BOSTON — Nauset Construction has broken ground on 1180 Boylston Street, a 50-unit multifamily project located at the site of a former gas station in the Brookline area of Boston. Designed by CBT Architects and developed by Chestnut Hill Investments LLC, the six-story building will also house 6,500 square feet of retail space. The property will feature a unit mix of 15 one-bedrooms, 33 two-bedrooms and two three-bedrooms. All units in the building are age-restricted; one resident in each unit must be 55 years or older. In addition, 10 units are reserved for households earning 50 percent or less of the area median income.
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CAMBRIDGE, MASS. — Outdoor apparel and equipment retailer REI will open an 8,000-square-foot store at Cambridge Crossing, a 43-acre mixed-use development located at the junction of Boston, Cambridge and Somerville. The opening of the store, which is scheduled for this fall, represents the launch of the retailer’s new small-format prototype and will be located within a newly constructed office and retail building. DivcoWest is the master developer of Cambridge Crossing.
ILLINOIS AND OHIO — Pathway to Living, the seniors housing platform of Chicago-based Waterton, has partnered with healthcare REIT Welltower Inc. to manage and modernize a 22-property seniors housing portfolio across Illinois and Ohio. In addition to its day-to-day role as operator, Pathway to Living will serve as a minority investor in the 1,105-unit portfolio. The partnership represents an opportunity for Pathway to Living to expand into the Ohio market and grow its existing footprint in the Midwest region. The portfolio consists of a mix of independent living, assisted living and memory care communities. Renovation plans include refreshing common areas and addressing deferred maintenance. Additionally, several communities will receive infrastructure updates to improve aging sidewalks, parking lots and mechanical systems. As of Dec. 31, Pathway to Living’s portfolio spanned nearly 2,800 units across 29 properties in Illinois, Michigan, Minnesota and Wisconsin.
CHICAGO — Asia Capital Real Estate (ACRE) has provided a $51.5 million loan for the refinancing of The Duncan, a 260-unit multifamily community in Chicago’s West Loop neighborhood. Chicago-based CEDARst owns the asset. Located at 1515 W. Monroe St., The Duncan consists of two connected buildings. The property includes 8,350 square feet of retail space, a coworking space, cocktail bar and fitness center. The lobby features FROTH Café, a hospitality concept from CEDARst that is managed by The Heritage Group. The buildings, originally constructed in the early 1900s, were recently repurposed in two phases. In July 2020, 150 units came online, while the remaining 110 units delivered in October 2020. The 2.5-year loan features a loan-to-value ratio of 76 percent.
BLOOMINGTON, MINN. — JLL Capital Markets has arranged the sale of Normandale Lake Estates in Bloomington for $16.4 million. Built in 1964, the apartment property includes 105 units, all of which have been renovated. Amenities include a pet area, outdoor pool and courtyard with grilling area. The Normandale Lake Office Park is located across the street from the property, which was fully occupied at the time of sale. Mox Gunderson, Josh Talberg, Dan Linnell and Adam Haydon of JLL represented the seller, Normandale Lake LLC. Dealer Sites LLC purchased the asset in a 1031 exchange.
KALAMAZOO, MICH. — Greystone Bel Real Estate Advisors has negotiated the sale of Clayborne Court in Kalamazoo for an undisclosed price. Built in 1986, the 142-unit multifamily property consists of 22 buildings. Located at 4501-4651 Clayborne Drive, the asset is within walking distance of the Kalamazoo Community Soccer Complex and Lenden Grove Middle School. Cary Belovicz, Nick Kirby and Paul Russo of Greystone Bel represented the seller and procured the buyer, Simtob Management & Investment LLC. The buyer plans to modernize the property by upgrading all of the units and replacing the siding, landscaping and signage.
By Daniel Galvan, SIOR, principal, Coldwell Banker Commercial RGV The Rio Grande Valley (RGV) industrial market continues to be very active despite a small, temporary slowdown due to the COVID-19 pandemic. With single-digit vacancy rates in both Hidalgo and Cameron counties, absorption is holding at a steady pace as available space has declined. To that point, the market saw approximately 250,000 square feet of net absorption in 2020. Rents have also continued to increase modestly with elevated demand, rising approximately 5 percent in the first quarter of 2021 relative to that period in 2020. However, that rate of growth should slow a bit in the coming months given that the market is still fraught with uncertainty due to COVID-19. Despite this uncertainty, we typically see upcoming vacancies continue to be filled prior to actually becoming vacant. While the agriculture industry continues to be a very large driver of absorption in the RGV’s industrial sector, there are more deals than ever for users that focus on consumer goods and fulfillment. There has also been a large amount of growth in demand from third-party logistics (3PL) companies and manufacturers. These users ultimately accounted for about 200,000 square feet of positive absorption in …
DALLAS — Locally based firm Larkspur Capital LLC will develop The Willow, a 190-unit apartment complex that will be located at 3900 Commerce St. in the Deep Ellum area of Dallas. Omniplan is designing the eight-story, 171,575-square-foot building, which will offer amenities such as a pool, fitness center, rooftop sky lounge, indoor and outdoor coworking spaces, bike workshop and a coffee bar. Construction is underway and expected to last 18 to 24 months.
GEORGETOWN, TEXAS — Austin-based developer Sparrow Partners and Ohio-based REIT Welltower (NYSE: WELL) have broken ground on Amberlin Georgetown, a 188-unit active adult community in Georgetown, a northern suburb of Austin. The property will feature one- and two-bedroom units ranging in size from 615 to 1,285 square feet and equipped with private terraces or fenced-in backyards. Amenities will include bocce and pickleball courts, a resort-style pool and sundeck, a fenced-in dog park, fitness center, game lounge, media lounge, community garden, library and a coffee bar. Each unit will rent for approximately $1,500 to $2,500 per month. The first move-ins are scheduled to begin next summer.
AUSTIN, TEXAS — NorthMarq has arranged an $11 million loan for the refinancing of The Collective, an 83,000-square-foot property located at 7601 S. Congress Ave. in Austin. The property features flexible space for warehouse, office and retail uses. John Morran and Gerald Logan of NorthMarq placed the nonrecourse, fixed-rate loan through a correspondent life company on behalf of the undisclosed borrower.