NEW YORK CITY — Locally based firm Alpha Realty has brokered the $25 million sale of a five-building, 115-unit multifamily portfolio in the Far Rockaway area of Queens. All of the buildings recently underwent full renovation programs that added new roofs and windows, as well as electrical and mechanical systems. Lev Mavashev of Alpha Realty represented the seller and buyer, both of which requested anonymity, in the transaction. The deal traded at a cap rate of 6.8 percent.
MORRISTOWN, N.J. — Kislak Co. has arranged the $8.5 million sale of a 23-unit luxury multifamily property in the Northern New Jersey city of Morristown. Units at the property, which was built in 2015, feature individual washers and dryers, balconies and two assigned private parking spaces. Joseph Keenan and Robert Holland of Kislak represented the seller, Morristown Gateway LLC, in the transaction. Jason Pucci and Justin Lupo, also with Kislak, procured the buyer, an affiliate of regional multifamily owner-operator The Kamson Corp. The property was 96 percent occupied at the time of sale.
DARTMOUTH, MASS. — German discount grocer Aldi will open a 21,000-square-foot store at Dartmouth Mall in southeastern Massachusetts in the fourth quarter. Aldi will backfill a space previously occupied by Sears and will join Burlington, Old Navy, H&M and Five Below as some of the largest tenants at the property. Pennsylvania Real Estate Investment Trust (PREIT) owns Dartmouth Mall.
By Kristin Hiller and Taylor Williams Retail and restaurant reopenings this fall gave a modest boost to the New York City retail market in the third quarter. But even with the easing of some operational restrictions, business activity remains diminished in a city known for its hustle and bustle. Both retail tenants and landlords have had to regroup and quickly adapt to the curveballs thrown at them by COVID-19 over the past nine months. While retail and restaurant users in some areas are finding more success than others, the market as a whole has been characterized by falling rents and a pronounced shift to delivering goods, services and experiences through different channels. In order to get a better handle on current market conditions and the outlook for 2021, Northeast Real Estate Business spoke with retail real estate experts in New York City, Northern New Jersey and surrounding markets. Submarket Fortunes Vary Without question, the city’s retail market is still suffering from a lack of office workers and a reduced tourist population as a result of COVID-19. According to recent data from CBRE, through September, the average office re-occupancy rate in Manhattan was 11 percent, meaning that roughly 89 percent of …
EAST ORANGE AND IRVINGTON, N.J. — Marcus & Millichap has arranged the $92.5 million sale of a 24-property, 702-unit multifamily portfolio in East Orange and Irvington, two cities located in Essex County. Approximately 55 percent (390) of the units are located in East Orange, and the remaining units (312) are located in Irvington. Richard Gatto and Fahri Ozturk of Marcus & Millichap represented the seller, a partnership between ERCT Capital Group, MAVeCap and Metropolitan America, in the transaction. Eric Anton and Chris Warner in the firm’s Manhattan office represented the buyer, Spaxel LLC, a New York-based multifamily developer. Brad Domenico of Progress Capital arranged $81 million in acquisition financing for the deal.
STAMFORD, CONN. — Developer Building & Land Technology (BLT) has opened Escape, a 435-unit waterfront apartment community located in the Harbor Point district in Stamford. The property offers one-, two- and three-bedroom units as well as four-bedroom penthouses that range in size from 701 to 4,445 square feet and that feature floor-to-ceiling windows and stainless steel appliances. Amenities include a pool, fitness center, lounges, a café and a wine tasting room, as well as courts for basketball, pickleball and shuffleboard. Rents start at approximately $2,500 per month for a one-bedroom unit, according to Apartments.com.
SALEM, MASS. — California-based investment firm Pacific Urban Residential has acquired Bell at Salem Station, a 266-unit apartment community in Salem. Built on 10.5 acres in 2002, the property features 12 different floor plans with an average unit size of 1,333 square feet. Amenities include an outdoor pool, fitness center, media room and a community room. Simon Butler, Biria St. John and John McLaughlin of CBRE represented the seller, Bell Partners, and the buyer in the transaction. Pacific Urban Residential will rebrand the community as Sofi at Salem Station.
WALTHAM, MASS. — Callahan Construction Managers has broken ground on Broadstone Watch City, a 244-unit multifamily project that will be located in the western Boston suburb of Waltham. The development will span 348,936 square feet and will consist of 195 market-rate residences and 49 affordable housing units. Amenities will include 293 parking spaces, an outdoor pool and courtyard, resident lounges, a conference room and a fitness center. CUBE 3 Studio is designing the project, which is being developed by a partnership between Alliance Residential Co. and The Carlyle Group. Completion is scheduled for May 2022.
PATERSON AND PASSAIC, N.J. — Gebroe-Hammer Associates has brokered the $17 million sale of a 133-unit apartment portfolio in Northern New Jersey’s Passaic County. The portfolio comprises nine properties of early 20th century construction that offer 133 units in studio, one-, two- and three-bedroom formats. Debbie Pomerantz of Gebroe-Hammer represented the seller, Golden Equities LLC, in the transaction and procured the buyer, an undisclosed private investor.
MOORESTOWN, N.J. — Pennsylvania Real Estate Investment Trust (PREIT) has received a zoning approval that will allow the Philadelphia-based mall owner to add up to 1,065 multifamily units and a hotel to its Moorestown Mall in Southern New Jersey. For PREIT (NYSE: PEI), which filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy in early November, the move is part of a larger effort to diversify the real estate at several of its regional malls. Dubbed a “densification plan” by company executives, PREIT’s plan to sell parcels of land to multifamily developers is expected to generate as much as $150 million in proceeds that will be used to reduce its outstanding debt. The company is in the process of delivering 3,500 apartments across its properties as part of the initial phase of the plan, which could ultimately see as many as 7,000 multifamily units and several hotels added to PREIT’s properties. The first phase of the multifamily component at Moorestown Mall will consist of 375 units and a hotel with an unspecified number of rooms. “Our foresight has shaped a high-quality portfolio with a strong retail core that attracts a distinctive mix of new uses to redefine the future-ready retail and leisure district,” said …