READING, MASS — Nauset Construction has broken ground on The PostMark, a mixed-use complex in Reading. Located at 136 Haven St., the project will include 50 condominium units and 8,000 square feet of commercial space. The complex will also include a below-grade parking garage and landscaped courtyard. A joint venture between DiBiase Homes and Matrix Property Group are developing the complex. O’Sullivan Architects of Reading served as the architect on the project.
Over the course of the last decade, we have seen a major evolution in retail real estate. Super regional malls and enclosed shopping centers, which once dominated the landscape, are being replaced by immersive, open-air centers that provide visitors with more than just a place to shop. Successful retail centers today are a destination — they provide excellent food and dining, aesthetically pleasing environments with open public space, and entertainment tenants and events that engage shoppers to stay longer, come back frequently and use the center as a hub for creating memories with friends and family. At the fifth annual Entertainment Experience Evolution conference, which took place at the Beverly Wilshire Hotel in Beverly Hills on February 12 and 13, the industry gathered together to take a closer look at the keys to success when embracing and implementing this trend at existing centers and new developments across the country. Does Entertainment Really Drive Foot Traffic? The conference opened with a keynote speech centered on an imperative question that many might be asking — does adding an entertainment element actually drive success and greater foot traffic to a center? And — more importantly — are there statistics to back this up? …
A highly educated workforce is driving corporate growth throughout Boston, particularly in the finance, technology and medical sectors. PNC Financial Services and JPMorgan Chase have announced considerable expansions and some international companies, including LogPoint, are setting up North American operations in the Boston metro. As a result, approximately 47,100 positions were created since October 2017, building on the 39,400 jobs added in the prior 12-month period. The pace of hiring has kept the unemployment rate in the low 3 percent band, making it difficult for employers to find quality workers. Overall, healthy employment growth continues to draw more residents and underpins household formation, fueling the need for quality housing. High home prices, however, are putting homeownership out of reach for many, boding well for apartment demand. As a result, vacancy rates remain considerably tight, resting below 4 percent in the third quarter. The still tight vacancy rate is creating a shortage of housing throughout Boston, particularly for lower income households. Consequently, vacancy in Class C apartments has held below 3 percent during the past two annual periods ending in September. Effective rent in these spaces is roughly between $700 and $1,800 per month less than Class A and B spaces, …
In the greater Boston area, over just the past decade, a whole new kind of neighborhood has been popping up. From Ink Block in the South End to the Seaport of Boston and Assembly Row in Somerville, it’s no secret that retail developers are evolving with the times by shifting their focus from traditional shopping malls to integrating retail into new and dynamic mixed-use developments offering housing, retail, entertainment, office space, parking and more. But no two cities are alike. Successful developers are in the business of staying ahead of the trends in how and where people want to shop, which in turn maps them back to how people want to live, work and play. A number of major players in the area, including Wilder, have deconstructed the key elements unique to Boston that converged into the making of these new greater Boston neighborhoods. Reinventing Malls Across the country, there’s a great deal of retail space that’s become available as a result of brick and mortar store closings. Most of these old centers have desirable locations, so it really comes down to a matter of them needing to be repurposed. There’s tremendous opportunity to recreate neighborhoods and bring in housing, office space and hotels …
Seniors housing seemed to rule the roost among attendees at MBA’s CREF 2019. Mark Gould, national production manager at M&T Realty Capital Corporation, thinks he knows why. The obvious answer would be the aging Boomer population, which will continue to require additional services for some time. However, Gould believes it’s more than demographics. He asserts that a tangible evolution has taken place among seniors housing operators that has made these dwellings more attractive to the elderly and their children. As demand shifts, opportunity abounds. Gould believes construction and permanent financing will remain active as these operators continue to perfect their communities. Watch the video for more insights on seniors housing finance from Gould.
BOSTON — Skanska and PGIM Real Estate have sold The Harlo, a 17-story multifamily tower in the Fenway neighborhood of Boston. Global real estate investment manager Invesco Real Estate purchased the property for $150 million. The 183,000-square-foot property includes 212 boutique apartments as well as retail space. At the time of sale, the property was 98 percent leased.
NEW YORK CITY — Alchemy Ventures LLC has acquired a nine-building apartment portfolio in the Bedford-Stuyvesant section of Brooklyn for $25 million. The buildings contain a total of 81 units. New York City-based law firm Schwartz Sladkus Reich Greenberg Atlas LLP represented Alchemy Ventures in the transaction. The seller was IWC General Partners. Pacific Western Bank provided the acquisition financing.
PORT CHESTER, N.Y. — M&J Wilkow and MetLife Investment Management have acquired Port Chester Shopping Center, a 493,459-square-foot shopping center in Port Chester. The sales price was undisclosed. Whole Foods and Kohl’s anchor the open-air retail center. The rest of the tenant roster includes HomeGoods, Ulta and Old Navy. The seller was not disclosed.
NORTH BRUNSWICK, N.J. — CBRE has secured a 300,000-square-foot lease for logistics and fulfillment solutions company Capacity LLC at 1601 Livingston Ave. in North Brunswick. The built-to-suit facility is currently under construction and is slated for occupancy in February 2020. The property will include 40-foot clear heights as well as 10,000 square feet of office space, which will serve as the new headquarters for Capacity LLC. John Maloney of CBRE represented Capacity LLC in the transaction. The property owner, 1600 Building C LLC, was represented in-house during negotiations.
OLD BRIDGE, N.J. — Sheldon Gross Realty has brokered the sale of a 30,000-square-foot warehouse in Old Bridge. The sales price was undisclosed. Located at 395 Route 34, the property was formerly a site for the production of steel building materials. Glen Jaffe, Matthew Leonelli Jr. and Jonathan Glick of Sheldon Gross Realty represented the seller, OEG Building Materials, in the transaction. The buyer was V&S Brothers Inc., which will utilize the facility to transition its auction and dealer purchases for shipment overseas.
