Everyone is buzzing about the significant amount of speculative construction all over Texas. For the first time since 2008, San Antonio’s office construction is picking up the pace with 928,395 square feet of speculative development underway. Local developers with conservative land positions are taking the lead on all of these developments as they respond to an increasing need for relevant office building options for corporate firms—something San Antonio has not had since 2009, when Concord Park II, Overlook at the Rim, Plaza Las Campanas and others were delivered. Both the Far North Central and Northwest submarkets have witnessed the bulk of recent absorption activity, offering newer, more efficient office options near the more modern residential subdivisions and retail developments. The Northwest submarket also accounts for one-third of San Antonio’s total rentable building area for office space. As of Q4 2014, the Northwest submarket absorbed 342,927 square feet, while the North Central submarket absorbed 312,856 square feet. Two great examples of success in these submarkets are WestRidge One at La Cantera (completed in Q4 2014) and Éilan Buildings I and II (completed in Q1 2011). These two projects are responsible for 253,976 square feet of absorption in the past two years …
WASHINGTON, D.C. — Oxford Properties Group has purchased a 49.7 percent stake in Washington Center, a 335,000-square-foot office building located at 1001 G St. N.W. in Washington, D.C.’s East End submarket. Oxford Properties Group is the real estate arm of OMERS, the pension plan for municipal employees in Ontario. Oxford partnered with the 12-story building’s developer, Quadrangle Development Corp., in the transaction. QDC Property Management will continue to manage the asset on behalf of the joint venture and QuikPark, also a Quadrangle affiliate, will continue to manage the five-story, below-grade parking garage.
MILWAUKEE — New York-based Gramercy Property Trust Inc. has acquired one office and four industrial properties totaling approximately 590,000 square feet for $44.4 million. The properties include a portfolio of three single-tenant industrial properties totaling approximately 450,000 square feet in the Milwaukee; a cross-dock truck terminal located in Milford, Conn.; and a 115,000-square-footm Class A call center, office and operations facility in Charlotte. The properties are fully leased with a weighted average lease term of 6.7 years.
NEW YORK CITY — Meridian Capital Group has arranged a $40 million loan for the acquisition of an office property located at 145 West 45th St. in New York City. The five-year loan, provided by a regional balance sheet lender, features a 3.5 percent fixed-rate and interest-only payments for the full term. A partnership led by the Aini family acquired the 12-story, 90,000-square-foot office building from an undisclosed seller. Rael Gervis and David Hayum of Meridian’s New York City office arranged the financing.
SADDLE BROOK, N.J. — A fund sponsored by CBRE Global Investors, an independently operated affiliate of CBRE Group Inc., has acquired Park 80 West, a two-building office complex in Saddle Brook, for an undisclosed price. Located at the junction of Interstate 80 and Garden State Parkway, the 507,480-square-foot asset features a full-service cafeteria, fitness center, boardroom, dry cleaning service, on-site property management and 90-percent covered parking. The property was 73 percent leased at the time of sale; the diverse tenant roster includes several investment-grade companies. The seller was a joint venture between Pearlmark Real Estate Partners and L&L. Jeffrey Dunne, Kevin Welsh, Brian Schulz and Frank Maresca of CBRE Group Inc. represented the buyer and worked closely with the seller to ensure an expedient transaction prior to a debt maturity for the transaction.
ATLANTA — Admiral Capital Group and its joint venture partner SDM Partners have sold 200 Ashford Center, a 158,384-square-foot office building in Atlanta’s Central Perimeter submarket. Built in 1989, the office building is located near the intersection of Ashford Dunwoody Road and Mt. Vernon Highway. The buyer was Parmenter Realty Partners, a fully integrated real estate investment, management and development firm headquartered in Miami with more than $1 billion in assets under management. Cushman & Wakefield represented both the buyer and sellers in the transaction.
SANTA ANA, CALIF. – A 152,705-square-foot office building in Santa Ana has sold to Small Giant for $12.7 million. The nine-story building is located at 1200 North Main. It was 55 percent leased at closing. The property was built in 1971 and renovated in 1997. The seller, Positive Investments, was represented by Dan Vittone and Alan Pekarcik of Avison Young.
SALT LAKE CITY – Traeger Wood Pellet Grills has leased 28,740 square feet at Wilmington Gardens in the Salt Lake City submarket of Sugar House. The new mixed-use project will be located at 1215 East Wilmington Ave. It will contain 75,000 square feet of office and 25,000 square feet of retail, in addition to 100 condo and apartment units. It is expected to be completed this March. The developer is Wilmington Gardens Group, a partnership between Woodbury Corporation, Colmena Group and Dee’s Inc. Traeger was represented by Aaron Jones of Newmark Grubb Acres.
OAKBROOK TERRACE, ILL. — Cohen Financial has arranged an $8.3 million acquisition loan for a mid-rise office building located at 2 Trans Am Plaza Drive in Oakbrook Terrace. The property is a 5-story office building adjacent to a Marriott Courtyard hotel. The property is leased to multiple tenants. Dan Rosenberg of Cohen Financial’s Chicago office secured the loan with American Capital Ltd., a publicly traded private equity firm and global asset manager. The borrower is American Landmark Properties, a commercial real estate owner/manager experienced in office properties.
NEW YORK CITY — Dalan Management has purchased two 12-story office buildings located at 10 and 12 East 33rd St. in New York City’s Midtown South neighborhood. The assets, which feature 22 full-floor office lofts and ground-floor retail space, sold for $36 million as part of a 1031 exchange. Additionally, the properties, which total 61,100 square feet, are zoned for conversion to residential or hotel space. Timour Shafran and Phil Fierro of Citicore represented Dalan, while Pavan Uttam of UP Real Estate Advisors represented the seller, Adee Associates, in the transaction.