STATE COLLEGE, PA. — Berkadia has arranged the $24.5 million sale of Blue Course Commons, a 276-bed student housing property that serves students at Penn State University in State College. The 92-unit property was fully occupied at the time of sale. Matthew Stefanski, Zachary Pierce, Maura Spellman, Kevin Larimer and Brandon Buell of Berkadia represented the seller, Pennsylvania-based College Town Communities, in the transaction. The buyer was Pennsbury Capital.
LANCASTER, MASS. — MassHousing has provided $8 million in financing for a 32-unit mixed-income housing project in Lancaster, about 45 miles west of Boston. MCO Cottage Rentals will be situated on an 18-acre site and feature 20 two-bedroom units and 12 three-bedroom units, eight of which will be reserved for households earning 80 percent or less of the area median income. The other 24 units will be rented at market rates. The borrower is MCO & Associates. Completion is slated for October.
FLEMINGTON, N.J. — Marcus & Millichap has brokered the $7.5 million sale of a 7,388-square-foot retail strip center in Flemington, about 60 miles southwest of Manhattan. The center was renovated in 2023 and is home to Aspen Dental and City MD Urgent Care. Dean Zang, David Crotts, Alan Cafiero and Brent Hyldahl of Marcus & Millichap represented the seller, New Jersey-based investment firm Paramount Realty, in the transaction. Tom Georges of Northmarq represented the buyer, a local private investor.
NEW YORK CITY — Local haircare providers amika and Eva NYC have signed a 10-year, 19,000-square-foot office lease for shared headquarters space in Brooklyn. The brands will both operate out of 25 Kent, a mixed-use waterfront building in the Williamsburg neighborhood. Sam Seiler of JLL represented the landlord, Rubenstein Partners, in the lease negotiations. Michael Berman and Whitten Morris, also of JLL, represented the tenants, which plan to take occupancy of their new space this fall.
PHILADELPHIA — Stockton Real Estate Advisors has negotiated the sale of 1760 Market Street, a 126,000-square-foot office building in downtown Philadelphia. The building offers a tenant lounge and conference center, as well as indoor bike storage space. Stockton previously co-owned the building and repositioned the asset for sale in 2018 via renovation of the penthouse suite, which now features private rooftop decks and mezzanine space, as well as the introduction of new building systems. The buyer and seller were not disclosed.
MassDevelopment Provides $17M Bond Financing for Affordable Housing Project in Lowell, Massachusetts
LOWELL, MASS. — MassDevelopment has provided $17 million in tax-exempt bond financing for a 52-unit affordable housing project that will be located north of Boston in Lowell. The site formerly housed a Merrimack Valley Food Bank warehouse that will be demolished, although select areas of the historic façade will be retained and restored. The majority (41) of the units will be reserved for households earning 60 percent or less of the area median income (AMI), with the other 11 to be set aside for renters earning 30 percent or less of AMI. The borrower is an affiliate of Tremont Development Partners. Eastern Bank purchased the bond.
NEW YORK CITY — Marcus & Millichap has brokered the $9 million sale of a five-story, 17,645-square-foot commercial building located at 216 E. 49th St. in Manhattan’s Turtle Bay area. The building currently houses office space on the upper floors but is zoned to accommodate residential conversion. The building also features a 3,800-square-foot ground-floor space that is vented for a restaurant with a fully built-out basement. Peter Dodge, Joe Koicim, Logan Markley and Zan Colin of Marcus & Millichap represented the seller, a family office that owned and operated the property for 25 years, in the transaction. The buyer was a local restaurateur that plans to occupy the space.
NEW YORK CITY — Harvey, a San Francisco-based generative AI platform for professional services, has signed a 17,050-square-foot office lease in Midtown Manhattan. The space spans the entire fifth floor of 315 Park Avenue S., a 20-story building in the Flatiron District. Todd Stracci and Hugh Scott of JLL represented the tenant in the lease negotiations. David Falk, Peter Shimkin and Jonathan Fanuzzi of Newmark, in conjunction with internal agents Maria Blake and Ted Koltis, represented the landlord, Columbia Property Trust.
NEW YORK CITY — CBRE has arranged a 15,379-square-foot office lease renewal in Midtown Manhattan. The tenant, Kenneth Park Architects, will continue to occupy the entire seventh floor at 360 Lexington Avenue, a 24-story, 268,383-square-foot building. Steve Eynon of CBRE represented the tenant in the lease negotiations. Locally based investment firm Savanna owns the building.
NEW YORK CITY AND DALLAS — HBC, the New York City-based parent company of Saks Fifth Avenue, has agreed to acquire Dallas-based Neiman Marcus Group. The merger between the two luxury fashion retailers is valued at $2.6 billion. An estimated closing date was not released. Following the acquisition, HBC will establish Saks Global, an entity that will combine the intellectual property and real estate assets of the two companies. Brands that are already owned by HBC or Neiman Marcus, including Saks OFF 5th, Bergdorf Goodman and Last Call Outlet, will continue operations under their original names. HBC will fund the purchase through a combination of equity from new and existing shareholders. Notably, both Amazon and Salesforce will be shareholders in the new company upon closing, with the Seattle-based e-commerce giant also expected to take on a consultative role. According to CNN, the two companies have been discussing a merger for several years. The Atlanta-based news network also reports that Saks currently operates 39 stores, while Neiman Marcus, which filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy in 2020, operates 36 stores. “For years, many in the industry have anticipated this transaction and the benefits it would drive for customers, partners and employees,” says …