BROOKLYN, OHIO — JLL Capital Markets has brokered the sale of Ridge Park Square, a dual-grocery-anchored shopping center in Brooklyn near Cleveland. The 386,754-square-foot property is located at the intersection of I-480 and Ridge Road. Marc’s and Grocery Outlet are the grocery anchors. The center was 95 percent leased at the time of sale to tenants such as TJ Maxx, Ross Dress for Less, Dollar Tree, Five Below, AMC Theatres, Michaels and Ashley Furniture. Michael Nieder, Brian Page and Mohsin Mirza of JLL represented the seller, an affiliate of Zeisler Morgan Properties. The buyer was RCG Ventures LLC. The asset had never been marketed since its original development in 1989, according to Nieder.
CLEVELAND — Jones Day, a 130-year-old global law firm headquartered in Cleveland, has signed a 382,019-square-foot office lease renewal at North Point Tower in Cleveland. Jared Friedman and David Gimple of Friedman Real Estate negotiated the 10-year lease, which includes 30,622 square feet in the 1001 Building and 351,397 square feet encompassing the entire 901 Building. Friedman represented the landlord and also provides property management services for the two-building complex.
HILLIARD, OHIO — Industrial Realty Group LLC, Provider Real Estate Partners and DW Real Estate Partners LLC have acquired Hilliard Commerce Center in Hilliard, just northwest of Columbus. The 177,680-square-foot industrial property sits on 18.6 acres. The partnership plans to improve the facility with exterior upgrades, repairs to the existing structure and demolition of inefficient space. Nick Tomasone of CBRE is handling leasing.
HILLIARD, OHIO — Milhaus and Harbor Group International (HGI) have opened Tempo Apartments at TruePointe in Hilliard, a suburb of Columbus. The 359-unit luxury apartment complex offers studios, one-, two- and three-bedroom units. The development is situated near Bridge Park Dublin, Quarry Trails Metro Park and Tuttle Crossing Mall. TruePointe is Hilliard’s first entertainment hub and part of commercial real estate firm Equity’s master-planned mixed-use development. Monthly rents start at $1,544, according to the property’s website.
CINCINNATI AND CHICAGO — First Financial Bancorp. (Nasdaq: FFBC) has agreed to acquire BankFinancial Corp. (Nasdaq: BFIN) in an all-stock transaction valued at approximately $142 million. Upon completion of the transaction, BankFinancial’s consumer, trust/wealth management and selected commercial credit lines of business will be incorporated into First Financial’s respective business lines, and all BankFinancial bank employees will become First Financial associates. The merger agreement has been unanimously approved by the boards of directors of both companies. The deal is expected to close in the fourth quarter, subject to customary closing conditions, regulatory approvals and approval of BankFinancial shareholders. As of June 30, Cincinnati-based First Financial Bancorp. had $18.6 billion in assets, $11.8 billion in loans, $14.4 billion in deposits and $2.6 billion in shareholders’ equity. The company’s subsidiary, First Financial Bank, founded in 1863, provides banking and financial services to businesses and consumers. The company operated 128 full-service banking centers in Ohio, Indiana, Kentucky and Illinois as of June 30. Chicago-based BankFinancial is a commercial lender with 18 full-service banking offices located in Cook, DuPage, Lake and Will counties within Illinois. BankFinancial NA operates as a subsidiary of BankFinancial Corp.
By Andrew Jacob, Colliers The Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky industrial market demonstrated notable resilience in the second quarter of 2025, balancing strong long-term fundamentals with cautious short-term sentiment. Amid national headlines of slowing industrial demand and heightened uncertainty, the region continues to distinguish itself with a combination of strategic location, steady demand and disciplined development. Market fundamentals At the close of the second quarter, the market’s total inventory stood at approximately 293.6 million square feet, supported by a healthy vacancy rate of 5.2 percent, which remains below the national average of 7.1 percent. Bulk warehouse asking rates have remained relatively steady at $5.95 per square foot, reflecting a market rebalancing after several years of oversupply from robust development activity. In contrast, flex space asking rates continue to climb, now averaging $8.11 per square foot. This upward pressure is fueled by a scarcity of new supply — driven by land constraints and elevated construction costs. The market recorded 539,000 square feet of positive net absorption in the second quarter, bringing the year-to-date total to over 1 million square feet. This consistent absorption highlights enduring occupier demand despite broader caution in the national market. New construction activity continued at a measured pace, with 2 …
COLUMBUS, OHIO — LV Collective and Virtus Real Estate Capital have opened Rambler Columbus, a 407,465-square-foot student housing development in Columbus. The 379-unit, 889-bed project is a three-minute walk from The Ohio State University’s main quads. Floor plans range from studios to six-bedroom units. There are also two-level, two-bedroom townhomes. Amenities include private study spots, conference rooms, a fitness center, yoga studio, sauna, cold plunge pool, pet spa and pool deck with a Jumbotron, grilling area and firepits. An onsite coffee shop, Daydreamer Café, serves handcrafted espresso drinks, coffee, tea, pastries and snacks. The first retail tenant is Victory Lap, which offers an Ohio State-themed sports bar. Rambler Columbus features an additional 4,000 square feet of retail space. The project team included Elford Inc. as general contractor, OZ Architecture as the architect, Variant Collaborative as the interior designer, E.P. Ferris as civil engineer and Realm Collaborative as landscape architect.
HUDSON, OHIO — Industrial Realty Group (IRG) has begun the redevelopment of the 1.4 million-square-foot former headquarters campus of fabrics retailer Joann in Hudson, located roughly midway between Cleveland and Akron. The 130-acre campus currently features industrial and office space, as well as undeveloped land. IRG plans to redevelop the campus to support uses such as corporate headquarters, distribution, research and development, manufacturing and retail, through both ground-lease and build-to-suit opportunities. In addition, the company will rebrand the campus as Hudson District and has tapped CBRE as the leasing agent. Joann filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy in 2024 and earlier this year announced that it would begin closing all its retail stores.
COLUMBUS, OHIO — ACRES Capital has provided a $72 million loan for the refinancing of the GVX Portfolio, a collection of three multifamily properties in Columbus. The assets include 8 on the Park, Midpoint East and Midpoint West. The portfolio features 347 units and 51,138 square feet of retail space that are part of a larger development known as Grandview Crossing. Thrive Cos. was the borrower.
By Brooke Jacobsen, Colliers The Greater Cincinnati and Northern Kentucky office market is weathering the post-pandemic era with surprising nuance. While national headlines continue to focus on uncertainty and high vacancy, the local market is quietly seeing stable, albeit selective, activity, especially in healthcare and specialized user segments. After a slow winter, leasing activity across the region began to thaw in the second quarter of 2025. Year-to-date net absorption remains slightly negative, but market sentiment is gradually shifting, particularly among small to mid-size tenants. Most of the deal activity is coming from users in the 2,500- to 5,000-square-foot range, with several groups focused on healthcare and logistics services. Cincinnati’s Class B and C office space is seeing an unexpected level of demand, driven by affordability, location flexibility and users with highly specific space needs. Medical office continues to stand out as one of the most active sectors. Demand is strong across both urban and suburban submarkets, with notable traction in Cincinnati submarkets. Much of the recent healthcare-related activity has come from specialty practices, private groups and regional health systems looking to reposition their outpatient services. While Northern Kentucky offers value, many users are choosing to locate on the Cincinnati side …