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THE DEAL SHEET

New York
THE DEAL SHEET
Sales Transactions
205 Montague St., Brooklyn, NY
Midtown Equities Group purchased the five-story, 87k SF 205 Montague St. in Downtown Brooklyn from The Treeline Cos. for $33M. The building is 100% occupied, but that's not its first exciting prospect—Jackie Robinson signed his first MLB contract there with the Brooklyn Dodgers, breaking baseball's color barrier in 1947.***Morris Court Apts. LLC purchased a 53-unit apartment building at 271-273 East 164th St. in Morrisania, Bronx from Ardsley Management Corp. for $4.2M. Rosewood Realty's Aaron Jungreis and Mark Steinmetz repped both the buyer and seller. Rosewood also closed on the $4.2M sale of 480 Concord Ave. in Mott Haven, Bronx, and the $3.3M sale of 2600 Creston Ave. in Fordham Manor, Bronx. One investor purchased both in a deal brokered by Aaron and Jake Blatter.***

A private investor purchased 690 Rogers Ave., a 29-unit apartment in Brooklyn, for $2.5M. Marcus & Millichap's Peter Von Der Ahe and Matthew Fotis repped the buyer and the seller, also a private investor. The firm's John Horowitz also repped the seller and buyer in the $1.7M sale of the eight-unit apartment building 23 Pierrepont St. in Brooklyn Heights.

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Condo developer MDIM purchased the former site of PS 59 at 535 Leonard St. in Greenpoint, Brooklyn from Polish Legion of American Veterans— George Washington Post #3 for $2.3M. Kalmon Dolgin Affliates' Joseph Nicholas repped both parties, while Bill Richko and Ralf Mayer repped the seller and buyer in-house, respectively. An 18-unit condo development is planned for the site.

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Continuing the Brooklyn sales, CPEX Real Estate sold a 6.6k SF commercial condo at 79 Bridge St. in DUMBO for $1.6M (broker:Brian Leary), while Massey Knakal sold a 4.3k SF, four-story mixed-use property at 412 Myrtle Ave. in Fort Greene for $1.2M (brokers:Stephen Palmese, Michael Amirkhanian, and Matthew Giordano).

Lease Transactions

First Stamford Place in Stamford, Conn. is looking good: Elizabeth Arden renewed its 50k SF lease for another 12 years. Cushman & Wakefield's Mike Gordon, Joe Cabrera, and Jay Hruska repped the tenant, while Jeffrey Newman and Kim Zaccagnino repped owner Malkin Properties in-house.

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William F. Connors Agency's William Connors III arranged three new NJ leases: Creative Research Solutions International's 16.5k SF lease at 1015 Hoyt St. in Ridgefield; Artists Studios' 10k SF lease at 183 Monroe St. in Passaic; and Christian Art's 6k SF lease at 567 52nd St. in West New York.

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Duane Reade signed a lease for 28k SF at 949 Third Ave. (but unlike doctors' handwriting, we heard this one was legible). The store is relocating from its current spot at the D&D Building and nearly tripling its size. Winick's Jeff Winick repped the tenant, while Newmark Knight Frank Retail's Jeffrey Roseman and Jason Maurer repped the landlord.

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Now the residents of Columbus Square won't have to travel far for their home-furnishings fix: HomeGoods signed a 26.4k SF lease for ground floor and lower-level retail space at 495 Columbus Ave., making it one of the only big-box home furnishings stores on the Upper West Side. Ripco Real Estate repped the tenant, while Winick's Lori Shabtai and Kelly Gedinsky repped the owner, a JV between Stellar Management and Chetrit Group.

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Abel Cine Tech renewed and expanded its lease to 23.6k SF at 609 Greenwich St. Studley's Nicholas Farmakis repped the tenant, while Newmark Knight Frank's Daniel Levine repped owner Centaur Properties.

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For immediate release: RF|Binder Partners, an operating dvision of PR agency Ruder Finn Group, renewed its 21.7k SF HQ lease at 950 Third Ave. Cushman & Wakefield's Alex Chudnoff and Haley Klein repped the tenant, while CBRE's Derrick Ades and Edward Goldman repped owner Kipp-Stawski Management Group.

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BrainPOP inked a 15-year, 13k SF lease at Masonic Hall, 71 W. 23rd St. Winoker Realty's Bill Berkis repped the tenant, while City Connections Realty's Herb Goldberg and David Schlamm repped the landlord.

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The Fashion District saw three leases: North Bay's 10-year, 8.2k SF lease at 42 W. 39th St. (tenant reps: Savitt Partners; landlord reps: Adams & Co.'s David Levy and Jeffrey Schwartz); Autumn Cashmere's 11-year, 6.1k SF lease at 231 W. 39th St. (brokers: Adams & Co.'s James Buslik and Jeffrey Buslik); and 6 Degrees' 2.1k SF showroom renewal at 530 Seventh Ave. (tenant reps: Savitt Partners' Marc Schoen and Michael Schoen; landlord rep: Savitt Partners' Bob Savitt, in-house).

