CAMBRIDGE, MASS. — Blackstone (NYSE: BX) has acquired a 2.3 million-square-foot life sciences portfolio in Cambridge, located across the Charles River from Boston, for approximately $3.4 billion. The seller was Brookfield Asset Management. The majority of the properties in the portfolio are located in East Cambridge, adjacent to the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) campus, and are leased to investment-grade tenants with both traditional office and lab requirements. Following the closing of the deal, which is scheduled for the first quarter of 2021, Blackstone will be the largest owner of life sciences space in Cambridge. Blackstone is acquiring the portfolio through BioMed Realty, its $20 billion subsidiary that launched in 2018 and is focused on life sciences properties. “This transaction illustrates Blackstone’s continued conviction in the life sciences space, both broadly and within real estate, and in investing in best-in-class assets located adjacent to top-tier research and education institutions,” says Nadeem Meghji, head of real estate in the Americas for Blackstone. Cambridge continues to be a hub for development and leasing of life sciences properties. In November, locally based developer King Street Properties partnered with California-based Healthpeak Properties to break ground on a $170 million life sciences facility that will …
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Atlanta Hawks Refinance Sports Medicine Clinic in Brookhaven with $35M Syndicate Loan from Black-Owned Banks
by Alex Tostado
BROOKHAVEN, GA. — The Atlanta Hawks Basketball Club has received a $35 million refinancing loan for its Emory Sports Medicine Clinic in Brookhaven. The new National Black Bank Foundation organized the syndicate loan, with Carver State Bank serving as lead arranger. All contributing banks of the syndicate loan are Black-owned banks, which are classified as financial institutions where either 51 percent or more of the voting stock is owned by minority individuals or a majority of the board or directors and the community it serves are predominantly minority, according to Investopedia. The Hawks are the first professional sports organization to have a “significant” loan underwritten exclusively by Black-owned banks, according to the team. The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reports that the other member banks in the deal are Citizens Savings Bank, Citizens Trust Bank, Commonwealth National Bank, Industrial Bank, Liberty Bank & Trust, M&F Bank and Optus Bank. The new loan replaces the original construction loan for the center, which was delivered in fall 2017. The 90,000-square-foot property contains the official training and practice facility of the Hawks, the hub of Emory Healthcare’s Sports Medicine program and Sports Science and Research division and the Peak Performance Project (P3). Emory Sports Medicine Clinic …
MILFORD, OHIO — Coworking company COhatch has unveiled plans to open its third Cincinnati-area location in Milford, about 15 miles northeast of Cincinnati. The coworking space will be located at the site of the former Sycamore Distillery. Originally built in 1834, the downtown historical landmark is being renovated and restored. COhatch says its new space will help meet growing demand from local residents for community, collaboration and private office space. The 8,800-square-foot building is slated to open in summer 2021. This COhatch location will feature 23 private offices, three meeting rooms, a community space and a second-story deck with outdoor seating. The meeting and event spaces will be available to the community as well as COhatch members. COhatch intends to build 10 locations in Southwest Ohio. The company currently has 14 facilities open or under development in the Midwest.
MOUNT OLIVE, N.J. — New York-based investment firm The Birch Group has acquired a 73,000-square-foot office building located at 500 International Drive in Mount Olive, located east of Newark. The sale included a 7,115-square-foot adjacent commercial building. The Rockefeller Group developed the three-story building, which was fully leased to 16 tenants at the time of sale, in 1987. Jose Cruz, Kevin O’Hearn, Fred Hyatt, Stephen Simonelli, Michael Oliver and Nicholas Stefans of JLL represented the undisclosed seller in the transaction.
MIAMI BEACH, FLA. — Starwood Property Trust, an affiliate of Starwood Capital Group, has topped off construction at its two-building, 144,430-square-foot office building in Miami Beach. Starwood is developing the project in partnership with Integra Investments. Upon full completion, slated for late 2021, Starwood will occupy 55 percent of the six-story east building and part of the west building. The remaining space will be leased to third-party companies. Signed tenants were not disclosed, though the company said the property is “approaching full occupancy.” The asset will house 300 Starwood employees and feature 8,000 square feet of retail space and a 277-space parking garage with valet services. The headquarters is located at 2340 Collins Ave., one block from the beach and one mile north of downtown Miami Beach. Gensler designed the property, Clive Lonstein Inc. designed the interiors and CoastalBrodson is the general contractor. Citizens Bank provided Starwood and Integra with a $76 million construction loan.
