MINNEAPOLIS — Blu Dot is expanding its headquarters in the Northeast Minneapolis Arts District to 60,000 square feet. Blu Dot, a furniture designer and retailer, will expand its onsite retail store and add creative office space for its employees. The company’s headquarters are located at the 20-acre Crown-Arts Center, which is owned by Chicago-based R2 Cos. Today, Blu Dot owns and operates 10 stores across the U.S. and three internationally.
BALTIMORE — 28 Walker Development will build a five-story, 125,000-square-foot office building at 4010 Boston St. in Baltimore City, known as 40TEN. The Class A office space will be delivered in early 2022. 40TEN is the first commercial office building in downtown Baltimore constructed entirely using heavy wood timber materials. 28 Walker chose to utilize heavy timber based on the material’s positive energy efficiency attributes, with flooring, columns and exposed ceilings all comprising natural wood. 40TEN is part of the Collective at Canton, a mixed-use project developed by 28 Walker that features a Sprouts Farmers Market, Sola Salon and Chase Bank. Future plans include an apartment community built by Greystar and a hotel. The office building will feature a communal rooftop amenity deck free to all tenants, with half for conference facilities and kitchen space and the other half being a space to eat and relax. The property features 14-foot ceiling heights and enlarged windows to maximize the amount of natural light entering the building. The building will include a fitness center, touchless entry systems, antimicrobial finishes and specialty HVAC systems engineered to improve air quality and stimulate outdoor air flow. Free parking will be available to all tenants. Celebree …
LOS ANGELES — Chicago-based 4S Bay Partners has purchased a 1.8-acre land parcel at 3701 W. Stocker St. in the Baldwin Hills Crenshaw Corridor of Los Angeles. Sticks Holdings LLC and an affiliate of Optimus Properties sold the asset for $24 million. James Daughrity of Daughrity Real Estate represented the buyer and seller in the deal. The property is located in a designed Opportunity Zone with a transit-oriented development designation, which allows for pedestrian-friendly and community-serving uses. The parcel currently contains a 45,000-square-foot, four-story office structure, which was built in 1954. Additionally, the site is in proximity to the planned Metro Crenshaw/LAX light rail transit line. The buyer previously purchased 3731, 3741, 3751 and 3761 W. Stocker St. all within the Baldwin Hills Crenshaw Corridor. Los Angeles-based Pantheon Business Consulting will manage the development of the sites. Potential development plans include a multi-use film studio, entertainment campus and business incubator redevelopment project in line with 4S Bay Partners’ social impact and community development mission to increase economic development within underserved and urban communities. According to 4S Bay, the project’s vision is to partner with creatives, thought-leaders and non-profits surrounding South Los Angeles to create economic opportunities and amplify storytelling about …
IRVING, TEXAS — Locally based developer T2V Properties plans to build an 88,100-square-foot office project at 1410 N. Westridge Circle in Irving’s Las Colinas district. The project represents Phase II of Westridge Park, a speculative boutique office development. Phase I consisted of a 34,188-square-foot building that was completed in December 2019. Modus Design Studio is the architect for Phase II, and Bradford Commercial Real Estate Services has been tapped to lease the development. A general contractor for Phase II has not yet been selected.
ADDISON, TEXAS — ATW Corp., a locally based provider of trailer parts and accessories, has signed a 26,127-square-foot office headquarters lease at Greenhill Towers in the northern Dallas suburb of Addison. The company will be relocating from Richardson. Dan Zeltser of SHOP Cos. represented the tenant in its site selection and lease negotiations. Grant Sumner and Russell Podraza of Avison Young represented the building ownership, Florida-based Codina Partners, which recently implemented an $8 million capital improvement program at Greenhill Towers.
SOUTHFIELD, MICH. — Bernard Financial Group has arranged a $24.3 million CMBS loan for the refinancing of two Class A office buildings in Southfield. The buildings total 315,839 square feet. Dennis Bernard and Joshua Bernard of Bernard Financial Group arranged the loan on behalf of the borrower, Oakland Commons Acquisition Owner LLC. Loan terms were not disclosed.
CHICAGO — J.C. Anderson has completed an office buildout for Ascend Technologies LLC at 200 W. Adams St. in Chicago. Ascend relocated from 222 W. Adams St. The company was created in March 2020 after private equity firm M/C Partners acquired both West Monroe Partners’ managed services division and Gratia Inc. The new office space features open areas, private offices, boardrooms, a lounge and café. Garnett provided architectural services.
BRIDGEWATER, N.J. — NAI DiLeo-Bram has negotiated a 5,600-square-foot office lease at Bridgewater Plaza, a two-building office complex in the Northern New Jersey city of Bridgewater. Marc Shein of NAI DiLeo-Bram represented the tenant, the Center for Psychological Treatment & Assessment, which provides services for adults with autism, in the lease negotiations. Shein also represented the landlord.
PHILADELPHIA — Republic Properties Corp., a privately owned real estate investment and management firm, plans to build Ultra Labs at University City, a $190 million life sciences facility in Philadelphia. The property will stand 11 stories tall and comprise 185,000 square feet of advanced research and development space for cell and gene therapy users. Republic Properties entered into a 90-year ground lease last year with Southeastern Pennsylvania Transit Authority (SEPTA) at the site, which is located adjacent to SEPTA’s Powelton Rail Yard station along North 32nd Street. Additionally, Ultra Labs at University City will sit within an Opportunity Zone between Powelton and Market streets overlooking the Schuylkill Expressway. The site is within close proximity to life science clusters including The Wistar Institute, University of Pennsylvania, Drexel University and Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia. The production center will be designed to ensure compliance with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration’s (FDA) Current Good Manufacturing Practice (cGMP) standards for pharmaceutical and cell production facilities, according to Republic Properties. The Washington, D.C.-based developer has tapped Maryland-based brokerage firm Scheer Partners to lease the property, which is slated for completion in less than 36 months. Republic Properties’ investment partner on the project is an entity …
ITASCA, ILL. — J.C. Anderson is completing a 55,000-square-foot office buildout for Ajinomoto Health & Nutrition North America Inc. at 250 E. Devon Ave. in Itasca. The health and wellness company is relocating from 1300 N. Arlington Heights Road, also in Itasca. Scheduled for completion in March, the new space will feature a culinary kitchen with video capabilities for hosting virtual demonstrations. It will also house laboratory space for research and development activities. Shive-Hattery served as architect and JLL provided project management services.
