CHICAGO — Lessen, a tech-enabled solution for outsourced real estate property services, has opened its new 76,932-square-foot office at 203 North LaSalle Street in downtown Chicago. The 17-story building is situated in the city’s Central Loop tech district adjacent to Google’s forthcoming Chicago office in the Thompson Center. Lessen first entered the Chicago market in 2023 after its acquisition of technology company SMS Assist for $950 million, the largest proptech merger in U.S. history, according to the company. Lessen partners with residential and commercial owners and occupiers who collectively manage over 1 million locations.
PLANO, TEXAS — California-based investment firm BH Properties, which also has two offices in Texas, has purchased Legacy R&D, a 374,085-square-foot business park in Plano that the company plans to convert to industrial use. The 40-acre property consists of seven buildings that were 58 percent leased at the time of sale. Elizabeth Malone and K.C. Scheipe of Eastdil Secured represented the undisclosed seller in the transaction. The new ownership has tapped Stream Realty Partners to lease the park, including to prospective life sciences users.
RALEIGH, N.C. — Highwoods Properties Inc. has agreed to purchase Advance Auto Parts Tower, a 20-story office building located in Raleigh’s North Hills district. The seller and sales price were not disclosed, but Triangle Business Journal reported that the 346,000-square-foot property was sold by Lionstone Investments, which delivered the tower in 2020 along with current property manager Kane Realty Corp. The deal is expected to close in the next 30 days, and Highwoods has contributed $20 million in earnest money deposits in advance of the closing. Advance Auto Parts Tower was fully leased as of year-end 2024, with retailer Advance Auto Parts anchoring the office building. The office tower is situated adjacent to Highwoods’ 16-story CAPTRUST Tower.
CHATTANOOGA, TENN. — Swinerton has begun the $4.5 million renovation of a T-Mobile call center in Chattanooga. The facility houses desks and offices for 936 T-Mobile employees and will remain open during construction. The overhaul of the 13,161-square-foot facility is expected to last about six months. Kansas City-based Perspective Architecture + Design is overseeing the design of the renovation, which will include upgrading the security desk and surrounding area with new doors, millwork, flooring and ceiling; transforming underutilized space into a mother’s room, wellness room and additional restroom; adding two restrooms and upgrading an existing restroom for all-gender use; installing audio/visual equipment and a security system featuring video monitoring; upgrading the lobby with new front doors, lighting, ceiling, furniture and branding elements; improving the cafeteria and kitchen by expanding the back-of-house, upgrading finishes and installing new culinary and ventilation equipment; adding new furniture, grills, fans and lounge area to the outdoor patio; and installing two parking lot EV chargers.
WHEATON, ILL. — SVN Chicago Commercial has arranged the sale of a 35,400-square-foot office building located at 330 S. Naperville Road in downtown Wheaton for $1.9 million. The transaction closed at 97.5 percent of the asking price. The property features 23 executive suites, and was 72 percent occupied at the time of sale. Karen Kulczycki of SVN represented the seller. Buyer information was not provided.
— Dave Carder, Senior Vice President, Kidder Mathews — The state of Phoenix’s office market is not easily summed up with a catchy headline or a few brief bullet points. Along with most large metropolitan areas across the country, Phoenix has struggled with lower demand, rising vacancies and a shift toward hybrid workweeks. However, several emerging trends are creating positive shifts in the market that should be noted as we look to 2025 and beyond. The average vacancy rate of the Phoenix office market over the past decade was 18.5 percent. That includes a low of 13.9 percent in 2019 and a high of 24.8 percent in 2024. Gross leasing absorption averaged nearly 7 million square feet annually, with a high of nearly 7.9 million square feet in 2019 and a low of 5.5 million square feet last year. Net leasing absorption showed a similar pattern, peaking at 3.1 million square feet in 2019 and declining to negative 2.2 million square feet in 2024. These trends point to 2019 being the market’s best-performing pre-pandemic year across all three metrics. Despite 2024’s gross leasing absorption (5.5 million square feet) being close to the 10-year average, the significant rise in vacancy and …
— By Sebastian Bernt and Erick Parulan of Avison Young — The Orange County office market continues to show resilience, particularly compared to urban centers like Downtown Los Angeles. Its suburban environment, coupled with higher office utilization rates, has made it an attractive option for businesses adapting to evolving workplace strategies. As a result, leasing activity has remained steady with availability stabilizing and tenant demand holding firm. Total leasing volume reached 1.6 million square feet in the fourth quarter of 2024, bringing the annual total to 7.8 million square feet. Notable transactions included Willow Laboratories, which signed a 63,440-square-foot lease at 121 Theory Drive in Irvine, and Acrisure, which secured 59,409 square feet at 611 Anton Blvd in Costa Mesa. While leasing slowed slightly in the fourth quarter, demand for modern, amenity-rich office spaces remained strong as companies continued implementing return-to-office strategies. This demand has pushed average asking lease rates to $35.05 per square foot, reflecting a broader shift toward high-quality, collaborative work environments that prioritize employee engagement and workplace experience. Orange County’s growing residential appeal has further fueled office demand as young professionals and families increasingly opt for a suburban lifestyle. As a result, companies are prioritizing locations with …
HOUSTON — JLL has brokered the sale of 1255 Enclave, a 171,091-square-foot office building in the Energy Corridor area of West Houston. Completed on 6.7-acres in 1999, the six-story building is situated within a 120-acre, 3 million-square-foot development known as The Enclave and offers amenities such as a fitness center and outdoor dining and gathering spaces. The sale also included a 676-space parking garage. Kevin McConn and Marty Hogan of JLL represented the undisclosed seller in the transaction. The buyer, Harmony Public Schools, plans to house back-office functions within the building.
SAN DIEGO — Pacific Coast Commercial has arranged the sale of a multi-tenant office property located at 9466 Black Mt. Road in San Diego’s Miramar neighborhood. Hindu Mandir Society of San Diego acquired the asset from 9466 BMR LLC for $6.6 million. The two-story, 31,575-square-foot building was constructed in 1977 as a racquetball facility and converted to a multi-tenant office property in 1983. Bo Gibbons, Brian Crepeau and Daniel Goodman of Pacific Coast Commercial represented the seller, while Paul Britvar of Lee & Associates represented the buyer in the deal.
ATLANTA — Swinerton has obtained a $23 million contract for construction at Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport on behalf of a partnership between the City of Atlanta and WEBMyers Construction. Swinerton will complete three projects at the airport. The first project — which is expected to be completed by the end of the year — will include the $21 million renovation of six pairs of restroom facilities located in the North Terminal and Concourses T, C and F, as well as several family restrooms. The second project, designed by Atlanta-based Brink Design, will include a $1 million renovation of the airport’s Security Badging Office, which is slated for completion in early spring. The space will nearly double in size and feature 15 desk-style, seated stations with data ports, card printers and fingerprinting machines. The final project, a $1.2 million expansion of all TSA breakrooms, will total 42,000 square feet of space and comprise 13 breakrooms upon completion in July. These projects follow the recently completed $600,000 renovation of the Department of Aviation Finance Office at Hartsfield-Jackson by Swinerton and WEBMyers.