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Weekly Market Report - July 18, 2024

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TRD data examines which Manhattan neighborhoods led sales

The New York City office market has seen over $21 billion worth of properties change hands since the start of 2021, with 89% of that volume being in Manhattan. The Real Deal identified 559 transactions totaling $21 billion in volume, with Manhattan bagging 89% of the total volume. The top 10 neighborhoods for office deals over the past three and a half years accounted for 63% of all deal volume on the island. The Grand Central area had the most office volume, with $2.5 billion across 12 purchases since the start of 2021. Hudson Square booked nearly as much volume ($2.1 billion) over the same period, with most credit going to Google's $1.97 billion purchase on 550 Washington Street in early 2022. Flatiron brought in the third most office investments over the past three and a half years, with $1.6 billion spread across 29 separate purchases.


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Metropolitan Life Insurance Co. has acquired 240 W. 35th St., an 18-story office building in Midtown South, at a 72% loss from its prior sale. The property, which was bought by Atco Properties & Management for $108M in 2016, was refinanced with a $72.8M loan from MetLife in 2018. The loan matured in February 2023, and Atco failed to pay off the balance, defaulting on the debt. MetLife sued Atco for foreclosure, and a receiver was appointed to manage the building. The property was auctioned on May 29, and MetLife offered a $30M credit bid, resulting in the ownership change. The building's leasing agent is Todd Korren, who formerly represented the building with Avison Young. Israeli insurer Migdal Group bought a 49% stake in the building in 2017, but the building owners owed MetLife $78.7M on their unpaid mortgage.

 

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Canadian investor will have to refi properties bought at height of market


Ivanhoé Cambridge, a Canadian real estate investor, has been a major player in the office market since the 2010s. The company has invested heavily in New York, buying properties like 3 Bryant Park, 1211 Sixth Avenue, and Stuyvesant Town. Now, nearly $5 billion worth of debt on these properties is set to mature over a 12-month span starting next year. The company will have to refinance the $1.125 billion mortgage on 3 Bryant Park, 1211 Sixth Avenue, and Stuy Town debts. The company also acquired Goldman Sachs' former headquarters at 85 Broad Street in the Financial District. The company's CEO, Nathalie Palladitcheff, acknowledged the troubles facing offices in an interview with CNBC. The company's portfolio represents some of the conundrums of the office market, with the value of 1211 Sixth Avenue and 3 Bryant Park facing difficulties.

 

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Canadian investor buys 41-story FiDi tower for $297M


Canadian biotech entrepreneur Carlo Bellini's real estate firm 99c has bought 180 Maiden Lane in the Financial District for $297 million. The 41-story office tower, which was previously owned by Clarion Partners and MHP, was purchased in 2015 for $470 million. The deal was brokered by Gary Phillips and Will Silverman of Eastdil Secured, and a syndicate of ING financed the loan. The glass tower, currently occupied, is currently occupied by National Debt Relief, insurer Cover Whale, and Royal Funding Group. Bellini, managing director of investment firm Bsquared Capital, was previously the president of Quebec-based biomedical company Klox Technologies.

 

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Investor is looking to sell his new 312K-sf Red Hook warehouse


Joe Sitt is selling his Amazon-leased distribution center in Red Hook for about $150 million, according to Thor Equities. The 312,000-square-foot warehouse, which opened in 2022, benefits from an "inevitably sticky tenant" in Amazon, which leases the property for another 13 years. Thor bought the development site in 2005 for $40 million and initially planned to develop an 800,000-square-foot office complex. In 2020, Thor pre-leased the space to Amazon, which has been operating out of it since the warehouse opened in 2022. The property has an assumable $73 million mortgage from Athene Annuity & Life Company with a 3.85 percent interest rate through 2028. Thor, one of the city's largest retail investors, launched its Theologies warehouse business in 2019.

 

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Coworking company is trying new strategies post-bankruptcy


WeWork is transforming a Manhattan office tower's floor into a work lounge for its entire tenants, including members and tenants. The 15,000-square-foot lounge will include a barista bar, meeting rooms, and an outdoor terrace. The amenity space aims to enhance the tenant base's experience and drive demand for a high-quality office environment. WeWork, which went into Chapter 11 bankruptcy last year, has since eliminated $4 billion in debt and secured $450 million in new financing. The company's global head of real estate, Peter Greenspan, said most landlords chose to keep WeWork in the building, allowing WeWork to emerge in a position of strength with great locations.

 

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Goldman Sachs' former headquarters at 85 Broad St. is a "loan of concern," according to Fitch Ratings. The building, which was developed in 1983 to house its workforce of 1,500, was sold to MetLife for $310 million in 2014 and upgraded by the co-owners. The owners spent $36 million on renovations, which paid off when WeWork agreed to lease 300,000 square feet through 2033. The office coworking firm paid $46 a square foot, 17% below market rate. In 2017, 85 Broad was acquired for $650 million by Ivanhoé Cambridge, a subsidiary of Canadian pension fund Caisse de dépôt et placement du Québec. The building was 20% vacant at the end of last year, but mortgage investors face a 12% loss, or $43 million over the entire loan. WeWork has vacated another two floors since its bankruptcy and is negotiating with its landlord over the remaining space, potentially leading to further rent reductions. In 2022, Bloomberg News reported that Ivanhoé was nearing a deal to sell a piece of 85 Broad to Fortress Investment Group and Metro Loft, a firm specializing in office building conversions.

 

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CBRE has renewed its lease at the MetLife Building, which it has rented for 36 years, until 2037. The brokerage will take over for Tishman Speyer as manager and will work to bring new tenants in the 59-story tower. The MetLife Building was bought by Tishman Speyer in 2005 for $1.7 billion and Irvine took an ownership stake in 2014. The Irvine Company will exercise their contractual right to buy the remaining equity and take control of the property as per their 2014 joint venture agreement. CBRE will also use space in the lobby of 200 Park as a meeting area for employees and clients visiting the building. Other recent deals in the building include MetLife's 11-year extension for its 400,000-square-foot headquarters in December 2023 and insurance broker NFP's 30,000-square-foot lease on the 32nd floor in August 2023.

 

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He’s founded a new development firm in West Palm Beach


Stephen Ross, a renowned developer, has left Related Companies as chairman and has founded a new venture, Related Ross, which owns nearly 3 million square feet of commercial space. The New York-based firm, best known for building the 27-acre Hudson Yards, remains led by CEO Jeff Blau, President Bruce Beal Jr., and COO Kenneth Wong. Ross, who is 84 years old, retains a stake in the firm he founded 52 years ago and serves as non-executive chairman. The company has become a major player in West Palm Beach real estate, building the 72-acre mixed-use CityPlace development and attracting finance giants Morgan Stanley and Goldman Sachs as tenants. In 2022, the company expanded to Miami, partnering with Swire Properties to build an 80-story office building in the city's financial district. However, the project has failed to secure an anchor tenant. Ross's move comes two years after Related Companies divested from Jorge Perez's Related Group.


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