During the first half of 2018, the Eastern Pennsylvania industrial market has been anything but quiet. Fueled by occupier demand and the institutional capital community’s perpetual appetite for industrial product, there has been unprecedented activity on the transactional front, which is up significantly year-over-year. From a pure volume perspective, the market is on a trajectory to make this the most active year on record. Unlike prior years where product starved capital markets would see less than a dozen quality trades in Pennsylvania, this year has proven to be more plentiful, with year-over-year sales volumes almost doubled for one-off offerings. Meanwhile, the mega transactions continue with pending portfolio and company sales like DCT to Prologis and GPT to Blackstone. Connected Markets While activity in specific submarkets ebbs and flows, the synergy between them is greater than ever before. In fact, the trend towards considering the Eastern Pennsylvania industrial market as a whole continues to gain traction. Whereas in the past, a tenant or investor may have been interested in evaluating a particular geographic region, today the various submarkets are providing equally viable options for those seeking to expand and new occupiers looking to open facilities. One exception to the rule is …
BRISTOL TOWNSHIP, PA. — Herring Properties has announced it will break ground on a new 248,500-square-foot speculative industrial facility in Bristol Township. The facility will be located on 20 acres in the Bristol Commerce Center and will feature clear heights of 40 feet. The property is expected to be ready for occupancy by the second quarter of 2019. Herring Properties is the developer of the Bristol Commerce Center. Current tenants at 81-acre industrial park include XPO Logistics, AirGas Corp., Goodyear and PetValu.
PITTSBURGH — Greystone has provided $19.5 million in bridge financing for the acquisition of Squirrel Hill Center for Rehabilitation and Health in Pittsburgh. The borrower is Squirrel Hill PA Realty LLC. The property is an eight-story, 178-bed skilled nursing facility, and will be renamed The Squirrel Hill Wellness & Rehabilitation Center. It was originally built in 1964 and is currently undergoing refurbishing and improvements. Fred Levine of Greystone originated the non-recourse, floating-rate loan. The financing features a 24-month term, two six-month extension options and interest-only payments for the life of the loan. The borrower intends to refinance the bridge loan with a fixed-rate, HUD-insured permanent takeout loan.
CONSHOHOCKEN, PA. — Newmark Knight Frank has negotiated the $108 million sale of Eight Tower Bridge, a 16-story, 346,659-square-foot office tower in Conshohocken. The property features a tenant roster that includes Marsh & McLennan Cos., Allied Universal, Penn Mutual, AMG Funds and Airgas. Edward Maher, Matthew Pullen and James Tribble of NKF represented the seller, Barings, in the transaction. The buyer was American Real Estate Partners. The property also includes a seven-level, 1,200-space parking garage.
LANDISVILLE, PA. — RED Capital Group has secured a $7.8 million construction loan for Tobacco Road apartments, an adaptive reuse of a historic building in Landisville. The loan will be used to develop the currently vacant brick property into a 66-unit apartment community. The structure, a former tobacco warehouse, consists of four connected buildings and was built in the early 1900s. The property is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. RED Capital Group secured the financing on behalf of developer, S. B. Conrad. The lender was undisclosed. When completed, the complex will include a mix of one-, two- and three-bedroom units.
WORCESTER, PA. —Meadowood Senior Living, a nonprofit, independent continuing care retirement community, has broken ground on The Grove, a $30 million independent living expansion. Located in Worcester, approximately 25 miles northwest of Philadelphia, the project will add 52 new units to the 133-acre campus. The Grove will add four buildings to the Meadowood campus, and it will be completed in two phases of two new buildings each. While the first phase will finish in November 2019, Meadowood is planning to complete The Grove in January 2020. The new buildings will contain 13 apartments each, with residences ranging from 1,400 to 1,800 square feet.
MALVERN, PA. — HFF has negotiated the sale of a 299,809-square-foot office building in Malvern. The sales price was undisclosed. Located at 1400 Atwater Drive, the five-story property is approximately 30 miles southeast of Philadelphia. Built in 2013, the building is fully leased to Endo Pharmaceuticals as its North American headquarters. HFF represented the seller, Gramercy Property Trust, in the transaction. The buyer was Equus Capital Partners.
WARMINSTER, PA. — PB Warminster Plaza LLC has acquired Warminster Plaza, a 128,544-square-foot shopping center in Warminster. The sales price was undisclosed. The property is located approximately 27 miles from Philadelphia and is home to a tenant roster that includes SMG SportsPlex at Warminster, AAA, Lee’s Hoagie House, YMCA of Buck’s County, Kid’s First Swim Schools, Pearle Vision Center and Grand Buffett. Chris Munley and Michael DiCosimo of HFF represented the seller, Liberty Capital III, in the transaction.
PITTSBURGH — Marcus & Millichap has negotiated the $1 million sale of a 1,900-square-foot retail building in Pittsburgh. The property, which is located at 2065 Ardmore Blvd., is currently occupied by Dunkin’ Donuts through a 15-year triple net lease agreement. Alan Cafiero and Ben Sgambati of Marcus & Millichap represented the seller, limited liability company, in the transaction. The buyer was a private investor.
HOMESTEAD AND DUBOIS, PENN. — STREAM Capital Partners has brokered the $23.7 million sale of a three-building office portfolio in Pennsylvania. The 113,000-square-foot portfolio is located at 385 and 395 E. Waterfront Drive in Homestead and 203 W. Weber Ave. in DuBois. Phil DiGennaro, Ryan Smeele, Jordan Shtulman and Jonathan Wolfe of STREAM Capital represented the undisclosed seller in the transaction. The undisclosed buyer was in a 1031 exchange. The portfolio is currently net leased to GAI Consultants.