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BOSTON — Intercontinental Real Estate Corp. has purchased the ground lease for 100 Cambridge St. in Boston for $280 million from the MassDevelopment/Saltonstall Building Redevelopment Corp. As a result of the sale, all of the debt associated with the project will be paid off, and the Commonwealth of Massachusetts will receive nearly $90 million while retaining ownership of the underlying real estate. The sale covers the remaining 67 years of the lease through April 2082. The Commonwealth will continue to lease floors two through 12 of the 600,000-square-foot property until 2052. Colliers International arranged the sale of the 22-story building. The redeveloped property contains office space, along with 34,539 square feet of retail space and 75 residential condos. All of the residential units were sold following redevelopment and are not part of the current ground-lease assignment. Douglas Jacoby and Scott Dragos of Colliers International’s investment sales team in Boston, with support from their retail and downtown office leasing groups, brokered the leasehold interest sale. Other Colliers team members involved in the transaction included Tony Hayes, Mike McLaughlin, Tim Mulhall and Lyndsey Ferreira. “The transaction affirms the fresh interest we’re seeing in Boston’s government center area and validates this location with its …

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NEW YORK — Led by Manhattan, the United States occupies seven of the 10 most expensive office markets in the Americas region as determined by Cushman & Wakefield’s annual Office Space Across the World report. The Americas region is defined as North and South America. The top three — Manhattan, Rio de Janeiro’s Zona Sul and Sao Paolo’s Faria Lima — were unchanged from the 2013 report. Worldwide, Manhattan came in at No. 3 following London’s West End and Hong Kong’s central business district (CBD). New York City’s Manhattan market continued to post employment growth in 2014, much of which is office-using jobs in the technology, advertising, media and information industries. Leasing activity in Manhattan totaled roughly 32.8 million square feet in 2014, which is the highest net absorption in the market in the past 15 years, according to the report. Leasing was bolstered by 28 leases in excess of 100,000 square feet. The market’s vacancy rate dipped into the single digits in December 2014 for the first time since July 2012. The market fundamentals pushed rates to $130 per square foot in Manhattan, barely edging out Rio de Janiero. “The U.S. economic recovery is quickly propelling the Manhattan office …

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The-Arcadian

NEW YORK, N.Y. — Investcorp’s U.S.-based real estate arm, through separate transactions, has acquired a portfolio of residential properties in the metropolitan areas of Washington, D.C., Orlando, San Diego and Baltimore for approximately $300 million. The acquired properties include The Arcadian in Silver Spring, Md., a garden-style townhome apartment property; Orion on Orpington in Orlando, Fla., a Class A, 156-unit, 624-bed, student housing property near the University of Central Florida; Waterleaf Apartment Homes in Vista, Calif., a 456-unit apartment complex; and Fairways at Towson in Baltimore, Md., a 15-story apartment building. The four properties acquired total more than 2.1 million square feet with approximately 1,900 multifamily and student housing units. The properties currently have an average occupancy rate of approximately 96 percent. “We are pleased to enhance our real estate portfolio with the acquisition of these properties, which perfectly align with Investcorp’s strategy of targeting high-quality assets with what we believe to be attractive yields that demonstrate upside potential,” says Brian Kelley, a principal at New York-based Investcorp. “The properties are highly occupied and have the potential to offer stable cash flows from strong, diverse, and growing markets,” adds Kelley. Investcorp completed these acquisitions through joint ventures with four different …

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lauralee_martin-web

BRENTWOOD, TENN. AND IRVINE, CALIF. — Brookdale Senior Living Inc. (NYSE: BKD) and HCP Inc. (NYSE: HCP) have entered into a definitive agreement to purchase a portfolio of 35 private-pay seniors housing communities from Canadian real estate investment trust Chartwell Retirement Residences for $849 million. Located in eight states including Florida, Texas and Colorado, the portfolio consists of 5,025 units and is comprised of 33 senior housing properties representing 4,792 units, with a mix of 46 percent assisted living, 45 percent independent living, 5 percent memory care and 4 percent skilled nursing. The portfolio also includes leasehold interests in two communities, which are wholly owned by HCP, representing 233 units that include purchase-option rights exercisable in 2017. “This portfolio acquisition provides attractive risk-adjusted returns for our shareholders, and also creates value for our operating partner through a real estate-driven transaction,” says Lauralee Martin, president and CEO of Irvine, Calif.-based HCP. “Brookdale’s familiarity with this portfolio will be a tremendous asset as we avoid any transition issues and immediately implement capital investment plans to generate future growth above traditional triple-net rent escalators,” she adds. The portfolio will be acquired using a RIDEA (REIT Investment Diversification and Empowerment Act) joint-venture structure, with …

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CHICAGO — Building revenue and demand for new commercial construction may be rising fast, but so are costs. Profitability for new commercial building projects will be tricky in 2015, as soaring demand may not lead to soaring profits, according to a new JLL report on U.S. non-residential construction activity. “Leasing momentum is boosting construction demand across multiple commercial property sectors — but raw material and labor costs are making it more expensive to get out of the ground than ever before,” says Todd Burns, president of JLL Project and Development Services for the Americas. “Demand is exploding, but demand isn’t everything. You have to consider the bottom line of every project to make sure it makes economic sense short- and long-term.” Affirming rising demand, the consensus forecast of the American Institute of Architects calls for spending on non-residential construction to rise 7.7 percent in every commercial property sector this year. Likewise, the Construction Backlog Indicator, which tracks non-residential construction, hit a post-downturn high of 8.8 months in the third quarter of 2014. The JLL report highlights several trends to watch this year on the construction front: • Recovery Continues, Backlog Builds — The overall value of buildings constructed has continued …

