CINCINNATI — Cincinnati-based Grubb & Ellis|West Shell Commercial has been selected by Duke Realty Corp. to assume property management and leasing responsibilities for four office buildings and two retail centers in Ohio. The properties, totaling 872,000 square feet, include three downtown Cincinnati office buildings located at 312 Elm, 311 Elm and 312 Plum; Triangle Office Park located in Sharonville, Ohio; and two anchored retail centers located on Mason-Montgomery Road in Deerfield, Ohio. The retail properties are anchored by a Lowe’s Home Improvement Warehouse and a Bigg’s Supercenter. As part of the arrangement, which went into effect February 1st, Duke will continue to own the properties and provide tenants with customer support service. Leasing, maintenance and on-site support will be provided by Grubb & Ellis|West Shell Commercial.
HOWELL, MICH. — Lee & Associates of Michigan has brokered two adjacent land sales totaling 18.5 acres in Howell. Located on Grand Oaks Drive, DeChris Limited Partnership has sold 10 acres of vacant land, and Grand Oaks LLC has sold 8.5 acres of vacant land. Consumers Energy has purchased both sites, which were zoned for industrial use, for an undisclosed amount. The company has plans to construct a service station and call center at the property. Kevin Brady and Mark Schafer of Lee & Associates represented Grand Oaks LLC in the transaction. Brady also represented DeChris Limited Partnership in the disposition.
PLAINFIELD, IND. — Dallas-based SWS, which specializes in the redistribution of supplies for retail chain restaurants, has signed a lease for 173,430 square feet of space within Building 100 of the Plainfield Distribution Center, which is located at 2150 Stanley Rd. in Plainfield. Chip Barnes and Matt Dickerson of Indianapolis-based NAI Olympia Partners represented the landlord, Republic Property Co., in lease negotiations. This spring, Republic Property Co. is scheduled to begin construction on the 446,500-square-foot Building 200 within the Plainfield Distribution Center.
KANSAS CITY, MO. — Minneapolis-based Malt-O-Meal Co. has signed a lease for 151,200 square feet of industrial space located at 1508 N. Chouteau in Kansas City’s Northeast industrial submarket. The company has plans to open a distribution facility for dry cereals at the new property. Ozburn-Hessey Logistics will be handling the distribution at the facility. Nathan Anderson of Kansas City-based Harbinger Property Group represented Malt-O-Meal in lease negotiations. Terms of the lease were not disclosed.
DETROIT — Milestone Realty Services Inc. has secured $12.3 million in financing for the acquisition of a newly constructed parking facility serving the Westin Book-Cadillac Hotel in Detroit’s central business district. The 528-space, nine-story parking and retail structure was developed by the Downtown Development Authority. The structure, which also provides parking for the general public, connects to the recently renovated Westin Book-Cadillac Hotel and Residences via an elevated and enclosed walkway. The loan included $9.8 million in first mortgage financing and $2.5 million in mezzanine financing.
BENSENVILLE, ILL. — On behalf of developer Seefried Properties, Principle Construction Corp. has completed a 67,230-square-foot spec industrial building located at 371-375 Meyer Rd. in Bensenville. The distribution/warehouse facility, which is situated on an approximately 4.1-acre parcel, is 2 miles from the south cargo entrance of O’Hare International Airport. The precast building includes 28-foot clear ceiling heights, 26 loading docks, two drive-in doors, an ESFR sprinkler system and a parking area for 68 cars. Cornerstone Architects provided design services for the building. The estimated cost of completing the project was not disclosed.
ST. LOUIS — The Center for Emerging Technologies (CET) has plans to construct a 60,000-square-foot laboratory building on a site adjacent to its existing two-building campus in St. Louis. Monsanto Co. has donated $1 million to help fund the $28 million project. Monsanto’s commitment is part of $3 million in private contributions needed for Phase I of the building, with an additional $6 million in contributions needed to complete the innovation center. Upon completion, the facility will feature 60 percent wet labs, with space for transitional research and a pilot plant. CET supports life science and other advanced technology companies with a range of research and development labs and support services. St. Louis-based Cannon Design is the architect for the project. The estimated date of completion was not disclosed.
NAPERVILLE, ILL. — Calamos Real Estate LLC has secured a 33,778-square-foot office lease within its CityGate Centre development, which is located at the intersection of Interstate 88 and Route 59 in Naperville. PMA Financial Network has leased the office space in order to house its corporate headquarters. The approximately 212,000-square-foot LEED-Silver certified building is now 50 percent occupied. Additional tenants within the building include Citi Smith Barney and Amata Office Suites. The CitiGate Centre project, which is currently underway, is slated to include approximately 1 million square feet of high-end corporate office space, as well as 150,000 square feet of specialty retail and restaurants. The 144-room Hotel Arista is also located at the mixed-use development. Dru Shoemaker, Brian Whiting and Jack McKinney of J.F. McKinney & Associates represented the developer, Calamos Real Estate LLC, in lease negotiations. Keith Cade of Newmark Knight Frank represented PMA Financial Network in the transaction. Terms of the lease were not disclosed.
LINCOLNSHIRE, ILL. — Zebra Technologies has signed a lease for 44,400 square feet of space within a Class A office building located at 475 Half Day Rd. in Lincolnshire. The 142,000-square-foot building is situated within the 70-acre Millbrook Business Center in Buffalo Grove/Lincolnshire. The office will serve as Zebra Technologies’ corporate headquarters, which will house the company’s senior executives and corporate functions. The company’s North American sales, marketing and operations groups, Cless Technology Center, and distribution functions will remain in Vernon Hills, Ill. Dan Fernitz and John Clark of Jones Lang LaSalle represented the building ownership, Millbrook Real Estate Co., during lease negotiations. Zebra Technologies was represented by Scott Brandwein and Sean Kropke of CB Richard Ellis.
DODGE CITY, KAN. — Global Entertainment Corp. has signed an agreement to develop a $41.5 million multi-purpose events center in Dodge City. International Coliseums Co. (ICC) — a subsidiary of Global Entertainment Corp. — will serve as project manager for design and construction of the new facility. The Dodge City and Ford County commissions have approved the agreement. The events center will be situated adjacent to a state of Kansas authorized destination gaming casino that is currently underway. The development, which is scheduled to open in 2010, will include approximately 4,300 seats with designated VIP seating, as well as luxury suites. The master-planning group for the project includes ICC, Dodge City, Ford County and the casino development team.