PITTSBURGH — Austin, Texas-based Whole Foods Market has opened a 54,667-square-foot store at 5700 Penn Ave. in Pittsburgh’s East Liberty neighborhood. The store will feature full-service meat and seafood counters, an artisanal cheesemaking department, coffee bar, prepared foods section and a selection of more than 250 craft beers and 700 wines. The store, which is a relocation of a market at 5880 Centre Ave. that served the community for more than 20 years, officially opened on Wednesday, Aug. 10.
PHILADELPHIA — JLL has arranged a $56.3 million acquisition loan for the 306-room Sofitel Philadelphia Hotel, located in the city’s Rittenhouse Square area. The luxury hotel offers a variety of room plans, including suites, as well as multiple onsite dining options. Mark Fisher and Ryan Ade of JLL arranged the loan through Square Mile Capital Management on behalf of the borrower, a joint venture between funds managed by Oaktree Capital Management and Clearview Hotel Capital.
PHILADELPHIA — Ace American Insurance Co. has signed a 140,585-square-foot office lease renewal at The Washington, a historic building located within Philadelphia’s Independence Mall. The owner, Keystone Development + Investment, purchased the 880,000-square-foot building in 2016 and implemented an adaptive reuse program. Brian Young, Jack Meyers, Howard Traul and Dan Brogan of Cushman & Wakefield represented Keystone in the lease negotiations.
SLIPPERY ROCK, PA. — MultiVersity Housing Partners (MVHP) has sold University Village at Slippery Rock, a student housing community located north of Pittsburgh. The community offers two- and four-bedroom fully furnished units alongside additional shared amenities including a fitness center, volleyball and basketball courts, fire pits and a dog park. The buyer was undisclosed. MVHP acquired the asset in August 2010 and implemented $3.5 million in capital expenditures over the course of the 12-year holding period, including renovations to units, the addition of a resort-style pool and enhancements to the clubhouse and other amenity spaces.
PHILADELPHIA — Cushman & Wakefield has negotiated a new lease at The Washington, a historic building located within Philadelphia’s Independence Mall. The tenant, Lighthouse Immersive & Impact Museums, will open a 31,718-square-foot exhibition gallery on the building’s ground floor next spring. Brian Young, Jack Meyers, Howard Traul and Dan Brogan of Cushman & Wakefield represented the locally based landlord, Keystone Development + Investment, in the lease negotiations.
PITTSBURGH — New York City-based Golden East Investors has purchased the former Heinz manufacturing campus in Pittsburgh with plans to redevelop the property. The acquisition includes seven industrial buildings totaling approximately 985,000 square feet that are situated on a 20-acre site along the Allegheny River. Phase I of the redevelopment will center on repositioning two warehouses and cold storage facilities totaling roughly 300,000 square feet to be able to accommodate advanced manufacturing, research and development, life sciences and robotics users. Completion of that initiative is slated for the third quarter of next year. Phase II will feature a renovation of a 375,000-square-foot building into a life sciences facility with an accompanying parking garage that can support up to 500 vehicles. The third and final phase will involve converting of the sites that house the other four buildings into a mixed-use development with multifamily, retail and office and/or life sciences uses. CBRE was the listing broker on the first-time sale of the campus by Riverbend Foods via bankruptcy proceedings.
WAYNE, PA. — JLL has negotiated the sale of a 155,200-square-foot life sciences facility in Wayne, a northwestern suburb of Philadelphia. The property sits on 10 acres and offers amenities such as a fitness center, conference room and a cafeteria. Jim Galbally and Brett Segal of JLL represented the seller, Pennsylvania-based Maguire Hayden Real Estate, in the transaction. The buyer and sales price were not disclosed. At the time of sale, the facility was fully leased to Charles River Laboratories, which conducts pharmaceutical research and development.
PITTSBURGH — New York City-based Golden East Investors has purchased the former Heinz manufacturing campus in Pittsburgh with plans to redevelop the property. The acquisition includes seven industrial buildings totaling approximately 985,000 square feet that are situated on a 20-acre site along the Allegheny River. Phase I of the redevelopment will center on repositioning two warehouses and cold storage facilities totaling roughly 300,000 square feet to be able to accommodate advanced manufacturing, research and development, life sciences and robotics users. Completion of that initiative is slated for the third quarter of next year. Phase II will feature a renovation of a 375,000-square-foot building into a life sciences facility with an accompanying parking garage that can support up to 500 vehicles. The third and final phase will involve converting the sites that house the other four buildings into a mixed-use development with multifamily, retail and office and/or life sciences uses. CBRE brokered the sale of the campus.
WAYNE, PA. — JLL has negotiated the sale of a 155,200-square-foot life sciences facility in Wayne, a northwestern suburb of Philadelphia. The property sits on 10 acres and offers amenities such as a fitness center, conference room and a cafeteria. Jim Galbally and Brett Segal of JLL represented the seller, Pennsylvania-based Maguire Hayden Real Estate, in the transaction. The buyer and sales price were not disclosed. At the time of sale, the facility was fully leased to Charles River Laboratories, which conducts pharmaceutical research and development.
POTTSTOWN, PA. — Institutional Property Advisors (IPA), a division of Marcus & Millichap, has negotiated the $85.7 million sale of Upland Square, a 400,716-square-foot retail power center in Pottstown, located northwest of Philadelphia. Built in 2009 and expanded in 2019, Upland Square is anchored by a 76,500-square foot Giant Food grocery store. Other tenants include Burlington, LA Fitness, Five Below, Ross Dress for Less, Bed Bath & Beyond, Staples, T.J. Maxx, Petco and Ulta Beauty. Brad Nathanson of IPA represented the seller, New Jersey-based Paramount Realty Services Inc., and procured the buyer, United Hampshire US REIT, in the transaction. The property was 95 percent leased at the time of sale.