Despite a slow start to the year, the Northern New Jersey office market decreased vacancy to 20.2 percent as we moved from fourth quarter 2016 into 2017. More than 750,000 square feet of office space is expected to be absorbed in the market to drop the vacancy rate 20 basis points. New deliveries in Morris and Essex Counties, including a 200,000-square-foot office for UPS in Parsippany, are leading the way. Moreover, landlords and investors alike are upgrading and investing in larger redevelopment projects throughout the state which has increased leasing activity. In response to healthier market conditions, owners have also increased rents for office space, which caused higher vacancy rates at the beginning of the year. The average asking rent is anticipated to climb to $27.59 per square foot this year, outpacing the 2 percent rise in office rents posted in 2016. In first quarter, the Hudson Waterfront saw an increase of 3.6 percent per square foot. Hudson Waterfront The main trends in Jersey City and Hoboken are driven by the large populations of millennials in and around surrounding areas. Millennials account for 27.2 percent of the population in Hudson County. In the last 12 months, investors — particularly New …
SAN DIEGO — George Smith Partners has provided an $85 million bridge loan for the 317-room Pendry Hotel in downtown San Diego. The new luxury hotel is located at 550 J St. The Pendry opened in February. It features a rooftop pool, spa, six restaurants and bars, and 35,000 square feet of high-end meeting and event space. Robert Green Co. and Dan Kloiber own the hotel, which is part of Montage Hotels & Resorts. The loan was provided by Malcolm Davies, Evan Kinne and Alex Rossinsky.
IRVINE, CALIF. — HCP (NYSE: HCP), an Irvine-based healthcare REIT, has closed on a new $2 billion unsecured revolving credit facility. The new facility reduces the company’s funded interest cost for committed loans by five basis points and has a maturity date of Oct. 19, 2021. Based on the company’s current senior unsecured long-term debt ratings, the facility bears interest annually at LIBOR plus 100 basis points and has a facility fee of 20 basis points. The facility also includes two six-month extension options and the ability to increase the commitments by an aggregate amount up to $750 million.
WESTMINSTER, COLO. — HFF has arranged the $4.3 million sale of Brookhill Towne Center, a 99,142-square-foot retail center in Westminster, located 11 miles north of Denver. Jules Sherwood of HFF represented the seller and procured the buyer, Experimental Holdings Inc. Constructed in 1989, Brookhill Towne Center was 81.5 percent leased at the time of sale to Fruehauf’s, Guiry’s and Dollar Tree.
LOS ANGELES — Bob’s Discount Furniture plans to open six new stores in the Los Angeles market simultaneously on Feb. 15, 2018. New locations will open in Baldwin Park, Huntington Beach, Midtown, Long Beach, West Hills and Valencia. These six stores will be the first on the West Coast for the furniture retailer. Bob’s currently has 89 stores in 15 states across the East Coast, Mid-Atlantic and Midwest regions, after adding more than a dozen new stores in the past year. In addition to the six new stores in Los Angeles, the furniture retailer has three others set to open on the same day in Pennsylvania and Virginia. The nine store openings will bring the company to 98 stores nationwide.
NORTH READING, MASS. — Tritower Financial Group has completed the disposition of a technology headquarters facility located at 300 Riverpark Drive in North Reading. A partnership between Lincoln Property Co., Ibdar Bank and Ritz Banc Group purchased the facility for $45.1 million. Amazon utilizes the 228,921-square-foot facility as its robotics headquarters; it is the only facility in the world that designs, assembles and tests all proprietary fulfillment robotics used by all Amazon distribution facilities. Dave Pergola and Brian Doherty of CBRE/New England represented the seller and procured the buyer in the transaction.
PORTLAND, MAINE — HFF has brokered the sale of Residence Inn Portland Downtown/Waterfront hotel, located at 145 Fore St. in downtown Portland. Norwich Partners sold the 179-suite property for an undisclosed price. Completed in 2009, the five-story property features suites fully equipped kitchens, the Shipyard Lounge, 1,235 square feet of event space, an outdoor courtyard, a business center, a fitness center, an indoor pool and complimentary hot breakfast. Denny Meikleham, Alan Suzuki and Matthew Enright of HFF represented the seller and procured the undisclosed buyer. The hotel was purchased unencumbered of management.
Providence, R.I. — GMH Capital Partners has broken ground on River House, a 174-unit student housing community located in Providence, Rhode Island. The property will be located near Brown’s Alpert Medical School, Brown University, Johnson and Wales University, University of Rhode Island-Providence Campus and the Rhode Island School of Design. The community will consist of two seven-story buildings with approximately 5,000 square feet of retail and restaurant space fronting Point Street and the Providence River. The development is scheduled for completion in May 2019.
AUBURN, MAINE — Cardente Real Estate has arranged the sale of a warehouse building located at 279 Washington St. South in Auburn. Maurice Eastman and Lauren Eastman sold the 5,500-square-foot property to an undisclosed buyer. Cheri Bonawitz of Cardente Real Estate represented the seller, while Greg Perry, also of Cardente Real Estate, represented the buyer in the transaction.
NORTH PLAINFIELD, N.J. — Marcus & Millichap has arranged the sale of Grove Plaza, a retail property located at 789 Route 22 West in North Plainfield. A private investor sold the 19,845-square-foot property for $1.9 million. Alan Cafiero, Ben Sgambati and Brent Hyldahl of Marcus & Millichap represented the seller and buyer, a private investor, in the deal.