BOSTON — Stuf Storage, a company that converts unused portions of office buildings into self-storage space for tenants, has opened a 2,400-square-foot space at 18 Tremont Street, a 12-story building in downtown Boston. The deal marks the Boston debut of Stuf Storage, which also operates facilities in Los Angeles, New York, San Francisco, Atlanta, Boston, Seattle and Washington, D.C.
BOSTON — California-based REIT Alexandria Real Estate Equities (NYSE: ARE) has sold a stake in a $700 million life sciences facility located at 15 Necco St. in Boston’s Seaport District. The percentage of the interest, which was sold to a U.S. affiliate of Japanese developer Mori Trust Co., was not disclosed. Alexandria is developing the 346,000-square-foot facility in partnership with National Development as a build-to-suit for pharmaceutical giant Eli Lilly & Co. The facility will house retail and restaurant space on the ground floor and a terrace with green spaces and flexible workstations on the rooftop. Construction began in early 2022, and the development team expects to complete the project before the end of the year. Robert Griffin, Edward Maher, Matthew Pullen, Samantha Hallowell, Alex Foshay and William Sleeper of Newmark structured the recapitalization.
DOYLESTOWN, PA. — Presbyterian Senior Living (PSL) has entered into a non-binding letter of intent to acquire Pine Run Retirement Community, a 532-unit continuing care retirement community (CCRC) in Doylestown, about 25 miles north of Philadelphia. Pine Run features 272 independent living cottages and 24 apartments on a 43-acre campus. The development is home to Pine Run Health Center, which offers rehabilitation services and 90 skilled nursing beds; a 40-bed memory care neighborhood on the top floor known as The Garden; and an intimate setting for palliative services known as The Willows. If the deal closes, PSL will assume ownership of Pine Run from Doylestown Hospital. PSL intends to continue operating Pine Run as a CCRC.
NEWTON, MASS. — Locally based owner-operator 2Life Communities has broken ground on Opus Newton, a seniors housing project that will be located on the western outskirts of Boston. The site is situated adjacent to 2Life’s Coleman House on the Jewish Community Center Greater Boston campus. Construction is slated for a summer 2025 completion. According to the developer, 95 percent of the residences are already preleased.
SECAUCUS, N.J. — Newmark has negotiated a 46,000-square-foot industrial lease at 60 Metro Way in the Northern New Jersey community of Secaucus. The facility features 8,000 square feet of office, space seven loading docks and one drive-in door. David Simson and Dan Reider of Newark represented the tenant, Creative Technology Inc., which supplies technical equipment for sports and entertainment events, in the lease negotiations. Locally based investment firm Hartz Mountain Industries owns the building.
PLAINVIEW, N.Y. — Trinity Solar Inc., a provider of panels for residential homes, has signed a 17,731-square-foot life sciences lease in the Long Island community of Plainview. The building at 137 Commercial St. spans 40,660 square feet and houses research and development facilities. Robert Kuppersmith, Connor Sullivan, Scott Schubert and Dan Johnsen of Cushman & Wakefield represented the tenant in the lease negotiations. The name and representative of the landlord were not disclosed.
As vacant sites become rare and cost-prohibitive, commercial real estate developers need to be creative when it comes to bringing a new project out of the ground. Unconventional development sites offer cost savings and location advantages, and in-depth due diligence and creativity on the part of developers can make for sites that can allow an elegant union of lower costs and strategy. With limited room for delay, how can developers think critically about available sites and leverage existing conditions to their advantage? Katherine Roberts, senior project manager at Bohler’s Warrenton, VA office, and Gregory Roth, principal at Bohler’s Tampa office, offer their expert advice on threading this needle. Bohler specializes in land development, especially making development work when conventional sites aren’t an option. Prioritizing Development Needs When Assessing Red Flags Certain project factors can be red flags if time or cost are obstacles to a developer, including These points of concern are usually knots that can be untangled if a developer has the time, money and appetite to move forward in spite of these interruptions, but each factor does bear watching. “Developers should understand where their limits are and where they’re willing to negotiate. Ideally, anything you’re developing should be …
CHAPPAQUA, N.Y. — A partnership between two New Jersey-based firms, Atkins Cos. and Denholtz Properties, has acquired Medical Offices at Chappaqua Crossing, a 490,000-square-foot healthcare complex located about 30 miles north of Manhattan. The sales price was $40 million. Northwell Health’s Northern Westchester Hospital anchors the 59-acre facility, which is located within a larger mixed-use development. Jeffrey Dunne, David Gavin, Steve Bardsley and Travis Langer of CBRE represented the seller, a joint venture between Summit Development and Crestline Investors, in the transaction.
PITTSBURGH — Friedman Real Estate, a brokerage firm with five offices across the country, has negotiated the sale of a 150,000-square-foot retail property in Pittsburgh. The property, which is located within Washington Crown Center Mall and formerly housed a Macy’s department store, was fully occupied at the time of sale by M@C Discount, which specializes in reselling returned retail items. Steven Silverman of Friedman Real Estate represented the undisclosed buyer in the transaction. Additional terms of sale were not disclosed.
NASHUA, N.H. — The City of Nashua, located in southern New Hampshire, has opened a 53,340-square-foot performing arts center, art gallery and event center in its downtown area. Boston-based ICON Architecture designed the project, which involved the demolition of an existing building on the site and the maintenance of a second structure to house the new center. The four-story venue now features a 753-seat theater, a section of which has a retractable seating system that can create a general admissions or private banquet area, as well as a communal gallery and an outdoor terrace.