DETROIT — Ford Motor Co. has acquired Michigan Central Station and the adjacent book depository building in Detroit, according to local media reports. The purchase price was not disclosed. The 18-story building opened in late December of 1913 as a passenger rail depot. Ford will revitalize the long-vacant property into the hub of a Corktown campus focused on advanced automotive technology. The property, which had become synonymous with urban blight, will give the automaker a hub near downtown and the ability to add hundreds of employees to the neighborhood. The seller, the Moroun family, has owned the station since the early 1990s. Executive Chairman Bill Ford Jr. will discuss plans for the building at an event on June 19. Ford’s operations will remain headquartered in Dearborn.
Acquisitions
NASHVILLE, TENN. — CBRE has arranged the sale of 4th & Church, a 20-story office tower located at 201 4th Ave. N. in Nashville’s central business district. Stolz Real Estate Partners acquired the property from Albany Road Real Estate Partners. The sales price was not disclosed, but the Nashville Business Journal reports the building sold for $43.3 million. CBRE’s Jay O’Meara, Douglass Johnson, Justin Parsonnet and Morgan Hillenmeyer arranged the transaction on behalf of Albany. ServiceSource, a cloud-based software firm, anchors the building, which was 92 percent leased at the time of sale. Additional tenants include IQTalent Partners, Nashville City Club, Leitner Williams Dooley Napolitan and Parker Lawrence Cantrell & Smith. The building was fully renovated in 2008, and lobby renovations were completed in 2016.
ST. LOUIS — City Club Apartments has sold the 401-unit Central West End City Club Apartments in St. Louis, marking the company’s exit from the market. The sales price was not disclosed. City Club Apartments says that it has sold the community to focus on development in Cleveland and other Midwest and East Coast markets. This year, City Club Apartments has broken ground on communities in Detroit, Minneapolis and Cincinnati. All of the communities will feature retail space. “We have a responsibility to our investors, lenders and partners to perform at the highest level and we are reallocating our financial and human capital to several accelerating markets, including Cleveland,” says Jonathan Holtzman, CEO of City Club Apartments.
TYSONS, VA. — Velocis, in partnership with Altus Realty, has acquired Greensboro Park, a two-building, 505,085-square-foot office complex located at 8180 and 8200 Greensboro Drive in Tysons, roughly 16 miles west of Washington, D.C. CBRE arranged the transaction on behalf of the seller, an affiliate of Beacon Capital Partners LLC. The sales price was not disclosed. Greensboro Park includes one 11-story and one 14-story building, which were collectively 83 percent leased at the time of sale. Amenities include a fitness center, conference center, tenant lounge and an on-site café. Located within walking distance to the Greensboro Metro Station and Tysons Galleria, the property is situated adjacent to The Boro, a mixed-use development. The previous ownership renovated Greensboro Park in 2015, and Velocis and Altus plan to further renovate the building’s lobbies, common areas, restrooms and green space. JLL will manage the property.
BOCA RATON, FLA. — HFF has arranged the $23.7 million sale of 900 Broken Sound Parkway, a 115,986-square-foot office building in Boca Raton. The property is located within The Park at Broken Sound, a 700-acre mixed-use community. Hermen Rodriguez, Ike Ojala and Tracey Goo of HFF arranged the transaction on behalf of the seller, a partnership between Mainstreet Capital Partners and an investment fund managed by The Davis Cos. HFF also procured the buyer, a partnership between local investors and a national investment fund. Originally constructed in 1989, the five-story building was renovated in 2015 and was 79.4 percent leased at the time of sale to tenants including CSL Plasma and Geosyntec. NAI Merin Hunter Codman will manage the property and handle the building’s leasing assignment.
NEW YORK CITY — New York-based developer Barone Management has acquired two parcels of land with a total of 295,000 buildable square feet at 89-25 161st St. and 89-25 162nd St. in the Jamaica neighborhood of Queens. Barone plans to build an educational institution and two new residential buildings on the parcels. The projects are slated for completion in 2021. The parcel located at 89-25 161st St. includes the 70,000-square-foot building that was formerly home to Dominican Commercial High School — founded by the Sisters of St. Dominic in 1936 — which became one of the premiere business schools for girls in New York City. The parcel at 89-25 162nd St. includes a convent building and a parking lot. Barone acquired the properties from the Sisters of St. Dominic.
Related Beal Acquires Mixed-Use Development in Boston’s Seaport District for a Second Time
by David Cohen
BOSTON — Related Beal has acquired 451 D Street, a nine-story, mixed-use development in Boston’s Seaport District for an undisclosed price. The company previously owned the building before selling it in 2012. The seller was a joint venture between State Street and Meritage Properties. The development, which is 85 percent leased, offers more than 477,000 square feet of lab and office space as well as an amenities package that includes a 3,000-square-foot fitness center and a 20,000-square-foot on-site child care center. The tenant roster includes Alion Science & Technology, RDK Engineers and JPMorgan Chase.
FALL RIVER, MASS. — NAI Hunneman has arranged the sale of a 50-unit apartment community in Fall River for $3.7 million. The 37,824-square-foot property, which is located at 655-735 North Main St., contains four separate brick apartment buildings with 40 two-bedroom and 10 one-bedroom units. Carl Christie and Dan McGee of NAI Hunneman represented the seller, Ferris Apartments Inc., in the transaction. The buyer was 655-735 North Main Street Realty Trust.
CARLSBAD, CALIF. — Carlsbad-based VRS International has purchased an industrial building, located at 1958 Kellogg Ave. in Carlsbad. Bend, Ore.-based Canard Add* Ventures sold the property for $6.5 million. The 38,900-square-foot industrial building features a two-story lobby, heavy power and fenced yard. Kelly Nicholls of Lee & Associates – North San Diego County represented the seller and buyer in the deal.
LAS VEGAS — Colliers International – Las Vegas has brokered the purchase of a retail property located at 6825 W. Russell Road in Las Vegas. Daniel and Cathy Pereyra purchased the property from an undisclosed seller for $5.3 million. The property features 23,596 square feet of retail space. Dan Gluhaich of Colliers represented the buyer in the transaction.