FLORHAM PARK, NJ— A private investor has paid $25.8 million for four freestanding grocery store sites totaling 120,335 square feet of space in New York and northern New Jersey. HFF marketed the properties as part of a nine-property portfolio owned by The Great Atlantic & Pacific Tea Co. and its affiliates. The buyer purchased the properties and simultaneously leased the properties back to A&P, which continues to operate grocery stores at each of the sites. Properties acquired by the investor include 895 Paulison Ave. in Clifton, N.J.; 49 Old Highway 22 in Clinton, N.J.; 1886 Pleasantville Road in Briarcliff Manor, N.Y.; and 410 West 207th Street in New York, N.Y. Jose Cruz, Andrew Scandalios, Kevin O’Hearn, Jeffrey Julien and Marc Duval of HFF represented the seller. Founded in 1859, A&P operates more than 300 supermarkets in six states under the following banners: A&P, Best Cellars, Food Basics, The Food Emporium, Pathmark, Superfresh and Waldbaum's.
JAMAICA PLAIN, MASS. — Rockland Trust has provided $8 million in financing to APW LLC & APV Realty LLC for the development of Arboretum Place in Jamaica Plain, a suburb of Boston. The credit facility includes a $2.1 million construction loan and $5.9 million in construction financing that was converted to a permanent mortgage through Rockland Trust’s New Markets Tax Credit program. The mixed-use property spans 40,000 square feet and is located at 3815 and 3840 Washington St. Tenants include Harvest Co-op Market, Boston Cat Hospital, Summer Search, Massachusetts Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children and Dane Street LLC. Construction on Arboretum Place began in October 2011 and was completed in early 2013.
Cambridge, Mass. — Foundation Medicine Inc. has signed a 61,591-square-foot lease at 150 Second St. in Cambridge’s Kendall Square. The lab and office building will house Foundation Medicine’s clinical laboratory, beginning in September. Skanska USA Commercial Development Inc. acquired the property in November 2010. The three-story building was completed in December 2012 and features approximately 123,000 square feet of highly sustainable lab space and is on track to obtain LEED Gold certification. Foundation Medicine is a molecular information company that uses genomic analysis to help doctors identify cancer treatments best suited for each patient. Jones Lang LaSalle represented Skanska USA in the transaction. Richards Barry Joyce & Partners represented Foundation Medicine.
AUSTIN, TEXAS — TPG/CalSTRS Austin LLC, an affiliate of Los Angeles-based Thomas Properties Group Inc., has sold three office properties in northwest Austin for $76 million. The office properties, which total 517,974 square feet, include Westech 360, Park Centre and Great Hills Plaza. The transaction is in line with Thomas Properties Group's strategy to dispose of its suburban office assets and concentrate on the ownership and operation of office properties in highly sought-after submarkets.
HOUSTON — Behringer Harvard has begun construction on The Muse Museum District, a 270-unit luxury multifamily community located on a 2.9-acre site in Houston's Montrose/Museum District submarket. Dallas-based Trammell Crow Residential partnered with Behringer Harvard on acquiring the site for the community. Trammell Crow will be the project's developer, and an affiliate of Trammell Crow will serve as the general contractor. The Muse Museum District will span four stories and sit atop a two-level parking garage. The community will feature a cyber cafe, business center, fitness center, luxury swimming pool and dog station. Construction is scheduled to wrap up in the fourth quarter of 2014.
GARLAND, TEXAS AND EAST BRUNSWICK, N.J. — New York City-based Gramercy Capital Corp. has closed on two industrial acquisitions in Garland and East Brunswick totaling $22.4 million. The Garland property spans 342,000 square feet and is fully leased to a single tenant through 2032. The property sold for approximately $10.7 million. The East Brunswick property is a 101-dock door truck terminal on a 16.25-acre site. The terminal is fully leased to a single tenant through 2019 and sold for approximately $11.7 million.
HOUSTON — General contractor Arch-Con Construction has broken ground on DCT Airtex Industrial Center, a 267,000-square-foot cross-dock distribution center located in Houston. DCT Industrial Trust is the project's developer and Long Beach, Calif.-based Carlile Coatsworth Architects is the project's architect. Arch-Con is slated to complete construction in the third quarter of 2013.
DICKINSON, TEXAS — Rockwood Real Estate Advisors has brokered the sale of the 108-unit Bayou Village, a Class B apartment community located in Dickinson. Bayou Village's amenities include covered parking, a swimming pool, laundry facility and picnic areas. The property is 96 percent occupied. Jordan Cortez and Michael Anderson of Rockwood represented the seller, Bayou Dickinson LLC, in the transaction. The buyer was a California-based investor.
REDLANDS, CALIF. – The 296-unit Barton Vineyard Apartments in Redlands has received a $32.7-million refinance. The Class A community is located at 26630 Barton Road. The 10-year loan features a 2.31 percent adjustable interest rate and a 30-year amortization schedule. It was arranged by Rob Cantizano of Berkeley Point Capital through Fannie Mae’s Structured ARM program.
SANTA MONICA, CALIF. – The 38-room Embassy Hotel in Santa Monica has sold to Lighthouse Investments and Paligroup for an undisclosed sum. The duo worked in partnership with a local private equity firm. The 1927 boutique beach lodge is currently undergoing a renovation that will convert it to the Paligroup’s signature hotel product. It will open as Palihouse Santa Monica this summer. The seller was represented by Rod Apodaca and Bob Kaplan of CBRE Hotels and by Laurie Lustig-Bower and Kamran Paydar of CBRE’s Century City office. Joint venture equity and debt financing, which covered the acquisition and renovation, was facilitated by Tim Meier, Nicholas White and ScottEschelman of Preferred Capital Advisors.