HOPKINS, MINN. — Citrus Systems Inc., a privately owned, Minnesota-based manufacturer of packaged fruit juices and beverages, has signed a lease for 132,000 square feet of space at Cornerstone Business Center in Hopkins, a southwest suburb of Minneapolis. Citrus Systems will expand its operations by 50,000 square feet and relocate from its current facility at 125 Jackson Ave. this fall. With this lease, Cornerstone Business Center, a 222,194-square-foot, Duke Realty-owned and managed industrial building is fully occupied. Duke Realty’s in-house construction team will serve as general contractor for the build-out of Citrus Systems’ new space. Tom Bennett and Jack Tornquist of CBRE represented Citrus Systems in the transaction. Scott Moe, Brad Bohlman and Paul Bickford of Colliers International represented Duke Realty.
LOMBARD, ILL. — Marcus & Millichap has arranged the sale of a 12,440-square-foot mixed-use property located in Lombard, about 20 miles west of Chicago, for $850,000. The buyer, a local property investor, was secured and represented by James Clough of Marcus & Millichap. Brian Kochendorfer of Sperry Van Ness represented the seller, a family partnership that developed the property. The asset is located at 145 S. Main St. and includes 23 units. The property consists of two buildings: the front building has four commercial units, eight studio apartments, and eight one-bedroom units; the rear building is a converted house with two one-bedroom units and one two-bedroom unit.
BROOKFIELD, WIS. — Hendricks Commercial Properties LLC has purchased the Gateway Business Center in Brookfield for $6.1 million. The 72,510-square-foot technology and flex center is located at 3235-3275 Intertech Drive, about 12 miles west of Milwaukee. The seller was Westminster Gateway LLC. Tom Shepherd of Colliers International | Wisconsin represented the seller. The two-building multi-tenant center was built in 1997 and is anchored by TW Telecom, a networking and data solutions provider. Hendricks was self-represented in the transaction
CHICAGO — Marcus & Millichap has arranged the sale of a 3,975-square-foot mixed-use property in Chicago. The list price for the property was $1.2 million. The building is located at 3439 North Halsted in the Lakeview neighborhood of Chicago and includes one retail unit occupied by Buck’s, a bar, and two floors of apartments. Stephen Rachman and Kyle Stengle of Marcus & Millichap represented the seller, an individual/personal trust, and the buyer, a private investor who plans to rebrand the bar. Recent capital improvements to the property include a new roof and windows, updated porches, some plumbing work, installation of circuit breakers and dry wall/fireproof basement walls.
OAK BROOK, ILL. — Toymaker TOMY International is relocating its North American headquarters to the Commerce Plaza office complex in Oak Brook, a western suburb of Chicago. TOMY, which is moving from the nearby 1111 W. 22nd Street building has signed a long-term lease with Arden Realty Inc. for 24,649 square feet at 2015 Spring Road. By moving to Commerce Plaza, TOMY is able to create a more open, creative and updated work environment in terms of technology and design, according to Randy Peltier, vice president of marketing, technology and operations at Jones Lang LaSalle (JLL). Todd Schaefer of JLL represented TOMY, which manufactures and markets toys under popular and classic licensed properties, in the transaction. Laura Quayle of Arden Realty and Jeff Shay, Bruce Renwick and Karla Harmon of JLL represented Arden.
CHESTERFIELD TOWNSHIP, MICH. — EZ Industrial Solutions LLC has signed a lease for 24,105 square feet of industrial space in Chesterfield Township, about 30 miles northeast of Detroit. The building is located at 48750 Structural Drive. Ben Wilkiemeyer and Peter Walocko of Signature Associates represented the landlord, Vincent Palazzolo, in the transaction.
The Omaha industrial market, which contains a total inventory of roughly 67.5 million square feet, posted a tight vacancy rate of 5.1 percent at the end of 2012, according to commercial real estate research firm Xceligent Inc. For the year, about 652,000 square feet of space was absorbed, or about 1 percent of the market. Overall, 2012 was a strong year with an estimated 142 new leasing transactions completed. Unlike 2011, however, in which eight major deals in excess of 100,000 square feet dominated the industrial market reports, none of the deals in 2012 were blockbuster. In fact, only three transactions were in excess of 50,000 square feet. What does this mean? A lot of mid-sized deals occurred. For the first time in a while, those vacant spaces ranging from 2,000 to 10,000 square feet have accounted for a glut of excess space in recent years are getting leased. More significantly, the mid-sized deals indicate growth of both new and local businesses expanding their presence in the Omaha industrial market. Meanwhile, speculative or new construction is at a standstill. Almost all of the new construction in the market has either taken the form of build-to-suit or owner-occupied space, or is …
CLEVELAND, OHIO — KeyBank Real Estate Capital has arranged $46 million in financing for Steelyard Commons, a retail shopping center located at 3447 Steelyard Drive in Cleveland. John Hofmann, Michael Keach and Katie Allinder of KeyBank’s Income Property Group worked with Steelyard Commons LLC to negotiate a $40 million first mortgage through Barclays. The group also secured a $6 million mezzanine loan through Investcorp, which paid off an existing KeyBank loan. Steelyard Commons sits at the intersection of I-71 and Jennings Freeway, along the western edge of Cleveland’s industrial valley. The shopping center, which opened in January 2007, includes a combination of retail stores, restaurants and recreation facilities.
CHICAGO — Hotel Indigo, InterContinental Hotels Group’s upscale boutique brand, has plans for a third hotel in the Chicago market. The hotel, which will be located in the historic downtown area’s Atlantic Bank Building, is expected to open in spring 2014. The Hotel Indigo Chicago-Millenium Park hotel, located at 168 N. Michigan Ave. in Chicago, will undergo an estimated $20 million renovation by the ownership. The hotel will occupy a 101-year-old building that first opened in 1912 as the Federal Life Building. The 156-room hotel will feature design elements that reflect its local neighborhood just north of Millennium Park within Chicago’s central business district.
LADUE, MO. — The Women’s Exchange, a nonprofit organization, has signed a 10-year, 6,000-square-foot lease at Colonial Marketplace in Ladue, a western suburb of St. Louis. The organization is moving from a 4,000-square-foot location, located at 9214 Clayton Road, into the new space June 2013, when Colonial Marketplace opens. Jeff Altvater of Hilliker Corp. represented The Women’s Exchange, which will spend $500,000 to build out its space, in the transaction. The Women’s Exchange is a marketplace for women to earn a livelihood through the sale of their handmade goods. The DESCO Group and Idea Architects will renovate the store.