RARITAN, N.J. — Men’s apparel retailer DXL Big + Tall has signed a 6,170-square-foot retail lease at Somerville Circle Shopping Center in Raritan, located roughly midway between Trenton and Newark. Vanessa Kelty of Levin Management Corp. represented the undisclosed landlord in the lease negotiations. Alison Horbach of RIPCO Real Estate represented the tenant. The deal brings the 150,000-square-foot center to full occupancy.
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Dual Appraisal Methods Improve Opportunities to Get Fair Taxation for Seniors Housing Properties
By Phil Brusk and Caleb Vahcic of Siegel Jennings Co. L.P.A. The seniors housing sector can’t seem to catch a break. Owners grappling with staffing shortages and other operational hardships lingering from the pandemic are facing new challenges related to debt and spiraling costs. High interest rates and loan maturations loom over the industry, with $19 billion in loans coming due within the next 24 months, according to Cushman & Wakefield’s “H1 2024 Market Trends and Investor Survey” on senior living and care. Factors driving high costs include wage pressures, inflation and — incredibly — rising property taxes. Despite operational challenges and declining occupancy at many facilities during the COVID-19 pandemic, property tax relief for seniors housing was mixed. Many assessors resisted downward adjustments to taxable values, maintaining that recovery was around the corner. Now, seniors housing operators face property tax assessments that equal or exceed pre-pandemic levels. As in the hospitality sector, most seniors housing owners understand that their operating properties include more value components than real property alone. In evaluating whether a tax assessment is reasonable and fair, however, owners need to realize that how an assessor addresses their real estate, personal property and intangible assets can drastically …
OCEAN COUNTY, N.J. — CBRE has brokered the sale of a portfolio of three grocery-anchored retail centers located in Ocean County. ShopRite anchors the centers, which include Bay Plaza in Toms River, Jackson Plaza in Jackson Township and Lacey Mall in Lacey Township. Bay Plaza was built in 1994. Tenants at the 87,721-square-foot center include Citizens Bank, Little Gym and Manhattan Bagel. Tenants at Jackson Plaza, which was built in 2002 and comprises 114,753 square feet, include AT&T, Advance Auto Parts and McDonald’s. Other tenants at Lacey Mall, which totals 173,988 square feet, include T.J. Maxx, Mattress Firm, Firestone, Hand & Stone, UPS, Dollar Tree, Dunkin’, Popeyes and Verizon Wireless. The portfolio was roughly 94 percent leased at the time of sale. Chris Munley, Colin Behr, Ryan Sciullo, Casey Smith, RJ Mirabile and Michael Pascavis of CBRE represented the seller, Pasbjerg Development Co., which developed the properties, in the transaction.
MONTVALE, N.J. — Mesa West Capital has provided a $57 million loan for the refinancing of Thrive at Montvale, a 203-unit seniors housing community in Northern New Jersey. Thrive at Montvale features 88 independent living, 83 assisted living and 32 memory care units. Amenities include resident lounges, a beauty salon, multiple dining rooms, courtyards, a fitness center, physician’s office, theater and a pickleball court. The loan carried a five-year term and a floating interest rate. The borrower is a joint venture between AEW Capital Management, Atlanta-based owner-operator Thrive Senior Living and New Jersey-based Pike Construction.
BETHEL, CONN. — Phillips Edison & Co., a Cincinnati-based shopping center REIT, has purchased the 101,105-square-foot Bethel Center in Connecticut’s Fairfield County. Anchored by Big Y Supermarket, Bethel Center was 91 percent leased at the time of sale. Other tenants include Starbucks, Dollar Tree, Great Clips, Quest Diagnostics and Casa Tequila. Nat Heald, Jeffrey Dunne and David Gavin of CBRE represented the seller, a partnership between DRA Advisors and KPR Centers, in the transaction. The sales price was not disclosed.
SOUTH PLAINFIELD, N.J. — Ethnic grocer Tropical Supermarket has opened a 15,800-square-foot store at Clinton Corners, a retail center in South Plainfield, about 35 miles south of Manhattan. Vanessa Kelty of Levin Management Corp. represented the landlord in the lease negotiations. The tenant was self-represented. Kelty also recently arranged a 2,145-square-foot lease with Mexican restaurant Blue Habanero at Clinton Corners. Diomaris Rosado with Keller Williams Premier represented the tenant in that deal. Levin Properties owns Clinton Corners.
NORWALK, CONN. — Norseland Inc., a subsidiary of Norway’s largest dairy cooperative, has signed an 11,353-square-foot office lease in the coastal Connecticut city of Norwalk. The company is relocating its U.S. headquarters from nearby Darien to Merritt 7 Corporate Park. John Hannigan and James Riffice of locally based brokerage firm Choyce Peterson represented the tenant in the lease negotiations. Betsy Buckley, Ed Tonnessen and Gil Ohls of JLL, along with internal agent JoAnn McGrath, represented the landlord, a partnership between Clarion Partners and Marcus Partners.
BOSTON — CBRE has brokered the sale of the Joy Realty Portfolio, a collection of eight apartment buildings totaling 284 units in Boston. The four- and five-story buildings were constructed in the early 20th century and are located in the Fenway and Longwood Medical areas. The unit mix comprises studio through four-bedroom floor plans, and the portfolio has an average unit size of 550 square feet. Simon Butler, Biria St. John, John McLaughlin and Brian Bowler of CBRE represented the seller, a private family that had owned some of the assets for more than 100 years, in the transaction. The team also procured two separate buyers; an affiliate of Cambridge-based Forest Properties purchased six buildings totaling 222 units, and an undisclosed investor acquired the other two buildings totaling 62 units.
NEW YORK CITY — Blue Owl Capital has signed a 238,673-square-foot office lease extension and expansion at 375 Park Avenue in Midtown Manhattan. The global alternative asset manager first committed to 375 Park Avenue, which is known locally as The Seagram Building, in 2022 with a 137,600-square-foot lease across floors two through five. In 2023, Blue Owl added 31,597 square feet to its footprint via occupancy of the entire sixth floor. The latest lease expansion totals 70,076 square feet across floors 16 through 19. Mark Weiss of Cushman & Wakefield represented the tenant in the lease negotiations. A.J. Camhi and Paul Milunec represented the landlord, RFR Realty, on an internal basis.
MANAHAWKIN, N.J. — New Jersey-based developer Walters has begun leasing Cornerstone at Grassy Hollow II, a 34-unit affordable housing complex located in the coastal city of Manahawkin. The four-building property features one-, two- and three-bedroom units that are reserved for renters earning 60 percent or less of the area median income. Physical amenities include a fitness center, a children’s play area, basketball court and clubhouse with computer workstation. Residents also have access to services such as afterschool programs, special interest clubs and a food pantry program, as well as career readiness, eviction prevention and social services assistance.