DECATUR, ILL. — Cinnaire has invested $7 million in New Markets Tax Credits to support the rehabilitation and expansion of the former Prairie Farms dairy plant into the Tillamook Decatur Creamery. The facility, located at 757 N. Morgan St. in Decatur, is being transformed into a modern 79,000-square-foot creamery to support Tillamook County Creamery Association’s (TCCA) production efforts in the eastern U.S. Construction began in June, and is slated for completion this month. The project, which has revitalized the vacant building into a dedicated ice cream manufacturing plant, marks a significant expansion as TCCA’s first wholly owned and operated manufacturing facility outside of Oregon and its only facility dedicated solely to ice cream production. Tillamook is an Oregon-based dairy co-op and manufacturer known for its cheese, yogurt, butter and ice cream. The Tillamook Decatur Creamery will create approximately 49 new full-time jobs. Originally opened in 1918 by Swift and Co., the Decatur plant was later acquired by Prairie Farms in 1977 where it served as an ice cream production facility until its closure in early 2022. TCCA is spending roughly $74 million adding automation, robotic palletizing and improving employee welfare spaces.
Illinois
EVANSTON, ILL. — Cyclopure Inc. has leased 17,527 square feet of lab-ready space on the third floor of Evanston Labs in Evanston. Trammell Crow Co. (TCC) owns the property. Cyclopure will operate its headquarters and water treatment business out of the building as it expands DEXSORB commercial operations to deliver PFAS-free water to customers worldwide. Cyclopure is a materials science and environmental engineering firm founded in Chicago in 2016. Located at 710 Clark St., Evanston Labs rises 10 stories and totals 178,000 square feet. Now that all lab-ready graduation suites have been leased, TCC plans to develop more at Evanston Labs. With Cyclopure’s new lease, the development is approximately 40 percent leased. Jonathan Metzl and Jack Deroche of Cushman & Wakefield represented Cyclopure, while Dan Lyne and Brandon Green of CBRE represented TCC.
CHICAGO — Habitat has received a $72.9 million Freddie Mac loan plus $29.5 million in equity from New York-based Torchlight Investors for the refinancing of Columbus Plaza in downtown Chicago. Torchlight Investors joins Habitat as an equity partner in the apartment property, which rises 47 stories with 534 units. Northmarq arranged the Freddie Mac loan. The refinancing replaces a $93 million loan from 2017 that matured in November. The new loan and capital structure enable Habitat and its partners to plan renovations and other capital improvements. Completed in 1980, Columbus Plaza comprises studio, one- and two-bedroom units. Monthly rents average from $1,700 to $3,350. The building was 95 percent leased at the time of loan closing. Onsite amenities include a fitness center, sunroom, business lounge, patio and bicycle storage. Located on East Wacker Drive, the asset features views of Lake Michigan and the surrounding downtown cityscape. Habitat was the original developer of the building and continues to serve as property manager.
SKOKIE, ILL. — Skender has completed construction on the interior build-out of the 19,366-square-foot Materials Discovery Research Institute (MDRI) lab for UL Research Institutes (ULRI), a global safety science leader. The lab is located within the Illinois Science + Technology Park at 8045 Lamon Ave. in Skokie. Designed as an incubator for scientific innovation where students and early-career researchers can work alongside seasoned experts, the MDRI lab harnesses advanced computing and experimental methods to create innovative materials for renewable energy and environmental sustainability. The build-out included joining multiple lab sections within a secure envelope, retrofitting existing labs and adding specialized laboratories. The space features a gas adsorption lab with significant lab gas infrastructure, an automation lab and a battery characterization lab. The project team included architect Harley Ellis Devereaux, Affiliated Engineers Inc. and Project Management Advisors Inc. Construction lasted 30 weeks. Skender is now underway on the project’s next phase, the design-build of a scanning electronic microscope capable of viewing down to 1 nanometer.
CHICAGO — Westmount Realty Capital has acquired a nine-building industrial portfolio in metro Chicago for an undisclosed price. Called the Chicago Shallow-Bay portfolio, the buildings total 390,781 square feet and are located in four submarkets. At the time of sale, the portfolio was 91 percent leased to 37 tenants spanning 28 industries, including office, medical and automotive suppliers, and home restoration. Kurt Sarbaugh and Sean Devaney of JLL represented the seller, Unilev Capital and its partner, a Palladius Capital Management affiliate, Mandalay Industrial. Jeff Sause and Brian Walsh of JLL supported financing for the transaction.
