Deals and deeds: ‘Strong interest’ in The Exchange

Normandy Real Estate Partners said more than 100,000 square feet of office space has been leased to date this year at The Exchange, the New Jersey-based company”™s portfolio of 14 office buildings along the Platinum Mile in Harrison and White Plains. The Exchange totals 1.6 million square feet of space.

The transactions included new leases for AXA Equitable Life Insurance Co., Travelers Indemnity Co., Fidelity National Title Insurance Co., Peryman & Kroll Research Co. and Robert Half International Inc. CBRE Group Inc. Senior Vice President Brian Carcaterra and Vice President Michael McCall represented Normandy in the deals.

A Normandy spokesperson said the company, based in Morristown, N.J., has invested more than $30 million in capital improvements at The Exchange since acquiring the Westchester portfolio in 2009. Upgrades to the fitness center and lobby at 711 Westchester Ave. were recently completed.

“Interest in The Exchange has continued to be strong over halfway through 2014,” Carcaterra said in a press release. “It”™s an impressive property, well-located with easy access to transportation, and as the year progresses we expect interest to remain high.”

IVI International in expansion mode

IVI International Inc., a construction risk management and due diligence consulting company, has leased approximately 5,000 square feet of space at 4 West Red Oak Lane in Harrison, IVI International CEO Carl de Stefanis said.

The additional office space is near IVI”™s company-owned, 10,000-square-foot headquarters at 55 W. Red Oak Lane. The expanding company also leases space at 70 W. Red Oak Lane in the U.S Tennis Association headquarters building and now occupies more than 20,000 square feet of space in Harrison.

The lease at 4 W. Red Oak Lane was negotiated in-house by IVI and the owner of the 135,000-square-foot building, GHP Office Realty.

The new lease is the result of continued growth at the company and the movement of additional service areas at IVI to full-time, in-house positions, de Stefanis said. Started by the current CEO”™s father, the 41-year-old company also has offices in Boston, Washington, D.C., Miami, Los Angeles, Chicago, Dallas and Denver.

”˜Active Summer”™ for Empire State Realty Trust

Empire State Realty Trust Inc., formerly Malkin Properties, recently closed on lease deals totaling more than 46,000 square feet of office space in Fairfield and Westchester counties, the company reported.

Lease deals in Westchester County were:

Ӣ Edelman Financial Services L.L.C. expanded at 10 Bank St. in White Plains to 4,169 square feet from 2,514 square feet of space. Torey Walsh of Cushman & Wakefield Inc. brokered the deal for the tenant.

Ӣ Kirshenbaum, Urban & Tan L.L.P. relocated its office within 10 Bank St. and expanded to 2,429 square feet from 1,931 square feet of space.

Also at 10 Bank St., Pine Brook Road Advisors expanded its space to 2,663 square feet from 1,470 square feet.

Ӣ Mariner Investment Group L.L.C. renewed its lease for 16,296 square feet of space at 500 Mamaroneck Ave. in Harrison. The tenantӪs broker was Doug Furer of Mariner Real Estate.

Ӣ MGT Capital Investments Inc. renewed for 2,791 square feet of space at 500 Mamaroneck Ave. Broker Matthew Lisk of Cushman & Wakefield represented the tenant.

Ӣ I-Behavior renewed its lease for 2,716 square feet at 500 Mamaroneck Ave. in a deal brokered for the tenant by Kevin Langtry of CBRE.

Also at 500 Mamaroneck Ave., Pantaenius America Ltd. signed a lease renewal for its 1,862-square-foot office. Alan Zuckerman of Zuckerman Real Estate represented the tenant.

“It”™s been an active summer for us, as our properties continue to attract new quality tenants,” said Jeffrey H. Newman, senior vice president of Empire State Realty Trust, in a press release.

Donuts in the mix in Somers

Dunkin”™ Donuts/Baskin-Robbins has signed a 15-year lease with a five-year option for a 2,400-square-foot store in the Towne Centre at Somers, according to Royal Properties Inc. in Yonkers.

Scott Meshil of Royal Properties was the sole broker in the deal. Anchored by CVS and the U.S. Post Office, the community shopping center in northern Westchester is owned by Urstadt Biddle Properties Inc.

Retail brokers at Royal Properties in a press release said the tenant, Somers Doughnuts Corp., has six Dunkin”™ Donuts/Baskin-Robbins locations in Westchester and Putnam counties and continues to seek locations in those markets.

Sleepy Hollow grocery sold in foreclosure

Principals of GHP Office Realty in Harrison paid $351,000 for a Sleepy Hollow retail and apartment building in a foreclosure sale by Mahopac National Bank.

The 4,000-square-foot, two-story building at 94 Beekman Ave. includes a ground-floor grocery store with a long-term lease and two apartment units above, the buyer said in a press release.

The sale was handled by GHP Office Realty and Michael J. Karger of Metro Property Group L.L.C.