HARTFORD-The storied Massachusetts Mutual Life Insurance Co. building at 140 Garden St. has been sold to a joint venture of Calare Properties of Hudson, MA and Hackman Capital Partners of Los Angeles. The purchase price, sources indicate, is approximately $7 million.

MIDDELETOWN, CT-International Paper's xpedx reports it will be more than doubling its presence in Connecticut with its 85,000-sf lease at 220 Timber Ridge Rd. The build-to-suit warehouse/office building is being built here by MF DiScala & Co.

NORWALK, CT-Seven lease deals are inked at the Merritt 7 Corporate Park here. The breakdown is four new leases and three renewals.

WHITE PLAINS-Executives with Reckson Associates Realty Corp. say the REIT is nearing a deal with Verizon Business, formerly MCI Inc., on a new lease at Reckson Executive Park in Rye Brook. The firm currently leases 180,000 sf in two buildings at the property.

WHITE PLAINS-Executives with Reckson Associates Realty Corp. say the REIT is nearing a deal with Verizon Business, formerly MCI Inc., on a new lease at Reckson Executive Park in Rye Brook. The firm currently leases 180,000 sf in two buildings at the property.

WHITE PLAINS-Developer Louis R. Cappelli has for some time said he wanted a luxury hotel at his $400 million Renaissance Square project. The developer confirms reports that the 123-room hotel will carry the Ritz-Carlton flag.

SOMERS, NY-Described as one of the largest open space purchases in Westchester County history, a number of government entities ante up a total of $20.6 million for the 654-acre Eagle River property here. The seller had proposed to build 108 homes on the parcel.

WHITE PLAINS-Internet search engine Ask.com will relocate its regional offices currently housed in Irvington, NY to nearly 27,000 sf of space at the Gateway office building here by year's end. The firm currently leases approximately 19,000 sf.