WILLOW GROVE, PA. — College Town Communities will develop a 132-unit student housing development near the Penn State Abington campus in Willow Grove, a northern suburb of Philadelphia. The developer recently acquired the four-acre development site from Fairhill Properties for $2.5 million. Chris Pennington of Binswanger Commercial Real Estate Services brokered the land deal. The new development will offer fully furnished two-bedroom units alongside communal amenities including a clubhouse, fitness center, business center, café, media lounge and a resort-style pool. The groundbreaking is scheduled for spring.
CONSHOHOCKEN, PA. — Keystone Property Group has begun development of Hotel West +Main, a 127-room hotel in the northern Philadelphia suburb of Conshohocken that will be operated under the Tapestry Collection by Hilton brand. Keystone has partnered with Concord Hospitality Enterprises to develop and operate the boutique hotel, which is part of the 520,000-square-foot SORA West mixed-use development. The hotel is expected to open in the second half of 2022.
PHILADELPHIA — KeyBank has provided financing for the acquisition and renovation of Awbury View Apartments, a 125-unit affordable housing property in Philadelphia that was built between 1924 and 1958 and renovated in 2004. The property sits on 3.6 acres and also houses three commercial spaces. KeyBank Community Development Lending and Investment provided a $6.4 million 4 percent low-income housing tax credit construction loan, and KeyBank’s Commercial Mortgage Group secured a $21.8 million, fixed-rate Freddie Mac tax-exempt loan. Additionally, Key Community Development Corp. provided $10.6 million of equity. Jonathan Wittkopf, Robbie Lynn, Victoria O’Brien and John-Paul Vachon of KeyBank structured the financing on behalf of the borrower, a partnership between Virginia-based Community Preservation Partners East and Hampstead Development Partners, which will invest about $11 million in capital improvements.
UPPER MACUNGIE, PA. — A partnership between two New Jersey-based firms, KRE Group and Silverman Group, will develop Lehigh Hills, a 273-unit multifamily project that will be located outside of Allentown in the Lehigh Valley community of Upper Macungie. The community will feature a mix of one- and two-bedroom units that will be housed in seven mid-rise buildings. Amenities will include a fitness center with a yoga room, gaming room, conference room, a pool, dog park and a children’s play area. Valley National Bank provided a $44.4 million construction loan for the project, which is expected to be complete in 2022.
NEW YORK CITY — Alpha Realty has brokered the $4.5 million sale of 310 E. 89th St., a 20-unit apartment building in Manhattan. The five-story building was originally constructed in 1920. Lev Mavashev and Shai Egison of Alpha Realty represented the seller and the locally based buyer in the transaction. The deal traded at a cap rate of 5.1 percent.
HOMESTEAD, PA. — Commonwealth Charter Academy, an online education platform, has purchased Waterfront Technology Center, a 140,000-square-foot office building in Homestead, an eastern suburb of Pittsburgh. The building, which was 94 percent leased at the time of sale, was originally a Macy’s department store. The sellers, Chicago-based M&J Wilkow and BIG Shopping Centers, purchased the property from Macy’s in 2018 and converted it to an office use. Commonwealth Charter is currently a tenant in the building.
PHILADELPHIA — CBRE has negotiated the sale of a 40,900-square-foot industrial building located at 3440 Bartram Ave. in Philadelphia. The property was built in 1980 and is located near Interstate 95 and Philadelphia International Airport. Michael Kane and Les Haggett of CBRE, along with Vincent Jolly of CVA Commercial Group, represented the seller, the Philadelphia Housing Authority, which has owned and occupied the building since 1990. Alliance HSP purchased the asset for $3.6 million.
Colliers Negotiates Life Sciences Lease for Gene Therapy Firm in Philadelphia’s University City Area
PHILADELPHIA — Colliers International has negotiated a life sciences lease at 3675 Market St. in Philadelphia’s University City neighborhood. Joseph Fetterman and Clifford Brechner of Colliers represented the tenant, gene therapy firm Spirovant Sciences, which will use the space for its expanded headquarters and lab operations, in the lease negotiations. A partnership between Ventas and Wexford Science + Technologies developed the 14-story, 340,000-square-foot building, which houses lab and traditional office space and is located near a variety of retail and restaurant options.
SOUDERTON, PA. — Cronheim Mortgage has arranged a $14 million bridge loan for 209 Commerce Center, a 176,500-square-foot industrial property in Souderton, about 35 miles northwest of Philadelphia. The newly built property features 32-foot clear heights and 29 loading docks and was vacant at the time of the loan closing. A national bridge lender provided the loan on behalf of the undisclosed borrower. The loan was structured with an earn-out provision that will allow the sponsor to recoup some equity once the property leases up.
PHILADELPHIA — Nashville-based Southern Land Co. has acquired land at 1620 Sansom St. in the Rittenhouse neighborhood of Philadelphia for the development of a $180 million multifamily building. The property will rise 28 stories and will feature 306 units and 32,000 square feet of commercial space. Ken Wellar, Corey Lonberger and Mark Duszak of Rittenhouse Realty Advisors brokered the $24.5 million sale of the land.