CORAL GABLES, FLA. — Aquarius Capital LLC has purchased Merrick Plaza, an office building located at 2199 Ponce de Leon Blvd. in the heart of the Coral Gables financial district. Aquarius Capital plans to use the property for the corporate offices of Ascendant Commercial Insurance. Tere Blanca of Blanca Commercial Real Estate represented the buyer in the sale. John Lonardo of Sperry Van Ness Commercial Realty represented the seller, 1607 Ponce LLP.
Construction on the 73-story Wilshire Grand Hotel, office and retail complex in Downtown Los Angeles’ Financial District, coupled with Google’s recent purchase of 12 acres for development in Playa Vista prove the region’s office market is alive and well. It may even be enjoying a bit of a rebirth in this post-recovery period. Los Angeles, unlike many other comparable U.S. metropolitans, is composed of several distinct business centers that make it difficult to generalize about the overall market. Separated by only a few miles, there are nonetheless very distinct markets that comprise LA, due, in no small part, to the lack of a fully integrated public transportation system and long-standing traffic that remain a barrier to full connectivity between the various areas. With that in mind, there are some very evident trends emerging out of Downtown and the Westside, which includes Century City, Westwood, Santa Monica, Playa Vista and adjacent cities. Downtown is enjoying a resurgence. It now has a real live-work vibe due, in large part, to the highly successful LA Live mixed-use hotel, retail and entertainment development adjacent to Staples Center. A variety of high-rise condominiums and apartments now make it possible to actually live Downtown. With new …
NEW YORK CITY — American Realty Capital New York City REIT Inc. (NYCR) has entered into an agreement to acquire an institutional-quality office building in downtown Manhattan for $253 million, exclusive of closing costs. Located at 123 William St., the 545,000-square-foot property is currently 81 percent leased. The property’s largest tenants include the State of New York, the City of New York, the United States of America, the Securities Training Corp. and McAloon & Friedman PC. Additional terms of the transaction were not released.
RESTON, VA. — American Real Estate Partners and funds managed by Square Mile Capital Management LLC have formed a joint venture to acquire Reston International Center for $35 million. The property is a 15-story, 179,000-square-foot office building located at 11800 Sunrise Valley Drive in Reston. The office tower is located within the mixed-use Reston Heights development and is within walking distance of the planned Reston Parkway Silver Line Metrorail station. Upon completion, Reston Heights will contain approximately 400 multifamily units and 95,000 square feet of retail space in addition to the office building. The joint venture partners are planning a $10 million renovation of Reston International Center, including the addition of a three-and-a-half story parking deck, and will fully renovate the lobby and building common areas. The Reston International Center acquisition is American Real Estate Partners’ third investment through its American Real Estate Partners Strategic Office Fund.
CARY, N.C. — Chambers Street Properties has completed the $16.4 million sale of Regency Creek I, a 122,087-square-foot office building located in Cary. The four-story property is located at 12040 Regency Parkway. The building is 100 percent leased and serves as the North American headquarters for ABB, a leading power and automation technology company. The buyer, Intercontinental Real Estate Corp., assumed mortgage loans of approximately $8.6 million in the transaction. This property was included in the Chambers Street’s joint venture with Duke Realty Corp. and the sales price represents Chambers Street’s 80 percent share. Ben Kilgore and Jeff Glenn of CBRE|Raleigh represented Duke Realty in the transaction.
CHICAGO — GLL Real Estate Partners has purchased 550 W. Adams, an 18-story office building in the West Loop area of downtown Chicago. The seller was SEB Asset Management, an established Frankfurt, Germany-based real estate manager, which had owned the property since it opened in 2006. The purchase price was undisclosed, but Crain’s Chicago reports that the office tower sold for $185 million. The 483,677-square-foot tower is currently 94 percent leased and is anchored by the global headquarters of USG Corp., a producer of high performance buildings systems. Other major tenants include the law firm of Lewis, Brisbois, Bisgaard & Smith LPP, healthcare provider Humana HealthPlan and JP Morgan, which recently renewed its lease and, like USG, will remain a tenant on a long-term lease.
IRVING, TEXAS — Signature Office REIT Inc. has arranged a 10-year lease for NEC Corp. of America (NEC) in Irving. NEC will occupy space within the 119,611-square-foot Royal Ridge V building located at 3929 W. John Carpenter Freeway. Beginning on Dec. 1 of this year, NEC will relocate its U.S. headquarters to Royal Ridge V. NEC is a technology integrator of advanced IT and communications solutions. Mike Wyatt and Bill McClung of Cushman & Wakefield represented NEC in the transaction. Nathan Durham and Fletcher Cordell of Transwestern represented Signature. Signature is a self-managed, non-traded public real estate investment trust focused primarily on core office real estate.
CAMPBELL, CALIF. – The Carlyle Group has acquired Vasona Technology Park, a 314,256-square-foot office/flex center in Campbell, for an undisclosed sum. The seven-building center is located at 200-250 E. Hacienda and 1315-1357 Dell Ave. The seller, Hines Interests L.P., was represented by DTZ’s Eric Fox, Robert Gilley and Steve Hermann.
PLEASANTON, CALIF. – Meridian Property Company has purchased the Atrium, a 74,000-square-foot office building in Pleasanton, for an undisclosed sum. The building is located at 5776 Stoneridge Mall Road. It was built in 1982. Meridian was represented by Simon Vogt of Lee & Associates-East Bay. The seller, Downtown Properties, was represented by CBRE’s Katherine J. Kelleher.
IRVINE, CALIF. – Freedom National Insurance has acquired a 9,900-square-foot office/R&D building at the Irvine Spectrum for an undisclosed sum. The building is located at 8855 Research Drive. Freedom National plans to use the property to house its technology research and development division. The company was represented by Cushman & Wakefield’s Blake Garrett. The seller, Research Property LLC, was represented by Bob Reiden of Lee & Associates.
