor garden, a rooftop terrace and lounge, a fitness center, a business meeting room and on-site parking for 71 cars. The loan was originated by Richard Bassuk of Singer & Bassuk; the lender was bank of America. Terms of the financing were not disclosed. The project was designed by Perkins Eastman; the general contractor is Ryder Construction. Leasing is being handled by Rose Associates.
MILFORD, CONN. — Whole Foods Market has joined the tenant roster at Milford Marketplace, a 112,000-square-foot lifestyle center currently under development by Chattanooga, Tenn.-based CBL & Associates Properties. Located at the intersection of Boston Post and Woodruff roads, the property features buildings with two-story façades, as well as curbside parking. Tenants at the center include Ann Taylor LOFT, Banana Republic, Blue Tulip, Coldwater Creek, Chico’s, J. Jill, Jos A. Bank, Tengda Asian Bistro, People’s Bank and White House | Black Market. Construction for the Whole Foods is under way, with the grand opening scheduled for fall 2009.
JERSEY CITY, N.J., AND MACUNGIE AND ALLENTOWN, PA. — Bridgewater, N.J.-based SK Properties (SKP) has secured more than $170 million in construction financing for three multifamily properties located in New Jersey and Pennsylvania. In Jersey City, SKP closed on a $107.5 million loan for 225 Grand, a 12-story, 348-unit building located along the Hudson River waterfront that the company is developing in partnership with Applied Development Co. The building is part of the Liberty Harbor North development. The loan carries a 3-year term and was placed with PNC Bank, TD Banknorth, Capital One and Commonwealth Bank Group, with PNC Bank serving as lead lender. SKP closed on a $46 million loan for Centronia Road Apartments, a 364-unit, garden-style apartment community located on Centronia Road in Upper Macungie Township. The community comprises 26 buildings, a clubhouse and a pool. The loan carries a 3-year term, and was placed with Capital One, with TD Bank participating. Finally, SKP closed on a $17.1 million loan for Allenbrook Apartments, a 133-unit community located in Allentown. The loan carries a 3-year term, and was placed with Bank of America.
EAST WINDSOR, N.J. — Woodmont Properties and Simon Developments have completed construction of the first of four buildings that will comprise SciPark, a 240,000-square-foot, Class A office complex located in East Windsor. Building 1 totals 65,975 square feet and is divisible from 6,000 square feet. It was designed by CUH2A; Parsippany, N.J.-based GVA Williams New Jersey will serve as exclusive leasing agent for the building. SciPark will cater to pharmaceutical, biomedical and high-tech companies looking for laboratory and office space. The four buildings will face each other in a plaza orientation, and the complex will contain a total of 750 parking spaces. Amenities include a jogging path and picnic tables. Buildings will offer private drives, corporate signage, 18-foot clear ceiling heights, 44-foot by 33-foot column spacing, effluent cleaning areas and under-floor drainage systems. The project is applying for LEED certification from the U.S. Green Building Council.
WAWAYANDA, N.Y. — CB Richard Ellis (CBRE) has completed the sale of an approximately 62-acre, shovel-ready development site located at Pine Lane Business Center in Wawayanda. The parcel was acquired by Medline Industries, a medical supplies manufacturer, which plans to develop an approximately 500,000-square-foot building at the site. Frank Tomasulo of CBRE’s Stamford, Conn., office represented the seller, Sacramento, Calif.-based Panattoni Development. Tomasulo is also the exclusive sales agent for the remaining parcel at Pine Lane Business Center, which can accommodate a second building of up to 241,000 square feet.
PLAINVIEW, N.Y. — Williams Real Estate has brokered a $35 million lease that will relocate defense contractor Cox & Co. from Manhattan to a 250,000-square-foot facility located on Long Island at 1650 Old Country Rd. in Plainview. Cox will occupy 90,000 square feet of the single-story building. The tenant build-out for the new space will be completed by Long Island-based Steel Equities. Robert Tunis and Richard Warshauer of Williams Real Estate represented Cox in lease negotiations. The brokerage firm also arranged a deal where the landlord for Cox’s old office space will buy out the last two years of the tenant’s lease. Steel Equities also located a user for the remainder of the space in the. Plainview building. Sales and property tax relief, as well as reduced energy costs, were provided by the Nassau County Industrial Development Agency and the Long Island Power Authority. Williams Real Estate is the New York-area hub of FirstService Commercial Real Estate.
STOUGHTON, MASS. — Norwell, Mass.-based Acella Construction Corp. has been selected by Venice, Calif.-based Gold’s Gym to build a new location for the fitness chain at 525 Washington St. in Stoughton. The building will total 45,000 square feet; one section will contain an Olympic-size swimming pool and a splash pool. The two-story center section of the building will include an indoor track, exercise rooms, a juice bar, tanning facilities, physical therapy services and a children’s activity area. The third section of the project will contain basketball and racquetball courts. Construction is expected to be complete by late 2009. Architecture services are being provided by Pando Associates Architects.
AYER, MASS. — Integrated Builders has completed interior improvements for a 200,000-square-foot flex facility for L-3 Communications, located at 2 Nemco Way in Ayer. Construction consisted of the conversion of the warehouse building into 135,000 square feet of manufacturing space and 65,000 square feet of office space. In addition to the build-out, Integrated Builders installed new mechanical and electrical systems, as well as a new compressed air and vacuum system. L-3 will consolidate several of its locations into the new facility. The project architect was Harvard, Mass.-based Maugel Architects.