CAMBRIDGE, MASS. — A partnership between Capstone Communities and Hope Real Estate Enterprises has opened Frost Terrace, a 40-unit affordable housing complex in Cambridge. Designed by Bruner/Cott Architects, the property consists of four buildings that house one-, two- and three-bedroom units that are reserved for renters earning between 30 and 60 percent of the area median income. Amenities include a community room, outdoor green spaces and onsite laundry facilities. Frost Terrace received over 900 applications during its initial leasing cycle.
Northeast
BOSTON — Harbor Group International (HGI), a privately owned international real estate investment and management firm, has sold a 1,722-unit multifamily portfolio comprising six properties in metro Boston. A fund managed by Bridge Multifamily Fund Manager LLC, an affiliate of Bridge Investment Group Holdings Inc. (NYSE: BRDG), was the buyer. While the sales price was undisclosed, HGI purchased the portfolio in 2019 for $384 million. At that time, the firm instituted a $13.6 million capital improvement program to renovate interior units, upgrade amenities, address deferred maintenance and enhance overall curb appeal. The properties include Commons at Haynes Farm in Shrewsbury, Middlesex Crossing in Billerica, Meadows at Marlborough and Heights at Marlborough in Marlborough, Stone Ends in Stoughton and Village at Marshfield in Marshfield. The portfolio is surrounded by large employment hubs and situated in close proximity to major highways and Metro Boston Transit Authority train stations, according to HGI. “The Boston portfolio sale further exemplifies HGI’s ability to identify strategic opportunities to divest high-quality stabilized assets amid varying market conditions,” says Richard Litton, president of HGI. “The properties are well-positioned in their respective submarkets, as the in-place rents have been significantly below the rents of similar renovated Class A properties. …
BRIDGEWATER, N.J. — Virginia-based Legacy Investing has completed a project in the Northern New Jersey community of Bridgewater that converted a 210,000-square-foot office building into a life sciences facility. The building at 77 Corporate Drive offers proximity to multiple interstates as well as Newark Liberty International Airport. A Fortune 500 global life sciences company recently signed a lease at the building, and Legacy Investing has engaged Cushman & Wakefield to market the remainder of the space for lease.
TROY, N.Y. — The United Group of Cos. has begun sitework on City Station North, a mixed-use project that will be located just outside Albany in Troy. City Station North will consist of 87 market-rate apartments, 40,000 square feet of office space and a 160-space covered parking garage on a one-acre site. The office building will rise four stories and house suites starting at 2,500 square feet. Residential units will come in one- and two-bedroom floor plans and range in size from 675 to 1,277 square feet, while residential amenities will include a fitness center, rooftop terrace and a community room. Demolition of existing structures on the site is underway.
NEW ROCHELLE, N.Y. — JLL has brokered the $22.7 million sale of The Printhouse, a 71-unit multifamily property located north of New York City in New Rochelle. Built in 2019, the property houses studio, one- and two-bedroom apartments as well as 2,700 square feet of commercial space. Amenities include a fitness center, business center, dog park and a rooftop terrace with a bar. New Jersey-based investment firm Invel Capital acquired the asset from an undisclosed seller. Jose Cruz, Steve Simonelli, Michael Oliver, Elizabeth DeVesty and Marion Jones of JLL brokered the deal.
NEW YORK CITY —BEB Lending, the finance platform of BEB Capital, has provided a $9 million acquisition loan for a seven-unit apartment building located at 53-55 Stone St. in Manhattan’s Financial District. The five-story building was originally constructed in 1900 and houses two restaurant spaces. Sean Silverbrook led the transaction for BEB Lending. The borrower was not disclosed.
NEW YORK CITY — Locally based brokerage firm Ariel Property Advisors has negotiated the $2.9 million sale of a six-unit apartment building located at 65 Woodhull St. in Brooklyn. The building includes two retail units. Sean Kelly, Nicole Daniggelis and Stephen Vorvolakos of Ariel Property Advisors brokered the deal. The buyer and seller were not disclosed.
Wells Fargo Provides $780.3M in Financing for Affordable Housing Projects in New York City Metro Area
by John Nelson
NEW YORK CITY AND YONKERS, N.Y. — Wells Fargo (NYSE: WFC) has provided $780.3 million in construction financing to fund the development of five affordable housing projects in the New York City metro area. The San Francisco-based bank provided the financing through its Community Lending and Investment (CLI) group, and all five loans closed in the month of June. The developments, which total more than 1,100 apartments, are underway and include: Peninsula Phase II, Wakefield Yards and Blondell Commons in The Bronx; Edgemere Commons Building B1 in Queens; and St. Clair in Yonkers, about 20 miles north of New York City. The Peninsula community is the second phase of the redevelopment of the former Spofford Juvenile Detention Facility located in the Hunts Point neighborhood of The Bronx. Wells Fargo CLI provided a total of $250.6 million in debt and equity financing to the borrowers: Gilbane Development Co., The Hudson Cos. and MHANY Management. The project will total 359 affordable units, all reserved for tenants earning 70 percent or less of the area median income (AMI), and 54 of the apartments will be set aside for formerly homeless tenants. The project will include a Head Start daycare facility, as well as community …
Location’s importance to commercial real estate has become a cliché. But in logistics and industrial considerations, the idea is new again — it’s not about where you are but where customers need to go and the primacy of transportation. If you’re not at the place and time that clients need, it doesn’t matter how theoretically fine the setting or how impressive the facilities are. “Transportation is roughly 12 times the cost of industrial real estate,” says Adam Roth, executive vice president at NAI Hiffman. Finished products, goods and materials are sent into and out of facilities over and over again. Shipping and trucking are a stiffly recurring expense and a much higher spend than real estate. “If I can impact your transportation spend, the real estate is a much smaller factor in the supply chain. If you can address the current concern of transportation, real estate rates almost doesn’t matter, due to a location’s supply chain advantages. Real estate can be one of the best ways to combat transportation costs.” The Rule of 1.5 In practical terms, customers’ plans for transportation are a series of changes, starting at factories, going to ports or warehouses for inventory, on to major and …
NEW YORK CITY — A joint venture between Turnbridge Equities and Dune Real Estate Partners is nearing completion of Bronx Logistics Center, a 1.3 million-square-foot industrial project on the borough’s south side. The site at 980 E. 149th St. is an assemblage of five parcels and spans 14.2 acres. The facility will offer a clear height of 32 feet and more than 1,500 parking spaces. The development team expects to complete the project by the end of the year.