Philadelphia’s office and industrial markets have been on a hot streak for the past year, with lower vacancy rates and greater rent growth than the national average. Office vacancies are enjoying far lower vacancy rates than regional and national averages for both Class A and Class B properties in the central business district and the suburbs. Flex and industrial vacancy rates are below 7 percent overall, well below regional and national averages, with average asking rents at about $5 per square foot. We see this upswing continuing in 2018 as demand keeps pace with or exceeds new development. Philadelphia has experienced seven years of uninterrupted job growth across all sectors, with 1.8 percent growth between August 2016 and August 2017 — outpacing the national average of about 1.5 percent, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. We saw job growth across the board, including the education, health, and leisure and hospitality sectors. But the biggest gain was in business and professional services, where Philadelphia added 16,700 jobs over 12 months. That represents a 3.6 percent year-over-year growth rate in high-end office jobs, compared to a national average of 3 percent. Manufacturing employment declined over the past 12 months, despite …
NEW YORK CITY — Broadway Construction Group and RXR Realty have topped out 810 Fulton Street, a 12-story residential and retail property in the Fort Greene section of Brooklyn. Slated for completion in 2019, the 393,000-square-foot property will feature 363 apartments, 163 parking spaces, a full amenity suite and 33,000 square feet of ground-floor retail space.
NEW YORK CITY — Cushman & Wakefield has brokered the sale of a corner development site located at 141-57 Northern Blvd. in the Flushing neighborhood of Queens. NY EZ Property Holdings LLC acquired the site from 141-57 Northern Boulevard Inc. for $23 million. The 22,663-square-foot lot allows up to 67,989 square feet of mixed-use development. The site currently features a 14,200-square-foot building occupied by a commercial tenant and Bank of America. Stephen Preuss and Stephen Palmese of Cushman & Wakefield represented the seller in the deal.
WORCESTER, MASS. — WinnCompanies has started construction on an $11.2 million rehabilitation of the Wellington Community, an 180-unit elderly and low-income housing community in Worcester. The renovation project will upgrade the interior and exterior of the property’s 11 buildings, 10 of which are historic, and will extend its affordability provision for 30 years. Improvements will include restoration of masonry exteriors, replacement of roofs, installation of historically-sensitive doors and windows, updated handicap accessibility accommodations, life-safety improvements and energy-efficiency changes to mechanical, electrical and plumbing systems. Residential apartments will receive mechanical system upgrades and the installation of new cabinetry, appliances and fixtures in the kitchens and bathrooms. Additionally, common amenity space and laundry rooms will be overhauled.
RIDGEFIELD, CONN. — Formation Development Group has selected Congress Building Corp. as construction manager for Atria Ridgefield, an 86-unit assisted living and memory care community in Ridgefield, located between New York City and Hartford. The 82,000-square-foot community is the sixth partnership between Formation and operator Atria Senior Living. The architect is PRDG of Dallas. Faulkner Design Group, also of Dallas, is the interior designer. The civil engineer is CCA of Brookfield, Conn. Site work commenced in November 2017. A completion timeline was not disclosed. Congress has completed over 8,000 beds and 4.5 million square feet of healthcare and long-term care construction throughout the eastern United States.
NORWELL, MASS. — NAI Hunneman has arranged the sale of a retail property located at 22 Pond St. in Norwell. McLaren Auto, the building’s current tenant, and its owner, BMD LLC, exercised a purchase option in its lease and acquired the property from Herb Chambers for $5.6 million. The 22,084-square-foot property features a showroom, automotive operations space, six drive-in doors, wet and dry sprinkler systems and parking for up to 175 cars. Cathy Minnerly and Over Osvold of NAI Hunneman represented the seller, while Kathy Doyle of Curran Capital represented the buyer in the deal.
HOUSTON — Dallas-based hospitality developer and operator NewcrestImage has begun the redevelopment of the 195-room AC Hotel by Marriott in Houston. The building was originally developed in 1914 and has served as the headquarters for Gulf Oil, Texas National Bank of Commerce and The Houston Bar Center over the years. Upon completion, the 10-story property will feature a fitness center, business center and a cocktail lounge and dining area, as well as4,000 square feet of meeting and ballroom space. The opening is slated for summer 2019. Arch-Con Construction is serving as general contractor.
KATY, TEXAS — Bellomy & Co. has arranged the sale of Saums Road Self Storage, a self-storage facility in the Houston metro of Katy that features 306 units across 27,270 square feet of net rentable space. The sale includes additional land for expansion. Bill Bellomy, Michael Johnson and John Arnold of Bellomy & Co. represented the undisclosed seller and procured the undisclosed buyer, both of which are based in Texas.
PLANO, TEXAS — NXT Capital has provided a $32.5 million loan for the acquisition of a 278-unit, Class B apartment community in Plano. The undisclosed property features multiple pools, on-site laundry services, a tennis court, picnic area and a mail center. Suzanne Jones of NorthMarq Capital placed the loan with NXT Capital. Loan terms and the borrower were not disclosed.
HOUSTON — NAI Partners has negotiated an 18,463-square-foot office lease at 515 Post Oak Blvd. in Houston. Dan Boyles and Liz Westcott-Brown of NAI Partners represented the tenant, Greater Houston Community Foundation, a networking firm for philanthropists, in the lease negotiations. Richard Barbles of Stream Realty represented the landlord, 515 Post Oak Owner LP.