NEW YORK CITY — Extell Development has unveiled its first commercial project in East Harlem, a 441,600-square-foot office building that is branded as Harlem Headquarters. The nine-story, Class A building is located at 180 E. 125th St., adjacent to several public transit stops. Gensler designed the property. Cushman & Wakefield is handling leasing, which will officially begin this fall.
EXTON, PA. — Newmark Knight Frank (NKF) has provided an $87 million Freddie Mac loan for the refinancing of Exton Crossing, a 405-unit apartment community in Exton, about 35 miles west of Philadelphia. The garden-style property was built in 1998 and is located within walking distance to SEPTA’s Exton Regional rail station Exton Crossing features one-, two- and three-bedroom units with stainless steel appliances, in-unit washers and dryers and private patio and balcony spaces. Amenities include a pool, fitness center, outdoor grilling areas and a pet park. Henry Stimler, Matthew Mense, Bill Weber and Dan Sarsfield of NKF originated the floating-rate loan on behalf of the borrower, Harbor Group International.
WORCESTER, MASS. — Massachusetts-based Galaxy Life Sciences, in partnership with the Worcester Business Development Corp. (WBDC), has acquired land for the development of a $50 million biomanufacturing facility in the Central Massachusetts city of Worcester. The facility will be situated on six acres within The Reactory, a 46-acre life sciences campus that is a redevelopment of a site formerly occupied by Worcester State Hospital. Infrastructure work on the site is expected to begin this fall. Kelleher & Sadowsky represented the development team in its acquisition of the land.
FAIRFIELD, N.J. — Chicago-based development and investment firm Venture One Real Estate has purchased a 107,107-square-foot industrial building located at 116 Lehigh Drive in Fairfield, about 30 miles west of New York City. The single-tenant building was constructed on 8.1 acres in 1986 and features nine exterior docks, 187 automobile parking spaces and an ESFR sprinkler system. Noah Balnoff, Jacquelyn Severino and Chris Haenn of Colliers International represented the undisclosed seller in the transaction. Venture One will implement a value-add program at the property, which was vacant at the time of sale.
SECAUCUS, N.J. — Burlington will open a store at Mill Creek at Harmon Meadow, a 306,000-square-foot retail power center in the New York City suburb of Secaucus. The center, which houses tenants such as Kohl’s, T.J. Maxx and Bob’s Discount Furniture, is part of the 200-acre Harmon Meadow mixed-use development. Burlington will occupy a space formerly leased to Sports Authority and has not yet established an opening date. Sidney Singer of Levin Management Corp. represented the landlord, New York Life Real Estate Investors, in the lease negotiations.
By Taylor Williams Decreased acquisition activity across virtually all asset classes is among the most visible impacts that COVID-19 has had on commercial real estate, but capital markets professionals say there’s reason to believe deal volume will rebound sharply toward the end of the year. For most property owners, the net result of the economic disruption and job losses has been a decrease in cash flows. With net incomes faltering or dissolving for property owners, many prospective investors have temporarily hit the pause button on new acquisitions. As the pandemic has unfolded, bureaucracies have taken action. The federal government appropriated hundreds of billions in small business loans and stimulus payments to taxpayers, and state coffers have been gutted by disbursements to the unemployed. While this activity was designed to stimulate consumer spending and help businesses stave off permanent closures, it has done little to fuel sales of commercial properties. Numbers Tell All Real Capital Analytics (RCA) tracks investment sales activity across the country, including in nine major markets in the Northeast region. The New York City-based research firm recently released its findings for the second quarter. Per RCA, the total volume of commercial sales during this period clocked in at …
STOUGHTON, MASS. — An affiliate of multifamily investment and management firm Bell Partners has sold Bell Stoughton, a 240-unit apartment community in Stoughton, a southern suburb of Boston. Built in 2012, the property offers one- and two-bedroom units averaging 958 square feet and amenities such as a pool, fitness center, business center and theater room. Simon Butler, Biria St. John and John McLaughlin of CBRE represented the seller in the transaction and procured the buyer, Bell Stoughton LLC.
MEDFORD, N.J. — NAI Mertz has brokered the sale of a 63,000-square-foot industrial complex located east of Philadelphia in New Jersey. The property was originally built in the 1970s and consists of five buildings on a 9.7-acre tract. Jonathan Klear of NAI Mertz represented the seller, Medford Industrial Park, which will lease back a portion of the space. An affiliate of Philadelphia-based investment firm Velocity Venture Partners purchased the property, which was fully leased at the time of sale, for an undisclosed price.
NEW YORK CITY — Mother, a creative advertising agency with offices in London, Shanghai and South America, has signed a 61,000-square-foot office lease in the Gowanus area of Brooklyn for its new headquarters in New York City. The company signed a 15-year lease to occupy space at Roulston House, a redeveloped office building that originally served as a warehouse for Roulston, a grocery chain founded in the 1880s. Michael Schoen, Marc Schoen and Harrison Katzman of The Schoen Group, a division of New York City-based Savitt Partners, represented Mother in the lease negotiations. Joseph Hamway and Josh Sloan represented the landlord, ICP Realty, on an internal basis.
NEW YORK CITY — Ariel Property Advisors has arranged the $5.8 million sale of a 24-unit multifamily portfolio located at 1130-1134 and 1142 Bryant Ave. in the Foxhurst neighborhood of The Bronx. The three buildings that comprise the assemblage were recently renovated. The seller was local operator Jerome Avenue Associates and the buyer was a private investor that has been active in the market for the past two years. Jason Gold, Shimon Shkury, Daniel Mahfar and Oliver Elihu of Ariel Property Advisors brokered the deal.
