In December 2016, O’Connell Development Group (ODG) closed a $33.3 million sale of Holyoke Crossing, a 140,361-square-foot retail power center in Holyoke, Massachusetts.  Holliday Fenoglio Fowler, L.P. (HFF) represented ODG, Holyoke Crossing Limited Partnership and Holyoke Crossing Limited Partnership II (affiliates of ODG), and procured the buyer, Prestige Properties & Development Co., Inc., which is based in New York City. O’Connell Development Group developed, and Western Builders constructed, the retail center in 1996. Since then several renovations have been completed at the property to facilitate new tenants. When sold, the retail center was 100% leased to national tenants TJ Maxx, Bed Bath & Beyond, PETCO, DXL, Barnes & Noble, Red Robin and Ulta Cosmetics. Holyoke Crossing …

The Chapin School Veterans Housing project, a partnership of O’Connell Development Group and Soldier On, a not-for-profit group dedicated to providing housing for homeless veterans, converted a 120-year-old building from a vacant elementary school to a 43-unit apartment building for homeless veterans. All the units are one bedroom and come fully furnished.  Construction was completed in late summer and the first 20 residents have moved in over the past two weeks.  The building should be fully occupied in the next few weeks.  ODG earned a fee as the developer of the building and Western Builders renovated the building.  Appleton Corporation provided Management Oversight Services for the lease-up. The $7.3 million rehabilitation was funded from a variety of different sources including affordable housing grants, low income housing tax credits, historic tax credits, and City of Chicopee loan. The complex is set up as a limited equity housing cooperative which means the residents own their …

O’Connell Development Group welcomes Destination XL (DXL), a men’s apparel store catering exclusively to sizes XL and up. DXL is now open at the Holyoke Crossing retail center. DXL, a division of Casual Male Retail Group, occupies approximately 9,000 square feet.  The DXL store is built just for men, with a more spacious environment, including wider aisles and dressing rooms double the size of a standard department store; the store also offers exceptional service, including in-store tailoring to ensure the perfect fit.  Casual Male Retail Group, Inc. is the largest retailer of men's apparel in sizes XL and up, with operations throughout the United States, Canada and in London, England. DXL offers more than 100 brands with selections ranging from private labels, sure to appeal to the value-conscious shopper, to the hottest designer brands such as Lacoste, Michael Kors, DKNY Jeans, Lucky Brand Jeans, Robert Graham and more. DXL joins TJ Maxx, Barnes and Noble, Bed Bath & Beyond, M…

O’Connell Development Group welcomes T.J. Maxx to our Holyoke Crossing retail center.  T.J.Maxx store will occupy 23,000 square feet of retail space and will be stocked with thousands of new items each week, offering a unique shopping experience each and every visit.   Shoppers can find their favorite quality, designer merchandise at prices that work for them, now even closer to their homes than ever before.  From fashion and accessories to jewelry, beauty, pet products, toys, home and more, the T.J. Maxx store located at Holyoke Crossing will have something for the entire family. Store features to include easy to shop layouts and bright and spacious dressing rooms. The store, which opened on October 23^rd 2014, has already hired people from the local community.   In keeping with T.J. Maxx grand opening tradition, the store made a $5,000 donation to a local Women’s Shelter charity in conjunction with their opening. “We are pleased to bring another high-quality, high-pro…

O’Connell Development Group welcomes beauty superstore Ulta to our Holyoke Crossing retail center. The 11,000-square-foot store, located next to Barnes & Noble, is the fast-growing retailer’s first in the area. The store, which opened on February 7, has already hired more than 20 people from the local community. “It’s very satisfying to bring another high-quality, high-profile retailer to the mix at Holyoke Crossing,” said Andrew Crystal, vice president of O’Connell Development Group. “Word got out, and we received a number of phone calls from people in the community who were excited about it and wanted to know the opening date." Ulta joins no…

The O'Connell Companies was among the recipients of an award given by MassINC to "individuals and organizations that have had a transformative impact on their communities". The awards were presented at the first annual Gateway Cities Innovation Institute Luncheon on November 12th, marking the one year anniversary of MassINC's Gateway Cities Innovation Institute. Excerpt from article: "Holyoke-based O'Connell Companies is renowned for their work on large and technically complex projects. As the first private developer to invest in WPI's Gateway Park, they have joined a small class of firms with the vision and risk tolerance to execute on truly transformative projects. The O'Connell Companies addition of 92,000 square feet of commercial space complements public and institutional investments in the area. Together, these coordinated projects are changing a once-blighted area near Lincoln Square into a growing mixed-use district." Read full article here:  Read More →