YARDLEY, PA. — A fund advised by Inland Institutional Capital has acquired Lower Makefield Shopping Center in Yardley. The 74,953-square-foot grocery- and drugstore-anchored property sold for an undisclosed price. The name of the seller was not released. Giant grocery store and Rite Aid Pharmacy occupy the property.
CHADDS FORD, PA. — Talonvest Capital has arranged $24.1 million in construction financing for Metro Self Storage. The borrower plans to develop one self-storage facility in Chadds Ford and two in Naperville and Addison, Illinois. In total, the new developments will feature more than 236,000 rentable square feet. A Midwestern-based bank financed the Pennsylvania development, while an East Coast-based bank funded the two suburban Chicago properties. Kim Leslie, Tom Sherlock and Jim Davies of Talonvest negotiated and structured the loans for the borrower.
PHILADELPHIA — Colliers International has arranged a $4.1 million in refinancing for a mixed-use property located at 2231 Bryn Mawr Ave. in Philadelphia. The building features 12 apartments and 13,000 square feet of commercial space. The loan features a five-year fixed rate with a five-year reset. Kris Wood, John Banas, Chad Levitt, Tim Hoyt, Martin Duval and Jordan Canino of Colliers International secured the financing for the undisclosed borrower.
ERIE, PA. — The Woda Group Inc. is developing Willow Commons, a $9.5 million seniors housing property located at 2064 Willow St. in Erie. A combination of new construction and the adaptive reuse of The Wesleyville Public School, Willow Commons will feature 29 one-bedroom and 16 two-bedroom affordable apartments for seniors age 62 or older, with income levels below 60 percent of area median income. Slated for completion this fall, the property will feature a community room with kitchen, common laundry, a library/craft room, an exercise room, an outdoor space with a community garden and seating area.
The Urban Land Institute (ULI) listed Pittsburgh among its top five markets to watch in the 2017 Emerging Trends in Real Estate report due to its low cost to do business; access to talent via four major universities; and its status as an emerging tech hub with the likes of Uber, Google, Facebook and most recently, Amazon, establishing regional research and development centers in the city. Citizens Bank announced that it would remain a tenant in 525 William Penn Place, where it occupies approximately 150,000 square feet, reporting that its management views Pittsburgh as a growth driver for the company. Ford Motor Company inked a $1 billion deal with Argo AI, a Pittsburgh start-up that focuses on artificial intelligence and robotics, to expand its research and development of self-driving cars. Ford now is surveying the Greater Downtown submarket for space to construct a 100,000-square-foot facility to hold the 200 employees it expects to hire over the next 24 months. Despite the region’s growing popularity as a tech hub, leasing activity in first quarter 2017 reported a 23.3 percent drop from the same period 2016, ending the quarter at just less than 600,000 square feet, while overall net absorption dropped an …
FREDERICKSBURG, PA. — Ace Hardware has signed a long-term lease for 1.1 million square feet of distribution space at Lebanon Valley Distribution Center, located at 139 Fredericksburg Road in Fredericksburg. The lease involves a 1.1 million-square-foot cross-docked, 36-foot clear height distribution facility. The existing 874,126-square-foot facility will be expanded by 225,875 square feet and delivered to Ace Hardware for occupancy by year’s end. Joseph McDermott, Jake Terkanian, Vincent Ranalli and David Lind of CBRE represented Ace Hardware. The property is owned by USAA Real Estate Co. and is being developed by Trammell Crow Co.
JENKINTOWN, PA. — Square Mile Capital Management has originated a $91 million whole loan for Metropolitan Properties of America. The loan is secured by 100 York, a 588-unit high-rise multifamily property located in Jenkintown. The property features a tennis court, outdoor swimming pool and an 8,000-square-foot amenity center with a fitness center, aerobics/yoga studio, cardiovascular room, billiards and game rooms, business center, theater and resident lounge. The Boston-based borrower recently renovated the property to Class A standards. Brad Johnson of CBRE arranged the financing.
MIDDLETOWN, PA. — Cushman & Wakefield has brokered the $76.1 million sale of Capital Logistics Center in Middletown. An affiliated entity of Dermody Properties purchased the five-building industrial portfolio from a joint venture partnership of Woodmont Industrial Partners and AEW Capital Management. Cushman & Wakefield’s Gerry Blinebury and Gary Gabriel represented the seller. The buyer was represented in-house. Capital Logistics Center totals 1.3 million square feet and is 74 percent occupied. An additional 133,800 square feet remains available for development. The property is located near I-81 and the Pennsylvania Turnpike.
CONSHOHOCKEN, PA. — Keystone Property Group has received zoning approvals for the development of SORA West a transit-oriented mixed-use development in the Philadelphia suburb of Conshohocken. Upon completion, SORA West will include a central plaza surrounded by a 250,000-square-foot office building, retail and dining space, a 171-key hotel, the existing Conshohocken Firehouse and a 950-space parking structure. The project will be located adjacent to the Conshohocken SEPTA train station, near Route 76 and Route 476. Keystone is now in the process of finalizing the plans and pursuing land development approvals. In addition to office, retail, hotel and community uses, the developer is assessing the viability of adding a residential component to the property. Keystone is headquartered in SORA East, which is located one block away from SORA West.
LANCASTER, PA. — HJ Sims has secured $98 million in financing for Brethren Village, a continuing care retirement community in Lancaster. In 2016, Brethren hired Sims to serve as senior managing underwriter for the proposed refinancing of 2008 bonds on the facility. Sims worked with Brethren Village’s independent municipal advisor to pair the refinance with financing to develop an independent living expansion project known as Northside Court. The financing consists of fixed-rate refunding bonds structured with serial and term bonds, a 25-year maturity and level annual debt service. The 2017 refunding bonds include optional redemption provisions of 10 years to enable Brethren to repay the bonds prior to maturity. The Northside Court project financing was structured as a variable rate, tax-exempt direct placement with one bank. The term of the bank commitment is 10 years with a 25-year principal amortization.