NEW YORK CITY — A partnership between boutique investment firm JNY Capital and United Hoisting Co. will develop The Oasis, a $175 million office and life sciences project in Queens. The 11-story building will be located at 38-42 12th St. in the Long Island City neighborhood. The Oasis will consist of 343,500 square feet of traditional office and life sciences space, 34,700 square feet of street-level retail space, 30,700 square feet of event space and a 17,000-square-foot rooftop bar/restaurant. The Oasis will also feature 30,000 square feet of terrace and outdoor green space and parking for more than 650 cars. Construction is expected to begin in the second or third quarter of 2021 and to be complete in the third or fourth quarter of 2022. Lee & Associates is marketing the property for lease.
BOSTON — Skanska, an international developer based in Sweden, has paid $177 million to acquire land in Boston’s Back Bay neighborhood for the development of a 27-story office building. The building will be located at 380 Stuart St. and will also house street-level retail space and a below-ground parking deck. The seller of the land was John Hancock Life Insurance Co. A construction timeline was not disclosed.
VISTA, CALIF. — Realm LP has purchased Melrose Plaza, a six-building office campus located at 500-550 W. Vista Way in Vista. Melrose Plaza Complex LP sold the asset for $7.5 million. At the time of sale, the 58,483-square-foot property was 98 percent leased. Jeff Abramson of Lee & Associates North San Diego County represented the buyer and seller in the deal.
The ability to find debt and equity financing for acquisitions and new development has been deeply affected by the coronavirus. Heading into 2020, there was plenty of inexpensive capital available to real estate investors and developers. The once wide field of potential lenders has shrunk significantly over the past nine months. And as for equity availability, it will be important in the coming months to be patient and diligent. REBusinessOnline recently spoke with Gary Sopko, senior vice president – structured finance/investment sales of Lee & Associates and principal at Baden Advisors (an affiliate of Lee & Associates) via video conference about his company’s approach to investment sales, debt financing and equity placement for commercial real estate clients in the midst of an unprecedented year. Sopko interprets what the lower loan volume across the board means for the commercial real estate industry, trends he’s seeing and his role in educating borrowers/clients on how to navigate this challenging time. Changing Lender Pools At the start of the pandemic, a variety of lenders were still ready, willing and able to lend; however, as the pandemic continued and shutdowns spread, the lender pool shrunk. Many private debt funds had to suspend lending for a …
Harrison Street, Partners Sell Trio of Life Sciences Properties in Metro Boston to Healthpeak for $720M
by John Nelson
CAMBRIDGE, MASS. — Harrison Street and its investment partners The Bulfinch Cos. and National Real Estate Advisors have sold three life sciences buildings at Cambridge Discovery Park for a gross sale price of $720 million. Denver-based REIT Healthpeak Properties Inc. (NYSE: PEAK) purchased the properties, which are situated in Boston’s West Cambridge submarket. For Bulfinch, the master developer of Cambridge Discovery Park, the transaction with Healthpeak was a recapitalization of its stake in the development. The Boston-based firm entered into a joint venture transaction with Healthpeak whereby Bulfinch will retain a majority ownership stake in one of the buildings. Additionally, Bulfinch will continue to manage the property. The Cambridge Discovery Park acquisition, which also includes two parking garages, totals approximately 620,000 square feet. The buildings, called 100 CDP, 200 CDP and 400/500 CDP, were 94 percent leased at the time of sale to biotechnology, pharmaceutical and research companies with a weighted average remaining lease term of approximately 7.5 years. According to Healthpeak, the acquisition also includes an approximately 100,000-square-foot site for a future densification opportunity that the REIT plans to co-develop with Bulfinch. Cambridge Discovery Park includes six life sciences buildings and an AC Hotel by Marriott. The campus is …