MONTCLAIR, N.J. — A joint venture between two locally based developers, Bijou Properties and Accurate, has purchased a site in the Northern New Jersey community of Montclair that is fully approved for multifamily redevelopment. The joint venture plans to develop a 74-unit building, primarily with one- and two-bedroom units, as well as 3,873 square feet of retail space, at 65 Church St. Jose Cruz, Kevin O’Hearn, Ryan Robertson, Michael Oliver, Steve Simonelli and Michael Zlotnick of JLL worked on behalf of Bijou Properties to arrange Accurate’s $10 million equity investment.
SANTA CRUZ, CALIF. — The Dinerstein Cos. has purchased Five55 Apartments, a multifamily property in downtown Santa Cruz, from Swenson Development & Construction for an undisclosed price. Scott Bales of Newmark represented the seller in the deal. Located at 555 Pacific Ave., the four-story property features 94 apartments and 5,000 square feet of ground-floor retail space, which is leased to Current eBikes and Big Basin Vineyards. The property features a fitness center, community room with a pool table and kitchenette, an outdoor pizza oven, coffee bar, bike storage, electric car charging, an outdoor gathering space with fire pits and a 20,000-square-foot rooftop deck. The site is walkable to the beach and a variety of retail and restaurant options. The asset features a two-story below-grade parking structure with 100 spaces. At the time of sale, the community was 99 percent leased. Five55 was built in 2018.
YORKVILLE, ILL. — Northmarq has arranged the $27 million sale of a multifamily portfolio in Yorkville, about 50 miles southwest of Chicago. The two-property portfolio totals 164 units. Parker Stewart and Alex Malzone of Northmarq represented the seller, a long-term owner and operator. York Meadow, built in 2003, contains 92 units. The seller was the original developer of the community. Yorkville Apartments, built in 1977, features 72 units. The seller renovated about 20 percent of the units. An East Coast-based buyer purchased the portfolio.
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Experts Turn to Opportunistic Moves, Lending During Uncertainty of Economic Downturn
As we shift through economic uncertainty and changes in the market, commercial real estate businesses are planning for a range of scenarios — and looking to historical trends to make predictions. REBusinessOnline sat down with two industry experts to talk about how this period of uncertainty compares to previous eras and where there may be benefits and opportunities in the current landscape. Jay Olshonsky, president and CEO, and Cliff Moskowitz, executive vice president, at NAI Global spoke about the commercial real estate outlook and the challenges it is likely to face in the immediate future. REBusiness: Looking at the current environment, how does it compare to previous periods of uncertainty? What might be the impacts on commercial real estate? Olshonsky: To start with, we are in a recession. We’ve already had two quarters of negative GDP growth. I think the most fundamental difference between this cycle and a lot of other cycles is that we have extremely low unemployment, differentiating this moment from others, for example, 2009. Even though the most recent job numbers were lower, they were still fairly strong. Jobs create the demand for commercial real estate at all levels, but especially at the services level. We do …
AUSTIN, TEXAS — Hunt Capital Partners has provided $14.1 million in Low-Income Housing Tax Credit (LIHTC) equity for Saison North, a 116-unit affordable housing project in Austin. The complex will consist of eight one-bedroom, 44 two-bedroom and 24 three-bedroom units that will be reserved for households earning up to 30, 50 and 60 percent of the area median income, as well as 34 market-rate units. Amenities will include a fitness center, business center, leasing office and a clubhouse. The developer of the project is O-SDA Industries. Bank OZK has provided a $19.5 million construction loan for Saison North, with J.P. Morgan Chase providing a $12.9 million permanent loan. Other pieces of financing were originated by the Austin Housing Finance Corp. ($6.2 million), Travis County ($2.4 million) and the Texas State Affordable Housing Corp. ($375,000). Completion is slated for May 2024.
CHADDS FORD, PA. — San Francisco-based investment firm FPA Multifamily has acquired Valleybrook at Chadds Ford, a 352-unit multifamily property located about 30 miles southwest of Philadelphia, for $96.5 million. Built in 2002, the property offers one-, two- and three-bedroom units with an average size of 992 square feet. Residences feature stainless steel appliances, quartz and granite countertops and individual washers and dryers. Amenities include a pool, fitness center, business center, outdoor grilling and dining areas and a resident clubhouse. Mark Thomson, Carl Fiebig, Francis Coyne and Tyler Margraf of JLL represented the seller, a fund advised by Crow Holdings Capital, in the transaction. FPA Multifamily plans to implement a value-add program.
NEW YORK CITY — CBRE has provided a $12.3 million Freddie Mac loan for the refinancing of River View Towers, a 385-unit residential complex located on Manhattan’s Upper West Side. The 24-story building is a housing cooperative, meaning residents own their respective units, but can only sell to qualified applicants at prices based on the existing occupant’s equity in the unit. Mark Fisher and Alex Furnary of CBRE originated the 30-year, fixed-rate loan, which was part of a larger $33.3 million financing package. The New York State Housing Finance Agency also provided a $20.4 million loan to allow the undisclosed borrower to pay off existing debt and fund capital improvements.
ELIZABETH, N.J. — Locally based brokerage firm The Kislak Co. Inc. has negotiated the $6.2 million sale of Winfield Scott Tower, a 48-unit apartment complex located in the Northern New Jersey community of Elizabeth. The 10-story building, which includes 26,000 square feet of retail space, was originally constructed in 1927 as a hotel and banquet hall and converted to residential use in the 1990s. Jeff Squires of Kislak represented the seller, a private lender that previously acquired the property out of foreclosure, in the transaction. Squires also procured the buyer, Magill Real Estate.
SHELBY TOWNSHIP, MICH. — Greystone has provided a $22.6 million HUD-insured 223(f) loan for the refinancing of Aria of Shelby in Michigan. The 96-unit multifamily property is located in Shelby Township, a northern suburb of Detroit. The newly built townhome community features two- and three-bedroom floor units across 18 buildings. Lisa Fischman of Greystone originated the loan on behalf of the borrower, an entity doing business as Aria of Shelby LLC. The fixed-rate loan features a 35-year term and a 35-year amortization. The borrower was also able to secure green certification through the National Green Building Standard, leading to a heavily reduced mortgage insurance premium. In addition to refinancing, loan proceeds enable the borrower to monetize a portion of the equity in the property.
PLYMOUTH, MINN. — Marcus & Millichap has arranged the sale of Lakeview Commons in Plymouth for $11.3 million. Constructed in 1995, the 64-unit apartment community consists of four buildings. The asset is in the final two years of extended-use compliance under the Section 42 Low-Income Housing Tax Credit program. Scott Harris and Abe Roberts of Marcus & Millichap represented the seller, Heartland Properties Inc. The duo also procured the buyer, Glencrest Group, a California-based apartment owner that recently entered the Midwest market.