Area Development
JLL's Capital Markets reported it completed the financing of Midtown Manhattan's 5 Bryant Park office tower. JLL secured $463 million in acquisition financing on behalf of the buyer, New York-based Savanna. JLL also completed the sale to Savanna on behalf of the Blackstone Group LP for $640 million.

Located on Sixth Avenue between West 40th and West 41st streets, 5 Bryant Park sits directly on iconic Bryant Park. The 34-story, 683,000-square-foot tower includes 38,306 square feet of retail space and has undergone $107 million in renovations since 2007. The building is currently 97 percent leased.

"Having worked closely with Savanna on numerous deals over the years, together we quickly identified the key aspects of this financing that were critical to Savanna executing their business plan and ensuring their vision for the future of the property," said JLL Managing Director Kellogg Gaines. "Through an extensive selection process, we received tremendous interest from various types of lenders given 5 Bryant Park's iconic location and the strength of the sponsor."

"The JLL team was intimately involved throughout the transaction and we are thrilled with the result that Kelly and Aaron have delivered for Savanna and our investors," said Cooper Kramer, Managing Director with Savanna. "All parties involved in the financing were focused on achieving a structure that allows Savanna flexibility to follow the positive momentum in the Bryant Park market."

"With in-place rents well below market, Savanna is poised to create significant value at 5 Bryant Park by rolling expiring leases to market," said JLL Executive Vice President Aaron Niedermayer. "Ultimately, we secured a loan that enables Savanna to unlock the full value of the asset through extremely aggressive pricing, term, structure and prepayment flexibility."

"5 Bryant Park was an exceptionally rare opportunity for a buyer to gain a footing in a high barrier-to-entry submarket," said JLL Executive Managing Director Peter Nicoletti. "This was a complicated transaction given the asset's size and profile, but we were able to help our client navigate the process and select a qualified buyer from a large field of interested parties."

"The asset provided an ideal mix of contractual cash flow plus medium-term capital appreciation in one of the most resilient submarkets in New York," added Managing Director Anthony Ledesma. "Our marketing process emphasized phenomenal recent leasing velocity, attractive risk-adjusted returns and opportunities to enhance future value through accretive capital improvements."