DETROIT — Tiberina Group, an Italian automotive supplier, has purchased 10 acres of land at the former American Axle manufacturing site in Detroit with plans to build a manufacturing facility. The sellers, Industrial Commercial Properties LLC and Industrial Realty Group LLC, originally acquired the property in 2014 from American Axle, which leased back the buildings on a long-term basis. W. Emery Matthews of Real Estate Interests LLC represented Tiberina in the sale. The size of the plant or production plans have not been disclosed.
GRAND PRAIRIE, TEXAS — JLL Income Property Trust has acquired a 145,000-square-foot distribution center located five miles south of Dallas-Fort Worth (DFW) International Airport in Grand Prairie. At the time of sale, the Class A property was fully leased to Fruit of the Earth, a producer of skin care products. The company’s lease runs through January 2027. This acquisition brings the trust’s total industrial allocation to about $670 million across 6.3 million square feet of space. The seller was not disclosed.
CHULA VISTA AND SAN DIMAS, CALIF. — San Diego-based Stos Partners has completed the sales of two properties, totaling 221,448 square feet, for $33.5 million. In the first deal, Stos Partners sold two industrial buildings, located at 1670 and 1690 Brandywine in Chula Vista, to a large institution for $24.4 million. The 170,805-square-foot asset is divided into six industrial units ranging in size from 25,000 square feet to 55,000 square feet and is leased to a mix of national credit, regional credit and local companies. Bryce Aberg, Jeff Cole, Jeff Chiate and Brant Aberg of Cushman & Wakefield, along with Michael Mossmer of Voit Real Estate Services, represented the seller in the disposition. In the second transaction, Stos Partners sold a two-story, 50,634-square-foot office building, located at 650 W. Cienega in San Dimas. A trade union acquired the property for approximately $9.1 million. The buyer plans to use the facility as an owner-user. Taylor Ing at Newmark Knight Frank represented the seller, while Brandon Burns of Cushman & Wakefield represented the buyer in the deal.
BALTIMORE — Duke Realty has signed Ace Logistics to two industrial leases totaling 351,000 square feet in Baltimore. The first lease, a renewal at Chesapeake Commerce Center 5900, spans 169,000 square feet. The second lease totals 182,000 square feet and is located at Chesapeake Commerce Center 6000, which is a build-to-suit building still under construction. The industrial campus comprises 177 acres and is situated off Interstate 95, one mile north of the Port of Baltimore. A construction timeline for the build-to-suit building was not disclosed, but Chesapeake Commerce Center will be fully occupied upon completion, according to Duke Realty. Peter Hajimihalis and Ben Meisels of JLL represented the tenant in the lease transactions. Justin Mohler of CBRE and Battista Orcino of Duke Realty represented the landlord.
AURORA, COLO. — CBRE has brokered the sale of four buildings at Airways Business Center, a Class A warehouse distribution center in Aurora. EastGroup Properties acquired the asset from Principal Global Investors for an undisclosed price. Built in 2007 and 2008, the four buildings — 2, 4, 5 and 6 — offer a total of 382,137 square feet of industrial space. At the time of sale, a mix of 11 tenants fully occupied the assets. Doug Viseur, Todd Witty, Tyler Carner, Jeremy Ballenger, Jessica Ostermick and Jim Bolt of CBRE’s Denver office represented the seller in the deal.
BOISE, IDAHO — Adler AS Industrial LLC has purchased a portfolio of land and buildings in Boise from the Van Auker Cos. The acquisition consists of more than 2 million square feet of industrial properties across more than 80 assets and over 400 acres of future development land. The acquisition price was not released. The buyer has opened its headquarters on Emerald Street in Boise to manage the new properties. Peter O’Brien of Pacific Commercial Realty Advisors/Cushman & Wakefield assisted the buyer, while Dave Ellis of Capacity Commercial Group represented the seller in the deal.
CENTENNIAL, COLO. — Unique Properties has brokered the purchase of a single-tenant industrial building located at 7909 S. Chambers Road in Centennial. Tim Finholm and Sam Leger of Unique Properties represented the undisclosed buyer in the deal. Additional terms of the deal were not released. Constructed in 2018, the 52,000-square-foot industrial building was a build-to-suit for RoadSafe Traffic Systems, a long-term tenant. Situated on 7.9 acres, the property features a large fenced yard.
DAYTON, OHIO — Reichle Klein Group has arranged the sale of an 86,640-square-foot industrial building in Dayton for $1 million. The property is located at 535 E. Third St. Ryan Miller of Reichle Klein represented the buyer, Northbrook, Ill.-based Platform III-Third LLC. The seller, 535 Dayton LLC, was not actively marketing the building and was self-represented in the transaction.
SYRACUSE, N.Y. — NAS Investment Solutions, a national investment firm, has acquired a 55,000-square-foot flex building in Syracuse. The property, which was built in 2008 and expanded in 2015, consists of 40,000 square feet of office space and 15,000 square feet of light manufacturing and warehousing space. The building is located adjacent to Syracuse Hancock International Airport and was 100 percent leased at the time of sale to Jadak, a healthcare technology firm that uses the space as its corporate headquarters. John Rotunno of Stan Johnson Co. represented the seller, New York-based Mercer Street Partners, in the transaction.
We all know that e-commerce has become a significant driver of the industrial market. It now fuels activity that moves beyond clothes and books to the food supply chain, and the associated complexities of meeting consumer demand for food preparation and delivery. Increasing numbers of consumers have shifted to buying prepackaged meals, shopping for organic foods or ordering groceries and meal kits online. This expansion is translating into significant demand for industrial warehouse and distribution space to accommodate the food industry. One sector of this robust market is facing challenges, however, as demand for cold storage warehouses has skyrocketed in recent years. These facilities are used to store fresh and organic produce and to create and distribute processed foods. Food businesses are typically looking for spaces near large population centers as they seek to tap into demand for last-mile delivery. The cold storage shortage is playing out in many markets across the country, but is particularly problematic in New Jersey due to a low vacancy rate and the construction challenges in this sector. Driving Location Decisions Food businesses are looking for spaces near their customer bases to reduce travel times, so they often choose infill locations. The scarcity of land …