BOSTON — A fund sponsored by CBRE Investment Management has acquired a majority interest in a 132,000-square-foot life sciences building located at 300 Third St. in Boston’s Kendall Square neighborhood. The six-story building was originally constructed in 2000 and includes both traditional office and lab space that was recently renovated, as well as ground-floor retail space. The property was fully leased to an undisclosed pharmaceutical company at the time of sale. The percentage of the interest was not disclosed.
NORTH MIAMI, FLA. — Berkadia has arranged a $100 million construction loan for the development of The Gardens Residence, a 358-unit midrise apartment community located at 1155 N.E. 126th St. in North Miami. Churchill Real Estate provided the two-year, floating-rate loan to the borrower, Omega Real Estate Management. Charles Foschini, Christopher Apone and Robert Ludice of Berkadia’s Miami office arranged the financing, which includes two one-year extension options and is interest-only for the full loan term, including extensions. In addition to the financing, the North Miami CRA is providing $15 million in subsidies. The Gardens Residence is part of Omega’s plan to transform a seven-acre assemblage into a mixed-use community named The Gardens District that will include offices, shops and restaurants. The nine-story apartment community will feature studio, one-, two- and three-bedroom apartments ranging from 511 square feet to 1,270 square feet. Amenities will include a ground-floor café with outdoor terrace seating, rooftop pool with rentable poolside cabanas, gym, yoga studio, bike lockers and workshop stations and structured parking with 528 stalls. Ten percent of units will be reserved for families earning at or below 80 percent of area median income.
MARIETTA, GA. — North American Properties (NAP) has gained unanimous approval from the Cobb County Board of Commissioners for its redevelopment plan of the Avenue East Cobb, an open-air shopping center located in the northeast Atlanta suburb of Marietta. Plans call for a portion of the central building near Kale Me Crazy to be demolished to make way for an 8,000-square-foot area called The Plaza that will be surrounded by restaurants with patios. The Plaza will feature a covered, raised stage for performances; an LED screen for broadcasting live events; and a deck with soft, flexible seating. Connected to The Plaza will be a 500-square-foot concierge building with optional valet that will be offered seasonally and during large-scale events. Two 2,500-square-foot, standalone retail and restaurant buildings will also be constructed adjacent to the concierge station. Additionally, NAP has secured new leases with Warby Parker, New York Butcher Shoppe and Tempur-Pedic, as well as a Kendra Scott pop-up and Vanilla Café. The Cincinnati-based developer will begin the permitting process immediately with plans to host a public groundbreaking celebration later this fall. NAP is partnering with PGIM Real Estate for the redevelopment of Avenue East Cobb, which Atlanta-based Cousins Properties opened in …
KNOXVILLE, TENN. — Four Stones Real Estate has begun construction on Phase II of Kern’s Bakery, a 16-acre mixed-use redevelopment of a former bakery of the same name in Knoxville. The second phase will redevelop a historic 75,000-square-foot building into a food hall, market, offices, rooftop bars and outdoor gathering spaces. Tenants announced include Flourish Flowers, Archer Paper Goods, F45, Mae Lee’s Boutique and Drop Zone Distilling, as well as an 18-merchant food hall that will include coffee, Italian, Southern and breakfast purveyors, among others. The second phase will also include multiple bars, stages, gathering spaces, a dog park and direct access to the proposed G&O Railway track. The project team behind Kern’s Bakery include Timothy Matin of TMA Real Estate; project designer Joey Staats of Knoxville’s Johnson Architecture; civil engineers Fulghum, MacIndoe and Associates; and project manager Jaron Dowalter of BurWil Construction Co. Phase I was the 310-unit Flagship Kerns apartment community, which is now open and fully occupied, and Phase III is still in the design phase.
JONESBORO, ARK. — Mumford Co. has brokered the sale of a 98-room Courtyard by Marriott hotel in Jonesboro. An entity doing business as McCain Lodging Jonesboro LLC purchased the hotel from Hunt Properties of Jonesboro LLC. The sales price was not disclosed, but Mumford Co. says the hotel sold for full list price. Steve Kirby, Ed James and George Arvantis of Mumford Co. represented the seller in the transaction, and Arvantis procured the buyer. Built in 2018, the four-story Courtyard by Marriott features meeting space, laundry services, a convenience store, restaurant and a fitness center, according to the property website.
