ELIZABETHTOWN, PA. — Novaya Foxfield Industrial (NFI) has purchased 20 acres in Elizabethtown, located about 75 miles north of Baltimore. NFI is currently developing two industrial warehouses totaling 200,000 square feet on the site. The buildings will feature concrete panel construction and 32-foot clear heights. The property will be located within the 3.5 million-square-foot Conewago Industrial Park, which houses several large warehouse and industrial tenants. NFI expects to complete construction by the end of 2019.
Robust employment and population growth are fueling Philadelphia’s renaissance and propelling the region’s office sector to new heights. The lack of new office construction over the past decade has driven rents to record levels and is creating value-add acquisition opportunities throughout the region. With a tight labor market and talent acquisition at a premium, companies want to lease state-of-the-art workspaces that attract future employees. Key features of these spaces include access to public transit and surrounding retail and restaurant options. Limited availabilities within this product type are driving rents for quality space, as well as the development pipeline for new office buildings. However, after years of little construction, several proposed office buildings in both downtown and the suburbs are close to breaking ground and creating the next crop of new office inventory for the region. Record Rents In the second quarter of 2019, average asking rents for office properties in downtown Philadelphia hit a record $31.33 per square foot, a 20 percent increase over the past five years. This growth has been driven by out-of-town investors acquiring buildings and raising rents, as well as by growing demand for downtown office space, both from new in-bound demand and organic growth from …
BENSALEM, PA. — JLL has arranged the sale of Bensalem Square, a 70,378-square-foot retail center in Bensalem, a northeastern suburb of Philadelphia. Redner’s Markets grocery store anchors the property. The center also houses tenants in the restaurant, service and medical sectors. Chris Munley, James Galbally and Colin Behr of JLL represented the seller, Brixmor Property Group, in the transaction. LS Property Investment was the buyer.
PHILADELPHIA — Pearl Properties has completed development of The Harper, a 183-unit mixed use building in Philadelphia. The 280,000-square-foot property includes office and retail space, as well as a ground-floor restaurant, co-working lounges and a fitness center with an indoor basketball court. An outdoor rooftop area features a heated pool, lounge and grilling area. DAS Architects designed the building.
LIMERICK, PA. — Grandbridge Seniors Housing and Healthcare Finance Group has arranged a $34 million construction loan for Arcadia at Limerick Pointe, a seniors housing development in Limerick, approximately 30 miles northwest of Philadelphia. Vantage Pointe Retirement Living is the borrower. Upon completion, the property will feature 160 units of independent living, assisted living and memory care. BB&T provided the funds. The Grandbridge team leading the transaction included Richard Thomas, Meredith Davis and Kim Huffstutler.
NEW YORK CITY and KING OF PRUSSIA, PA. — The Escape Game has selected Sachse Construction to build two new concepts in a project totaling approximately $4.5 million. One concept will be located in New York City and the other in King of Prussia, a northwestern suburb of Philadelphia. The Escape Game is a popular interactive puzzle game with national locations, and construction will include movie-like sets. The construction timeline was undisclosed.
CRANBERRY, PA. —Middletown Income Investors Cranberry LLC has purchased a single-tenant retail property in Cranberry, a northern suburb of Pittsburgh, for $14.1 million. A 24-hour Walmart Supercenter has fully occupied the property since 1999, and the retailer recently signed a 10-year lease extension. Patrick Luther of SRS, Phil Sambazis of Marcus & Millichap, along with Jeff Christian and Ryan Morita of First Street Brokerage, represented the seller, ACV Cranberry LLC, in the transaction. Zackary Hilgendorf of Quantum Real Estate Advisors represented Middletown.
As we look toward the end of 2019, multifamily investment sales and mortgage banking transactions in the greater Philadelphia market are at an all-time high. For lifelong Philadelphians, it’s exciting to witness the area’s longstanding foundation successfully take shape through numerous real estate projects in the city and its suburbs. The Philadelphia multifamily market continues to capture interest from a variety of capital sources. Berkadia’s Philadelphia team alone has $4.3 billion in firm or funded transactions from January through August of this year. Specifically, institutional investors have demonstrated an increased interest in this market, as both national and international players continue to recognize the area’s relative value and sound fundamentals. We expect these trends to continue throughout the remainder of 2019 and into next year, regardless of any major headwinds at the macro-economic level. The driving forces behind Philadelphia’s success include a robust volume of new Class A developments, a more tactful approach to value-add deals, marketplace efficiencies and most of all, a continued demand for multifamily product. The market’s new Class A properties have been well-received in terms of leasing velocity. More construction capital is available than in years past; top-of-the-market rent discovery has generally proven out. In addition, …
Demand for industrial space in Philadelphia and suburban Pennsylvania counties has been strong over the last five years. The last meaningful wave of speculative construction occurred in 2002. Couple that with the fact that much of the area’s industrial inventory was built prior to 1980, and we have a market that is ready to absorb a rising volume of speculative product. Organic growth and new-to-market requirements have absorbed most of the quality supply, leaving inventory that is at 40 to 50 years old and functionally obsolete for many requirements of today’s e-commerce users. Activity has been slower in the year’s first six months as companies have been more cautious about planning for future growth. Another factor has been the lack of quality-space options, with less than 1 percent of the inventory considered institutional, Class A space. This dearth of quality space is reflected in the single-digit vacancies. Developers, tenants and brokers will be watching closely as over 5 million square feet of speculative industrial space is projected to deliver in the next 12 to 24 months. Strong Urban Demand There is pent-up demand from local warehouse and manufacturing companies as well as increasing demand from third-party logistics (3PLs) users, food …
KING OF PRUSSIA, PA. — CBRE has arranged the sale of a 292,110-square-foot industrial portfolio in King of Prussia, a northwestern suburb of Philadelphia. The properties are located at 201 and 221 King Manor Drive, as well as 740, 780 and 820 Third Ave. The portfolio was 95 percent leased at the time of sale. Brad Ruppel, Michael Hines, Brian Fiumara and Lauren Dawicki of CBRE represented the sellers, Pennsylvania-based Endurance Real Estate Group and Texas-based Thackeray Partners, in the transaction. The sales price and buyer were undisclosed.