The Amarillo Economic Development Corp. (EDC) is celebrating its 25th anniversary this year and it’s amazing to compare the state of our local economy in 1989 to today. Back then, Amarillo’s unemployment rate was higher than the national average and consumer activity was in a state of decline. What job opportunities did exist in Amarillo in the late 1980s were in a limited number of industry sectors. We were in a state of economic inertia. I joined the Amarillo EDC twenty years ago and thus have been able to witness and participate in the transformation that has followed. Legislation allowing the establishment of a local economic development sales tax, enacted in Texas in 1989, was overwhelmingly adopted by Amarillo voters that fall. Early on, that economic development sales tax revenue stream brought us about $6 million per year. Next year we expect those revenues will approach $18 million. That statistic alone is testament to the extent Amarillo’s economy has grown in 25 years. As Texans, we’ve been fortunate to have the nation’s strongest economy for several years and Amarillo has definitely contributed, having engaged in projects with companies like Tyson, AIG, Blue Cross Blue Shield and Atmos Energy. One of …
WOODRIDGE, ILL. — HSA Commercial Real Estate has arranged a lease for Wimmer Transportation Services. The Chicago-based trucking and freight delivery company has signed a long-term lease to occupy 17,280 square feet at the newly-completed second phase of Park 355 in Woodridge. The lease is the first at the 180,480-square-foot warehouse facility located along I-355 at 2143 Internationale Pkwy. HSA Commercial, in partnership with Denver-based Industrial Income Trust Park, developed the second phase at Park 355. The property features 30-foot clear ceiling heights, frontage on I-355, an ESFR sprinkler system, 49 exterior truck docks and four drive-in doors. The new 180,480-square-foot distribution center is divisible to 17,280-square-foot suites to accommodate smaller industrial tenants. Timothy Thompson of HSA Commercial Real Estate represented ownership in the lease transaction. Josh Hearne of Cawley Chicago represented Wimmer Transportation Services.
FLOWER MOUND, TEXAS — MYCON General Contractors has begun construction on the Parkview Commerce Center. Located on the southeast corner of Spinks and Gerault roads, the industrial complex will consist of three buildings totaling 276,054 square-feet. Building 1 is located at 1001 Spinks Road and will span 84,760 square feet. Building 2 is located at 901 Spinks Road and will span 50,590 square feet. Building 3 is located at 900 Gerault Road and will span 140,704 square feet. The three Class A buildings will include curtain wall features, LED lighting, sunshades, canopies and loading docks. All buildings are dock high and provide for flexible office or warehouse uses. Buildings 1 and 2 are designed to accommodate multiple users ranging from 8,000 to 85,000 square feet, while Building 3 is designed for one or two tenants ranging from 38,000 to 141,000 square feet. The project team includes owner/developer EastGroup Properties, Architects-Plus and MYCON General Contractors. The project is slated for completion in the summer of 2015.
RENO, NEV. – Accelerated Care Plus Corp. (ACP) has leased 66,000 square feet of space at the Reno Aircenter. The distribution space is located at 4999 Aircenter Circle. ACP provides “modality-based” clinical programs for post-acute and chronic rehabilitation. The landlord, IndCor Properties, was represented by J. Michael Hoeck, Dave Simonsen, Michael Nevis and Steve Kucera of The NAI Alliance Industrial Properties Group.
After a recession-induced lull, speculative construction is back in full swing in the St. Louis industrial sector. Record-setting absorption in 2014 drove vacancy rates to near record lows, and spurred speculative construction on both the Missouri and Illinois side of the Mississippi River. With activity on both fronts, it’s clear that the St. Louis industrial market is well past recovery mode and into growth mode. The St. Louis industrial market posted net absorption of 5.2 million square feet in 2014, passing the all-time record for annual absorption set back in 2005 by more than 20 percent. This is more than double the square feet absorbed in 2013, which itself was a banner year. The positive absorption figure has significantly affected the market’s overall industrial vacancy rate, dropping it to 6.3 percent — the lowest rate since 2005. The Class A vacancy dropped to an impressive 4.1 percent and modern bulk vacancy rate stands at 4.6 percent. Just as in 2006-2007 when nearly 5 million square feet of new construction was delivered, St. Louis is seeing a surge of new construction with these historic vacancy rates. The lack of available industrial space has drastically changed the landscape for tenants during the …
GURNEE, ILL. — Millennium Properties R/E has brokered the $775,000 sale of a 61,700-square-foot industrial facility in Gurnee. The property is located at 3850 Clearview Court within the Hawthorne Industrial Center and is in close proximity to Skokie Highway and I-94. The research and development facility was a former generic drug manufacturing facility. The building includes labs and six loading docks. The bank-owned property was sold to an undisclosed investor that plans to use the facility to expand its presence in the Chicagoland area.
ATLANTA — HFF has arranged $8.3 million in acquisition financing for Midtown West, a portfolio of two industrial warehouses and an adjacent 3.2-acre parcel in Midtown Atlanta. The borrower, a joint venture between Stream Realty Partners and a private joint venture partner, plan to convert the two buildings, which total 75,000 square feet, and the adjacent parcel into loft office space. The properties are located at 1460, 1494 and 1510 Ellsworth Industrial Blvd. N.W. Stream plans to reintroduce the project as Ellsworth in June 2015. The conversion will create speculative office studios ranging from 1,500 to 6,000 square feet at 1494 Ellsworth, while 1510 Ellsworth will be marketed for single-tenant use. Travis Anderson, Gregg Shapiro and Cory Fowler of HFF negotiated the financing on behalf of the borrower.
PITTSTON TOWNSHIP, PA. — Scannell Properties has selected Meridian Design Build’s National Projects Group to coordinate the construction of a 304,317-square-foot package and sorting distribution center in Pittston Township. Situated on 60 acres, the facility will include 99 loading docks, 238 interior van loading positions, 586 auto parking stalls, 375 exterior trailer stalls, 15,618 square feet of office space, a 3,135-square-foot gateway building and a 5,180-square-foot maintenance shop. Precept Design LLC is providing architectural services and Kimley-Horn providing civil engineer services for the project. The facility is being constructed on a build-to-suit basis for a leading provider of global shipping and information services.
LISBON, WIS. — The Dickman Co./CORFAC International has brokered the sale of a 2,000-square-foot industrial building in Lisbon, approximately 25 miles west of Milwaukee. The property, situated on six acres of land, is located at W230 N9515 Colgate Road. Space4U LLC purchased the building and land from GRR8 Development LLC. Nick Keys and Zach Noble of The Dickman Co. were the brokers involved in the transaction representing the buyer and the seller.
ROCKAWAY, N.J. — HFF has arranged a $10.5 million loan for the sale/leaseback of an industrial printing and production facility located at 100 Commons Way in Rockaway. The borrower, The Hampshire Companies, received a seven-year, fixed-rate loan through Ocean First Bank for the acquisition of the property. The 352,461-square-foot facility is fully leased by North Jersey Media Group. The three-story property features 150,756 square feet of production and printing space, 57,116 square feet of industrial warehouse and distribution space, 20,765 square feet of office space, a data center, a cafeteria, a parking garage and an on-site post office. Michael Klein, Jon Mikula and Michael Cerulo of HFF negotiated the financing and represented the borrower.