NORWALK, CONN. — Cushman & Wakefield has arranged the $11.9 million sale of Belden Square, a two-building medical office/residential apartment complex located at 747 Belden Ave. in Norwalk. Belden Square LLC purchased the newly renovated, 45,000-square-foot property, formerly the U.S. headquarters of Virgin Atlantic, from SG Belden LLC. The Cushman & Wakefield team of Al Mirin, Kate Schwartz, Matthew Torrance and Kathleen Fazio represented the seller. The buyer was self-represented.
CARTERET, N.J. — Bussel Realty has brokered the $5.1 million sale of a 55,560-square-foot industrial property located at 400 Federal Blvd. in Carteret. Leo Esses of Brussel Realty represented the unnamed buyer. 400 Federal Boulevard LLC was the seller. The property is located near Exit 12 of the New Jersey Turnpike, Port Newark/Elizabeth and Newark Liberty Airport. It features 24-foot clear heights, two drive-in doors for loading, 800 amps of electric power and 29 surface parking spaces.
Sitar Realty-TCN Worldwide Negotiates $3.1M Sale of Warehouse/Office Building in Wall Township, N.J.
WALL TOWNSHIP, N.J. — Sitar Realty Co.-TCN Worldwide has negotiated the $3.1 million sale of a 44,000-square-foot warehouse/office building located at 1325 Route 34 in Wall Township. 1325 Wall LLC was the seller and Chester Lieder was the buyer. Gregg Nowell and Doug Sitar of Sitar Realty were the brokers in the transaction.
HARVEY, LA. — KeyBank Real Estate Capital has secured a $20.9 million CMBS loan for the acquisition of Centre at Westbank, a 174,445-square-foot retail power center in Harvey, less than seven miles south of New Orleans. Built in 2001, the four-building property is fully leased to tenants such as Best Buy, Barnes & Noble, Michaels and Petco. Randy Martin of KeyBank arranged the 10-year loan with three years of interest-only payments and a 30-year amortization schedule.
HOUSTON AND DALLAS — Whitestone REIT (NYSE: WSR) has entered into separate purchase agreements to acquire BLVD Place in Houston and Eldorado Plaza in Dallas for a combined $204.6 million. The sellers were undisclosed. The Houston-based REIT expects to close the acquisitions in May, subject to customary closing conditions. Upon closing, BLVD Place will be Whitestone’s 28th property in the Houston region and Eldorado Plaza will be the company’s seventh property in the Dallas area. Situated at 1800 Post Oak Blvd. in Uptown Houston, the 216,944-square-foot BLVD Place was 99 percent leased at the time of sale to tenants such as Whole Foods Market, Elaine Turner, North, Peska, Pinkberry, True Food Kitchen, New Balance and Verizon Wireless. The brewpub within Whole Foods was the first brewery located inside a grocery store in the United States. BLVD Place also features office space, including the regional headquarters for Frost Bank. Houston-based Wulfe & Co. developed the first two phases of BLVD Place. The acquisition of BLVD Place includes 1.4 acres of land that Whitestone REIT will use to develop a $45 million, six-story mixed-use building. The future project will feature 46,000 square feet of retail space on the first two floors and …
Hoteliers are poised to see higher revenues in 2017, thanks in large part to the shrinking national unemployment rate, according to a new report from Marcus & Millichap titled “U.S. Hospitality Investment Forecast.” The unemployment rate, which the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) reports fell 20 basis points to 4.5 percent in March, is powering hospitality forecasts in several ways. Most fundamentally, as the economy expands and more jobs are created, wages begin to increase, leaving consumers with more disposable income for leisure and travel. Economic expansion also breeds more interstate commerce between businesses, driving up levels of work-related travel. In March 2017, the country added 56,000 jobs in the professional and business services sector, according to the BLS. Furthermore, since 2011, the U.S. has added between two and three million jobs per year. This growth has enabled workers to hold jobs for longer periods of time, giving them more accrued vacation days. Finally, as the workforce grows, younger employees gradually phase out older ones, leading to a growing segment of retirement-age consumers. These job-growth trends all point to increased consumer traveling and spending in 2017. As such, the hospitality sector is projecting a 1.4 percent growth in room demand …
The Milwaukee-area apartment market wasn’t the only real estate sector to benefit from continued job growth and household formation in 2016. The optimistic employment outlook, together with an influx of millennials who, according to Gallup, are spending more on nonessentials, has benefitted the local retail market as well. It’s a trend that we expect to continue in 2017. Filling a retail void A market that historically has been largely underserved in terms of new retail development has essentially reversed its standing, with approximately 1.6 million square feet delivered in the last two years alone, according to CoStar Group. A more diversified economy less susceptible to the highs and lows of other markets, taken together with Milwaukee’s public-private partnerships and lower real estate taxes compared with neighboring states, has created a pro-development environment that appeals to retailers and developers alike. Known for its older stock of shopping centers, the region has seen a surge in redevelopment activity, particularly in the suburbs, where previously underutilized assets are being rebranded and reimagined. In November 2016, HSA Commercial acquired the 217,346-square-foot Brookfield Fashion Center in Brookfield, just west of Brookfield Square Mall. Built in 1986, the center houses stalwart tenants that have been retained …
EASTON, PA. — Cronheim Mortgage has secured $50.5 million in financing for Northampton Crossings, a 622,000-square-foot power center in Easton. The refinancing loan was structured with a 15-year fixed-rate, which was locked 11 months prior to closing. American General Life Insurance Co., The Variable Annuity Life Insurance Co., National Union Fire Insurance Co. and American Home Assurance Co. funded the loan. Northampton Crossings was constructed in 1995 and anchor tenants include Walmart, Sam’s Club, Kohl’s, Staples and a 14-screen Regal Cinemas. Inline tenants include Hobby Lobby, Lane Bryant, Starbucks, Sleepy’s, GameStop, Panera Bread, Sally Beauty Supply, GNC and Sears Hardware. Andrew Stewart, Dev Morris and Andrew Tsukamoto of Cronheim Mortgage originated the loan.
NEW YORK CITY — Marcus & Millichap has negotiated the $12 million sale of two vacant lots and a third lot with a warehouse building totaling 12,725 square feet at 814-826 Bedford Ave. in Brooklyn. Jakub Nowak and Jason Grunberg of Marcus & Millichap’s Brooklyn office represented the seller, Prezant Auto Glass, and procured the buyer, a private developer. The site is located near the Myrtle Avenue retail corridor, the Pratt Institute and G train subway stops. The three lots include 132 feet of frontage on Bedford Avenue and 100 feet of frontage on Park Avenue, and all are zoned for mixed-use development. The buyer plans to build a synagogue with a hotel or apartments above it.
WHITE PLAINS, N.Y. — Jeremiah Houlihan and James Coleman of Houlihan Parnes Realtors have secured a $2.3 million first mortgage loan for a medical office building located at 280 Mamaroneck Ave. in downtown White Plains. The three-story building contains a retail store, medical tenants, a self-service elevator and on-site parking for 60 cars. The 10-year loan features a 30-year amortization schedule and was placed with a savings bank. The lender charged no commitment fee and the loan includes sliding scale prepayment penalties.