DOYLESTOWN, PA. — Whole Foods Market has opened a 43,617-square-foot store at 1745 S. Easton Road in Doylestown, a northern suburb of Philadelphia. The store features full-service meat and seafood counters, a bakery, prepared foods section and a wellness and beauty section, as well as a selection of more than 750 wines and 280 craft beers. A grand opening celebration was held this morning.
BETHLEHEM, PA. — International developer and construction firm Skanska has completed the $70 million redevelopment of a historic building on the campus of Lehigh University in Bethlehem. The Clayton University Center was originally built in 1868. The redevelopment involved upgrading the electrical and mechanical systems, installing a full fire protection system and adding multiple kitchen and food delivery areas. The redevelopment also entailed renovations of numerous interior common areas, as well as the preservation of the building’s façade, and the project team also undertook various sustainability measures. Shepley Bulfinch designed the redevelopment, which began in late 2022.
PHILADELPHIA — Federal Realty Investment Trust has broken ground on a $30 million retail redevelopment project in northwest Philadelphia. Federal Realty is repositioning 30,000 square feet of inline space at Andorra Shopping Center and developing a 50,000-square-foot GIANT grocery store from the ground up. Other plans for the redevelopment call for approximately 14,000 square feet of landscaped plazas and outdoor dining spaces, as well as expanded sidewalks and curbside pickup spaces and a reconfiguration of the north-end parking lot to create an internal pathway to the main shopping center. Andorra Shopping Center currently houses tenants such as T.J. Maxx, Five Below and Kohl’s, and childcare provider KinderCare is planning to open a 10,000-square-foot facility as part of the redevelopment. Construction work is expected to be complete by the end of the year, with store openings slated for 2026.
EAST STROUDSBURG, PA. — Marcus & Millichap has brokered the $12.6 million sale of a 40,000-square-foot healthcare building in East Stroudsburg, located about 100 miles north of Philadelphia. The building at 125 Smithfield Lane is an outpatient facility for St. Luke’s Health System and is located within the 120-acre Smithfield Gateway mixed-use development. The tenant has invested more than $3 million in the build-out of the space since taking occupancy, and the lease includes 13.5 years of remaining term with two five-year renewal options. Alan Cafiero of Marcus & Millichap represented the seller and procured the buyer, both of which requested anonymity, in the transaction.
PITTSBURGH — Hawkeye Hotels, an Iowa-based hospitality investment and management firm, will renovate the 135-roomHotel Indigo Pittsburgh East Liberty, which is part of the IHG Hotels & Resorts family of brands. The hotel opened in 2015 via adaptive reuse of multiple 1940s-era buildings, including the former Governor Hotel, and Hawkeye purchased the property in 2022. The renovation will encompass guestrooms and common spaces, and the design, led by Dallas-based Pickard Design Studio, will pay homage to the area’s automotive history, as well as honor the area’s first Native American inhabitants. A construction timeline has not yet been finalized.
ALLENTOWN, PA. — Greystone has provided a $20.8 million Fannie Mae loan for the refinancing of Wynnewood Greens, a 206-unit multifamily property located in the Lehigh Valley city of Allentown. Built in 1975, Wynnewood Greens comprises 18 three-story buildings that house one-, two- and three-bedroom units. Amenities include outdoor picnic areas and onsite laundry facilities. Avi Lifshitz and Aviel Hematian of Greystone originated the seven-year, nonrecourse loan, which was structured with a fixed interest rate and full-term interest-only payments. The borrower, S&S Properties, purchased the asset in 2008.
PITTSBURGH — KeyBank has provided $41.4 million in financing for First & Market, an adaptive reuse project that will convert a former office building in downtown Pittsburgh into a 93-unit affordable seniors housing complex. The financing consists of a $27 million construction loan and a $14.4 million permanent loan. Units will be reserved for renters age 62 and above, with the majority (83) of residences reserved for individuals earning 50 percent or less of the area median income (AMI). The other 10 units will be earmarked for households earning 20 percent or less of AMI. Residents will have access to support services in technology education, healthcare education and coordination, financial literacy and mental and behavioral health. Seaver Rickert and Leslie Meyers of KeyBank originated the financing on behalf of the developer, Beacon Communities. Completion is slated for the third quarter of 2026.
PHILADELPHIA — Local REIT Brandywine Realty Trust will open a 13,000-square-foot food hall at its Schuylkill Yards mixed-use development in the University City area of Philadelphia. Gather Food Hall & Bar will feature six eateries and a bar and will be housed on the ground floor of the historic Bulletin Building at 3025 Market St., which was converted to a life sciences facility in 2021. Hospitality HQ, a platform operated by New York chef and restaurateur Akhtar Nawab, will operate the venue, which is scheduled to open in the fall.
MONROEVILLE, PA. — CBL Properties, a shopping center REIT based in Tennessee, has sold Monroeville Mall, a 1.2 million-square-foot, 186-acre regional shopping and dining destination located roughly 20 miles east of Pittsburgh. According to the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, the buyer was Walmart. The sales price was $34 million. Macy’s, Dick’s Sporting Goods and JCPenney anchor Monroeville Mall, which is also home to tenants such as Barnes & Noble, Cinemark Theatres, Guitar Center and Best Buy. Dallas-based Cypress Equities will manage and lead redevelopment efforts for the property on behalf of Walmart. JLL represented CBL in the transaction, and Tom Flynn of CBRE represented Walmart.
LANGHORNE, PA. — Florida-based investment firm ESJ Capital Partners has purchased a portfolio of nine medical office buildings totaling 152,310 square feet in Langhorne, located northeast of Philadelphia, for $16 million. The portfolio was roughly 70 percent leased at the time of sale to tenants such as Quest Diagnostics, DaVita, LabCorp and the American Red Cross. The new ownership plans to invest in capital improvements across the portfolio, including upgrading HVAC systems, adding new roofing, updating wayfinding signage and modernizing vacant spaces. Michael Margolis, David Dolan and Angelo Brutico of Newmark represented the seller, SkyREM, in the transaction.