CONSHOHOCKEN, PA. — Keystone Property Group has begun development of Hotel West +Main, a 127-room hotel in the northern Philadelphia suburb of Conshohocken that will be operated under the Tapestry Collection by Hilton brand. Keystone has partnered with Concord Hospitality Enterprises to develop and operate the boutique hotel, which is part of the 520,000-square-foot SORA West mixed-use development. The hotel is expected to open in the second half of 2022.
BOSTON — Callahan Construction Managers has broken ground on a 108-unit apartment project located at 5 Washington St. in Boston’s Brighton neighborhood that will have 18 units designated as affordable housing. The five-story building will also house 12,500 square feet of ground-floor retail space and 127 parking spaces. Building amenities will include a fitness area, clubhouse, entertainment kitchen, home office space and an outdoor terrace with two quartz-topped bars, cabanas, gas grills and fireplaces. Washington Square Ventures is the developer, and Stantec is the architect. Completion is scheduled for the fourth quarter of 2022.
SOUTHBRIDGE, MASS. — Arch Communities and WinnDevelopment are underway on construction of a $25.7 million adaptive reuse project in Southbridge, located in the south-central part of the state, that will convert the Mary E. Wells school into a 62-unit affordable housing community for seniors aged 55 and above. The majority (56) of the units will be reserved for renters earning 60 percent or less of the area median income (AMI), while the remainder will be restricted to households earning 30 percent or less of AMI. The school was built in 1916 as the town’s first public high school and has been vacant since 2012. Upon completion, which is slated for spring 2022, Wells School Apartments will feature a fitness center, tenant lounge, activity room, game room, library and an internal courtyard.
FAIRFIELD, N.J. — The Stro Companies, a New Jersey-based investment firm, has acquired a 77,000-square-foot industrial property in the Northern New Jersey city of Fairfield. The property is leased to pharmaceutical manufacturing company Maquet, and Stro intends to find a new life sciences tenant when Maquet’s lease expires at the end of this year. Howard Weinberg of JLL represented the undisclosed seller in the transaction. Prudential Bank provided acquisition financing to Stro Cos.
MILLBURN, N.J. — Icebox Cryotherapy, a rehabilitative physical therapy concept, has opened its flagship studio at Plaza at Short Hills in the Northern New Jersey community of East Rutherford. Dean Tselepis and Joe Brendel of Newmark represented Icebox Cryotherapy in the lease negotiations. Other tenants at the property include SoulCycle, Club Pilates, Kings Supermarket and Chase Bank. The name and representative of the landlord were not disclosed.
By Steve Callahan Jr., vice president of business development, Callahan Construction Managers Despite the turmoil caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, Boston has experienced significant job growth over the last 12 to 18 months in the life sciences, healthcare, technology and finance sectors. The health of these industries will require that employees in these fields have access to much needed, reasonably priced housing as companies continue to grow and build, creating more local jobs. Demand for rental housing over the past few years has been mostly driven by millennials who work in these fields. This trend is expected to continue as young professionals in these sectors no longer need to commute to the office by virtue of the pandemic forcing many companies to adopt work-from-home programs. In addition, these renters are seeking to upgrade to larger units with more modern amenities and access to outdoor spaces and activities. More than 7,100 units were delivered last year in the Boston area, only slightly less than the cyclical high of nearly 7,500 apartments added in 2018. However, most projects that were either started or delivered in 2020 were aimed at lifestyle renters in or near Boston’s city center. This could spell trouble for …
BOSTON — DivcoWest has topped off a 480,000-square-foot life sciences building at 250 Water St. within Cambridge Crossing, a 43-acre mixed-use development that is located at the intersection of the cities of Boston, Cambridge and Somerville. Global biopharmaceutical firm Bristol Myers Squibb has preleased 360,000 square feet at the building, which is expected to be complete in the first quarter of 2022. Other life sciences users at Cambridge Crossing include Sanofi and Cerevel Therapeutics.
WOODBRIDGE, N.J. — Mill Creek Residential has broken ground on Modera Woodbridge, a 279-unit multifamily project in the Northern New Jersey city of Woodbridge. The property will be located adjacent to a New Jersey Transit station and will also house 6,000 square feet of retail space. Modera Woodbridge will offer studio, one-, two- and three-bedroom units with an average size of 886 square feet and private patios or balconies. Amenities will include a rooftop deck with a barbecue area, fitness studio with a TRX system, resident clubhouse, conference room, coffee bar and a pet spa. Move-ins are expected to begin in late 2022.
SAUGUS, MASS. — JLL has arranged a $33.5 million loan for the refinancing of Saugus Plaza Shopping Center, a 208,500-square-foot retail power center in the northern Boston suburb of Saugus. The property spans 16 acres along Route 1 and houses tenants such as Petco and Kohl’s. John Fowler, Chris Angelone, Brett Paulsrud and Amy Lousararian of JLL placed the fixed-rate loan through HarborOne Bank and Salem One on behalf of the borrower, locally based development and management firm Finard Properties.
BOSTON — Locally based developer Related Beal is nearing completion of The Harris, a 172-unit apartment complex that will be located at the site of the former Quinzani Bakery in Boston’s South End neighborhood. Residences will come in studio, one-, two- and three-bedroom floor plans and will be furnished with custom oak cabinetry, quartz countertops and tile backsplashes. Amenities will include an 8,000-square-foot fitness center with yoga and spin studios, as well as basketball and squash courts. In addition, residents will have access to a billiards lounge with reservable dining spaces and a 5,700-square-foot terrace with grills, fire pits, lounge furniture and TVs. Construction of The Harris began in 2019 and is expected to be complete in late spring.
