While acceding that Central Plaza traded on the high end, Linearpresident William Beckeman tells GlobeSt.com that the investmentteam felt a chance to anchor Wellesley's tightly controlledDowntown merits the sticker price. "We're thrilled," Beckeman says."It is certainly one of the best retail locations in GreaterBoston, if not New England."

Linear acquired the asset in an off-market deal arranged by NAIHunneman Commercial Co. VP Jonathan Aron, whose Boston-based firmhas negotiated six of the 40 acquisitions now made by the fund.Principal Enterprise Capital is a subsidiary of Principal FinancialGroup of Iowa.

Central Plaza is the fifth deal bought by Linear/Principal thatAron has been involved in, with the latest coming about after heidentified the Wellesley properties at 74-102 Central St. asmatching the fund's desire for a high-quality, core investment. "Tome, this is the pre-eminent retail property in Wellesley Center,"says Aron. The veteran retail broker set about putting the bidtogether and contacting the ownership through assistance from NAIHunneman's management group, which operates the property, and willcontinue to under Linear's stewardship. Aron ultimately representedLinear in the transaction, which bought the center from WellesleyRealty Trust, an LLC operated by a family that held the buildingsfor 40 years.