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Nomadic Display signed a five-year, 12.2k SF relocation and expansion at 4-6 Just Rd. in Fairfield, NJ. Colliers International's Doug Rowe and Leslie Meril repped the tenant, while Tulfra Real Estate's Carmel Hubbard repped owner FRA Fairfield.

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Northeast New Jersey Legal Services inked a 10-year, 12k SF office lease at 190 Moore St. in Hackensack. NAI James E. Hanson's Joshua Levering repped the tenant, while the landlord represented itself.

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Staples inked (and undoubtedly made copies of) a 15-year, 11k SF lease at 675 Third Ave. The new location, which is scheduled to open in late fall, will include Staples' new Copy/Print format, which offers full printing capabilities and computer tech support. Older locations at 205 E. 42nd St. and 740 Third Ave. will close upon the new store's opening. Northwest Atlantic's Chase Welles repped the tenant, while John Grotto repped owner The Durst Org. in-house.

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The sun is shining on 60 Campus Dr. in Edison, NJ, where solar panel distributor CentroSolar America inked a 10.6k SF lease. CBRE's Jonathan Lantieri and Timothy Cadigan repped the tenant. The landlord is Federal Business Centers.

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Like Geoffrey the Giraffe's neck, Toys "R" Us is popping up—at 1281 Fulton St. in Bed-Stuy, Brooklyn. The retailer inked a 9k SF lease in the former home of Carver Federal Saving Bank for a pop-up store. Sholom & Zuckerbrot's Marc Geller and Marc Durst repped the tenant and landlord.

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International IT services provider FDM Group leased the 6.7k SF penthouse, a former JPMorgan private residence, at 14 Wall St. A team led by CBRE's Brad Gerla repped owners Capstone Equities and The Carlyle Group.

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Jump for Joy Construction Corp., which inked a long-term renewal and expansion at 40 Fulton St. for a total of 6.1k SF. CBC Hunter Phoenix's Richard Gottlieb and Wayne Siegel repped the tenant, while Ron LoRusso repped owner Vornado in-house with a leasing team from CBRE.

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Advisors Asset Management inked a long-term, 5k SF office lease at 48 South Service Rd. in Melville, Long Island. CBRE's Vincent LaManna and Dan Brandel repped the tenant, while Carlton Wenz repped owner RXR Realty in-house. AAM will relocate to the build-to-suit space by the end of the summer.

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Panera Bread baked up a 4.2k SF lease at Westfield Trumbull Shopping Mall in Trumbull, Conn. RHYS Commercial's Jason Wuchiski repped the tenant, which will be the marquee in Westfield's newly established Dining Commons, part of a $25M-plus redevelopment that includes a fully remodeled dining terrace.

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The Art of Living Foundation inked a three-year, 4k SF lease at 286 Fifth Ave. The Kaufman Org.'s Daniel Kahn repped the not-for-profit, while AB & Sons' Omid Pouratian repped the landlord.

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White Tiger Martial Arts inked a five-year, 4k SF renewal at 416 Hamburg Tpke. in Wayne, NJ. NAI James E. Hanson's Gregory Reid repped the tenant, while landlord The Stro Cos. repped itself. No word whether negotiations made it to the sudden death round.

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Life's getting a bit more delicious: Five Guys Burgers & Fries inked a long-term, 2k SF lease at Fresh Meadows, a shopping center located at 188th St. in Fresh Meadows, Queens, while Smoothie King opened its first Long Island location with a 1.5k SF lease at 225 Glen Cove Rd. in Carle Place. CBRE's Jayson Siano repped owner Federal Realty in the first transaction, and the tenant in the latter. The smoothie purveyor plans to roll out another 30 locations throughout the region, he says.

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Limoland inked a 1.4k SF lease for its first US location at 829 Washington St.. Crown Retail Services' Stephanie Snyder negotiated the lease on behalf of the retailer directly with owner Romanoff Equities' Darryl Romanoff.

Financing

Meridian Capital Group arranged $58.9M in new mortgages, including: $20.5M for a 316-unit garden apartment complex on Estates Blvd. in Hamilton Township, NJ (arranged by Scott Assouline); $18M for a 140-unit luxury apartment building on E. 73rd St. (arranged by Joseph Taub); $7M for a four-building, 215-unit portfolio in Manhattan and the Bronx (arranged by Michael Kesselman); and $6M for a 94-unit multifamily building on 84th St. in Brooklyn (arranged by Avi Weinstock).

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NCB FSB arranged $34M in new financing including: a $4.5M first mortgage and $250k line of credit for Finch Apartments Corp., a 77-unit co-op at 61-64 E. 77th and 52-54 East 78th Sts. (arranged by Mindy Goldstein); a $3.4M first mortgage and $250k credit line for a 33-unit co-op at 10 E. 85th St. (arranged by Sheldon Gartenstein); and a $3.3M first mortgage and $500k credit line for The Jefferson Apartments Corp., a 76-unit co-op at 137-40 45th Ave. in Flushing, Queens (arranged by Edward Howe III).

