HOUSTON — Schlumberger Technology Corp., a division of international oilfield services firm Schlumberger Ltd., (NYSE: SLB) has renewed and expanded its office lease in Houston. The company now occupies 226,000 square feet at 1430 Enclave Parkway in the Energy Corridor area on Houston’s west side. Owned by Atlanta-based Piedmont Office Realty Trust (NYSE: PDM), the Class A property totals 312,564 square feet. The size of Schlumberger’s original footprint was not disclosed, but the new lease carries a 10-year term and the company now occupies roughly 72 percent of the total leasable space.
Leasing Activity
NEW YORK CITY — LinkedIn has signed a lease for an additional 30,165 square feet at the Empire State building in Manhattan, bringing the company’s total footprint at the building to 312,947 square feet. The social media and networking website now occupies space on floors 3, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27 and 28. Sacha Zarba and Lauren Crowley of CBRE represented LinkedIn in the lease negotiations with the landlord, Empire State Realty Trust Inc. (NYSE: ESRT). Amenities at the Empire State Building include a 15,000-square-foot fitness center, a tenant-only conference center and nine in-building dining options as well as two Starbucks locations. More than 1,000 LinkedIn employees work in the Empire State Building location.
CARLSTADT, N.J. — NAI James Hanson has arranged a 40,000-square-foot industrial lease at 223 Veterans Blvd. in Carlstadt. NAI Hanson’s Kenneth Lundberg and Patrick Lennon represented the tenant, NIS CP Corp., in the transaction. United Realty Advisors represented the landlord, Sitex. The property was renovated in 2017 and now features 5,000 square feet of office space as well as modern warehouse lighting. The building also features a clear height of 16 feet plus four dock doors and parking for 34 cars.
ATHENS, GA. — The Shopping Center Group (TSCG) has signed Blasted Barley Beer Co. to a 5,000-square-foot lease at Georgia Heights, a student housing community with 40,000 square feet of ground-floor retail space in Athens. The Phoenix-based restaurant and brewery plans to offer more then 30 craft beer varieties on tap, including its own signature brews, along with bar food. Harry Croxton and Amy Kennedy of TSCG arranged the 10-year lease on behalf of the landlord, Memphis-based EdR Collegiate Housing. Blasted Barley is expected to open at the 317-unit community early next year, bringing the property to full occupancy. Additional tenants include CVS/pharmacy, J.Crew, The Athlete’s Foot, SunTrust Bank, Dress Up, D.P. Dough, Cinnaholic, European Wax and Treehouse Interiors. The property encompasses a city block between Broad Street, at the main entrance to the University of Georgia, and Clayton Street, home to the Georgia Theatre.
GREENSBORO, N.C. — Branch Properties LLC has signed three tenants to Westridge Square, a 215,000-square-foot shopping center in Greensboro. The Atlanta-based real estate company originally acquired the center and its seven outparcel buildings in 2015, and is currently re-tenanting the property. Kohl’s will reduce its footprint at the center from 87,000 square feet to 55,000 square feet, and Planet Fitness will occupy the vacated space. The gym is expected to open in late 2018 or early 2019. According to local media reports, Sprouts Farmers Market will backfill 30,524 square feet of the 47,452-square-foot space formerly occupied by Harris Teeter, which closed in December. Later this summer, Title Boxing Club will open at one of Westridge Square’s outparcels. Negotiations are underway for an additional tenant to occupy the remaining space. In addition to remerchandising Westridge Square, Branch will modernize the shopping center with planned renovations including raising the parapets and upgrading the building materials to include brick, metal and wood.
AUSTIN, TEXAS — The U.S. Army has selected Austin as the site of its new Futures Command headquarters, a project that will bring about 500 new jobs to the state capital. The Army’s Futures Command division will occupy space owned by the University of Texas (UT) in downtown Austin, with a directive to assess new weapons technology and emerging threats. The Army expects the new headquarters to be fully operational by summer 2019.
LAKE GENEVA, WIS. — Anderson Manufacturing LLC has signed a 19,370-square-foot industrial lease in Lake Geneva. The manufacturer of screws, rivets and other fastener solutions will occupy the space at 999 S. Wells St. Nick Keys of the Dickman Co. Inc./CORFAC International brokered the lease transaction. The landlord is 999 Wells LLC.
HOUSTON — T-Mobile has signed a 29,142-square-foot office lease at the 17-story River Oaks Tower in the Greenway area of Houston. As the anchor tenant, the telecommunications giant will occupy three and a half floors and install signage atop the building. The owner of the property, Medistar Corp., will rename it “T-Mobile Tower” and will welcome the company into its new space in early 2019. Tami Pearson of Waterman Steele represented T-Mobile in the lease negotiations. Doug Pack and Sam Hansen of Avison Young represented Medistar.
CHICAGO — Snap36 has expanded and relocated its headquarters to more than 42,000 square feet at 219 N. Paulina St. in Chicago’s Fulton Market district. Snap36 specializes in product photography. The company’s new space is six times the size of its previous office in a different corner of Fulton Market. Adam McCostlin and Jordan Decker of Cushman & Wakefield represented Snap36 in the lease transaction. Mitch Adams of CBRE represented the undisclosed landlord.
HOUSTON — The Houston Astros have extended their lease at Minute Maid Park, where the professional baseball team has played since 2000, through 2050 following a positive vote by the Houston Sports Authority. The stadium, formerly known as Enron Field, was built in the late 1990s and seats about 41,000 people. The original lease was set to expire in 2030. The terms of the extension call for a $1 million increase in rent beginning this year and running through the remainder of the original lease period, and an additional $1 million increase for the 20-year period ending in 2050. The Astros beat the Los Angeles Dodgers in seven games to win the 2017 World Series.