HIGHLAND, ILL. —The City of Highland has selected S.M. Wilson & Co. to build a new $6.5 million public safety building. The 27,930-square-foot facility will house the city’s police, fire and EMS departments under one roof. A committee of public safety employees worked alongside the project architect, Loyet Architects. Completion is slated for summer 2021. Highland is located about 35 miles east of St. Louis.
VERNON HILLS, ILL. — Venture One Real Estate, through its acquisition fund VK Industrial V LP, has acquired a 30,356-square-foot industrial building in Vernon Hills, a northern suburb of Chicago. The purchase price was undisclosed. The transaction was structured as a sale-leaseback with H&H Graphics. Located at 450 Corporate Drive and constructed in 1991, the building features two docks, one drive-in door and parking for 40 cars. Brian Bocci of Entre Commercial Realty represented Venture One. VK Industrial V is a partnership between Venture One and Kovitz Investment Group.
ROMEOVILLE, ILL. — Colliers International has arranged the sale of a 648,960-square-foot distribution center occupied by Samsung in Romeoville. The Class A facility is located within Pinnacle Business Center, just south of the full interchange at I-55 and Weber Road. Samsung has occupied the building since 2012 and uses the facility as its primary Chicago-area distribution center for all appliance lines. Samsung recently renewed its lease. Jeff Devine and Steve Disse of Colliers represented the seller, LaSalle Investment Management. Exeter Property Group purchased the asset for an undisclosed price.
FORSYTH, ILL. — A New York-based partnership between Mason Asset Management, Namdar Realty Group and CH Capital Group has acquired Hickory Point Mall in Forsyth, about 45 miles east of Springfield. The 826,347-square-foot mall opened in 1978. Anchor tenants include Kohl’s, Von Maur, TJ Maxx, Hobby Lobby, Ulta Beauty and Ross Dress for Less. Eastdil brokered the transaction. CBL & Associates was the seller, according to local media reports. Elliot Nassim, president of Mason Asset Management, says the new owners are exploring all options to redevelop some of the vacant spaces at the property.
BARTLETT, ILL. AND PHOENIX, ARIZ. — NAI Hiffman has negotiated the sale of a three-building industrial portfolio in Bartlett, a western suburb of Chicago, and Phoenix. The GSI Family Office, along with Greco/DeRosa Investment Group, sold the portfolio to a discretionary fund managed by CBRE Global Investors. The properties include: 1323 Brewster Creek Blvd. and 1550 Hecht Drive in Bartlett; and 4450 N. 45th Ave. in Phoenix. They are home to seven tenants. Pat Sullivan, Ryan Chambers and Jeff Fischer of NAI Hiffman represented the seller. Tony Lydon and John Lydon of JLL assisted in the sale of the Phoenix property. Built in 2017, 1323 Brewster Creek Blvd. spans 421,354 square feet and features 48 docks, 800 car parking spaces and a clear height of 32 feet. It was the first building in Brewster Creek Business Park, which is now home to more than 1 million square feet of food-related tenants. Built in 2006, 1550 Hecht Drive serves as the headquarters for Greco Foods. The 209,628-square-foot warehouse offers an office and cold storage component. The Phoenix asset, built in 2017, spans 368,478 square feet.
AURORA AND ELGIN, ILL. — Bauman & Co. LLC, an Atlanta-based real estate firm, has acquired three medical office buildings in Aurora and Elgin. Two of the buildings are situated on the AMITA Health Saint Joseph Hospital Elgin campus while the third is located on the AMITA Health Mercy Medical Center Aurora campus. The assets collectively total 125,000 square feet. Renovations to the common areas are slated to start this quarter. Bauman plans to make multiple improvements, including flooring, wall coverings, restrooms, signage, electronic directories and lighting. Local medical office specialist O’Donnell Commercial Real Estate Inc. will be in charge of leasing. Neither the seller nor the sales price was disclosed.
CHICAGO — J.C. Anderson has completed an office buildout for The Jordan Co. at One North Wacker Drive in Chicago. The middle-market private equity firm is relocating from 1751 Lake Cook Road in Deerfield, Ill. The buildout on the 41st floor includes new private offices, open work areas, meeting rooms, a café, reception area, boardroom, pantry and copy room. IA Interior Architects provided architectural services and JLL represented property ownership. One North Wacker rises 51 stories and spans 1.4 million square feet in the Central Loop.
CHICAGO — Cheba Hut will open its first Illinois location in Chicago’s Wicker Park on Monday, Oct. 19. The marijuana-themed sandwich shop is located at 1948 W. Division St. The “toasted” sub shop offers over 30 signature sub sandwiches, as well as a variety of treats, salads and munchies and a full-service bar. Drinks like the Dirty Hippie, Hot Box and Cheba Rita are all Cheba Hut signatures. The restaurant will enforce current COVID-19 guidelines, including heightened sanitation protocols, social distancing requirements and requiring all guests and staff to wear face masks. Chicago residents Lance Frericks and Chris Custer are opening the first Illinois location. Cheba Hut was founded in 1998. Its previous Midwest representation consisted of a single shop in Madison, Wis.
EAST MOLINE, ILL. — Strawberry Fields REIT LLC has acquired Hope Creek Nursing and Rehabilitation Center in East Moline within the Quad Cities for $4 million. The 245-bed skilled nursing facility sits on 12 acres on Kennedy Drive. Built in 2007, it is the newest skilled nursing facility in the Quad Cities, according to Strawberry Fields. The property offers full inpatient rehabilitation, respite stays, hospice services, individualized care plans, restorative therapy programs, a secured memory care unit and a variety of activities for socialization. Strawberry Fields worked with Infinity Healthcare Consultants to lease the property to an entity expected to improve overall performance. The seller was undisclosed. Strawberry Fields REIT is a non-traded real estate investment trust based in South Bend, Ind.
By Mary Lamie, Bi-State Development The key to current and future success for four ports in Missouri and Illinois is collaboration. As ports continue to play a critical role in the global supply chain, the special working relationship between the directors of the ports in St. Louis and Kansas City is helping to keep operations flowing on the inland waterways, even in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic. Significant investments in each port are also fueling growth at each facility. “Like many others in the freight industry, we are classified as essential. We have access to six Class I railroads, two multimodal harbors, four interstate highways and millions of square feet of warehouse space, plus manufacturing areas and developable sites,” says Dennis Wilmsmeyer, executive director of America’s Central Port (ACP), where the constant level of activity reinforces the significance of all ports as the COVID-19 pandemic continues. With its location just north of St. Louis on the Illinois bank of the Mississippi River and its many transportation and logistical advantages, ACP has attracted 80-plus commercial tenants. Its harbor operators transport more than 3 million tons of goods valued at more than $1.1 billion annually. Though the pandemic has resulted in …