BOSTON — General contractor Columbia Construction and locally based design firm Margulies Perruzzi Architects have completed a 20,000-square-foot office and life sciences project in Boston. The space serves as an innovation and workplace training center for biotechnology firm Boston Scientific Corp. and includes procedure rooms for simulated surgeries, conference rooms with movable walls, an auditorium and amenity spaces. R.W. Sullivan handled engineering services for the project.
NEW YORK CITY — L&L Holding Co. has received a $911 million loan for the refinancing of 425 Park Avenue, a 47-story office tower located in the Plaza District of Midtown Manhattan. Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Bank was the lead lender and administrative agent on the five-year, floating-rate loan. The proceeds will be used to pay off a 2021 loan of the same size, which was used to fund final construction and leasing efforts at the tower, which opened in 2022. L&L Holding, along with co-developer Tokyu Land US Corp. and co-managing partner BGO, broke ground on the project in 2016. Foster + Partners designed the asset, which was built to LEED and WELL Core Gold sustainability standards, thanks to energy-efficient mechanical and ventilation systems. 425 Park Avenue totals 670,000 square feet and is currently 90 percent leased, primarily to finance and investment firms. The building’s anchor tenant is Citadel, a multinational hedge fund and financial services company. The company occupies 440,000 square feet across 22 floors. A space near the top of the tower is reserved for an amenity center dubbed The Diagrid Club. The center features outdoor spaces, an art installation by contemporary artist Yayoi Kusama and private rooms for …
NEW BRUNSWICK, N.J. — TSB Capital Advisors has arranged a loan of an undisclosed amount for the refinancing for VERVE, a 696-unit student housing community located near Rutgers University’s main campus in New Brunswick. Constructed in 2020, the community offers single- and double-occupancy units in studio through five-bedroom configurations. Shared amenities include a fitness center, private and group study lounges, gaming spaces, a private parking garage and indoor bike storage. The community also houses ground-floor retail space. An affiliate of QuadReal Property Group provided the fixed-rate loan, which features a future funding component, to the borrower, a joint venture between The Scion Group and PGIM Real Estate.
NEW BRUNSWICK, N.J. — The Community Builders, a nonprofit multifamily developer, has broken ground on Stirlingside Residences, a 53-unit affordable housing project in the Central New Jersey community of New Brunswick. Stirlingside Residences will feature 13 three-bedroom units, 30 two-bedroom residences and 10 one-bedroom apartments, with six units set aside for families and individuals who previously experienced homelessness. The majority (47) of the units are reserved for households earning 60 percent or less of the area median income. Amenities will include a community room, fitness room and onsite laundry facilities. Delivery is scheduled for mid-2025.
BOSTON — Marcus & Millichap has brokered the $5.3 million sale of a 20-unit workforce housing building in the Dorchester area of Boston. The four-story building at 820-828 Blue Hill Ave. offers one-, two- and three-bedroom units across 21,410 square feet of space. Information on specific income restrictions was not disclosed. Evan Griffith and Tony Pepdjonovic of Marcus & Millichap represented the seller and procured the buyer, both of which requested anonymity, in the transaction.
WESTFORD, MASS. — Locally based investment firm Empire Management has purchased a 28,000-square-foot industrial flex building in Acton, a northwestern suburb of Boston, for $5.1 million. The building at 364 Littleton Road, which according to LoopNet Inc. was constructed in 1998, was fully leased at the time of sale to tenants such as Alpha Graphics, National Roofing Co. and ADVG Digital. The seller was Ryan Development. Bernard Gibbons of ABG Commercial Realty brokered the deal.
WESTPORT, CONN. — Locally based brokerage firm Choyce Peterson has negotiated the sale of a 32,000-square-foot industrial building in the southern coastal Connecticut city of Westport. According to LoopNet Inc., the building at 315 Post Road W rises three stories and was constructed in 1978. Scott Peterson and Charlene O’Connell represented the seller, a local family partnership, in the transaction. The buyer was an affiliate of Stamford-based investment firm American Bailey Corp.
With elevated prices on everything from land to debt financing, insurance, building materials and labor, developers face an uphill climb attempting to pencil out multifamily projects at a profit. That’s why in 2024, developers are opting for practical and convenient amenities over luxury and choosing builder-friendly suburban locations over complex urban sites. And with diminishing room to raise rents on market-rate apartments, many investors and developers are shifting their attention to affordable and workforce housing, where incentives offset some expenses and, ideally, help position projects to deliver positive returns. “Market-rate developers in our region are starting to change their model to embrace more of an affordable product,” confirms Chad Riddle, Atlanta branch manager at Bohler. “Unfortunately, that puts them behind the eight ball because they may not know the tricks of the trade and they are competing with affordable housing developers that already know the business and are thriving.” There is no single strategy to pencil out a profitable multifamily project, but developers are achieving success by sticking to proven, cost-effective design elements and amenities, avoiding costly missteps and cutting down unnecessary spending throughout the development process. Drawing on affordable housing specialists and other in-house experts, Bohler helps clients avoid …
NEW YORK CITY — Locally based investment firm Williams Equities has received a $155 million CMBS loan for the refinancing of 28-40 West 23rd Street, a 578,105-square-foot mixed-use property in Manhattan. The two-building complex, which originally housed the Ladies Mile department store, is located between Fifth and Sixth avenues in the Flatiron District. Home Depot serves as the property’s longtime retail anchor tenant and recently signed a renewal. Office tenants include digital credit card company Ramp and Estee Lauder brand Aramis. Citi Real Estate Funding provided the five-year loan, and Williams Equities will use a portion of the proceeds to fund capital improvements.
NEW YORK CITY — Harbor Group International has completed the $128 million renovation of an office building located at 51 W. 52nd Ave. in Midtown Manhattan. The building now features updated lobbies and tenant amenities, including a fitness center, lounges and conference facilities, as well as new elevators and furniture. Vocon and MdeAS Architects served as the project architects. Harbor Group acquired the 38-story, 900,000-square-foot building, which houses the headquarters of CBS, in late 2021. The owner also has its 25,000-square-foot headquarters office on the 19th floor of the building.