PITTSBURGH — SomeraRoad Inc., a national development and investment firm, has completed The Box Office, a 77,000-square-foot office redevelopment project in Pittsburgh’s Southside neighborhood. HOK Architects designed the project, which converted a former movie theater into a Class A office building. The Box Office features a 7,000-square-foot lobby with a staircase and open verandas, as well as a 1,700-square-foot private outdoor patio. Construction began in summer 2020.
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Cordish to Sell Three East Coast Casinos in $1.8B Deal with Gaming and Leisure Properties
PHILADELPHIA, PITTSBURGH AND HANOVER, MD. — The Cordish Cos., a privately held retail entertainment and hospitality owner and operator based in Baltimore, has reached a sale-leaseback agreement with Gaming and Leisure Properties Inc. (NASDAQ: GLPI) for three of Cordish’s East Coast casinos. The properties include Live! Casino & Hotel Maryland, Live! Casino & Hotel Philadelphia and Live! Casino Pittsburgh. Under terms of the agreement, Cordish will immediately lease back all the properties and continue to own, control and manage all the gaming operations of the facilities. The leases will have an initial term of 39 years, with a maximum term of 60 years inclusive of tenant renewal options. The total price was approximately $1.8 billion, including applicable long-term ground leases. Consideration for the three-property real estate transactions will comprise a mix of qualified debt assumption (to be satisfied by GLPI), cash and $323 million of newly issued operating partnership units. The transaction for the three properties includes a binding partnership on future Cordish casino developments. For seven years post-closing, GLPI will co-invest with Cordish on any new gaming development projects and provide 20 percent of Cordish’s equity on those projects. (This agreement excludes existing Cordish or third-party gaming licensed facilities.) …
ONTELAUNEE, PA. — Crow Holdings Industrial will develop Route 61 Logistics Center, a 652,080-square-foot industrial project in Ontelaunee, located near Reading in the southern part of the state. The property will feature a clear height of 40 feet, 484 car parking spots, 182 trailer parking stalls and 124 loading docks. Crow Holdings acquired the nearly 60-acre site from the economic development arm of the Greater Reading Chamber Alliance (GRCA), which purchased the land in 2019 and subsequently rezoned it for industrial use. Construction will begin before the end of the year. JLL is marketing the property for lease. The project is Crow Holdings’ first in the Lehigh Valley.
UPPER MACUNGIE, PA. — Kushner Real Estate Group (KRE) and The Silverman Group have begun leasing a 273-unit apartment community in the Lehigh Valley community of Upper Macungie. Lehigh Hills features one- and two-bedroom units that are furnished with granite countertops, stainless steel appliances and individual washers and dryers. Amenities include a pool, outdoor grilling and picnic areas, fitness center with a yoga studio, conference room, lounge areas, package lockers, tot lot and a dog park. Rents start at $1,975 per month for a one-bedroom apartment. Move-ins are scheduled to begin in January.
BALA CYNWYD, PA. — Ziegler has arranged $39.4 million in bond financing for Simpson, a nonprofit operator based in Bala Cynwyd, a suburb of Philadelphia. Formerly known as Methodist Episcopal Home for the Aged, the borrower operates three continuing care retirement communities in the region: Simpson House in Philadelphia, Simpson Meadows in Downington and Jenner’s Pond in West Grove. The portfolio totals 482 independent living units, 56 personal care units, 118 assisted living units and 178 skilled nursing units. Proceeds refinance existing bonds from 2015 and fund capital expenditures, among other uses.
BOSTON — Cabot Properties Inc. has sold its Value Fund V portfolio in two separate transactions for a total of $2.8 billion. Blackstone Real Estate Income Trust Inc. (BREIT) acquired the portfolio, which features logistics properties in the United States and Europe. The U.S. portfolio includes 102 properties totaling 15.2 million square feet located in major logistics markets such as the Inland Empire, California; Eastern Pennsylvania; South Florida; and the New York metropolitan area. In a separate transaction, Blackstone’s European Core Plus business and its affiliates acquired the remaining European properties, which feature 22 properties totaling 2.2 million square feet of industrial space. The properties are located in European markets such as the Midlands, North West and South East in the United Kingdom; Amsterdam; and Düsseldorf in Germany. “The sale of our Value Fund V portfolio completes our most ambitious logistics property investment program over the past 20 years,” says Franz Colloredo-Mansfeld, chairman and chief executive officer of Cabot. “This portfolio was created through 90 transactions, including 24 development projects throughout the U.S., U.K. and Europe completed over the past five years. We are pleased to have now completed approximately $5 billion in three transactions with Blackstone Real Estate over …
NEWTOWN SQUARE, PA. — GMH Communities, in partnership with AEW Capital Management, has broken ground on Caswell at Runnymeade, a 249-unit apartment community in Newtown Square, located about 15 miles west of Philadelphia. Units will come in one-, two- and three-bedroom formats and range in size from 805 to 1,623 square feet. Residences will feature private balconies/patios, stainless steel appliances, walk-in closets and energy-efficient appliances. Amenities will include a pool, outdoor grilling areas, a fitness center, movie theater, golf simulator, clubrooms, coworking space and a lounge area. Preleasing is scheduled to begin next winter, with full completion of the project slated for spring 2023.
PHILADELPHIA — Institutional Property Advisors (IPA), a division of Marcus & Millichap, has negotiated the $52 million sale of Penrose Plaza, a 258,494-square-foot shopping center in South Philadelphia. Anchored by Shoprite Supermarket, the center was 94 percent leased at the time of sale to tenants such as Planet Fitness, DD’s Discounts, Citi Trends, Fine Wine & Good Spirits and Chase Bank. Brad Nathanson of IPA represented the seller, a joint venture between Onyx Equities, Abrams Realty & Development and Siguler Guff & Co., in the deal. Nathanson also procured the buyer, United Hampshire US REIT.
PHILADELPHIA — Kawa Capital Management, a Florida-based financial planning and advisory firm, has arranged a $25 million construction loan for a 146-unit multifamily project in the Northern Liberties neighborhood of Philadelphia. Developed by Arts + Crafts Holdings and designed by JKRP Architects, the seven-story building will feature studio, one- and two-bedroom units and include 3,459 square feet of ground-floor retail space. Completion is slated for February 2023.
ALTOONA, PA. — Axiom Realty has acquired Orchard Plaza, an 82,438-square-foot shopping center in Altoona, located east of Pittsburgh in Blair County. Built in 1986, the center was 81 percent leased at the time of sale to tenants such as Big Lots, The American Red Cross and CosmoProf. MSC Retail represented the seller, Cincinnati-based shopping center REIT Phillips Edison, in the transaction.