PHILADELPHIA — Houston-based developer Lovett Industrial has purchased a 109,000-square-foot manufacturing facility in Philadelphia with plans to redevelop the property as a 176,000-square-foot warehouse and distribution center. The 14.5-acre site is located at the southeast corner of U.S. Highway 1 and Red Lion Road in northeast Philadelphia. The new facility will have a rear-load configuration, clear height of 36 feet, 185-foot truck court depths and ample trailer parking space. Cushman & Wakefield represented the undisclosed seller in the land deal. Lovett Industrial plans to begin demolitions next fall following the current manufacturing tenant’s vacating of the premises in the first quarter of next year.
NEW YORK CITY — Boston-based developer The Davis Cos. has broken ground on a 97-unit multifamily project at 1975 Madison Ave. in Harlem. Designed by DXA Studio and built by Broadway Construction Group, the eight-story building will house one- and two-bedroom units, with 30 percent of the residences earmarked as affordable housing. Amenities will include a fitness center, resident lounge, coworking space, pet spa and a rooftop terrace. Completion is slated for late 2025.
SOUTH WINDSOR, CONN. — Whole Foods Market will open a 43,406-square-foot store at The Shops at Evergreen Walk in South Windsor, a suburb of Hartford, on Jan. 17. The store, which will be the Austin-based grocer’s fifth in the Hartford area, will offer more than 1,000 locally sourced items and will feature full-service meat and seafood counters, a bakery, prepared foods section and a wellness and beauty section.
PHILADELPHIA — Zahav Biosciences, a developer of cancer treatments and therapies, has signed an 8,200-square-foot lease for its new headquarters at Race Street Labs, a 180,000-square-foot life sciences facility in Philadelphia. Patrick Kelley of Avison Young represented Zahav Biosciences in the lease negotiations. Brian Young and Paul Garvey of Cushman & Wakefield represented the landlord, Iron Stone Real Estate Partners.
NEW YORK CITY — Queens Development Group, a joint venture between Related Cos. and Sterling Equities, has broken ground on the first phase of a 2,500-unit affordable housing project in the New York City borough of Queens. The project, named Willets Point, will be the city’s largest affordable housing development in 40 years, according to the joint venture. Wells Fargo has arranged a total of $360 million in financing for Phase I of the development, with a $236.5 million construction loan and $123.5 million Low-Income Housing Tax Credit investment. Phase I of the development will feature two mid-rise buildings offering a combined 880 units of affordable housing. Forty percent of units will be reserved for residents earning at or below 60 percent of the area median income, and 15 percent of units will be set aside for tenants that formerly experienced homelessness. Amenities will include a landscaped inner courtyard, laundry facilities, lounge space with access to outdoor terraces, bicycle storage and ground-floor retail space. The development will also include infrastructure investments like new streets, signage, sidewalks, trees, lights, drainage, stormwater management, water hydrants, sewers and utilities. Future components of the development will include a 650-seat standalone public school, New York …
NEW YORK CITY — Wells Fargo has provided $293 million in Fannie Mae financing for Lyra, a 590-unit apartment building in Manhattan’s Hudson Yards neighborhood. The property was completed in 2022 and features Class A amenities, a full-time doorman and ground-floor retail space. Additionally, 30 percent of the units are designated as affordable housing. The five-year loan retires a $225 million construction loan that Wells Fargo provided in 2019. Matthew Wiener and Preyaa Strzalkowski of Wells Fargo originated the financing on behalf of the borrower, an affiliate of Rockrose Development.
NEW YORK CITY — A partnership between two locally based firms, EJS Group and New Hope Capital, has received $108.1 million in construction financing for a 240-unit multifamily project in Brooklyn’s Bedford-Stuyvesant neighborhood. The development at 12 Halsey St. will consist of three buildings, with 30 percent of the units to be reserved as affordable housing. Amenities will include a pool, fitness center, tenant lounge and rooftop garden, as well as ground-floor retail space. Completion is slated for fall 2025. The financing package consists of an $83.1 million senior mortgage loan from Bank OZK and $25 million in mezzanine financing from CanAm Enterprises. Aaron Appel of Walker & Dunlop arranged the debt on behalf of the developers.
WESTFIELD, N.J. — A joint venture between two New Jersey-based developers, Premier Development and Garden Communities, is underway on construction of a 162-unit multifamily project in the Northern New Jersey community of Westfield. Designed by BlackBird Group Architects, Parkside at Westfield will be a three-story building that offers one-, two- and three-bedroom units. Residences will range in size from 985 to 1,944 square feet. Amenities will include a fitness center, clubhouse, library, golf simulator, playground and outdoor grilling and dining stations. Delivery is scheduled for late spring 2024.
INDEPENDENCE, N.J. — New Jersey-based developer Woodmont Properties has reached 75 percent occupancy at the first phase of Woodmont Liberty at Independence, a 120-unit multifamily project that is located on an 11-acre site about 60 miles west of Manhattan. The property offers one- and two-bedroom units that are furnished with custom-designed kitchens, walk-in closets, keyless entry mechanisms, individual washers and dryers and private balconies/patios. Amenities include a pool, outdoor grilling and dining areas, a fitness center, game room, conference center, walking trails and a dog park. Leasing began in April, at which point rents started at $2,440 per month for a one-bedroom apartment.
NEW YORK CITY — Five tenants have signed leases for office and showroom space at 1 East 33rd Street, a 160,000-square-foot building in Midtown Manhattan. The tenants are apparel company Q4 Designs (26,504 square feet); pet products provider European Home Designs (13,027 square feet), home furnishings firm Franco Manufacturing (6,894 square feet); Regal Jewelry (13,027 square feet); and Jem International (18,624 square feet). Koeppel Rosen LLC owns the building, which was originally constructed in 1913 and is now fully leased.