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CHICAGO — Blackstone (NYSE: BX) has announced that Blackstone Real Estate Partners VII has entered into a definitive purchase agreement to acquire Willis Tower in downtown Chicago. According to the Chicago Tribune, Blackstone purchased the 110-story office tower from 233 South Wacker LLC for $1.3 billion. “We are delighted to be acquiring this iconic building on behalf of our limited partners. We are bullish on Chicago as companies expand within and move into the city and look for first-class office space,” says Jacob Werner, managing director of Blackstone’s real estate group. “Moreover, we see great potential in further improving both the building’s retail operations and the tourist experience for one of the most popular destinations for visitors to Chicago.” Formerly known as the Sears Tower, the 3.8 million square-foot office building is the second-tallest office building in the United States and the fifth-tallest office building in the world. The skyscraper opened to tenants, including Sears, in 1973 but construction was formally completed in 1974. Sears Tower was sold to a collective ownership group comprising Joseph Chetrit, Joseph Moinan and American Landmark Properties in 2004 for $841 million. Sears Tower was renamed Willis Tower in 2009 due to the Willis Group …

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Del Taco Levy Corp

LAKE FOREST, CALIF. — Levy Acquisition Corp. (NASDAQ: LEVY) has acquired Del Taco Holdings for about $500 million. Del Taco will now become Levy’s sole direct subsidiary. Del Taco has been a popular choice for Mexican-American fast casual fare in Southern California since 1964. It now operates 547 Mexican-American restaurants in 16 states, making it the second-largest Mexican American quick-service restaurant chain in the U.S. The largest concentration of stores is situated in the Pacific Southwest. Del Taco owns more than 300 of these stores. The remaining stores are owned and operated by franchisees. Levy Acquisition Corp. (LAC) plans to change its name to Del Taco Restaurants Inc. once the merger is complete in June. It will continue to trade on the NASDAQ stock exchange. Del Taco will receive a private equity investment of $120 million from restaurateur Larry Levy’s family and other new investors (operating as LLI) prior to the sale’s closing. Levy will become chairman of the Del Taco board of directors after the equity investment is made, before the merger is complete. He will also partner with management to oversee the company’s growth and brand building. The LLI purchase price is based on a $500 million enterprise …

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MTBCityHero

BOSTON — Millennium Partners’ 60-story project, the Millennium Tower Boston, is 70 percent sold. The luxury high-rise residential tower, which is set to open in 2016, has achieved $650 million in condominium sales. Approximately 80 percent of sales have been to local buyers. Construction started in 2013 on the 1.1 million-square-foot project. Designed by Blake Middleton of Handel Architects, the 60-floor Millennium Tower Boston will consist of 442 residences with a mix of one-, two- and three-bedroom units ranging in size from 821 to 12,846 square feet. Units will start at $1.2 million and range in price up to $37.5 million for a 12,846-square-foot penthouse occupying the entire 60th floor. Currently under construction at the site of the former Filene’s Department Store and the Burnham Building, Millennium Tower Boston will offer 360-degree views of Boston’s skyline. “We are thrilled with the initial sales momentum of Millennium Tower Boston and how the project has been embraced by the local community,” says Richard Baumert of Millennium Partners. “Millennium Tower Boston promises to be a significant influence, not only in the evolution of luxury living in Boston, but also in the transformation of one of the oldest established neighborhoods in the country to …

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PORTSMOUTH, N.H. — The average sales price per room for U.S. hotels in 2014 was $156,002, up a whopping 20.6 percent on a year-over-year basis. According to Lodging Econometrics (LE), the healthy increase stems from record-setting hotel revenues and profits, low interest rates and the availability of attractive financing terms. LE reports that the total investment in the U.S. lodging industry was an estimated $30.8 billion last year. In 2014, of the 1,292 total hotel assets that transacted or transferred ownership, 935 reported a sales price. The Portsmouth, N.H-based firm anticipates that hotel prices will accelerate for the next several years as hotel performance continues to shine in the absence of any significant new supply. A critical part of the equation is that interest rates, although expected to rise, still remain attractive causing competition to intensify for prized single assets and portfolios. Since the market bottomed out in 2009 with 528 total transactions, deal volume over the last five years has ranged between 1,261 and 1,457 transactions. It is a narrow range far distant from the 3,218 transactions and transfers reported in 2007, according to LE. There were 799 single-asset transactions and another 481 hotels that changed ownership as part …

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Endurance

JESSUP BOROUGH AND WILKES-BARRE, PA. — An affiliate of Endurance Real Estate Group LLC has acquired a three-building bulk warehouse/distribution portfolio totaling 544,640 square feet in Northeastern Pennsylvania. The purchase price was not disclosed. The portfolio includes a 166,500-square-foot property at 7 Alberigi Drive and a 129,500-square-foot property located at 15 Alberigi Drive, both in Jessup Borough; and a 248,640-square foot building located at 32 S. Preston Drive in Wilkes-Barre. “This deal represented a rare opportunity to acquire Class-A quality assets below replacement cost in a tightening submarket in one of the strongest warehouse/distribution corridors in the country,” says Benjamin Cohen, president of Endurance. “Two of the buildings suffered from persistent vacancy largely due to the time frame in which they were delivered (2006-2008),” says Cohen. “[But] with leasing market conditions tightening and the inherent appeal of these assets combined with a fresh approach to property leasing and management (with suites in move-in condition), we feel confident that we can step in and stabilize the portfolio quickly.” The portfolio is currently 50 percent occupied. The buildings were constructed in the late 2000s and feature Class A warehouse/distribution specifications, including 30-foot ceiling heights, ESFR sprinkler systems and expandable loading capacity with …

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