ELMHURST, ILL. — The Opus Group has completed construction of The Marke of Elmhurst, a 164-unit luxury apartment project in suburban Chicago. The six-story development includes one-, two- and three-bedroom units as well as 7,600 square feet of retail space. Previously an underutilized commercial site, the property is now home to amenities such as a fitness center, yoga room, pet spa and outdoor amenity deck. Hartshorne Plunkard Architecture and ESG Architects worked with Opus. The project was a joint venture with Principal Real Estate Investors. Greystar Property Management will manage the property.
Midwest
CINCINNATI — Institutional Property Advisors (IPA), a division of Marcus & Millichap, has negotiated the sale of Western Hills Marketplace in Cincinnati for $15.2 million. The 127,645-square-foot shopping center is anchored by Dick’s Sporting Goods, Best Buy and Aldi, which recently signed a 10-year lease. Six of the property’s eight tenants have been in place since 2002 or longer. Erin Patton, Scott Wiles and Craig Fuller of IPA represented the seller, an Ohio-based developer. The team also procured the buyer, a New York-based private real estate company.
PLANO, ILL. — Marcus & Millichap has brokered the sale of Store More, a 395-unit self-storage facility in Plano, about 50 miles west of Chicago. The sales price was not disclosed. The 49,500-square-foot property is located at 3980 Turner Ave., along Route 34. The nine-building facility features 17 climate-controlled units and 280 drive-up units as well as 97 boat and recreational vehicle (RV) parking spaces. Jeffrey Herrmann and Sean Delaney of Marcus & Millichap marketed the property on behalf of the seller. The team also represented the buyer.
CARY, ILL. — Premier Commercial Realty has arranged the $4.3 million sale of an industrial and retail portfolio in Cary. The properties include a 32,000-square-foot, multi-tenant industrial building at 615 Industrial Drive; a 36,000-square-foot, multi-tenant industrial building at 700 Industrial Drive; and a 15,000-square-foot retail property at 395 Cary Algonquin Road. All of the properties were fully leased at the time of sale. Three individual investors purchased the assets. Bruce Kaplan and Kevin Kaplan of Premier represented the sellers on all three transactions.
Entrepreneur John Paul DeJoria Acquires Former McDonald’s Headquarters Campus in Oak Brook, Illinois
OAK BROOK, ILL. — Entrepreneur John Paul DeJoria has purchased the former McDonald’s global headquarters campus in Oak Brook for an undisclosed price. The co-founder of the Paul Mitchell line of hair products will assume ownership of the 80-acre site, which includes the McDonald’s former office building, Hamburger University training facility and the Hyatt-branded and managed hotel, The Hyatt Lodge. McDonald’s relocated its global headquarters to downtown Chicago last summer. McDonald’s had been the sole occupant of the campus since its completion in 1988. Designed by architect Dirk Lohan, the campus is situated in a wooded setting with two lakes. The property includes a 331,630-square-foot office building and a 130,484-square-foot training facility, which is connected by a covered passageway to The Hyatt Lodge. The 218-room hotel will remain open. Scott Miller and Lindsey Fahey of JLL represented McDonald’s in the sale. Perry Higa of NAI Hiffman represented the buyer. Future plans for the site have not been disclosed.
FISHERS, IND. — Browning has broken ground on a new corporate headquarters for First Internet Bank in downtown Fishers. The bank’s existing office is located about two miles east of the new site. Plans call for a six-story, 168,000-square-foot building with ground-floor retail space. It is the first building to be constructed within a mixed-use development along 116th Street in the Nickel Plate District. Completion is slated for fall 2021. Envoy Cos. is serving as the owner’s representative.
DETROIT — Tiberina Group, an Italian automotive supplier, has purchased 10 acres of land at the former American Axle manufacturing site in Detroit with plans to build a manufacturing facility. The sellers, Industrial Commercial Properties LLC and Industrial Realty Group LLC, originally acquired the property in 2014 from American Axle, which leased back the buildings on a long-term basis. W. Emery Matthews of Real Estate Interests LLC represented Tiberina in the sale. The size of the plant or production plans have not been disclosed.
MINNEAPOLIS — Ackerberg has begun development of MN46, a 54-unit micro apartment community in Minneapolis. The project is a joint venture with Left Lane Corp., Hayes Harlow, Twin Cities Home Rental and Trew Capital. Units will range from 390 to 410 square feet for studios, 420 to 650 square feet for one-bedroom units and 760 to 905 square feet for two-bedroom units. The property will also feature 1,835 square feet of first-floor retail space. Amenities will include a fifth-floor community room, patio, bike lobby, package room and covered parking. Completion is slated for May 2020. Collage Architects and Yellow Tree Construction Services make up the project team. Monthly rents will start in the low $1,000s. “We continue to remain very bullish on micro units as a niche,” says Sean Sweeney, founder of Hayes Harlow. “The lack of new apartment product in the area was also a big factor in our decision to develop this site.” The name of the property stems from its location at the intersection of Minnehaha Avenue and 46th Street.
DETROIT — Full Lotus Yoga has leased 2,650 square feet on the third floor of 6505 Woodward Ave., a mixed-use building owned by The Barbat Organization in Detroit. Purchased in December 2017, the property is undergoing a renovation and will be home to Lake Trust Credit Union. A restaurant space is available for lease. The second floor will likely include office space. This is Full Lotus Yoga’s second location, following its initial studio that opened in June 2013. Jeanne Gross of Farbman Group represented the tenant in the lease transaction. Dan Callaway of Farbman Group represented the landlord. The studio is slated to open this fall.
More than 50 years ago, I was witness to the birth of a new building type in Chicago’s suburbs — the great sprawling corporate campus. From Motorola and McDonald’s to Ameritech and Sears, some of the most influential brands in the world started taking root in Chicago’s bucolic suburbs as they looked to consolidate business divisions under one large roof and to provide a stimulating work environment away from the hustle and bustle of the inner city. Today, many of these corporate meccas sit vacant due to the rise in telecommuting and a shift in workforce demographics. The simple version of the narrative is that instead of people chasing the jobs, firms are now chasing the talent. And for the moment, many employees prefer to live and work in the city. While some suburbs are strongly associated with the companies who previously occupied those campuses, there is another story to tell in terms of the opportunities change can bring to these properties and their surrounding communities. As the architect who designed two of these campuses, the AT&T (né Ameritech) corporate campus in Hoffman Estates in 1989 and McDonald’s global headquarters in Oak Brook starting in 1978, I have repeatedly been …