HARRISBURG, PA. — Marcus & Millichap has brokered the $4.7 million sale of Brandywine Plaza, a 44,241-square-foot shopping center located in Harrisburg. The property was fully leased to 21 tenants at the time of sale. Craig Dunkle and Mher Vartanian of Marcus & Millichap represented the seller. Dunkle and Vartanian also secured the buyer, an undisclosed developer.
By Taylor Williams “Numbers never lie; they simply tell different stories depending on the math of the tellers.” Mexican-American poet Luis Alberto Urrea may not have been talking about commercial real estate development and investment when he wrote that line, but the implications of that statement are undeniably applicable to those fields. The use of numerical projections in commercial development and investment is different from employing sabermetrics in sports or using predictive analytics to diagnose illnesses in medicine. Hard costs are what they are, and the formulas that developers and investors rely on to make critical decisions tend to be well-established in their rigidity, even if their inputs can and do change. Respecting the time-tested veracity of these formulas can make the difference between coasting through a down cycle or being crushed by it. Yet this is a world in which complex equations, algorithms and computations increasingly influence key business decisions. And so the ability to accurately forecast, control and manipulate numerical inputs is beyond valuable. Underwriting represents the piece of the real estate development or acquisition process in which these numerical details are shoved under the microscope and relentlessly finagled in hopes of keeping a development or deal alive. …
CONSHOHOCKEN, PA. — David’s Bridal LLC and some of its subsidiaries have filed voluntary petitions for relief under Chapter 11 of the U.S. Bankruptcy Code. Both the brand’s nearly 300 physical stores, as well as its online platforms, will remain open and operational, according to the company. The Conshohocken-based retailer is seeking customary “first-day” relief authorizations from the United States Bankruptcy Court for the District of New Jersey to continue payment of employee wages and benefits, maintain certain customer programs and honor vendor obligations. The company had previously filed for bankruptcy in November 2018 and re-emerged under new ownership in early 2019. The retailer’s current ownership group comprises lenders led by global investment manager Oaktree Capital Management. Also in 2019, Brookfield Asset Management acquired a majority stake in Oaktree Capital Management. David’s Bridal has retained Gordon Brothers to assist with inventory sales. The company will also continue to evaluate its physical footprint and explore the sale of some or all of its assets. “Our business continues to be challenged by the post-COVID environment and uncertain economic conditions, leading us to take this step to identify a buyer who can continue to operate our business going forward,” says James Marcum, CEO of David’s …
PHILADELPHIA — Home healthcare provider 365 Health Services has signed a 3,175-square-foot lease at The Poplar, an office and residential development in downtown Philadelphia. Colin McHale of Beacon Real Estate represented the tenant in the lease negotiations. Matthew Guerrieri and Jeffrey Tertel of Newmark represented the landlord, Post Brothers.
DOYLESTOWN, PA. — Presbyterian Senior Living (PSL) has entered into a non-binding letter of intent to acquire Pine Run Retirement Community, a 532-unit continuing care retirement community (CCRC) in Doylestown, about 25 miles north of Philadelphia. Pine Run features 272 independent living cottages and 24 apartments on a 43-acre campus. The development is home to Pine Run Health Center, which offers rehabilitation services and 90 skilled nursing beds; a 40-bed memory care neighborhood on the top floor known as The Garden; and an intimate setting for palliative services known as The Willows. If the deal closes, PSL will assume ownership of Pine Run from Doylestown Hospital. PSL intends to continue operating Pine Run as a CCRC.
PITTSBURGH — Friedman Real Estate, a brokerage firm with five offices across the country, has negotiated the sale of a 150,000-square-foot retail property in Pittsburgh. The property, which is located within Washington Crown Center Mall and formerly housed a Macy’s department store, was fully occupied at the time of sale by M@C Discount, which specializes in reselling returned retail items. Steven Silverman of Friedman Real Estate represented the undisclosed buyer in the transaction. Additional terms of sale were not disclosed.
PHILADELPHIA — Marcus & Millichap Capital Corp. (MMCC) has arranged an $8.1 million loan for the refinancing of Compass Self Storage, a 1,167-unit facility located on the north side of Philadelphia. Douglas Brooks of MMCC originated the financing, which was structured with a five-year term, fixed interest rate and a 25-year amortization schedule. The borrower and direct lender were not disclosed.
CONSHOHOCKEN, PA. — The Buccini/Pollin Group, a development and investment firm with offices in Maryland and Delaware, has acquired One Tower Bridge, a 271,678-square-foot office building in the northern Philadelphia suburb of Conshohocken. Designed by Skidmore, Owings & Merrill and completed in 1989, the 15-story, riverfront building offers a fitness center, outdoor terrace and a multi-purpose room. One Tower Bridge was 92 percent leased at the time of sale, with Morgan Stanley serving as the anchor tenant. Buccini/Pollin plans to invest $9 million in capital improvements to the building. The seller and sales price were not disclosed.
PHILADELPHIA — Regional brokerage firm Scope Commercial Real Estate has negotiated the $9.3 million sale of The Yellowjacket, a 24-unit multifamily property in Philadelphia’s Fishtown neighborhood. The complex houses one- and two-bedroom units and amenities such as a fitness center and a rooftop deck, as well as 5,000 square feet of ground-floor retail space. Phil Sharrow and Fahd Malik of Scope Commercial represented the seller, a local developer that is nearing completion of the project, in the all-cash transaction. The duo also procured the buyer, a family office that purchased the asset via a 1031 exchange.
PHILADELPHIA — A partnership between New York City-based developer The Gotham Organization and locally based REIT Brandywine Realty Trust is nearing completion of Avira, a 326-unit multifamily project in Philadelphia. Residences will be constructed atop the 570,000-square-foot mixed-use building at 3025 JFK Blvd. within Brandywine’s Schuylkill Yards development. Units will come in studio, one- and two-bedroom floor plans and will be housed within the top 18 floors of the building. The property already includes 29,000 square feet of indoor and outdoor amenity space, 9,000 square feet of retail space, 200,000 square feet of office and life sciences space, 120 structured parking spaces and a 7,500-square-foot park. The first residences are expected to be available for occupancy this summer.