NEW YORK CITY — Exact Capital, a locally based finance and development firm, has completed the renovation and preservation of 333 affordable housing units spread across 19 buildings in The Bronx. As part of the project, the developer also renovated four retail spaces located within those properties, all of which rise between two and seven stories. Exact Capital partnered with Shepherd Restoration Corp. on the project, which enhanced roofs, refreshed common areas and upgraded kitchens and bathrooms. TD Bank provided financing for the project in conjunction with the New York City Department of Housing Preservation & Development and Community Preservation Corp.
PARAMUS, N.J. — JLL has negotiated the sale of a 373,420-square-foot office building located at 650 From Road in Paramus. Built in 1978, the property is situated on a 12-acre site about 12 miles from Manhattan that also has the potential for future development. The property also houses the headquarters of watchmaker Movado. José Cruz, Kevin O’Hearn, Andrew Scandalios, Stephen Simonelli, Michael Oliver and Mark Mahasky of JLL represented the seller, Mack-Cali Corp., in the transaction. A joint venture between Onyx Equities, LLC and Garrison Investment Group purchased the asset for an undisclosed price.
WARREN, N.J. — Everest Reinsurance Co. has signed a 315,000-square-foot office lease at Warren Corporate Center, a 176-acre development in northern New Jersey. Warren Corporate Center, which consists of five office buildings totaling more than 820,000 square feet, will serve as Everest’s new U.S. headquarters following the Bermuda-based company’s relocation from Liberty Corner, New Jersey. Everest expects to take occupancy of the new space within the next 18 months. Amenities at the property include walking trails, a landscaped pond with amphitheater seating, a fitness center, cafeteria, a basketball court and four covered parking structures. Eric Deutsch and Jeff Babikian of CBRE represented the tenant in the lease negotiations. Robert Donnelly, Sr. and Robert Donnelly, Jr. represented the landlord, a joint venture between Vision Real Estate Partners and Rubenstein Partners LP.
CAMBRIDGE, MASS. — Capital Stack Commercial Real Estate Finance and Miami-based GenX Capital Partners have arranged $37.7 million in construction financing for 907 Main Hotel, a 67-room property in Cambridge. Local developer Patrick Barrett III is leading the development of the upscale, boutique hotel, which will span 42,000 square feet and offer a street-level restaurant and a rooftop bar. The building will also house Toscanini’s Ice Cream, which has operated in the neighborhood since 1981. A New York-based hedge fund provided the financing. The hotel is slated to open in early 2020.
GLADWYNE, PA. — Ziegler has arranged $44.1 million in bond financing for Waverly Heights, which owns and operates a continuing care retirement community (CCRC) of the same name in Gladwyne, located northwest of Philadelphia. The 63-acre community was built in 1986 and includes 151 independent living apartments, 69 independent living villas, 33 personal care suites, 16 memory support rooms and 49 private skilled nursing rooms. The bond financing, along with other available funds, will be used to pay back existing bank debt.
PROVIDENCE, R.I. — Northeast Private Client Group (NPCG) has brokered the $7.3 million sale of Ambassador Apartments, a residential building in Providence that consists of 33 apartments and three single-family homes. The property is located near Brown University as well as the shops and restaurants of nearby Thayer Street. Tim McGeary of NPCG represented the seller, DiPrete Realty Investment, and procured the buyer, S.M.H. Grandview, both of which are based in Rhode Island. The deal closed at a capitalization rate of 5.91 percent.
The investment markets for office, industrial and flex properties in Westchester and Fairfield counties have seen significant activity over the last 12 months. Both debt and equity capital have been flowing into the urban and suburban areas of the counties, demonstrating that these submarkets are viable alternatives to New York City. This year has witnessed one of the largest transactions to ever take place in Westchester and Fairfield counties since we have been recording statistics. This past spring, HFF sold a portfolio of 52 industrial flex assets in multiple parks in both Westchester and Fairfield counties for $488 million, or $167 per square foot. The demand was very strong for these industrial assets, and the buyer pool spanned from private groups to some of the largest money managers in the world. In addition, cap rates are in the 4.25 to 4.85 percent range for more traditional industrial product. Cap pricing is absolutely on track to surpass $200 per square foot, as there is a lack of available land for development and institutional funds’ continue to display an insatiable appetite for the product type. Consequently, these kinds of deals continue to dominate the conversations and market activity. Office Market Interest …
BOSTON — Madison Realty Capital has provided a $314 million construction loan for the development of Raffles Boston Back Bay Hotel & Residences. Trinity Stuart LLC, a partnership between two Boston-based entities, Saunders Hotel Group and The Noannet Group, is leading development of the project, which will consist of 147 hotel rooms and 146 residential units. Cain International is also providing joint venture equity to develop the project, which has a total price tag of more than $400 million, with Trinity Stuart. Riaz Cassum and Anthony Cutone of JLL placed the debt and equity on behalf of the developer. A construction timeline was not released.
AMHERST, N.Y. — Douglas Development Co. has purchased Boulevard Mall, a 961,800-square-foot shopping and dining destination in the Buffalo suburb of Amherst, for $30.5 million. The property was originally built in 1962 and is situated on 64 acres. The mall was renovated in 2000 and is now anchored by tenants such as Dick’s Sporting Goods and Macy’s. Jose Cruz, Kevin O’Hearn, Claudia Steeb, Michael Oliver and Ryan Robertson of JLL handled the transaction in conjunction with Ten-X on behalf of the undisclosed seller. JLL closed the sale, which included an adjacent, eight-acre tract that houses a 120,000-square-foot Wegmans grocery store and commanded a price of $6 million.
WINSLOW, N.J. — A partnership between two New Jersey-based investment firms, Homestake Capital LLC and Harvestate Group LLC, has broken ground on a 595-unit self-storage facility in Winslow, located outside Philadelphia. Extra Space Storage will operate the property, which will span 66,300 net rentable square feet and offer climate-controlled space. Completion is scheduled for January 2020.