FITCHBURG, MASS. — MassDevelopment has provided $11 million in tax-exempt bond financing for a student housing project in Fitchburg, about 55 miles west of Boston. The project will add a two-story building to the campus of Applewild School, a private day and boarding school, that will house 20 bedrooms for 40 students and six faculty apartments. Construction is underway and expected to be complete before the start of the fall 2024 semester. Proceeds will also be used to fund renovations to the preschool and toddler facilities in the Marshall Building. Enterprise Bank purchased the bond.
BUFFALO, N.Y. — Locally based financial intermediary Largo Capital has arranged a $6 million bridge loan for a multifamily conversion project in Buffalo. The project will convert a 272,000-square-foot office complex in the downtown area that was formerly known as the Atrium Building into a residential building with an undetermined number of units. Kevin Coscia and Ned Perlman of Largo arranged the debt. The direct lender and borrower were not disclosed.
MAMARONECK, N.Y. — Lee & Associates has brokered the $3.2 million sale of a 2,800-square-foot retail building in Mamaroneck, located north of New York City in Westchester County. The building sits on a half-acre site at 1444 E. Boston Post Road and was previously occupied by People’s United Bank. Peter Braus, Ben Tapper and Cory Gahr of Lee & Associates represented the seller, BFT Holdings LLC, in the transaction, and procured the buyer, an entity doing business as Integrity 1444 BPR LLC.
RAHWAY, N.J. — Locally based brokerage firm The Kislak Co. Inc. has negotiated the sale of a 6,400-square-foot retail property in the Northern New Jersey community of Rahway. The single-story building was constructed in 1950 and was fully leased to three tenants at the time of sale. Daniel Lanni of Kislak represented the seller, LMN Financial Group, in the transaction and procured an undisclosed private investment group as the buyer.
PHILADELPHIA AND LANCASTER, PA. — Fulton Financial Corp. (NASDAQ: FULT), a regional lender based in Lancaster, has acquired Philadelphia-based Republic First Bank via an auction overseen by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corp. (FDIC). On Friday, April 26, the Pennsylvania Department of Banking & Securities seized control of Republic First, closing the bank and appointing the FDIC as receivers. The transfer of ownership of “substantially all” of Republic First’s assets and deposits to Fulton Financial represents a move to protect customer funds, according to the FDIC. Some of the driving forces behind the collapse of Republic First appear to mirror those of Silicon Valley Bank and Signature Bank, two regional lenders that went under in March 2023. Those factors include losses on bond holdings that had diminished in value amid rising interest rates, as well as exposure to high-risk loans that are collateralized by commercial and office properties, many of which have struggled to recoup occupancy and cash flows post-pandemic. Relatively speaking, however, Republic First is a much smaller player than Silicon Valley and Signature. At the time of its collapse in late March 2023, Silicon Valley Bank had approximately $110 billion in assets, $56 billion in consumer and business deposits …
NEW YORK CITY — New York City-based private equity firm KKR has entered into an agreement to acquire a national portfolio of 19 student housing properties totaling more than 10,000 beds. The names and the locations were not disclosed, but the properties collectively serve 14 four-year public universities across 10 states. Blackstone Real Estate Income Trust (BREIT) sold the portfolio to KKR after acquiring it in 2018 in a joint venture with South Carolina-based Greystar. University Partners, an affiliate of KKR, will manage the portfolio. TSB Capital Advisors and J.P. Morgan Securities LLC served as financial advisors to BREIT on the transaction, which is expected to close during the third quarter.
FALL RIVER, MASS. — Massachusetts-based development and investment firm VMD Cos. will develop The Campus at Innovation Way, a 900,000-square-foot industrial park that will be located near the Massachusetts-Rhode Island border in Fall River. The Campus at Innovation Way will consist of four buildings ranging in size from 203,800 to 291,200 square feet. Each building will feature a clear height of 36 feet, 48 tailboard loading docks and 180-foot truck court depths. The development is fully entitled, and VMD Cos. expects to break ground in the coming days. Delivery is slated for the second quarter of 2025. Newmark has been appointed as the leasing agent.
NEW YORK CITY — JLL has brokered the $47 million sale of a multifamily development site located at 45-40 Vernon Blvd. in the Long Island City area of Queens. The site formerly housed the Paragon Paint factory and is approved for approximately 192,000 square feet of development. The seller, a joint venture between Quadrum Global, Baron Property Group and Simon Development, previously retained Morris Adjmi Architects to design a 21-story, 202-unit property. The buyer was locally based investment and development firm ZD Jasper Realty. Brendan Maddigan, Rob Hinckley, Michael Mazzara, Ethan Stanton, Winfield Clifford and Vickram Jambu of JLL brokered the deal.
INDEPENDENCE, N.J. — New Jersey-based developer Woodmont Properties has completed the lease-up of the first phase of Woodmont Liberty at Independence, a 120-unit multifamily project 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 last April, at which point rents started at $2,440 per month for a one-bedroom apartment.
NEWARK, DEL. — Phase Sensitive Innovations, a provider of radio-frequency components, devices and systems, will open a 12,000-square-foot lab facility in Newark, about 15 miles southeast of Wilmington. The new space will complement the company’s existing 20,000-square-foot facility within Sandy Brae Industrial Park. The company plans to hire an additional 20 workers to staff the new facility by the end of the year and add 30 to 40 more jobs in subsequent years.