NEW YORK CITY — Newmark has placed a $24 million loan for the refinancing of 5-9 Union Square West, a 120,000-square-foot office building in Manhattan. The eight-story building, which was originally constructed in 1897 and formerly known as The Spingler Building, was fully leased at the time of the loan closing. Paul Talbot of Newmark placed the five-year, fixed-rate loan through Amalgamated Bank on behalf of the borrower, locally based owner-operator GFP Real Estate.
RANDOLPH, N.J. — Locally based developer CrownPoint Group has acquired a 14.5-acre site in the Northern New Jersey community of Randolph with plans to construct a 125-unit multifamily complex that will be known as Liberty Village. Liberty Village will consist of 11 buildings that will house a mix of two- and three-bedroom units, about 20 percent of which will be subject to income restrictions. Amenities will include a fitness center, golf simulator and a dog park. Construction is expected to begin during the third quarter of 2024.
CRANSTON, R.I. — Marcus & Millichap Capital Corp. (MMCC) has arranged a $9.1 million loan for the refinancing of two adjacent multifamily assets in Cranston. Built in 2016, the property at 125 Midway Road totals 29 units in one-, two- and three-bedroom floor plans. The other building at 45 Poplar Drive is an adaptive reuse of a former Catholic school and features 20 one- and two-bedroom units. Robert Damigella of MMCC arranged the debt, which was structured with a 6.35 percent interest rate, 65 percent loan-to-value ratio and a 30-year amortization schedule. The borrower and direct lender were not disclosed.
DOVER, N.H. — Northeast Credit Union will relocate its headquarters from Portsmouth to a 100,000-square-foot office space in Dover, located near the Maine-New Hampshire border. The regional nonprofit lending institution will occupy the entirety of the building at 100 Education Way, which rises four stories and was constructed in 2006, according to LoopNet Inc. Maugel DeStefano is leading the design and build-out of the space. Northeast Credit Union expects its new headquarters to be fully operational by early 2025.
HOLBROOK, MASS. — NEI General Contracting has completed construction of Maple on Franklin, a seniors housing project located about 15 miles south of Boston in Holbrook. NeighborWorks Housing Solutions developed the $18.5 million project, which spans 67,000 square feet and features 72 one-bedroom units for residents age 62 and older. The Narrow Gate served as the architect of the project, which involved the demolition of two existing buildings on the site. More than 500 applications were submitted for the 72 available units.
There are a variety of ways to build affordable housing, but implementing these strategies has become an increasingly difficult proposition in 2023. Affordable housing projects seem to face challenges on every front. Generally affordable housing developers will: Despite intensifying renter demand for new units, developers are struggling to make their projects financially feasible, says John Ducey, chief production officer in the affordable lending group at Walker & Dunlop. “Affordable housing developers are facing some of the toughest headwinds I’ve seen in more than 20 years in the industry,” Ducey says. “That means developers are forced to work harder than ever to structure deals that stretch scarce housing subsidies and maximize agency financing.” Challenging Conditions One impediment to affordable housing efforts is reduced future rent levels, related to area median income (AMI) caps the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) imposed recently on LIHTC properties in many markets in the United States. The unexpectedly restrictive caps forced developers to slash revenue projections, scuttling some transactions and forcing many loan applicants to renegotiate or seek alternative financing to salvage deals. On the expense side, inflation and the labor crunch continue to drive up costs for new construction, renovation of older affordable …
PHILADELPHIA — A partnership between Ensemble Investments, Mosaic Development Partners and Korman Communities has broken ground on a 614-unit multifamily project at the Philadelphia Navy Yard. The development will have two buildings that house a mix of luxury, market-rate and affordable residences. A formal groundbreaking ceremony will be held on Tuesday, Oct. 24, and completion of the project is slated for 2025. CBRE arranged construction debt for the project, which is being financed by a $78 million loan from insurance company Ullico and a $95 million facility from M&T Bank and Israel Discount Bank of New York. In addition, New York City-based Basis Investment Group has contributed $100 million in equity to the capital stack.
NEW YORK CITY — JLL has negotiated the $27.5 million sale of flex property located at 185 Van Dyke St. in Brooklyn’s Red Hook neighborhood that was originally built in the mid-1800s. According to LoopNet Inc., the property totals 100,697 square feet and can support office, retail and light industrial uses. Michael Mazzara, Bob Knakal, Stephen Palmese, Brendan Maddigan, Hall Oster, Jonathan Hageman, Ethan Stanton, Winfield Clifford and Connor McCullough of JLL represented the seller, locally based investment firm Lande Alexander Properties, in the transaction. Dan Morici, also with JLL, represented the buyer, San Francisco-based Terreno Realty Corp.
ASHFORD, CONN. — Northeast Private Client Group (NEPCG) has arranged the $6.1 million sale of Ashford Hills Apartments, a 52-unit multifamily property located on the eastern outskirts of Hartford. According to Apartments.com, the property was built in 1969 and offers one-, two- and three-bedroom units that range in size from 625 to 1,014 square feet. Taylor Perun and Cameron Formica of NEPCG represented the seller and procured the buyer, both of which requested anonymity, in the transaction.
FAIRFIELD, N.J. — Chicago-based investment firm Venture One Real Estate has acquired a 103,008-square-foot industrial property in the Northern New Jersey community of Fairfield. According to LoopNet Inc., the property at 25 Commerce Road, which was roughly 68 percent leased at the time of sale, was built in 1982 and features a clear height of 24 feet. Leo Joseph and Josh Meisner of Leo Joseph and Co. represented Venture One in the transaction. The new ownership has hired Cushman & Wakefield to market the property for lease. The seller was not disclosed.
