DALLAS AND FORT WORTH, TEXAS — New York-based Arbor Realty Trust Inc. has provided five loans totaling $68.6 million for the refinancing of a portfolio of multifamily properties in the Dallas-Fort Worth (DFW) metroplex. The portfolio spans approximately 1,100 units. Vincent Chiodo of Arbor Realty Trust provided the loans, all of which carried 12-year terms, fixed interest rates and six years of interest-only payments, through Fannie Mae. The property names and borrowers were not disclosed.
SAN ANTONIO — Locally based developer Worth & Associates has begun leasing Austin Highway Business Center, an 83,713-square-foot office conversion project situated on 10.5 acres in northeast San Antonio. Worth acquired the property, which formerly served as a data center for Frost Bank, in spring 2018 and upgraded its entrance, lobby, break room and outdoor recreational areas. Austin Highway Business Center, which is being marketed to call center and back-office users, also includes 162 covered parking spaces.
CARROLLTON, TEXAS — NAPCO Bag & Film, a provider of bags to a variety of industries, has signed an 81,535-square-foot industrial lease at 2908 Commodore Drive in the northern Dallas suburb of Carrollton. Greg Nelson of Paladin Partners represented the tenant in the lease negotiations. Michelle Hudson and Tom Hudson of Hudson Peters Commercial represented the landlord, ML Realty Partners.
ROSELAND, N.J. — JLL has arranged $117.8 million loan for the refinancing for Everly Roseland, a 360-unit apartment community located in Roseland, a western suburb of New York City. An international bank provided a $96.3 million senior loan while J.P. Morgan Asset Management provided a $21.5 million mezzanine loan to refinance the existing loan and complete unit renovations. The property offers a mix of one-, two- and three-bedroom floor plans with amenities including a newly constructed clubhouse, fitness center, pool and tennis court. Michael Klein and Matthew Pizzolato of JLL arranged the loan on behalf of the borrower, Novel Property Ventures.
NEW YORK CITY — A partnership between multifamily owner-operator Fairstead and investment firm Meadow Partners has acquired The Chocolate Factory Lofts, a 125-unit apartment building in Brooklyn, for $67.25 million. The converted Tootsie Roll factory at 275 Park Ave. is situated one block from the Brooklyn Navy Yard and the new Wegmans flagship grocery story. Daniel Parker, Paul Gillen and Kyle van Buitenen of Hodges Ward Elliott represented the sellers, HK Organization and Brickman Real Estate, in the transaction.
BOSTON — Kitchen remodeling firm Express Kitchens plans to significantly increase its Massachusetts footprint in 2020 by opening three new retail stores and five new showrooms in and around the Boston area. Express Kitchens will open stores in the suburbs of Lynn, Watertown, Dedham, Peabody, Reading, Medford, Brockton and Weymouth. Showrooms will display a range of kitchens, cabinets and countertops, which customers will be able to purchase for their homes in-store or from the company’s website.
LEXINGTON, MASS. — Newmark Knight Frank (NKF) has negotiated a 14,764-square-foot office lease for pharmaceutical company KabaFusion in Lexington, a northwestern suburb of Boston. The company is moving its headquarters from a 3,500-square-foot space in Waltham to 80 Hayden Avenue, a 43,208-square-foot, three-story office building primarily leased to life sciences tenants. Mark Roth, Matt Malatesta, Brendan Daly and Brianna Piacitelli of NKF represented the landlord, Marwick Associates, in the lease negotiations. Jack Whelan and Michael O’Leary represented KabaFusion.
STAMFORD, CONN. — Recycling and sustainability organization Keep America Beautiful has signed an 8,500-square-foot office lease renewal in Stamford, located approximately 35 miles northeast of New York City. As part of the renewal agreement, the landlord agreed to pay for interior renovations, including a kitchen and restroom remodel and enhancements to the lighting and HVAC systems at the property, which serves as the organization’s headquarters. John Hannigan and Adam Cognetta of Choyce Peterson Inc. represented Keep America Beautiful in the lease negotiations. Larry Kwiat of SL Green Realty Corp. represented the landlord on an internal basis.
BLOOMFIELD HILLS, MICH. AND TERRE HAUTE, IND. — Global trucking and logistics firm Penske Corp. has agreed to purchase Hulman & Co., a private company that owns Indianapolis Motor Speedway, the world-famous racetrack that hosts the Indianapolis 500 and Brickyard 400 racing events. The acquisition price was not disclosed. Situated on more than 1,000 acres in Speedway, Ind., the Indianapolis Motor Speedway was built in 1909 and today has a permanent seating capacity exceeding 235,000 people. When infield seating is added, more than 400,000 people can view the various racing events held at the 2.5-mile oval track. According to Hulman, which has owned the venue since 1945, it’s the world’s largest spectator sporting facility. “The Indianapolis Motor Speedway has been the centerpiece and the cathedral of motorsports since 1909 and the Hulman-George family has proudly served as the steward of this great institution for more than 70 years,” says Tony George, chairman of Hulman & Co., a family-owned company based in Terre Haute. “Now, we are honored to pass the torch to Roger Penske and Penske Corp. There is no one more capable and qualified than Roger and his organization to lead the sport of IndyCar racing and the Indianapolis …
LOS ANGELES — Chicago’s office market maintains its top status in the 2019 edition of CBRE’s Green Building Adoption Index, an annual report that measures the energy sustainability of the top 30 office markets in the United States. The index (GBAI) reviews the various office markets’ adoption of two green building certifications — the EPA’s Energy Star rating and the U.S. Green Building Council’s LEED certification. The GBAI is tracked in terms of both square footage and number of buildings. More than 167 million square feet of Chicago’s office space is certified green, or approximately 71.1 percent of the metro’s total office inventory (235 rentable million square feet). Coming in behind the City of Broad Shoulders is San Francisco (67.5 percent), Atlanta (59.3 percent), Minneapolis/St. Paul (57.1 percent) and Los Angeles (56.6 percent). Chicago is a growing and thriving office market. Tech firms such as Uber, Amazon and LinkedIn, as well as coworking concepts Spaces, Industrious and WeWork, have all taken down large swaths of office space in the metro area. According to third-quarter data from CBRE Research, more than 5 million square feet of office space is under construction in metro Chicago. “Going green is one key to any …