WORCESTER, MASS. — Newmark has brokered the $52 million sale of a 176,000-square-foot distribution center in the central Massachusetts city of Worcester. The facility recently underwent a redevelopment project that was completed last year. Robert Griffin, Edward Maher, Matthew Pullen, Tony Coskren, Samantha Hallowell and Brian Pinch of Newmark represented the seller, R.J. Kelly Co., a locally based institutional investment firm, in the transaction. The team also procured the buyer, Boston-based Tritower Financial Group.
JERSEY CITY, N.J. — BHI, a full-service commercial bank that is the U.S division of Israel’s Bank Hapoalim, has provided a $36 million construction loan for 144 First Street, an 84-unit multifamily project in Jersey City. The 115,000-square-foot, transit-served property will be located in the Powerhouse Arts District. The borrower is locally based developer EPIRE. Fogarty Finger is the project architect, and Molfetta Corp. is the general contractor. Completion is slated for June 2023.
FREEHOLD, N.J. — Locally based brokerage firm Sheldon Gross Realty has arranged the sale of a 199,000-square-foot industrial property that is situated on a 30-acre site at 235 Willow Brook Road in Freehold, located in Monmouth County. Jonathan Glick and Matt Leonelli of Sheldon Gross Realty represented the undisclosed seller in the transaction. CBRE represented the buyer, New York City-based Saadia Group.
NEW YORK CITY — Seton Education Partners, a nonprofit owner-operator of charter schools, has entered into a leasehold condominium agreement with Bolivar Development to open a 73,000-square-foot school at 1936 Jerome Ave. in The Bronx. The structure of the deal allows Seton to own the condo unit that will house the school for 39 years before ownership reverts to the developer. The school will be operated under the Brilla Public Charter School brand and will ultimately serve more than 800 students in grades K-8. Stephen Powers and Lindsay Ornstein of OPEN Impact Real Estate, along with Jake Cinti and Alexander Smith of Transwestern, represented Seton in the deal. Jim Lester and Peter Fine represented Bolivar Development on an internal basis. The new building is expected to open for the 2024-2025 academic year, initially serving students in grades K-4 and expanding through eighth grade by 2028.
The multifamily investment sales sector had well-documented success in 2021 with a record volume of over $220 billion in transaction activity. Factors driving competition for transactions within the sector included: increasing home prices, widespread interest in renting and the easing of COVID-19 restrictions bringing renters back into the nation’s cities, all of which drove the average, nationwide multifamily occupancy rate above 97 percent. With firmly rooted fundamentals, investor interest across the spectrum of multifamily has been intense. Traditionally popular core investment products (stabilized and value-add assets located in primary and secondary markets) were the clear winners with investors. Some multifamily REIT stocks increased by 75 to 100 percent in 2021, explains Arthur Milston, senior managing director with NAI Global and co-head of the company’s Capital Markets Group. Milston sat down with REBusinessOnline to explain where NAI Global sees growth and opportunities in 2022. REBusiness: Who are the primary investor groups acquiring multifamily? What types/locations are they attracted to? Milston: Historically, multifamily has always had very fragmented ownership compared to other asset classes. Currently, the dominant players are the large aggregators of product, whether it be REITs or institutional investors that are buying, typically in conjunction with an operating partner. Pension …
PHILADELPHIA — Los Angeles-based PCCP LLC has provided a $500 million loan to fund the redevelopment of the former PES oil refinery in South Philadelphia into a 15 million-square-foot logistics and life sciences campus that will be known as The Bellwether District. The borrower, a joint venture led by Hilco Redevelopment Partners, acquired the 1,300-acre property in 2020 out of bankruptcy. The transformation of the site includes the decommissioning of the refinery and significant demolition and remediation work, including the abatement of roughly 30,000 tons of asbestos. Redevelopment efforts initially commenced in June 2020. Site work and vertical construction are expected to commence this year, with the first tenants expected to occupy buildings in 2023.
WEST NEW YORK, N.J. — CBRE has arranged a $135 million loan for the refinancing of The Capstone at Port Imperial, a 360-unit apartment community located across the Hudson River from Manhattan in West New York. Completed in January 2021, the property features studio, one-, two-, three- and four-bedroom units, as well as retail space and a 570-space parking deck. Amenities include a pool, indoor and outdoor fitness areas, movie theater and a rooftop lounge. Michael Sherman, Shawn Rosenthal and Jake Salkovitz of CBRE arranged the loan through U.S. Bank on behalf of the borrower, a partnership between Veris Residential Inc. and an undisclosed global investment manager.
NEW YORK CITY — Global One Real Estate Fund, an affiliate of New York-based Nelson Management Group, has acquired Evergreen Gardens, a 357-unit affordable housing building in the Soundview neighborhood of The Bronx, for $15.5 million. The two-building, transit-oriented property includes 253 parking spaces. Daniel Parker of Hodges Ward Elliott represented the seller, New York City-based Milstein Properties, in the transaction. The New York City Housing Development Corp. provided $23.6 million in permanent financing to cover the acquisition of the property, as well as to fund capital improvements and preserve affordability,
SAUGUS, MASS. — JLL has negotiated the $39.5 million sale of Saugus Plaza, a 165,800-square-foot shopping center in the northern Boston suburb of Saugus that is anchored by grocer Stop & Shop. Floor & Décor serves as the second anchor tenant of the center, which was 97 percent leased at the time of sale. Other tenants include Buffalo Wild Wings, North Shore Liquor and King Crab. Federal Realty Investment Trust (NYSE: FRT) sold the property to a partnership between The Grossman Cos. Inc. and Boston-based North Colony Asset Management. Nat Heald, Chris Angelone and Zach Nitsche of JLL brokered the deal.
NEW YORK CITY— Locally based private equity firm KPG Funds and LaSalle Global Partner Solutions have purchased 480 Broadway in Manhattan’s SoHo neighborhood with plans to redevelop the property into a boutique office building with retail space. The new ownership purchased the building in conjunction with 155 Spring, a nearby office and retail asset, from Maryland-based REIT Vornado Realty Trust (NYSE: VNO). The redevelopment will include rebranding the building as 40 Crosby.