CINCINNATI — Montecito Medical has acquired two orthopedic medical office buildings in Cincinnati for an undisclosed price. The properties, which total more than 130,000 square feet, are fully leased to Beacon Orthopedics. One of the buildings is in Cincinnati while the other is in the suburb of Sharonville. Each property includes an ambulatory surgery center. Steve Timmel, Travis Likes, Jeff Johnston, Will Roberts and Lee Asher of CBRE represented the undisclosed seller. Beacon Orthopedics, which operates more than 20 locations in Ohio, Kentucky and Indiana, provides a full range of services, including clinical orthopedics, orthopedic surgery, physical therapy and imaging.
OHIO, MICHIGAN AND TENNESSEE — Ultium Cells LLC, a joint venture between General Motors and LG Energy Solutions, has received a $2.5 billion loan from the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Loan Programs Office (LPO). The loan will help finance the construction of three new lithium-ion battery cell manufacturing facilities in Warren, Ohio; Lansing, Mich.; and Spring Hill, Tenn. JLL assisted the DOE in the credit risk evaluation of the project structure, including the allocation of risk, the strength of construction, supply and purchase contracts. JLL also negotiated the loan terms and conditions. The construction projects are expected to create more than 11,000 jobs. The three new facilities will manage battery cell production to respond to the growing U.S. consumer demand for electric vehicles. The transaction marks LPO’s first closed loan exclusively for a battery cell manufacturing project under the Advanced Technology Vehicles Manufacturing program. In October, the federal government launched the American Battery Materials Initiative to grow the end-to-end battery supply chain alongside $2.8 billion in grants from the DOE.
COLUMBUS, OHIO — JRW Realty has negotiated the sale of Walnut Creek Plaza in Columbus for an undisclosed price. An 86,608-square-foot Giant Eagle grocery store anchors the 115,777-square-foot shopping center. There are also 13 additional retail and healthcare tenants. Nathan Webb of JRW Realty sourced the buyer, one of JRW’s exclusive institutional buyers. CBRE represented the undisclosed seller.
COLUMBUS, OHIO — CASTO has unveiled new retail tenants for the Hamilton Quarter mixed-use development in Columbus. The new tenants include DiBella’s Subs, Torchy’s Tacos, KEMBA Financial Credit Union and Bath & Body Works. Located at the interchange of Hamilton Road and State Route 161, Hamilton Quarter is a 200-acre project. Plans call for 600,000 square feet of office space, 1 million square feet of retail, restaurant and entertainment space, and a hotel. The project is a joint venture between Casto, Daimler, The New Albany Co. and Capitol Square Ltd.
GROVE CITY, OHIO — Contegra Construction Co. has completed the renovation of a 527,000-square-foot warehouse in Grove City near Columbus for medical glove maker American Nitrile. The manufacturing facility will produce 4 billion medical research lab gloves annually. Contegra worked with engineering firm IMEG to fortify infrastructure that would support a highly complex automated manufacturing process with 12 production lines. The facility also includes 15,000 square feet of remodeled office and lab space. American Nitrile was founded in 2021 in response to the need for domestic sources of manufacturing of personal protective equipment (PPE) products.
CLEVELAND — Spark GHC, a private real estate joint venture focused on hospitality assets in the Midwest, has acquired the Hampton Inn by Hilton-Downtown Cleveland for an undisclosed price. The transaction marks the 11th acquisition for Spark GHC since 2018 and increases its assets under management to above $100 million. Spark GHC plans to significantly upgrade the 25-year-old hotel with a multi-million-dollar capital improvement plan. Spark GHC is a joint venture between Spark Hotels, a developer, acquirer and operator of Ohio-based hospitality assets, and Green Harvest Capital, an asset manager of Northeast Ohio-based multifamily assets.
CINCINNATI — JLL Capital Markets has brokered the sale of a two-building office portfolio totaling 303,130 square feet in Cincinnati for an undisclosed price. The first asset, 400 Oak St., rises seven stories and spans 156,000 square feet. Originally built in 1924, the building was renovated in 2011. The second property, 2905 Vernon Place, is a four-story, 147,130-square-foot building that was constructed in 2017. The two properties are fully leased to Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center for administrative functions and other nonclinical uses. Jaime Fink, Bruce Miller, Sam DiFrancesca and Patrick Shields of JLL represented the seller, 90 North Real Estate LLP, and procured the buyer, Azora Exan. Keith Largay and Lucas Borges of JLL arranged acquisition financing on behalf of the buyer.
COLUMBUS, OHIO — Becknell Industrial is underway on the development of Winchester 527, a 527,023-square-foot speculative industrial building in Columbus. The property will feature a clear height of 40 feet, roughly 2,000 square feet of office space, 436 auto parking spaces and 150 trailer parking spaces. Lee & Associates is marketing the project for lease. Completion is slated for later this year.
PARMA, OHIO — SRS Real Estate Partners has brokered the $1.8 million sale of Parma Shoppes, an 8,000-square-foot retail center in Parma, a suburb just south of Cleveland. Built in 2005 and located at 7406 Broadview Road, the property is 80 percent leased to Buffalo Wild Wings, Verizon, Domino’s and Bank of America. Patrick Nutt and William Wamble of SRS represented the seller, RPS Capital. A California-based private investor purchased the asset. The sales price represents a cap rate of 6.9 percent.
DETROIT — General Motors Co. (NYSE: GM) has announced plans to invest $918 million in capital improvements at four of its U.S. manufacturing plants. The initiative is designed to elevate the company’s production capacity for full-size trucks and sport utility vehicles while also establishing facilities that support the growth of GM’s electric vehicle (EV) divisions. The Detroit-based automotive giant is committing a total of $795 million to two of its Michigan facilities that will support the production of small-block V-8 engines. The company is investing $579 million at its plant in Flint, and the remaining $216 million will be allocated to GM’s facility in Bay City, where parts such as camshafts and connecting rods that support these engines will be assembled. GM is also investing $55 million in its manufacturing operations in Defiance, Ohio. Of this sum, $47 million will be used to prepare the facility for the manufacture of block castings to support future V-8 engine programs. In addition, GM will construct an $8 million casting development cell for future EV initiatives. Lastly, the company has earmarked $68 million for upgrades to its manufacturing facility in Rochester, New York. At this location, GM plans to invest $12 million to …