By Andy Gutman, Farbman Group It’s no secret that the last few years have been a turbulent time for the office market nationally. While Detroit has fared somewhat better than some other cities across the Midwest, the same pandemic (and now post-pandemic) pressures have led to a higher-than-usual degree of uncertainty and volatility. Here in the early part of 2023, it’s a good time to take a step back and look at how the Detroit office landscape is changing, how it’s not changing and what might be in store throughout the rest of the year — and beyond. This is a unique time because there’s still a tremendous amount of uncertainty to factor into the commercial real estate market in general, and into office specifically. There are a lot of brands and businesses who either have not made up their mind about their office structure and needs going forward, or are still in an experimental post-pandemic period where they are trying to figure out the balance that works for them in terms of remote or hybrid work options and brick-and-mortar configurations. Until more of that uncertainty is resolved, a clear picture of the medium- and long-term prospects for the office …
Office
DALLAS — Stonelake Capital Partners, a private equity firm with offices in Texas and Atlanta, will develop 2626 McKinney, a 180,000-square-foot office building in Uptown Dallas. The site is adjacent to a Whole Foods Market. The building will rise 17 stories and will offer amenities such as a lounge with a coffee and cocktail bar, communal kitchen, conference center, fitness center and a landscaped terrace. Cushman & Wakefield is marketing the development for lease. Completion is slated for summer 2025.
NEW YORK CITY — JLL has negotiated a 45,000-square-foot, 20-year office lease at 2100 Bartow Ave. in The Bronx. The 180,000-square-foot building was constructed in 1988. Al Gutierrez and Ian Ceppos of JLL represented the landlord, Prestige Properties, in the lease negotiations. Mark Boisi and Stephen Bellwood of Cushman & Wakefield, along with Neil Lipinski of Lipinski Real Estate represented the tenant, United Federation of Teachers. The tenant plans to take occupancy of its new space this fall.
LOS ANGELES — Sony Pictures Entertainment has signed a long-term, multi-floor lease to occupy 225,239 square feet of office space at Wilshire Courtyard, a two-building, Class A office campus on Los Angeles’ Miracle Mile. The company is relocating select divisions from Culver City to the new offices at 5750 Wilshire Blvd. Josh Bernstein, Peter Collins, Scott Menkus and Alexa Delahooke of Cushman & Wakefield represented the landlord, Onni Group, while Josh Gorin and Mike Catalano of Savills represented Sony in the lease negotiations. Neal Linthicum of Onni managed the transaction on the company’s behalf. Wilshire Courtyard comprises two six-story office buildings, located at 5700 and 5750 Wilshire Blvd., totaling 1 million square feet. The buildings were originally developed in the late 1980s and underwent significant interior and exterior renovations in 2015. The asset features 125 tiered outdoor balconies for indoor/outdoor work, an onsite Equinox Fitness, renovated common areas and plazas, and a park with jogging trails. Additionally, Onni is adding an amenity center to the property with a golf simulator, multi-screen entertainment center, tenant lounge and conference facility.
SAN DIEGO — CBRE has arranged the sale of an office building located at 10200 Willow Creek in San Diego’s Scripps Ranch submarket. Espten Grinnell & Howell APC sold the asset to a private buyer, completing a 1031 exchange, for $6 million. Matt Pourcho, Jeb Bakke, Anthony DeLorenzo, Matt Harris and Nick Williams of CBRE Private Capital Partners represented the seller, while the buyer was self-represented in the transaction. Built in 1980 on 2.2 acres, the one-story property features 23,524 square feet of office space and 92 parking spaces. At the time of sale, the building was fully leased.
MILWAUKEE — Mosaic Construction LLC has completed a renovation project for flexible workspace provider Expansive at 790 N. Milwaukee St. in downtown Milwaukee. This latest project follows five other renovations that Mosaic has completed for Expansive in downtown Chicago. At Expansive Milwaukee, Cathedral Square, Mosaic converted a roughly 4,500-square-foot, second-floor office space into four individual Club Suites, which are speculative suites with private offices and glass-enclosed conference rooms. Mosaic also installed new HVAC, flooring, glass walls and lighting fixtures. The six-story office building is located between the Milwaukee River and Milwaukee Bay, adjacent to Cathedral Square Park.
JERSEY CITY, N.J. — Business management consulting firm EXL has signed a 17,712-square-foot office lease renewal at 10 Exchange Place, a 30-story, 740,354-square-foot building in Jersey City. David DeMatteis, Nicholas Dysenchuk and Robert Lowe of Cushman & Wakefield represented the landlord, an affiliate of Canadian insurance and financial services giant Manulife, in the lease negotiations. Scott Bogetti and Meghan Marchini of Savills represented the tenant.
HOUSTON — Austin-based investment firm CapRidge Partners has sold a 109,473-square-foot office building in Houston’s Energy Corridor. The six-story building, which was renovated in 2021 and was roughly 60 percent leased at the time of sale, sits on a 3.7-acre site at 12012 Wickchester Lane. Marty Hogan and Kevin McConn of JLL represented CapRidge Partners in the transaction and procured the undisclosed buyer. The sales price was also not disclosed.
DETROIT — Colliers has brokered the sale of the historic Grand Army of the Republic (GAR) building in Detroit for an undisclosed price. The 24,000-square-foot property is located at 1942 Grand River Ave. Newgar LLC sold the asset to Joe Barbat of Barbat Holdings. Benji Rosenzweig and Ben Hubert of Colliers represented both parties in the transaction. The building currently houses a restaurant, office and event space. The buyer intends to convert the property into strictly event space with a new steakhouse on the ground floor to replace the old Parks & Rec Diner and Republic Tavern restaurants. The GAR building opened in 1901 as a place for the city’s Civil War veterans to gather. The GAR is a nationwide organization founded in 1866.
SUNSET HILLS, MO. — In April, Kadean Construction will move its St. Louis office from Fenton to Sunset Hills. The contractor will occupy roughly 10,500 square feet within Laumeier Office Park Building 4 after an approximately $1.2 million renovation and buildout is completed. Kadean’s architecture team is leading the design of the new space with assistance from eddy Design Group. The move comes as Kadean’s office staff has grown from 20 employees to 36 over the past 15 months. The new office will feature conference rooms, training areas and collaboration space. Kadean is also finalizing a lease for roughly 4,600 square feet of warehouse space in the Westport area to relocate and accommodate its expanding storage needs. Kadean also has an office in Kansas City. Total company employment now stands at 85. The construction firm has grown from $85.2 million in revenue in 2019 to an estimated $340 million in 2022.