MINNEAPOLIS — The McKnight Foundation has signed a new 20-year office lease at 921 Washington Ave. South in Minneapolis. The tenant will occupy the entire 50,000-square-foot property. Mike Salmen, Eric Rapp and Reed Christianson of Transwestern Real Estate Services represented ownership, STF Holdings LLC. The McKnight Foundation’s current office totals 38,577 square feet at 710 S. Second St. The new lease commences in February 2025. The building will undergo significant renovations to modernize the space and meet the climate and energy goals of the foundation. Updates will include a state-of-the-art HVAC system that will reduce onsite energy use while offsetting demand on the electrical grid, as well as electric vehicle car charging stations. Julie Kimble of KimbleCo represented the tenant in the lease negotiations.
Midwest
MISSION, KAN. — The Other Place, an American sports grill and pizzeria, has opened at Mission West Shopping Center in Mission, a southern suburb of Kansas City. The tenant occupies the 4,050-square-foot space at 6522 Martway St. that was formerly home to Italian Delight. David Block, Max Kosoglad and Darren Siegel of Block & Co. Inc. Realtors represented ownership in the lease. The Other Place was founded in 1970 in Cedar Falls, Iowa. This location marks the fourth in the greater Kansas City area. There are also eight locations in Iowa. Mission West totals approximately 87,000 square feet.
SKOKIE, ILL. — Home furnishing retailer Pottery Barn is relocating its store at Westfield Old Orchard, joining Arhaus, Puttshack and Zara in the former Lord & Taylor space set to open in summer 2024. Unibail-Rodamco-Westfield owns Westfield Old Orchard shopping mall, which is undergoing redevelopment. The center is set to welcome six new retailers over the next year. Jewelry brand Little Words Project and Canadian women’s fashion brand Aritzia are opening in December. Urban Outfitters is opening in January, and Italian intimates store Intimissimi is slated to open in the spring. Westfield Old Orchard will also welcome new dining options next year, including local all-day lounge Cupitol and Cafe Castemila, an independently owned café and bakery. The redevelopment of the former Lord & Taylor department store is part of a multi-phase plan at Westfield Old Orchard that was first announced in 2022. Plans also call for new residences, dining establishments, wellness facilities and outdoor amenities such as a public park and event space. More detailed plans will be unveiled in 2024.
LAKE SAINT LOUIS, MO. — Mia Rose Holdings has sold The Solstice, a 156-unit Class A apartment complex in Lake Saint Louis, a northwest suburb of St. Louis. The sales price was undisclosed. Minneapolis-based Timberland Partners was the buyer. The Solstice features 48 two-bedroom units and 108 one-bedroom units spread across five buildings. Mia Rose completed development of the property this spring. The St. Louis-based multifamily developer has more than 3,000 units in development across the St. Louis, Northwest Arkansas, Indianapolis and North Texas markets.
WEST CHICAGO, ILL. — SVN Chicago Commercial has brokered the sale of Tower Station Center in West Chicago for $2.4 million. The 11-unit retail center, located at 956 N. Neltnor Blvd., is 73 percent occupied. Aldi shadow anchors the property. Ron Weissenhofer and Karen Kulczycki of SVN represented the undisclosed seller. After six months of negotiations, the property sold to an out-of-state buyer completing a 1031 exchange.
SARCOXIE, MO. — Marcus & Millichap has arranged the $2.4 million sale of a 5,118-square-foot property net leased to Kum & Go in Sarcoxie, a city in Southwest Missouri. The gas station and convenience store has operated at the property for 16 years. The triple-net lease features annual rental increases and a corporate guarantee. Austin Weisenbeck, Sean Sharko and Timothy Nichols of Marcus & Millichap represented the seller, a limited liability company. The trio also secured and represented the buyer, an out-of-state private investor.
FORT WAYNE, IND. — Starbucks Corp. and Chipotle Mexican Grill have signed 10-year leases to open at the planned Wood Creek Commons shopping center in Fort Wayne. The retailers are slated to open in the second quarter of 2024. Dave Horacek and Steve Chen represented the landlord, an entity doing business as BRV-V LLC, in both leases. Starbucks leased a 2,540-square-foot standalone building, while Chipotle leased a 2,325-square-foot standalone building.
DETROIT — The University of Michigan (U-M) has broken ground on its Center for Innovation in downtown Detroit. The satellite campus will serve as a graduate school facility, offering masters’ degrees and workforce development programs that will focus on technology and innovation. The center will be funded by a $100 million gift from prominent U-M donor Stephen Ross, $100 million from the state of Michigan, a two-acre land donation from Olympia Development of Michigan, and an additional $50 million will be raised from donors. The project site is near the proposed $1.5 billion, 10-building mixed-use development in The District Detroit from Related Cos. and Olympia Development. Ross is a Detroit native, alum of U-M and chairman of Related Cos. Olympia Development is the real estate development business of the Ilitch family.
ARCADIA, RENSSELAER AND FOWLER, IND. — BWE has arranged $19.7 million in financing for the acquisition and rehabilitation of three affordable housing properties in rural Indiana. Lundat Kassa and Bob Morton of BWE arranged the financing on behalf of Vita Investment Holdings LLC, an Indiana-based developer of affordable and seniors housing communities. Vita acquired the properties to preserve their long-term affordability for residents. The financing consisted of two loans, including a construction loan from Fifth Third Bank. BWE also secured a $17.1 million loan through the USDA 538 Forward Permanent Loan program. The nonrecourse loan features a 40-year amortization schedule. Vita also utilized 4 percent Low-Income Housing Tax Credits to finance the project. The three properties include: Hamilton Place, which totals 54 units in Arcadia; Madison Cottage of Rensselaer, which includes 71 units in Rensselaer; and Madison Cottage of Benton County, a 51-unit building in Fowler. The developments will be preserved as affordable to residents who earn up to 60 percent of the area median income. All three properties will receive improvements to mechanical systems and the unit interiors will be enhanced. Community amenities will also be upgraded.
SCHAUMBURG, ILL. — Entre Commercial Realty has brokered the sale of a 111,594-square-foot industrial building located at 933 Remington Road in the Chicago suburb of Schaumburg. The sales price was undisclosed. The property, which features modern office finishes, is located within the Woodfield Business Center. Dan Benassi, Dan Jones and Sam Deihs of Entre represented the seller, a private investor who wished to sell the building in advance of a pending lease expiration in early 2024. Phil Reiff of JLL represented the buyer, NBS Corp., which plans to relocate from its current facility in Elk Grove Village.