NORTH BERGEN, N.J. — Regional investment firm Tower Management has acquired Hudson Ridge, a 215-unit apartment building located outside of Manhattan in North Bergen. Built in 1949, the property offers a mix of studio, one- and two-bedroom units, as well as outdoor picnic areas and garage parking. Thomas Didio, Thomas Didio Jr., Gerard Quinn and Michael Mataras of JLL provided a $24.2 million Freddie Mac fixed-rate acquisition loan to Tower Management for the deal. The seller and sales price were not disclosed.
HARTFORD, CONN. — Locally based brokerage firm Chozick Realty has negotiated the $4.1 million sale of Webb Manor Apartments, a 43-unit multifamily complex in Hartford. Constructed in 1951 and recently renovated, Webb Manor offers studio, one-, two- and three-bedroom units. Recent capital improvements include a new elevator, a fully repaved parking lot and comprehensive upgrades of unit interiors. Steve Pappas and Tess Cullen of Chozick Realty brokered the deal. The buyer and seller were not disclosed.
WILMINGTON, DEL. — Biopharmaceutical giant Merck (NYSE: MRK) has broken ground on a $1 billion pharmaceutical manufacturing facility in Wilmington, about 30 miles southwest of Philadelphia. Known as Merck Wilmington Biotech, the 470,000-square-foot project will comprise laboratory, manufacturing and warehouse capabilities. Merck says the center will enable the launch and commercial production of next-generation biologics and therapies. Notably, the facility will be the Rahway, N.J.-based company’s first domestic site for producing cancer treatment drug Keytruda. Reuters reports that the Delaware plant is in effort to expand domestic production as Merck prepares to deal with President Trump’s tariffs. In its first-quarter financial results, Merck estimated that the impact of tariffs imposed so far would lead to additional costs of approximately $200 million for the company in general. Located within the 164-acre, 14-building Chestnut Run Innovation & Science Park (CRISP), the new facility will help foster growth in Wilmington’s biotechnology sector, creating more than 500 full-time roles and roughly 4,000 construction jobs. The laboratory component is expected to be fully operational by 2028, with production of experimental drugs anticipated to start by 2030. Pennsylvania-based developer MRA Groups owns CRISP, which is in the midst of a large-scale repositioning, and MRA Group is …
MORRISTOWN, N.J. — JLL has arranged $96.5 million in financing for a portfolio of six industrial properties totaling 773,433 square feet in Northern New Jersey. The addresses of the properties were not disclosed, but the facilities are located within the Meadowlands and Port of Newark/Elizabeth submarkets. Jim Cadranell, Gregory Nalbandian and Michael Lachs of JLL arranged the loan through an undisclosed life insurance company on behalf of the borrower, Seagis Property Group. The portfolio was fully leased at the time of the loan closing to nine tenants in industries such as logistics, food production and distribution, fashion/apparel manufacturing and packaging/materials.
NEW YORK CITY — A partnership between Ailanthus, BEB Capital and SK Development is nearing completion of a 187-unit multifamily project in Brooklyn’s Sunset Park neighborhood. Designed by dencityworks | architecture with interiors by Alchemy Studio, the 14-story building at 201 East 25th St. will be known as One Sunset. Residences will come in one-, two- and three-bedroom floor plans, with 46 units reserved as affordable housing. Amenities will include a fitness center, game/media room, coworking lounge, private dining/entertainment areas and a rooftop garden. Completion is slated for the fall.
MONTVALE, N.J. — Fulton Bank has provided a $14.9 million construction loan for a 989-unit self-storage project that will be located in the Northern New Jersey community of Montvale. The three-acre site at 21 Phillips Parkway currently houses an 18,500-square-foot office building that will be demolished to accommodate the new climate-controlled facility. Jon Mikula, Michael Klein and John Cumming of JLL arranged the loan, which carries a 42-month term and a floating interest rate, on behalf of the developer, a partnership between Claremont Development, March Development and Battery Global Advisors.
NEW YORK CITY — Amalgamated Bank has signed a 94,045-square-foot office lease at 99 Park Avenue in Midtown Manhattan. The lease term is 15 years, and the space encompasses the entire second, third and fifth floors, as well as a portion of the ground floor, of the 26-story, 600,000-square-foot building. Daoud Awad and Chris Kraus of JLL represented Amalgamated Bank in the lease negotiations. Paul Glickman, Diana Biasotti, Kristen Morgan and Harrison Potter of JLL, along with internal agents Craig Panzirer and Alex Radmin, represented the landlord, Global Holdings.
WILTON, CONN. — Cushman & Wakefield has negotiated a 12,000-square-foot office lease in the southern coastal Connecticut community of Wilton. The tenant is Fairfield Chemical, and the space is located within the freshly renovated building at 187 Danbury Road. Adam Klimek and Steve Baker of Cushman & Wakefield represented the landlord, Time Equities Inc., in the lease negotiations. The representative of the tenant was not disclosed.
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Lee & Associates: Tariffs Add to Q1 Industrial Challenges; All Sectors See Constrained Development
The end of the first quarter of 2025 saw market uncertainty in the face of new U.S. trade and tariff policies combined with an unclear geopolitical outlook, according to Lee & Associates’ 2025 Q1 North America Market Report. The effect of these concerns within the commercial real estate world are most evident in the industrial sector, which is also contending with oversupply and softening rent growth. Development is slow across property types. Retail, despite high-profile store closures in early 2025, remains historically tight on space as years of underbuilding keep availabilities near record lows. Office demand has stabilized in several major metros following years of contraction, though vacancy remains elevated. The pipeline of new construction is both drying up and favoring new types of tenants beyond traditional office spaces. Multifamily is seeing strong tenant demand in certain markets despite a flood of new deliveries. Lee & Associates has made their full market report available here (click through for detailed breakdowns and city-by-city information). The information below for the industrial, office, retail and multifamily sectors offers clarity on market-wide demand, rent growth trends and challenges likely to shape trajectories throughout 2025. Industrial Overview: Soft Markets Face Tariff Disruptions North America’s industrial markets …
PHILADELPHIA — The RMR Group, an alternative asset management company based in metro Boston, will develop a 477,500-square-foot industrial project in southwest Philadelphia. The site at 8800 Tinicum Blvd. is located across from Philadelphia International Airport, and the development will feature a clear height of 40 feet, ample car and trailer parking and an electrical capacity of 8,000 amps. Construction is expected to begin over the summer and to last 12 to 18 months. Avison Young has been appointed as the leasing agent.