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.
The Raleigh-Durham commercial real estate market continues to be one of growth and perseverance despite the global pandemic. Its economy is rich with an array of industries, healthcare and university systems that support population growth and expansion. Commercial real estate is experiencing its own challenges and opportunities through this pandemic, including one of the most talked about asset classes, office. The sector is the subject of the big “pause” discussion as there’s uncertainty going forward. Despite the lack of commitment to many significant leases, the office market’s fundamentals have remained stable in Raleigh-Durham. Rates are holding steady with an average Class A rental rate of $29.59 per square foot. Vacancy and absorption are maintaining competitive levels, allowing market rates to hold somewhat steady. Over the last year, activity reflected these trends as many landlords negotiated short-term renewals without rate increases. If the leasing trend continues this year, renewals and space consolidation will possibly lead to a reduction in rental rates. One of the key driving forces of office product in Raleigh-Durham stems from the life sciences industry. The market is currently ranked No. 5 among life sciences markets in the United States, according to CBRE’s annual report. The life sciences …
ST. LOUIS — St. Louis-based general contractor McCarthy has relocated its headquarters to a new space that is nearly 30,000 square feet larger than its previous office. McCarthy Holdings Inc. will occupy the building’s third floor and staff members of the central region of McCarthy Building Cos. Inc. will occupy the second floor. The building is located at 12851 Manchester Road. McCarthy collaborated with building owner Franklin Partners to complete extensive interior and exterior renovations prior to its move-in. The buildout features a central staircase connecting the two floors as well as conference and training facilities, flex space, a fitness center and micro café. A construction technology suite features smart screens and three-dimensional virtual reality technology. In response to COVID-19, the building’s existing HVAC system was upgraded to an air treatment system designed to neutralize pathogens. Workspaces have been arranged to incorporate social distancing. Divider screens separate individuals and panel heights between workstations were increased by 16 inches. Christner Architects served as project architect. The building was originally constructed in 1996 for AT&T.
SEATTLE — Gantry has arranged $12.5 million in financing for a single-tenant office property in Seattle’s South Lake Union submarket. Located at 1144 Eastlake Ave. E, the seven-story building features 82,000 square feet of rentable space. The property was built in 2002. Seattle Cancer Care Alliance fully occupies the building. Mike Wood and Alex Saunders of Gantry’s Seattle production office identified and structured the loan on behalf of the borrower, a private real estate owner and previous Gantry client. The 10-year loan refinanced existing obligations. State Farm provided the capital on a full-term interest-only basis at an interest rate below 2.5 percent.
CHICAGO — The road ahead will be bumpy for the U.S. office sector, but there is light at the end of the tunnel, says Cushman & Wakefield. The Chicago-based commercial real estate brokerage recently published Part III of a series of snapshots entitled “U.S. Office Sector: the Road Ahead in 2021,” which are focused on the economy and office trends. What follows is a synopsis of those predictions in the third segment. The path of the virus is central to the office sector recovery, asserts Cushman & Wakefield. As of early February, roughly 11 percent of the U.S. adult population has received at least one dose of the vaccine. Additionally, the seven-day moving average of vaccines being administered was trending up and the number of vaccinations was outpacing the number of new confirmed daily infections. Most baseline forecasts assume the vaccines will be widely distributed by mid-2021 in most advanced countries and in some emerging markets. In the U.S., it is currently assumed that full herd immunity will be reached by September or October of this year. Undoubtedly, the pandemic directly impacted office leasing fundamentals in 2020. In the U.S., there was 104 million square feet of negative absorption last …
GLENDALE, ARIZ. — Mattress retailer Brooklyn Bedding has broken ground on a $72 million manufacturing facility and corporate headquarters nine miles outside Phoenix in Glendale. The 648,165-square-foot building will be located on 42.8 acres at the crossroads of West Bethany Home Road and 52nd Ave. The new manufacturing facility, set for delivery in December 2021, will give the company the capacity to triple its mattress production. Founded in 1995, Brooklyn Bedding claims to be a pioneer in the “bed-in-a-box movement,” selling its first roll-packed mattress product on Amazon in 2008. By 2015, Brooklyn Bedding had developed and constructed a 150,000-square-foot, full-scale factory in the Phoenix area. The company currently employs 250 and plans to add 150 employees upon the completion of its new facilities. Brydant Real Estate will spearhead development of the project, working alongside the development team of Alston Construction and the architectural team of Ware Malcomb. Brooklyn Bedding will continue operations at its manufacturing facility at 4455 West Camelback Road and its warehouse at 4524 North 44th Ave. in Phoenix until the new headquarters is delivered. — Katie Sloan
SAN ANTONIO — Los Angeles-based investment firm BH Properties has acquired the Navarro Building and Garage, a 10-story commercial property in San Antonio’s RiverWalk area that consists of 100,000 square feet of office space above a 605-space parking structure. The building was originally constructed in 1968 to provide parking for the San Antonio World’s Fair and was vacant at the time of sale. BH Properties is planning a capital improvement program to completely transform the office component into institutional quality Class A space designed either for multi- or single-tenant uses. Planned improvements include refurbishing of balconies, redesigning of public spaces such as lobbies and restrooms and installing of new lighting throughout. BH also plans to modernize the parking systems in the garage with new access controls and EV charging stations.
HOUSTON — New York City-based Ariel Property Advisors has arranged a $14 million acquisition loan for a 140,000-square-foot office building in the Clear Lake submarket of Houston. Eli Weisblum of Ariel Property Advisors placed the loan five-year loan, which was structured with a 4.25 percent interest rate and a 30-year amortization schedule, through an undisclosed lender. The property was fully leased at the time of the loan closing. The borrower was also not disclosed.