NORMAL, ILL. — AXIS 360 Commercial Real Estate Specialists has arranged the sale of a 30,421-square-foot office condominium in Normal near Bloomington for an undisclosed price. The asset is located at 420 Wylie Drive within the Crossroads Center, which was formerly the Bloomington Normal Factory Stores. Chestnut Health Systems acquired the property in 2007, converting the former retail space into a functional office setting. The space features a research library, large training room, kitchen facilities, office and conference rooms and a mezzanine level with private offices. The facility served as an office for Chestnut’s research division, Lighthouse Institute, for nearly two decades. Lighthouse will relocate to its headquarters on Martin Luther King Jr. Drive in Bloomington. Meghan O’Neal-Rogozinski and Michael O’Neal of AXIS 360 marketed the property for sale. The buyer was undisclosed.
HOFFMAN ESTATES, ILL. — Eastham Capital and Bender Cos. have acquired Haven Hoffman Estates, a 550-unit apartment community in the Chicago suburb of Hoffman Estates, for $75.8 million. The asset will be renamed Hoffman Hills Apartments as part of a property update program. South Florida-based Eastham Capital obtained a majority interest in the deal through its current fund, Eastham Capital Fund VI LP. Bender Cos., which has co-invested and partnered with Eastham Capital on multiple projects, will oversee the day-to-day management of the property. The community is currently 96 percent occupied with average rents of just over $1,349 per month. The acquisition includes a renovation budget of $6.5 million, which will include interior unit, exterior and amenity upgrades. Built in 1970, the property features amenities such as a pool, clubhouse, fitness center, private work-from-home suites and an outdoor dining area. Kevin Girard, Mark Stern, David Gaines, Zach Kaufman, Betsy Romenesko and Sam Grohe of JLL represented the sellers, Tricap Residential Group and Wolcott Group. Trent Niederberger, Medina Spiodic and Rebecca Brielmaier of JLL originated a five-year, fixed-rate loan through Freddie Mac for the buyers.
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.
MERRILLVILLE, IND. — Marcus & Millichap has brokered the $4 million sale of Crossroads Plaza, a 184,721-square-foot shopping center in Merrillville, a northern suburb of Chicago. Located at 6110 Broadway, the property is anchored by Ruler Foods, Trader Buck’s and Treasure Hunt Deals. Ruler Foods, a subsidiary of Kroger, is the only grocer within a three-mile radius. Additional tenants include Family Dollar, Subway, Papa John’s and Rent-A-Center. Eric Abbott, Andrew Margulies, Adam Sklaver and Philip Kates of Marcus & Millichap represented the seller in partnership with AM Group and utilized Marcus & Millichap’s auction platform to execute the sale.
LAKE ELMO, MINN. — Bibliotheca, a library technology service company, has signed a long-term lease for 32,000 square feet at I-94 Logistics Center, a new development at 11190 Hudson Blvd. in Lake Elmo near St. Paul. Bibliotheca is the first tenant to move into the 150,000-square-foot property. The lease enables the company to consolidate its shipping and operations into one location. Bibliotheca’s space comprises 10,000 square feet of office space and 22,000 square feet of industrial space. Kevin Salmen and Danny Callahan of Transwestern Real Estate Services represented the tenant. Colliers represented the landlord, Launch Properties.
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.
TOLEDO, OHIO — Continental Real Estate Cos. and Hallmark Communities have completed development of Colony Lofts, a 262-unit luxury apartment community in Toledo. Coastal Ridge is the property manager. Amenities include a resort-style pool, grilling stations, fitness center, business center, clubhouse and coffee bar. The property also features retail spaces, electric vehicle charging stations and an onsite restaurant, the newest outpost of Central Ohio staple The Old Bag of Nails Pub. Colony Lofts is located near ProMedica Toledo Hospital and the University of Toledo. Monthly rents for studios start at $964, according to the property’s website. Residents can earn one month of free rent by moving in prior to April 15.
BELOIT, WIS. — Zilber Property Group has acquired a 363,000-square-foot industrial building in southern Wisconsin’s Beloit for an undisclosed price. Located at 1405 Gateway Blvd. in the Gateway Business Park, the property is home to Pratt Industries’ Beloit Corrugating operations. Pratt manufactures recycled containerboard, corrugated sheets and related packaging containers, and maintains facilities throughout the U.S. The Beloit facility, which was constructed in 2016, is situated at the intersection of I-90 and I-43 near the Wisconsin-Illinois state line. It supplies Pratt’s customers throughout the Great Lakes and Upper Midwest regions. Peter Loehrer, Mark Kolsrud, Tom Shepherd and Jennifer Huber-Bullock of Colliers represented the undisclosed seller. Zilber currently owns and manages 15 industrial properties totaling roughly 3.8 million square feet in Wisconsin’s Rock County.
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.