HORSHAM, PA. — Workspace Property Trust (WPT) has acquired 41 office and flex buildings in Horsham from Liberty Property Trust for $245.3 million. The portfolio comprises 2.3 million square feet of mixed property types and tenants. The acquisition is the first real estate transaction by WPT and represents the beginning of a strategic plan to build a portfolio of high-quality, well-positioned suburban real estate assets in the Northeast. The acquisition was financed with a $200 million loan provided by JPMorgan Chase Bank. Mike Tepedino, Michael Gigliotti, Ryan Ade and James Conley of HFF arranged the acquisition financing. A privately held, vertically integrated, full service commercial real estate company, WPT is a partnership between Rizk Ventures, Forum Partners, JMP Group and EverWatch Capital. The trust specializes in the development, management and operation of office and flex space in the Northeast.
PHILADELPHIA — HFF has arranged the sale of a six-property, multi-state seniors housing portfolio totaling 596 units in Philadelphia, California, Michigan and Washington, D.C. ROC Seniors Housing Fund Manager LLC acquired the portfolio from a joint venture between The Carlyle Group and Capitol Seniors Housing for an undisclosed sum. The portfolio has 144 independent living units, 329 assisted living units, 136 memory care units and 17 skilled nursing units. The properties include Arbor Terrace at Chestnut Hill in Philadelphia; Crown Cove in Corona Del Mar, Calif.; Raincross at Riverside in Riverside, Calif.; Whittier Place in Whittier Calif.; Regent Street of West Bloomfield in West Bloomfield, Mich.; and The Residences at Thomas Circle in Washington, D.C. Ryan Maconachy, Chad Lavender and Gerry Rohm of HFF represented the seller in the transaction.
PLYMOUTH MEETING, PA. — Keystone Property Group has unveiled its plan to redevelop One Plymouth Meeting, a 180,000-square-foot office property located at 502 W. Germantown Pike in Plymouth Meeting. The nine-story building will be renovated to accommodate modern workplace demands, including the addition of amenities, interior and exterior upgrades, and to qualify for LEED certification. Overlooking Plymouth Meeting Mall, the office building has walkable access to various of restaurants and retail venues as well as an AMC movie theater.
HORSHAM, PA. — HFF has arranged a $28 million loan for the refinancing of a two-building portfolio in Horsham, a suburb of Philadelphia. The borrower was an affiliate of Endurance Real Estate Group LLC. The 10-year loan, which features a fixed rate, was provided by Silverpeak Real Estate Finance. Loan proceeds will be used to refinance existing debt. The portfolio includes 200 Precision Drive, a 126,500-square-foot facility with 63,000 square feet of warehouse space, 49,400 square feet of office space and a 14,200-square-foot laboratory; and 425 Privet Road, a 120,290-square-foot property fully leased to Teva Pharmaceuticals. 200 Precision Drive is leased to Finisar Corp., C&D Technologies and DrugScan. Ryan Ade and Campbell Roche of HFF represented the borrower in the financing.
WEST CHESTER, PA. — HFF has arranged $18.5 million in refinancing for West Goshen Town Centre, a grocery-anchored retail center located at Route 3 and Five Points Road in West Chester, a suburb of Philadelphia. Brandolini Cos. was the borrower. Situated on 17.6 acres, the property is fully leased to ShopRite, A.C. Moore, Applebee’s Neighborhood Grill, Panera Bread, AT&T, Massage Envy, GameStop, Great Clips, Sun East Federal Credit Union and H&R Block. Ryan Ade of HFF secured the fixed-rate loan, which was provided by an institutional lender, for the borrower.
Philadelphia’s apartment market remains bright as increasing employment fosters stable economic growth, which in turn is bolstering apartment operations. Employers in the metro, which is known as the center of economic activity in Pennsylvania, will increase hiring 1.2 percent this year, adding 35,000 jobs. In 2014, new jobs increased 1.6 percent and the unemployment rate decreased 130 basis points. Total employment is on the upswing, recovering nearly all of the jobs lost during the recession. The favorable employment conditions are supporting demand for apartments and swiftly improving performance throughout the metro, prompting developers to start new multifamily projects. Builders in Philadelphia are focusing their attention in Center City, which includes the central business district and central neighborhoods of Philadelphia, where nearly 25 percent of this year’s deliveries will be placed into service. Developers are on track to complete 3,600 units in 2015, increasing total apartment inventory 1.4 percent. Last year 2,400 rentals were delivered. Part of the reason that demand is especially strong in Philadelphia can be attributed to the increasing popularity of living in the urban core among young professionals and baby boomers. The lack of developable in-fill locations in the area is prompting developers to convert office buildings …
MIDDLETOWN, PA. — Allen Distribution, a third-party logistics service provider, has signed a lease for 321,333 square feet at 100 Capital Lane within Capital Logistics Center in Middletown. The property features an adhered EPDM (ethylene propylene diene terploymer) roof, seven-inch unreinforced concrete floor with 54 doors with 33 knockout panels. Situated on more than 100 acres, the six-building, 1.5 million-square-foot Capital Logistics Center was recently renovated. A joint venture between Woodmont Industrial Partners and AEW Capital Management owns the logistics center. Kim Meincke and Jason Webb of Jones Lang LaSalle represented the tenant, while Michael Hess, Patrick Lafferty and Bart Anderson of CBRE represented Woodmont Industrial Partners in the transaction.
ALLENTOWN, PA. — The Waterfront Development Co. has broken ground for a $400 million mixed-use development along the western banks of the Lehigh River in Allentown. Spanning 26 acres, the project will include six office buildings, including the 157,498-square-foot 615 Waterfront Drive and the 131,457-square-foot 645 Waterfront Drive; three residential complexes, totaling 425 market-rate apartments; three parking structures; a main street and half-mile River Walk. Additionally, each of the 12 new buildings will offer retail and restaurant space. The development company comprises Jaindl Properties LLC, Dunn Twiggar Company LLC and Michael Dunn Co. LTD. Site-wide infrastructure is slated to take approximately 18 months, though building construction will be phased in and begin at any time during that timeframe. The project is expected to take approximately eight years for full build-out.
TREVOSE, PA. — HREC has arranged the sale of Radisson Philadelphia Northeast located at 2400 Old Lincoln Highway in Trevose. Haverford Hotel Partners LP sold the 274-guestroom hotel to TJM Properties for an undisclosed sum. The property is in close proximity to the Sesame Place Theme Park, Parx Casino & Racetrack, Philadelphia Mills Shopping Mall, and The Sportsplex. Ketan Patel and Geoff Davis of HREC’s New York City office represented the seller in the transaction.
EXTON, PA. — Swope Lees Commercial Real Estate has arranged the acquisition of an office building located at 111 Summit Drive within Whiteland Business Park in Exton. Jacquette Consulting Inc. acquired the property for an undisclosed price. The 6,000-square-foot office building features private offices, restrooms, an open bullpen area, conference room and kitchen. Chuck Swope of Swope Lees Commercial represented the buyer, while Jim Dugan of Newmark Grubb Knight Frank and Eric Stretch of First Liberty Partners represented the seller in the transaction.