NEW ORLEANS — 201 St. Charles Place LLC has purchased Place St. Charles, a 52-story Class A office tower, from the investment partnership of Loeb Partners Realty and J.S. Karlton Co. for an undisclosed amount. The New Orleans property boasts 1.4 million square feet of office space and 58,000 square feet devoted to retail. St. Charles Place LLC will assume an existing loan on the building, which is currently serviced by Wells Fargo. Michael Siegel of New Orleans-based Corporate Realty brokered the sale.
Office
MIAMI — Miami-based Rilea Group’s 1450 Brickell, a 586,000-square-foot office tower in downtown Miami, has achieved LEED Gold pre-certification. When completed in January 2010, the property will feature a slew of environmentally friendly features, including high impact-resistant glass and special parking for fuel-efficient cars. The office project’s electricity will come from renewable energy sources and 75 percent of the construction waste will be recycled. The Weston, Fla.-based Spinnaker Group provided environmental consulting services for 1450 Brickell, and NBWW & Associates of Coral Gables, Fla., designed the building.
LINCOLNSHIRE, ILL. — Chicago-based Bridge Development Partners and Globe Corp. have plans to develop a 162,000-square-foot spec office building located at 555 Aptakisic Rd. in Lincolnshire. Situated on a 12-acre site, 555 Corporate Center will feature 40,000-square-foot floorplates. The Class A office building is being designed/constructed to achieve LEED Certification. Chicago-based Archideas is the architect; Des, Plaines, Ill.-based Premier Design + Build Group is the general contractor for the project. Kevin Clifton and Peter Kelly of Colliers Bennett & Kahnweiler are marketing the property. Construction is set to begin by the end of the year, with completion expected in the fourth quarter of next year. The project is located directly north of Bridge’s Aptakisic Corporate Park industrial development in Buffalo Grove, Ill.
HOUSTON — HE Capital is in the midst of completing a $1 million renovation program for 1001 West Loop South, an eight-story, 223,340-square-foot office building located in Houston. Phase I, which will be complete by the end of November, consists of the installation of two energy-efficient chillers, as well as improvements to the property’s parking garage entrance and exterior landscaping. The design phase is also under way for renovations to the building’s conference facility, lobbies, corridors and restrooms. Construction for this phase should begin in 2009. HE Capital acquired the property in late 2007. It is currently 90 percent occupied; the Houston office of CAPSTAR Commercial Real Estate Services is handling leasing efforts for the remainder of the property, including two floors totaling 57,000 square feet that will become available in February 2009.
ROCKLIN, CALIF. — Phoenix-based Opus West Corp. has received approval from the city of Rocklin to develop a 20-acre speculative Class A office project within the 3,500-acre Stanford Ranch master-planned community. The project, Opus Point Stanford Ranch, will consist of three buildings totaling 360,000 square feet. Designed as a steel frame structure with floor-to-ceiling glass, the project will seek LEED Silver certification. Stanford Ranch is located at the intersection of Highway 65 and Interstate 80 in the South Placer County foothills.
KANSAS CITY, MO. — JE Dunn Construction Group has topped out its new headquarters facility, which is located at 1100 Locust in Kansas City. The company broke ground on the 203,000-square-foot facility in December 2007. The five-story office building will include an adjacent parking structure to serve 780 vehicles for JE Dunn employees and public parking. BNIM/360º Architects are providing design services for the project, which is being constructed to meet LEED Gold standards. JE Dunn plans to move into the new office in August.
CHICAGO — Chicago-based design agency VSA Partners has signed a long-term lease within the 600 West Chicago building in the city’s River North submarket. The company’s headquarters will occupy approximately 40,000 square feet of space on the building’s second floor. VSA Partners has plans to move into the new space by the middle of 2009. The eight-story, 1.5 million-square-foot office building includes a river walk, shuttle service to train stations, a restaurant and a gym. Jones Lang LaSalle serves as the leasing agent for the property, which is 90 percent leased. Brad Despot of Jones Lang LaSalle represented the undisclosed landlord; Tom Volini in the Tenant Advisory Group of Grubb & Ellis represented VSA Partners in the transaction.
NEW YORK CITY — CB Richard Ellis (CBRE) has arranged the renewal of Viacom International’s 1.35 million-square-foot headquarters lease at 1515 Broadway in Manhattan, New York City. The building, known as One Astor Plaza, rises 53 stories and totals 2 million square feet. Michael Laginestra, Scott Gottlieb and Andrew Sussman of CBRE represented Viacom in lease negotiations. The building’s owners, SL Green Realty Corp. and SITQ, were represented by Marc Holliday, Steve Durels, Neil Kessner and Kathy Crocco of SL Green. The transaction marks Manhattan’s third largest lease in history. Terms were not disclosed.
MURRIETA, CALIF. — Tri-Valley Urology Medial Group has purchased an 8,590-square-foot office building in Murrieta for $2.6 million. The property is located at 25495 Medical Center Dr., Suites 204-208. Rob Crisell of Lee & Associates’ Temecula Valley, Calif., office represented the buyer and the seller, Rancho Springs Medical Venture LLC, in the transaction.
DUNCAN, S.C. — Gas Turbine Efficiency Inc. has signed a 49,225-square-foot lease with landlord Hagen Real Estate for space at the Gateway Business Center. The property is located at 240 Parkway East in Greer. Kevin Bentley of Greenville, S.C.-based Bentley Commercial/CORFAC International represented the tenant. Greenville-based Coldwell Banker Commercial Caine’s John Powell represented the owner.