NEW YORK CITY — Greystone has acquired two adjacent properties — a landmarked building and a vacant lot — in Brooklyn’s Park Slope neighborhood for a combined total of $21.1 million. Located at 227 Fourth Ave., the first property, known as Brooklyn Lyceum, was originally constructed as a public bathhouse. The property was most recently used as a café and performance space. Greystone won a bid for the property at a Kings County foreclosure auction in October 2014 for $7.6 million. Greystone plans to restore the building’s façade and transform property into a townhouse-style condominium residence with ground-floor retails space. The second property, which sold for $13.5 million, is an adjoining vacant lot located at 225 Fourth Ave. Greystone plans to develop a mixed-use property on the site with approximately 68 rental units and 3,500 square feet of first-floor retail space. Additionally, the residential building will feature a fitness room, bike storage and roof deck.
ROYAL PALM BEACH, FLA. — CBRE has brokered the $8.3 million sale of Royal Office Park, a 28,656-square-foot mixed-use office and retail complex in Royal Palm Beach. The property is located at 420 S. State Road 7 adjacent to a 350,000-square-foot retail power center and Wellington, an international equestrian center. The Mediterranean-styled mixed-use complex features a landscaped perimeter and central courtyard with cobblestone walkways and hurricane-resistant glass storefronts and doors. Scott O’Donnell, Dominic Montazemi, Miguel Alcivar and Jason Hochman of CBRE represented the seller, Royal Office Park Ltd., in the transaction. Judge Moss of Banyan Realty Partners and Scott Weprin of Michael Falk & Co. represented the undisclosed buyer.
LANCASTER, PA. — Lancaster-based LMS Commercial Real Estate has arranged the sale of more than 30 assets, totaling two million square feet, to affiliates of Lakewood, N.J.-based Paramount Realty. With this transaction, Paramount Realty will have assets in excess of $1 billion, ownership of approximately 7.5 million square feet and leasing assignments in excess of 13 million square feet throughout Connecticut, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Jersey and Pennsylvania. Brandon Famous of CBRE|Fameco provided consulting services for the deal.
SYRACUSE, N.Y. — Arbor Commercial Mortgage has funded its first loan under the newly launched Freddie Mac Small Balance Loan initiative for Nettleton Commons, a mixed-use property located in Syracuse. Originally built in 1899 as a shoe factory, the property was converted into a multifamily building in 1988. The five-story property features 61 apartment units, nine commercial office spaces and one retail space. Stephen York originated the five-year $4 million loan, which carries one year of interest-only payments along with a 30-year amortization schedule. Eastern Union was the mortgage brokerage firm involved in the deal. The property is owned and managed by Steven and Silvia West, who purchased the property in 2007.
LONG BRANCH, N.J. — Kushner Cos. and Extell Development Co. have closed on two phases of financing in conjunction with their purchase of Pier Village in Long Branch. The companies acquired Pier Village for $180 million in a transaction that closed in two phases over the last quarter of 2014. Pier Village consists of 492 residences and more than 100,000 square feet of retail, including restaurants, shops and a fitness center. Capital One provided bridge financing for the first phase of the acquisition in November 2014. In mid-December, the bank also originated and closed a $97 million long-term fixed-rate financing from Fannie Mae to take out the acquisition loan that it provided a month earlier. Both Capital One financings were arranged by Meridian Capital Group. Additionally, the partnership assumed a 7-year $32 million Freddie Mac loan originated by PNC Bank, which was originated a year and half ago by the prior ownership.
ST. LOUIS – HOK has completed the acquisition of Kansas City-based 360 Architecture, a 200-person firm that designs sports, recreation, wellness, entertainment and mixed-use facilities. HOK’s Sports + Recreation + Entertainment practice designs mixed-use entertainment districts anchored by sporting venues that promote urban revitalization. Teams from both firms have been working on integration plans since announcing the agreement on Aug. 19, 2014. HOK’s re-entry into the Sports + Recreation + Entertainment market in 2015 coincides with the celebration of its 60th anniversary. After HOK Sport launched in 1983, the firm became a pioneer in redefining sports facilities. HOK spun off its sports practice in 2008. 360 Architecture was founded in Kansas City in 2004 through a merger of CDFM2 Architecture Inc. and Heinlein Schrock Stearns.
BOSTON — The Pebbles Corp. has been selected to develop its first project in Boston. The firm was selected by MassDot and Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority (MBTA) to develop a mixed-use project at Turnpike Air Rights Parcel 13, located at the intersection of Boylston Street and Massachusetts Avenue in Boston’s Back Bay neighborhood. Along with Handel Architects and Utile Inc., a Boston-based think tank, Pebbles has proposed The Viola Back Bay, a $330 million, 390,000-square-foot mixed-use development for the site. The proposed plans include a 156-key boutique hotel, 88 condominiums with unobstructed views of the Charles River, 85 residential apartments, 20,000 square feet of retail and 138 on-site parking spaces. The transit-oriented property will be accessible by Hynes Station and offer ground-floor access via a new entrance on Boylston Avenue. HDR Inc., an architecture and engineering firm specializing in transit projects, will serve as station designer for the project. Parcel 13 encompasses approximately 54,500 square feet of air rights over the Massachusetts Turnpike and portions of the MBTA Green Line tunnel across the street the from Hynes Convention Center. Construction is expected to commence in 24 to 36 months pending the approval process.
KEANSBURG, N.J. — NAI James E. Hanson has facilitated the sale of a mixed-use property in Keansburg. Father and Sons Building and Remodeling purchased the building, which is located at 19-21 Carr Ave., for an undisclosed price. The 14,000-square-foot building is well suited to be repurposed into a residential property. John Schilp and Joan Cenicola of NAI Hanson represented the undisclosed seller in the transaction.
NEW YORK CITY — TerraCRG has closed the sale of a mixed-use building located at 994 Atlantic Ave. on the border of Crown Heights and Clinton Hill in Brooklyn. The 3,200-square-foot property sold for $1.2 million, or $359 per square feet with a 5.52 percent cap rate. The property features two two-bedroom apartments and ground-floor retail space. The building is zoned M1-1, which means it is overbuilt by 1,600 square feet and is grandfathered in for mixed use. Ofer Cohen, Melissa Warren, Dan Marks, Peter Matheos and Michael Hernandez of TerraCRG negotiated the transaction.
CYPRESS, TEXAS — Construction has begun on a mixed-use development located in Cypress known as The Boardwalk. The Caldwell Cos. is developing the property, which will sit at the front of the company’s master-planned community of Towne Lake. The development is centered around what will be the largest private lake in the region. When completed, The Boardwalk will feature waterfront dining, 61,000 square feet of retail and 57,500 square feet of office space accessible by both land and water. The development is set to open in the fourth quarter of 2015. In addition to office, shops and restaurants, The Boardwalk consists of five freestanding buildings, a central green area for concerts and events, a breezeway plaza and a boulder play area for kids. The project is located off of Highway 290 and Barker Cypress Road.