Tortilla producer nabs 30K sf at Nightingale’s Whale building

UPDATED, March 23, 2 p.m.: A corn stalk will soon grow on the Brooklyn waterfront.

Vista Hermosa signed for 30,000 square feet at Nightingale Properties’ Whale development at 14 53rd Street in Sunset Park, according to the landlord. The corn and flour tortilla producer will cover a portion of the flex office and industrial property’s ground floor under the long-term agreement.

The price per square foot was not disclosed and it was unclear how many years Vista Hermosa’s lease runs. Newmark’s Bernard Weitzman and Jordan Gosin represented Nightingale in the deal, while Newmark’s Ryan Gessin and Michael Paster represented the tenant.

Vista Hermosa’s growth created a need for an expanded production and distribution facility in the tri-state area to help service its Mexican taqueria Tacombi restaurants and more than 2,000 stores nationwide, according to Nightingale.

Nightingale’s seven-floor office and industrial development features flex workspaces of up to 90,000 square feet and 30,000 square feet of amenities including fitness and conference centers.

Elie Schwartz’s real estate investment firm bought the 465,000-square-foot property in 2020 for $84 million, replacing Madison Realty Capital’s previous partner on the industrial-to-office conversion project.

Nightingale also assumed the $90 million loan that Madison took out from TPG Capital’s mortgage arm in 2018. Madison acquired the former torpedo factory in 2015 for $82.5 million.

Urban Soccer snapped up 63,000 square feet at the property in 2016 for its first indoor facility in the United States.

Vista Hermosa’s lease comes after New York City’s industrial market closed out 2022 on a high note. Tenants leased 1.5 million square feet in the fourth quarter, more than double what was leased in the previous quarter, according to CBRE. It was the most space leased since the third quarter of 2020 and Brooklyn led the way with 49 leases spanning 645,000 square feet.

This article has been updated to include Michael Paster as part of the Newmark team representing the tenant.