CHICAGO — BMO Financial Group has opened BMO Tower at 320 S. Canal St. in Chicago’s West Loop Gate neighborhood. The 50-story office tower will serve as BMO’s new U.S. headquarters. More than 3,000 employees will be based at BMO Tower, which rises more than 700 feet. Developed by Riverside Investment & Development, the property’s main floor features a new technology-enabled BMO bank branch. The project, which features a fitness center and 1.5-acre greenspace, was designed to achieve WELL Building Platinum and LEED Gold certifications.
HUNTLEY, ILL. — Venture One Real Estate has broken ground on a 729,823-square-foot speculative industrial facility in Huntley, a northwest suburb of Chicago. Known as Venture Park 47, the project will be located at the intersection of Illinois Route 47 and Jim Dhamer Drive. The building will feature a clear height of 40 feet, 72 docks, four drive-in doors, 448 car parking stalls and 130 trailer stalls. Completion is slated for the third quarter of 2023. Brian Kling and Reed Adler of Colliers will market the project for lease.
ALGONQUIN, ILL. — McShane Construction Co. has completed The Oaks at Algonquin, a 166-unit senior living community in suburban Chicago. Spectrum Retirement Communities was the developer. The property features independent living, assisted living and memory care units. Amenities include three restaurants, a pub, salon, media lounge, theater, health club, rooftop deck, memory care garden and doctor and therapist offices. Vessel Architecture provided architectural services for the three-story community.
DETROIT — Diversified Synergies LLC has signed a 200,000-square-foot industrial lease at 201 Waterman St. in Detroit’s Delray neighborhood. The Bedrock-owned Fort Street Industrial Campus, formerly named the Sakthi Industrial Campus, is slated to open as early as July. Diversified Synergies packages and distributes products for pharmaceutical, food and consumer goods for Fortune 500 companies. The Highland Park, Mich.-based company is a joint venture between Staffing Synergies Inc. and Diversified Chemical Technology Inc. Bedrock acquired the former Sakthi Industrial Campus in September 2020. The property features roughly 529,000 square feet of industrial space, 89,000 square feet of flex office space and more than 10 acres of developable land. Bedrock is the full-service real estate arm of billionaire businessman Dan Gilbert.
CHICAGO — Principle Construction Corp. has completed a 178,850-square-foot speculative industrial building in Chicago. IDI Logistics was the developer. Located at 3700 S. Morgan St., the property features a clear height of 36 feet, 32 dock positions, two drive-in doors and 103 car parking stalls. Principle’s Darrin Dehmlow served as project manager and Matt Frane was the onsite superintendent. Macgregor Architects served as project architect.
CINCINNATI — City Club Apartments has broken ground on the redevelopment of Union Central Tower, a historic skyscraper in downtown Cincinnati. Plans call for 281 luxury apartments in a mix of unfurnished long-term rentals and furnished short-term rentals, as well as ground-floor commercial space. The total cost of the redevelopment is estimated to be $90 million. Union Central Tower, most recently known as PNC Tower, was built in 1913 and at 31 stories was the fifth-tallest building in the world upon completion, as well as the second-tallest outside of New York City. The property was designed by legendary turn-of-the-century Cincinnati architecture firms Garber & Woodward and Cass Gilbert. “Investments like the Union Central project are a key part of attracting the young, diverse talent that our city needs in order to thrive,” says Cincinnati Mayor Aftab Pureval. The community will feature a ground-floor lobby, library and lounge; 17th-floor private club with views of the Ohio River, Roebling Bridge and sports stadiums; abundant coworking spaces; 19th-floor Sky Park and Entertainment Sky Club with gourmet kitchen; rooftop terrace with wellness sauna, rooftop pool, hot tub, wraparound loungers, cabanas, fireplace, grilling stations, outdoor kitchen and Zen garden; 24/7 fitness center; indoor and outdoor theaters; multi-function …
INDIANAPOLIS — Avison Young has brokered the sale of Building 5 within Whiteland Exchange Business Park in the Indianapolis suburb of Whiteland. The sales price was undisclosed. Sean McHale and Peter Seoane of Avison Young represented the seller, Jones Development. DHL Supply Chain was the buyer. Avison Young was also the leasing agent for Whiteland Exchange, which totals 2.4 million square feet.
EAST LANSING, MICH. — Newmark has arranged the sale of three student housing assets totaling 496 beds that serve Michigan State University in East Lansing. The sales price was undisclosed. The properties include: The Gates, a 139-bed property built in 2014; The Manor, a 56-bed building constructed in 2015; and The Tower, a 301-bed property. Amenities include controlled access, resident events, onsite parking, laundry facilities and a pedestrian bridge to campus. Ryan Lang, Jack Brett, Ben Harkrider and Debbie Corson of Newmark represented the seller, MJW Investments. Blue Vista Capital Management was the buyer.
ANKENY, IOWA — Sealy & Co. has acquired Crosswinds II, a 221,520-square-foot distribution center in Ankeny, a northwest suburb of Des Moines. The purchase price was undisclosed. The facility was completed earlier this year and features a clear height of 32 feet, 30 dock-high doors and a 136-foot truck court. Jason Gandy and Davis Gibbs led the transaction for Sealy on an internal basis. John Hassler of Newmark Zimmer represented the undisclosed seller.
ANN ARBOR, MICH. — Sartorius, a life sciences research and biopharmaceutical company, has broken ground on its new 130,000-square-foot research center at Ann Arbor Research Park. Sartorius currently employs about 140 people in the Ann Arbor area and expects to increase that number to about 300 employees over the next three years. The jobs will include product development, operations and other support functions. Employees at the facility will focus on providing advanced solutions to help customers develop drugs that cure, prevent and halt the progression of diseases. Sartorius expects to open the facility by the end of 2023. Hobbs+ Black Architects is the project architect and J.S. Vig Construction Co. is the general contractor.