UNION, N.J. — Nonprofit organization Rise Against Hunger has signed an 11,500-square-foot industrial lease in the Northern New Jersey community of Union. The facility features a clear height of 16 feet and two overhead loading docks. Tim Farley of Cushman & Wakefield represented the tenant in the lease negotiations. Joel Tomlinson of Silbert Realty & Management represented the landlord, locally based investment firm The STRO Cos.
NEW YORK CITY — A partnership between locally based developer Innovo Property Group and Affinius Capital, which is a partnership between USAA Real Estate and Square Mile Capital Management, has received $334 million in financing for an industrial facility in The Bronx. The financing consists of $250 million in debt from the existing construction lender, Bank OZK, and an $84 million mezzanine loan from PIMCO. The two-story, 1 million-square-foot property at 2505 Bruckner Ave. was delivered in 2022 and features clear heights of 28 to 32 feet, 106 loading doors and 664 interior parking spaces. At the time of the loan closings, the facility was 53 percent leased to an undisclosed, global e-commerce firm.
MEDFORD, MASS. — Boston-based developer RISE, in partnership with local owner the Matarazzo Family, will develop a $200 million life sciences project in Medford, a northern suburb of Boston. The eight-story building at 4054 Mystic Valley Parkway will house 311,535 square feet of lab, research and development and office space, as well as ground-floor retail space. In addition, the facility will have a below-ground parking garage, dedicated indoor bike storage and a landscaped public plaza. Dave Douvadjian Sr. and Harrison Zucco of Newmark arranged an undisclosed amount of acquisition financing for the project. CUBE3 is the project architect, and Jacobs is the civil engineer. A construction timeline was not released.
PHILADELPHIA — The Philadelphia Inquirer has opened a new, 36,500-square-foot office at 100 S. Independence Mall West in the Old City district. Locally based architecture firm Meyer designed the office, which can accommodate 200 people and represents a consolidated physical footprint. The newspaper employs about 400 people who will utilize the space on a rotating basis and work in “neighborhood” spaces that support individual departments like news, marketing, human resources and administration. Newmark represented the Inquirer in its site selection and lease negotiations. Keystone Property Groups owns the building.
WOODBRIDGE, N.J. — Marcus & Millichap has brokered the $11 million sale of a gas station and convenience mart in the Northern New Jersey community of Woodbridge. The property totals 4,453 square feet and is net leased to QuickChek. Justin Natalizio and Eric Anton of Marcus & Millichap represented the seller and procured the buyer, both of which were limited liability companies that requested anonymity, in the transaction. John Horowitz of Marcus & Millichap assisted in closing the deal as the broker of record.
NEW YORK CITY — MillerKnoll, a family of home décor and furnishing brands, has signed a 15,331-square-foot office lease at 251 Park Avenue South in Manhattan’s Gramercy neighborhood. The 16-story building was originally constructed in 1909. Justin Royce of Cushman & Wakefield represented MillerKnoll in the lease negotiations. Andrew Wiener and Robert Fisher internally represented the landlord, The Feil Organization, which acquired the asset in 2015 and implemented a capital improvement program. Combined with its ground-floor retail space, MillerKnoll now occupies about 60,000 square feet at 251 Park Avenue South.
WEBSTER, N.Y. — The Coca-Cola Co. has announced plans to develop a $650 million production facility for its dairy brand Fairlife in the Central New York community of Webster, just west of Rochester. The 745,000-square-foot facility will source from local milk co-operatives to produce its line of dairy-based beverages before distributing them to retailers across the Northeast U.S. The company expects to break ground on the project this fall, subject to final approvals and due diligence, with the facility slated for operation by the fourth quarter of 2025. The development is expected to create up to 250 new jobs upon completion. “This decision by Fairlife to expand their operations in Monroe County marks the next chapter in New York’s agricultural success story,” says New York Governor, Kathy Hochul. “New York’s dairy industry serves as a crucial economic engine for our state, and this $650 million investment from Fairlife will create jobs and drive economic impact, particularly in the Finger Lakes.” Empire State Development will provide up to $21 million in assistance for the project through the performance-based Excelsior Jobs Tax Credit Program in exchange for job creation commitments. Monroe County is also expected to apply for a $20 million Capital Grant …
Life sciences-anchored innovation districts are becoming increasingly popular as hubs for research and development in the biotech and pharmaceutical industries. These districts, also known as “innovation districts,” are characterized by clusters of companies, research institutions, supporting organizations, living areas, amenities and offices all located in close proximity. This grouping requires detailed planning and design strategies to maximize their potential for scientific exploration and success on an enormous, ambitious scale. Master planning and engaging site civil engineering partners early on in the process can save time and money once a project reaches the design stage. This article is the first installment in a two-part series on life sciences innovation districts to discuss, first, the planning, and, then, the design elements required by these districts. Read about design in Part 2, here. Fostering innovation, collaboration and productivity is at the heart of planning for life sciences innovation districts. The successes of famous examples such as North Carolina’s Research Triangle Park, Kendall Square in Cambridge, Mass. and Mission Bay in San Francisco indicate how beneficial a melting-pot mix of residential, commercial and research spaces can be when they concentrate talent from research institutions, life sciences innovators, universities and the surrounding community. “Many life …
METUCHEN, N.J. — Baltimore-based Klein Enterprises will undertake a redevelopment project in Metuchen, about 40 miles southwest of Manhattan, that will convert a former industrial site at 212 Durham Ave. into a 272-unit multifamily complex. The yet-to-be-named community will feature studio, one-, two- and three-bedroom apartments, and 15 percent of the units will be reserved as affordable housing. Klein Enterprises recently completed remediation of the site and demolition of the existing structures and expects to deliver the project in fall 2025.
LEVITTOWN, N.Y. — Bellwether Enterprise Real Estate Capital (BWE) has arranged a $26.6 million loan for the refinancing of Village Green, a 103-unit seniors housing property located in the Long Island community of Levittown. Built in late 2020, Village Green offers assisted living and memory care services. Taylor Mokris and Ryan Stoll of BWE originated the financing through a regional bank on behalf of the borrower, an undisclosed regional owner-operator. The loan carried a three-year term, 30-year amortization schedule and 24 months of interest-only payments. The direct lender was an undisclosed regional bank.