SOMERVILLE, MASS. — Colliers Capital Markets has arranged $192.5 million in construction financing for the development of 100 Chestnut Street. The life sciences project totals 208,616 rentable square feet in the Brickbottom District of Somerville, a first-ring suburb of Boston. The plans also call for nearly 8,500 square feet of ground-floor retail space and two levels of below-grade parking. The borrower, North River Leerink (NRL), is developing the property as part of a larger mixed-use “campus for discovery and innovation,” which will include labs, creative offices and retail space on 4.5 acres of contiguous land. Scheduled for completion in summer 2023, the four-story, Gensler-designed facility will be built to LEED Platinum standards. Square Mile Capital Management provided the construction funds. Jeff Black, Kevin Phelan, Sean Burke and Bryan Koop led the Colliers Capital Markets team representing the borrower. “This financing marks a major milestone for the transformation of Somerville’s Brickbottom District into a world-class hub for innovation and wellness,” says Black. “Metro Boston remains the most active and liquid life sciences market in the world, and 100 Chestnut Street is well-positioned to catalyze the region’s next great ecosystem.” The site runs parallel to 150 & 200 Inner Belt Road, a …
By Brian Katz (CEO), Amy Staats (vice president), Jonathan Greenberg (director), Adam Caplan (director) and Hugh Scullin (vice president) of Katz & Associates The Northern New Jersey retail real estate market has been flourishing in the post-COVID-19 era. Inventory continues to shrink across the board, with exceptional demand for drive-thru locations and mid-size boxes. Furthermore, the modern, well-anchored neighborhood and power centers seldom have more than one or two small shop vacancies. Some categories in high demand include discount apparel, grocery, food, health and beauty, fitness and medical. Northern New Jersey specifically benefits from its critical mass and its ease of access to main roads and points of entry. Tenants that have been able to refocus and adapt have thrived in a market that already has a lot going for it. Simply put, the post-COVID bounce has been better than we could have imagined, and from a company standpoint, the pipeline of deals that are in the works or have closed has been among the strongest in our history. Leasing Activity Leasing activity is up. Market adjustments aside, leasing activity has pretty much returned to pre-pandemic levels. In some instances, it’s even easier to get deals across the finish line …
FORT LAUDERDALE, FLA. — Bank OZK and JVP Management have provided $97.2 million in construction financing for the development of One River, a 34-story apartment tower located at 629 SE 5th Ave. in Fort Lauderdale. Keith Kurland of Walker & Dunlop arranged the financing, which comprises a senior loan from Bank OZK and a mezzanine loan from JVP Management, on behalf of the developers, OKO Group and Cain International. The co-developers have also recently topped off 830 Brickell, a 55-story office tower in Miami. Designed by Adrian Smith + Gordon Gill Architecture and architect of record Dorsky + Yue International, One River will feature 251 high-end apartments and 2,600 square feet of ground-level retail space. Amenities will include a resort-style rooftop pool deck; fitness center with yoga, spinning and Pilates rooms; spa with sauna and steam facilities; outdoor fitness deck and barbecue terrace; lounges for gaming and coworking; package room; bike storage; and a dog spa. OKO and Cain plan to begin vertical construction this summer and deliver the property in September 2024.
WEST PALM BEACH, FLA. — Tortoise Properties LLC has obtained an $88.5 million construction loan for a new multifamily development in downtown West Palm Beach. Acore Capital provided the loan to Tortoise, a privately held developer based in Palm Beach County. The unnamed property will comprise two eight-story towers located at 740 and 840 N. Dixie Highway that will be connected via a skybridge over Eucalyptus Street. The luxury apartment community will feature 264 studio, one- and two-bedroom residences, as well as 3,400 square feet of retail space and 371 parking spaces. The project team includes architect MSA Architects, general contractor Verdex Construction, landscape architect EDSA, project manager Hensel Phelps, civil engineer Keshavarz & Associates, structural engineer McNamara Salvia, general engineer WGI, property manager Castle Residential and entitlements and permitting overseer Managed Land Entitlements. No construction timeline was disclosed.
FAIRFAX, VA. — KBS has sold Redwood Plaza I, II and III, a three-building office complex spanning 207,000 square feet in Fairfax. Arlington, Va.-based Network Realty Partners purchased the metro D.C. assets from KBS for $23 million. Jim Meisel, Matt Nicholson, Andrew Weir, Kevin Byrd and Dave Baker of JLL brokered the transaction. KBS has owned the Redwood Plaza buildings for more than 20 years and recently renovated the assets with new lobbies, a conference center, catering kitchen and community pantry and coffee. The campus also now includes a tenant lounge that offers arcade games, shuffleboard, free Wi-Fi, craft beer on tap and a 24-hour café.