WILKES-BARRE, PA. — CHC Hotel Capital has arranged a $10.5 million construction loan for a Home2 Suites by Hilton property in Wilkes-Barre, located south of Scranton. The property will feature 107 rooms and is expected to be complete in late spring of next year. The loan was structured with a 30-month term and a 75 percent loan-to-value ratio. The borrower and lender were not disclosed.
SOMERVILLE, MASS. — A development team of DLJ Real Estate Capital Partners and Leggat McCall Properties has topped out a 290,000-square-foot life sciences project at 100 South St. in Somerville, located on the northern outskirts of Boston. The project is part of the Boynton Yards development and will house lab and retail space as well as a four-story underground parking garage. Architecture firms SGA and Hashim Sarkis Studios designed the project, and Shawmut Design & Construction served as the general contractor. Construction began in June 2019 and is expected to be complete next summer.
READING, PA. — Marcus & Millichap has brokered the sale of The Madison Building, a 113,300-square-foot office property in Reading. Originally built in 1927, the property is situated on 1.1 acres and rises 12 stories. Craig Dunkle, Jackson Day and Mher Vartanian of Marcus & Millichap represented the seller, a limited liability company, in the transaction. The trio also procured the buyer, an out-of-state developer that will convert the building into a Class A apartment complex. The Madison Building was 97 percent vacant at the time of sale.
CHERRY HILL, N.J. — JLL has secured two office leases totaling 63,089 square feet at Woodcrest Corporate Center in Cherry Hill, a suburb of Philadelphia. Digital platform provider Conduent Business Services LLC renewed its 30,887-square-foot lease, and Penn Interactive Ventures, an operator of mobile gambling apps, signed a lease for 32,212 square feet. Dan Close and Rick Widerman represented the landlord, Crown Properties, in both sets of negotiations.
YORK COUNTY, MAINE — A subsidiary of New York-based Power REIT has acquired a three-acre site in York County that houses a 32,800-square-foot cannabis cultivation facility that is under construction. Locally based cannabis grower Sweet Dirt is the operator of the greenhouse, which is expected to be complete by the end of the year. The site also houses a 2,800-square-foot distribution building. The seller was not disclosed.
NEW YORK CITY — Venture Capital Properties has negotiated a 24,000-square-foot lease at a vacant parcel that formerly housed a warehouse at 5200 1st Ave. in Brooklyn. The tenant, valet parking service Park Pro Systems, will use the property to store its vehicles but will not develop any portion of the site. Jacob Stavsky of Venture Capital Properties represented both Park Pro Systems and landlord John Luhrs in the off-market deal.
WALTHAM, MASS. — Defense contractor Raytheon (NYSE: RTX) will cut approximately 15,000 jobs, primarily in its aviation departments, as a result of depressed demand for commercial air travel during the COVID-19 pandemic, according to multiple reports. The Massachusetts-based firm, which employs about 200,000 people nationwide, made the announcement during an earnings call last week, according to reports from multiple new outlets including CNN and Forbes. The company’s stock price opened at $61.58 per share on Tuesday, Sept. 22, down from $84.59 per share a year ago.
PHILADELPHIA — JLL has arranged $33.3 million in financing for International House, a project that will convert a 14-story office building located at 3701 Chestnut St. in Philadelphia into a 400-unit apartment complex. The borrower, CSC Coliving LLC, will use the funds to acquire the 1.3-acre site, which is located in the University City area, and to begin construction. The two lowest floors will continue to house office and retail users. Chad Orcutt and Blaine Fleming of JLL arranged the financing through PostRoad Group. Completion is slated for summer 2021.
NEW YORK CITY — Real estate private equity firm Madison International Realty has signed a 25,000-square-foot office lease at 300 Park Avenue in Manhattan. The company will relocate from a 14,000-square-foot space at 410 Park Avenue in mid-2021. Tishman Speyer owns the 26-story building, which spans 773,056 square feet and was originally built in 1955. Howard Fiddle and Evan Fiddle of CBRE represented the tenant in the lease negotiations. Gregory Conen and Samantha Augarten represented Tishman Speyer internally.
STAMFORD, CONN. — Biotechnology firm Cara Therapeutics Inc. has signed an 11,685-square-foot office lease expansion at 107 Elm Street, the firm’s headquarters building in Stamford. John Hannigan and Adam Cognetta of Choyce Peterson Inc. represented the tenant in the lease negotiations. RFR Realty LLC owns the property.