BRAINTREE, MASS. — Colliers International has negotiated the $15.2 million sale of Windjammer Cover Apartments, a 72-unit, waterfront apartment community in Braintree. Located at 79 Shaw St., the property features a mix of studio, one- and two-bedroom units. Bruce Lusa, Jonathan Bryant, John Flaherty and Maggie Collins of Colliers represented the sellers, WJ Partners LLC and Oak Sapling Partners LLC, in the transaction. The buyer was True North Capital Partners LLC.
Northeast
CLIFTON PARK, N.Y. — Vanguard-Fine has brokered the $3.6 million sale of a 15,000-square-foot retail property in Clifton Park. Located at 1617 Route 9, the property was built in 2017 and is currently occupied by discount tool and equipment retailer Harbor Freight Tools. Ken Brownell & Barry Feinman of Vanguard-Fine represented the seller, Cliftonparkwood LLC, in the transaction. The buyer was Agree Realty.
CARMEL, N.Y. — Alexandrion Group has acquired a 12-acre development site in Carmel. Located at 39 Seminary Hill Road, the property includes an existing 136,000-square-foot industrial facility. The Romanian spirits producer plans to build a distillery on the site. Arthur Mirante, Martin Cottingham and Matt Pynn of Avison Young represented Alexandrion Group in the transaction. The seller was Hinckley Holdings LLC and Covington Development LLC. Founded in 1994, Alexandrion Group produces Saber Elyzia liqueurs, Brâncoveanu brandy, Alexander Vodka and Gin, Kreskova vodka and Zolmyr liqueurs.
MassHousing Provides $2.1M Construction Loan for Workforce Housing Community in Boston
by David Cohen
BOSTON — MassHousing has provided $2.1 million in affordable housing financing from the agency’s Workforce Housing Initiative to support the development of 233 Hancock, a five-story, 36-unit workforce housing community being developed by Arx Urban in Dorchester. The financing will help transform two former automobile repair shops into 36 units of new mixed-income homes, including 21 units of workforce housing. Of the 36 new apartments, 10 will be affordable for working households earning up to 80 percent of the Area Median Income (AMI), and 11 apartments will be affordable for working households earning up to 100 percent of AMI. The remaining 15 units will be rented at market rates. The AMI for Boston is $107,800 for a family of four. Additional financing for the project is being provided by the Property and Casualty Initiative, which is providing $9.4 million in construction and permanent financing. Other sources include $3.2 million of private equity and $500,000 in Community Preservation funding from the City of Boston. Haycon is serving as general contractor on the project. The architect is RODE Architects Inc.
BRIDGEPORT, CONN. — HFF has brokered the $21.7 million sale of a mixed-use portfolio totaling 176 apartments and approximately 100,000 square feet of retail and office space in downtown Bridgeport. The three-building portfolio includes the City Trust Building, an 11-story, 135,544-square-foot property; Arcade Mall, a four-story, 52,355-square-foot structure; and Golden Hill, an eight-story, 51,194-square-foot building. Stephen Simonelli, Jose Cruz, Michael Oliver, Kevin O’Hearn, Steven Rutman, JB Bruno, and Dana Brome of HFF represented the seller, Ginsburg Development Cos., in the transaction. The buyer was Time Equities Inc.
Hunt Real Estate Capital Secures $5.85M Refinancing for Multifamily Community in Philadelphia
by David Cohen
PHILADELPHIA — Hunt Real Estate Capital has secured a $5.85 million loan to refinance Terrace Lofts, a four-story, 32-unit multifamily building in the Manayunk neighborhood of Philadelphia. The property includes both one- and two-bedroom floor plans. Hunt Real Estate Capital secured a 10-year, fixed-rate loan with a 30-year amortization schedule on behalf of the borrower, a local real estate investor. The lender was not disclosed.
Blueprint Negotiates Sale of Three-Property Skilled Nursing Portfolio in Pennsylvania
by David Cohen
SCRANTON, PA. — Blueprint Healthcare Real Estate Advisors has arranged the sale of a three-property skilled nursing portfolio in the Wyoming Valley region of Northeast Pennsylvania. Blueprint represented the sellers, a private investor and regional operator. A REIT, along with an operational partner with an existing presence in the state, acquired the properties for an undisclosed price. Located along a 25-mile stretch in the Scranton/Wilkes-Barre market, the portfolio consists of 416 licensed beds. Ownership recently completed substantial renovations. The facilities were 85 percent occupied and generating over $34 million in total revenue with improving operating margins. Christopher Hyldahl, Michael Segal and Gideon Orion of Blueprint handled the transaction.
Cornerstone Realty Capital Arranges $5.8M Acquisition Loan for Apartment Building in Massachusetts
by David Cohen
WHITMAN, MASS. — Cornerstone Realty Capital has arranged $5.8 million in acquisition financing for a three-story, 45-unit apartment building in Whitman. The property features a unit mix of 15 one-bedroom and 30 two-bedroom units. All units include stainless steel appliances, granite countertops, in-unit laundry and hardwood floors. Patrick Brady of Cornerstone secured financing for the borrower, a private family office, in the transaction. The lender was a local bank. Whitman is located approximately 24 miles south of Boston.
Vidal/Wettenstein Orchestrates $2.6M Sale of Office Building in Fairfield, Connecticut
by David Cohen
FAIRFIELD, CONN. — Vidal/Wettenstein has arranged the $2.6 million sale of a 7,326-square-foot office building in Fairfield. Located at 95 Reef Road, the property currently houses an architectural firm, interior design company, a children’s medical walk-in facility and a residence and storage area in the lower level. Bruce Wettenstein of Vidal/Wettenstein represented the undisclosed seller in the transaction. The buyer was 1222 Wisconsin Ave LLC, an investor that purchased the property via a 1031 exchange. Jamar Arbelo of J Aaron Investments represented the buyer in the transaction.
Adaptive reuse and redevelopment projects along with a robust job market—particularly in the financial and professional services sectors—are the linchpins driving New Jersey’s office market growth. The availability rate, which is at its lowest point in nine years, has improved thanks to the repurposing of obsolete office product. Last year, 12 properties totaling 2.3 million square feet were marked for redevelopment, taking them out of inventory. Through the first half of 2018, 20 office properties totaling 2.7 million square feet are slated for redevelopment, which will further lower the availability rate. The redevelopment of these spaces has also steadily driven up Class A asking rents over the past three years by 6.1 percent to 29.62 per square foot. The positive momentum in the market can also be attributed to the 4.2 percent unemployment rate, a 10-year low, and incentive programs, like Grow NJ, that have attracted and retained businesses in the Garden State, sustaining demand. The most significant adaptive reuse project currently under way is at 110 Edison Place in Newark. Also known as Ironside, the 22-acre project will transform a historic obsolete building at the corner of Edison Place and McCarter Highway into a 450,000-square-foot state-of-the-art office and retail …