ROSEMONT, ILL. — Nicholas & Associates is nearing completion of its new $34.5 million indoor ice arena in the Chicago suburb of Rosemont. With precast concrete up and joists and roof decking installed, the building’s shell is 95 percent finished. Construction is on track for an August 2025 opening. Located on 3 acres north of Allstate Arena, the 103,000-square-foot arena will offer ice time for youth hockey groups and figure skating, evening ice time for adult hockey leagues and exclusive daytime use by the Chicago Wolves professional hockey team, which currently practices in Hoffman Estates and plays games at Allstate Arena. Designed by architectural firm ARCON Associates Inc., the project will feature a family-friendly mezzanine-level restaurant, bar with viewing area overlooking both rinks, grab-and-go concept and a physical therapy clinic and gym. The arena will be operated by the Nicholas Family of Cos.’ Spectate Group, which also manages Nicholas Sportsplex, an indoor-outdoor sports complex in Mount Prospect. Spectate Group will pay the Village of Rosemont an annual licensing fee to operate and manage the year-round facility. Under the agreement, both parties will be able to sell naming rights and sponsorships inside and outside the building.
CHICAGO — Rhaeos has relocated and expanded its headquarters and laboratory to a 7,344-square-foot space at Fulton Labs in Chicago. Trammell Crow Co. (TCC) owns the life sciences campus. Rhaeos, a clinical-stage medical device technology company, occupies space within a lab-ready graduation suite on the fifth floor of 400 North Aberdeen. The company’s previous headquarters was in Evanston, Ill. Born out of the Rogers Research Group at Northwestern University, Rhaeos is developing noninvasive wearable flow sensors for various chronic medical conditions for hospital and home use, starting with hydrocephalus. Dan Lyne of CBRE represented TCC, while Andria Winters and James Otto of CBRE represented Rhaeos. Additional tenants at 400 North Aberdeen include Portal Innovations, Mattiq, the Chan-Zuckerberg BioHub, the Chicagoland Climate Investment Alliance and the Illinois Institute of Technology.
BLOOMINGTON, ILL. — SVN Core 3 has brokered the sale of a fully leased office property at 205 N. Williamsburg Drive in Bloomington for $1.1 million. The asset features five units totaling 11,311 square feet along with a dedicated parking lot. Carrie Tinucci-Troll of SVN Core 3 represented both the buyer, Good Cos. Properties LLC, and the seller, Core-Williamsburg LLC. Both entities are based in Bloomington.
CHICAGO — Q Investment Partners (QIP) and Melrose Ascension Capital have begun leasing efforts for Straits Row, an 18-story rental tower combining traditional apartment units with co-living units in Chicago’s South Loop. Located at 633 S. LaSalle St. within the Printers Row neighborhood, the 132-unit building will offer 358 private, fully furnished residential spaces. Rents at Straits Row are expected to average 20 percent less than competing Class A rental towers, according to the development team. Floor plans will range from studios to four-bedroom units. In the co-living units, residents will share a kitchen and living area but have their own private bedroom and bathroom. All residences come fully furnished. Residents at Straits Row can enjoy 15,000 square feet of amenity space, including a lobby-level “Printers Room” coworking space that nods to the history of Printers Row and features three private study rooms, a printer center, coffee station with cold brew on tap, lounge seating and adjacent outdoor patio. The tower’s 17th-floor amenity level features a resident lounge, fitness center, multiple clubrooms and a private dining room. Outside, there is a panoramic pool deck, grilling stations and outdoor dining areas. Straits Row serves as QIP’s flagship residential development in the …
ROSEMONT, ILL. — Peak Construction Corp. is underway on EXP, a 25,170-square-foot entertainment development in the Chicago suburb of Rosemont. The venue will feature a rotating program of virtual, augmented and mixed reality immersive entertainment experiences with producer partner PHI Studio. Located in the city’s Pearl District, the project is slated for completion in the third quarter. The project team includes Gravity Architecture & Design LLC, Christopher B. Burke Engineering and Mackie Consultants.