Beginning in the fourth quarter of 2020, commercial real estate buyers and sellers moved off the sidelines and began fueling an impressive investment sales rebound as many pandemic-related lockdowns and restrictions eased or ended. The rush to purchase hard assets hit its apex a year later when commercial property sales surged to a record $362 billion in the fourth quarter of 2021 alone, according to Real Capital Analytics, a part of MSCI Real Assets that tracks property transactions of $2.5 million or more. The strong market is continuing this year: Deals of $170.8 billion closed in the first quarter, a year-over-year increase of 56 percent, Real Capital reports. Buyers in the first quarter also pushed up prices 17.4 percent over the prior year, according to Real Capital’s Commercial Property Price Indices (CPPI). But given rising interest rates and other recent headwinds, will investors continue to drive robust investment activity and bid up prices? The 10-Year Treasury yield has spiked some 150 basis points to around 3 percent since the beginning of 2022, and fixed 10-year mortgage rates of between 3 percent and 4 percent are up about 100 basis points. For short-term variable loans, the benchmark secured overnight financing rate …
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BOSTON — MassHousing has provided $205 million in financing for 10 affordable seniors housing communities totaling 931 units that are located in various parts of Massachusetts. The borrower, Providence Realty Investment LLC, will use the proceeds to refinance existing debt and preserve affordability. Providence Realty Investment previously utilized $125 million from MassHousing to purchase the communities in 2011. At that time, nearly a third of the 931 apartments involved were at risk of being converted to market rents and being lost from the state’s inventory of affordable housing. That transaction ensured that rents at the 10 properties would remain affordable for lower-income renters for at least 60 years. Rockport Mortgage worked on behalf of Provident Realty to place the loan with MassHousing.
CAMBRIDGE, MASS. — A partnership between Boston-based developer Anchor Line Partners and international asset management firm Northwood Investors has topped out 60 First Street, a 215,000-square-foot life sciences project located across the Charles River from Boston in Cambridge. The five-story property, which is a redevelopment of the former Sears building, includes ground-floor retail space and has been fully preleased. Biotech startup Prime Medicine has committed to 148,000 square feet across three floors, and RNA editing company Korro Bio has leased 50,000 square feet across two floors. Full completion of the project is slated for early 2023.
BROOKHAVEN, N.Y. — CBRE has brokered the $28.5 million sale of 5000 Corporate Court, a 264,482-square-foot office building in Brookhaven, located on Long Island. Tenants include the Internal Revenue Service and U.S. Citizenship & Immigration Service. Jeffrey Dunne, Steven Bardsley, Jeremy Neuer, Stuart MacKenzie, Travis Langer and Philip Heilpern of CBRE represented the seller, Office Properties Income Trust, in the transaction. CBRE also procured the buyer, Northpath Investments.
BURLINGTON, MASS. — Developer Nordblom Co., in partnership with Life Time Living, has broken ground on a 167-unit multifamily project in Burlington, a northern suburb of Boston. Residents will have access to memberships at the adjacent athletic resort, concierge services and work-from home amenities. The property is situated within the 150-acre Northwest Park mixed-use development and will include an affordable housing component. Completion is slated for summer 2023.
PHILADELPHIA — Puttshack, an entertainment concept that combines mini golf with food and beverages, will open a 26,000-square-foot entertainment venue in Philadelphia. The facility will be located within The Shops at Liberty Place in the Center City district and will house four tech-driven courses, two bars and private event space. The opening is slated for summer 2023. Metropolis Investment Holdings Inc. owns the property. Puttshack currently operates facilities in Atlanta and Chicago and plans to open new venues in Boston and Miami this summer.
PENNSVILLE, N.J. — A partnership between California-based CT Realty and PGIM Real Estate will develop Garden State Logistics Park, a 1.7 million-square-foot industrial park that will be located in Pennsville, about 40 miles south of Philadelphia. Garden State Logistics Park will consist of two buildings totaling roughly 1.2 million and 500,000 square feet. The buildings will be situated on 282 acres and will feature clear heights of 40 feet. Brian Fiumara of CBRE brokered the sale of the land. CBRE has also been tapped to lease the development. Completion is slated for the third quarter of 2023.
BOSTON — The Wentworth Institute of Technology, a private university founded in Boston in 1904, will open a 640,000-square-foot life sciences facility at 500 Huntington Ave. in the city’s Longwood Medical District. Wentworth has selected a joint venture between The Fallon Co., Owens Cos. and Waldwin Development Co. to develop the property. The project is expected to create about 1,900 construction jobs and 1,500 full-time jobs upon completion. A construction timeline for the development, which will include retail and restaurant space, has not yet been finalized.
WILMINGTON, DEL. — 3650 REIT, a Miami-based direct lender, has provided an $85 million loan for the refinancing of WSFS Bank Center, a 371,000-square-foot office building in Wilmington, about 30 miles south of Philadelphia. Developed by Buccini/Pollin Group in 2006, the property serves as the corporate headquarters of WSFS Bank. David Strongwater of Lantern Real Estate placed the loan, which carries a 120-month term, with 3650 REIT on behalf of Buccini/Pollin.
VOORHEES, N.J. — New Jersey-based First National Realty Partners (FNRP) has acquired Eagle Plaza, a 227,000-square-foot shopping center in Voorhees, located in the southern part of the Garden State. A 66,500-square-foot Acme grocery store anchors the center. Other tenants include Ross Dress for Less, Wine Warehouse, Mattress Firm, T-Mobile, Chipotle, H&R Block, Allstate, Sherwin-Williams and South Jersey Federal Credit Union. Brad Nathanson of Institutional Property Advisors, a division of Marcus & Millichap, represented the undisclosed seller in the transaction.