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Holliday Fenoglio Fowler's NJ office arranged an $18M refinancing for Ivy Lane Apartments, a 237-unit multi-housing community at 8 Howard Dr. in Bergenfield, NJ. The firm's Tom Didio arranged the permanent, fixed-rate loan through Oritani Bank on behalf of Tower Management Service, which used the refinancing proceeds to replace the existing debt at more favorable terms.

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GCP Capital Group's Paul Greenbaum arranged $10.5M in financing: $7.5M for two five-story elevator apartment buildings comprising 83 units on Amsterdam Ave. and $3M for a five-story walk-up apartment building comprising 33 units on Audubon Ave.

Business

Colliers International opened a second Manhattan location to accommodate the growth of its management company. The firm's relocating its management company personnel to 18k SF at 136 Madison, freeing up space at its 380 Madison location for continued expansion.

Executive Moves

Grubb & Ellis named Michael Rispoli as EVP and CFO, effective immediately. Matthew Engel, who'd served as interim CFO, has been promoted to EVP of finance. Michael will be responsible for the firm's overall financial operations, and will continue in his current position as CFO of Grubb & Ellis Equity Advisors. Matthew will direct the company's accounting, finance, tax, and SEC reporting functions.

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Peter Hennessy joined Cassidy Turley as president of the New York Tri-State region, responsible for expanding the firm's services in the Northeast, overseeing the Tri-State's 400-person team, and assuming responsibility for the overall strategic focus, growth, and profitability of the business unit. He was previously with JLL, and was president of the New York region for Staubach before the JLL merger. He's a graduate of Kenyon College and NYU.

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Steven Roberts joined Grubb & Ellis as senior managing director of its debt & equity finance group. He was previously with CitiGroup, where he was in part responsible for the foundation of the company's CMBS program and co-led the conduit business. He also held a position at Merrill Lynch, and is a graduate of Penn State.

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Alex Previdi joined Cassidy Turley's Teaneck, NJ office as VP, specializing in industrial sales, leasing, and marketing with a concentration in the Northern NJ market. He will be responsible for the acquisition and disposition of properties for corporate, institutional, and private companies on a local and national basis. He was previously with JLL, through the Lee & Klatskin Associates purchase. He was also in state government for 10 years. He's a graduate of Drew University.

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Ken Clausen joined Skanska USA as director of integrated design for its mission critical center of excellence group, a team that specializes in construction and energy optimization services for new and existing data centers. He was previously with EYP Mission Critical Facilities. He's a graduate of the University of Akron and Cleveland State University.

Related Topics: RXR Realty, Skanska, Newmark Grubb Knight Frank, Meridian Capital Group, Panera Bread, Rosewood Realty Group, The Carlyle Group, Stephen Palmese, Brian Leary, Aaron Jungreis, Merrill Lynch, Chetrit Group, Northwest Atlantic, Winoker Realty, Holliday Fenoglio Fowler, FINANCINGMeridian Capital Group, Avi Weinstock, The Durst Org, James Buslik, Northern NJ, Mindy Goldstein, Bob Savitt, Michael Schoen, Stellar Management, Sheldon Gartenstein, Peter Von Der Ahe, Edward Howe III, Duane Reade, Jeffrey Buslik, Jeffrey Roseman, Jayson Siano, Scott Assouline, Fort Greene, Brooklyn Heights, Jeffrey Schwartz, Brad Gerla, Ripco Real Estate, CPEX Real Estate, Michael Amirkhanian, Capstone Equities, Five Guys, Matthew Fotis, Columbus Square, Lori Shabtai, Kelly Gedinsky, Connors Agency, The Art, Jeff Winick, Federal Realty Trust, Michael Kesselman, Bill Berkis, West New York, RHYS Commercial, New York Tri, William Connors III, Carle Place, Crown Retail Services, Wayne Siegel, Haley Klein, John Horowitz, Alex Chudnoff, Jason Maurer, Leslie Meril, Joseph Taub, Daniel Kahn, Matthew Giordano, Oritani Bank, Nicholas Farmakis, Richard Gottlieb, Chase Welles, Kim Zaccagnino, Peter Hennessy, Mott Haven, The Treeline Cos, John Grotto, North Bay, Tom Didio, Daniel Levine, Marc Durst, Doug Rowe, Romanoff Equities, Jake Blatter, Mike Gordon, Joshua Levering, Elizabeth Arden, Vincent LaManna, The Fashion District, Jason Wuchiski, Executive MovesGrubb, Gregory Reid, Marc Geller, Joseph Nicholas, Jay Hruska, City Connections Realty, Federal Business Centers, Stephanie Snyder, Edward Goldman, Smoothie King, Darryl Romanoff, Fordham Manor, Jackie Robinson, Kalmon Dolgin Affliates, Derrick Ades, Dan Brandel, Fresh Meadows, BusinessColliers International, Matthew Engel, Kenyon College, Alex Previdi, Cleveland State University, CBC Hunter Phoenix, Hamilton Township, Klatskin Associates, Pierrepont St, 1281 Fulton St, Ellis Equity Advisors, Ron LoRusso