ALLENTOWN, PA. — Infinera (NASDAQ: INFN) has signed a nonbinding preliminary memorandum of terms to receive up to $93 million in funding under the CHIPS and Science Act, proceeds of which would be used to expand the California-based semiconductor manufacturer’s Lehigh Valley facility. Funding would also be allocated toward the expansion and modernization of the company’s Silicon Valley facility, and the projects could support the creation of as many as 1,700 manufacturing and construction jobs.
AMBLER, PA. — Stream Realty Partners has negotiated a 47,194-square-foot life sciences lease in Ambler, a northern suburb of Philadelphia. The space is located within Building 14B of Spring House Innovation Park, an office and life sciences campus that consists of 11 buildings totaling 600,000 square feet on 133 acres. Zach Leger of Stream represented the tenant, Nucleus Radiopharma Inc., in the lease negotiations. Matthew Knowles, Paul Touhey and Cody Lehrer of CBRE represented the undisclosed landlord.
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Dual Appraisal Methods Improve Opportunities to Get Fair Taxation for Seniors Housing Properties
By Phil Brusk and Caleb Vahcic of Siegel Jennings Co. L.P.A. The seniors housing sector can’t seem to catch a break. Owners grappling with staffing shortages and other operational hardships lingering from the pandemic are facing new challenges related to debt and spiraling costs. High interest rates and loan maturations loom over the industry, with $19 billion in loans coming due within the next 24 months, according to Cushman & Wakefield’s “H1 2024 Market Trends and Investor Survey” on senior living and care. Factors driving high costs include wage pressures, inflation and — incredibly — rising property taxes. Despite operational challenges and declining occupancy at many facilities during the COVID-19 pandemic, property tax relief for seniors housing was mixed. Many assessors resisted downward adjustments to taxable values, maintaining that recovery was around the corner. Now, seniors housing operators face property tax assessments that equal or exceed pre-pandemic levels. As in the hospitality sector, most seniors housing owners understand that their operating properties include more value components than real property alone. In evaluating whether a tax assessment is reasonable and fair, however, owners need to realize that how an assessor addresses their real estate, personal property and intangible assets can drastically …
EXTON, PA. — Locally based developer Hankin Group has completed Hamilton Passive House, a 32-unit multifamily project in Exton, a western suburb of Philadelphia. The four-story building offers one-, two- and three-bedroom units and represents the first phase of a larger, 156-unit development known as Hamilton at Eagleview. Amenities include a pool, golf and multisport simulator, fitness center, bark park, coffee bar, electric vehicle charging stations, business center with private workspaces and a clubhouse with an entertainment kitchen. Rents start at approximately $2,300 per month for a one-bedroom apartment. Hamilton Passive House will be the first apartment complex in Pennsylvania to have a Phius ZERO designation — a standard for net-zero energy design and the highest certification from Phius, an organization that certifies passive house projects in North America.
HARRISBURG, PA. — Largo Capital, a financial intermediary based in upstate New York, has arranged a $9 million loan for the refinancing of an 176-unit apartment building in Harrisburg. The unnamed building was originally constructed in 1987. Ned Perlman of Largo Capital arranged the loan through an undisclosed life insurance company. The name of the borrower was also not disclosed.
PHILADELPHIA — BridgeInvest has provided a $54.3 million loan for the refinancing of The Avery, a 796-bed student housing property in Philadelphia. The Avery, which serves students at Temple University, features one- and two-bedroom units and amenities such as a fitness center, community kitchen, lounge areas, game rooms and study spaces. The property also houses 5,900 square feet of ground-floor retail space. The undisclosed sponsor acquired The Avery in 2021 and implemented capital improvements and rebranded it from The Edge.
EXTON, PA. — Kimberton Whole Foods will open a new, 14,000-square-foot store in Exton, roughly 30 miles outside Philadelphia. Construction on the building will begin before the end of October, with the opening scheduled for spring 2026. The store will be situated within the 800-acre Eagleview mixed-use development. Hankin Group is the developer and landlord. The store will be the eighth overall for the family-owned organic grocer.
NEWTOWN SQUARE, PA. — Locally based investment firm Equus Capital Partners has completed a 140-room hotel in Newtown Square, a western suburb of Philadelphia, that is operated under the AC by Marriott brand. The site of the five-story building is located within the 218-acre Ellis Preserve master-planned community and was formerly home to the Charles Ellis School for fatherless girls. Amenities include 2,200 square feet of meeting and event space, a daytime café that turns into a nighttime lounge and a 24-hour fitness center. Gulph Creek Hotels manages the property.
ALLENTOWN, PA. — NAI Summit has brokered the sale of a 32,329-square-foot warehouse located at 801 W. Greenleaf St. in the Lehigh Valley city of Allentown. According to LoopNet Inc., the property was originally built in 1925 and renovated in 1990 and features a clear height of 18 feet. Mike Adams and Sarah Finney Miller of NAI Summit represented the seller, personal care products manufacturer Spartan Brands, in the transaction. The Allentown Economic Development Corp. purchased the building for $1.4 million.
WARMINSTER, PA. — Kids Empire has opened a 12,000-square-foot indoor playground in Warminster, a northern suburb of Philadelphia. The space is located within the 266,000-square-foot Center Point Place shopping center and features floor-to-ceiling climbing walls, play structures, ball pits, slides and interactive games. Rob Samtmann of Equity Retail Brokers represented Kids Empire in the lease negotiations. Westover Commercial owns Center Point Place.