CARLSBAD, CALIF. – Research Center Plaza, an 81,118-square-foot R&D/office campus in Carlsbad, has sold to a joint venture between Lincoln Property Company and Artemis Real Estate Partners for $9.5 million. The property is located at 2232, 2234 and 2236 Rutherford Road. It was 75 percent leased. The JV plans to upgrade the exterior and interior spaces of the project, creating office lofts with collaborative features, open ceilings and enhanced natural lighting. The JV represented itself in this transaction, while the sellers, RCP Funding Corp. and Shmael Carlsbad Investors LLC, were represented by Rick Reader and Brian Driscoll of Cassidy Turley.
WILLOWBROOK, ILL. — Morgan/Harbour will complete a 26,000-square-foot office renovation and a 5,000-square-foot office expansion for Midtronics in Willowbrook. The property is located at 7000 Monroe St. in the southwest suburb of Chicago. Construction at the headquarters will feature the addition of 140 office workstations, new AV systems, a new executive boardroom and two meeting rooms. Morgan/Harbour will also complete extensive millwork, replace all flooring, apply new paint and lighting throughout as well as replace all light fixtures and install new acoustical ceiling tiles. A mezzanine will be constructed above the cafeteria to serve as additional seating for meetings or collaborative *breakout areas. Construction is scheduled for completion in late spring 2015. Morgan/Harbour’s construction team included Ben Warriner, Graeme Foster, Scott Heguy and Keith Zagroba. Ware Malcomb is providing architectural services. Midtronics develops and markets technologies for battery management.
CHANTILLY, VA. — NAI KLNB has brokered the $60.5 million sale of a five-building office portfolio totaling 318,000 square feet in Chantilly, roughly 30 miles west of Washington, D.C. Hayden Maguire Real Estate Fund purchased the portfolio, which is located in Avion Business Park, from JPMCC 2006-CIBC14 Chantilly Office LLC. The Class A properties included MidRise I at 14500 Avion Parkway; MidRise II at 14520 Avion Parkway; Service Center III at 3650 Concorde Parkway; Avion Tech Center II at 14700 Avion Parkway; and Avion Tech Center III at 3635 Concord Parkway. Avion Business Park was originally developed by Trammell Crow Co. between 1987 and 2001. Kevin Goeller, Chris Kubler and Josh Simon of NAI KLNB, along with C-III Realty Services LLC, represented the seller in the transaction.
LOS ANGELES – The University of Southern California (USC) has signed a four-year lease for 19,653 square feet within the World Trade Center in Downtown Los Angeles. The 370,000-square-foot office building is located at 350 S. Figueroa Street. The new lease allows the school to nearly double its presence at the center. It has also brought the World Trade Center’s occupancy to 74 percent. USC was represented by Dennis Smith, Howard Feuerstein, and Cory Campbell of Travers Realty. The landlord, Jamison Properties, was represented by Chris Runyen of Charles Dunn Company.
MONTCLAIR, N.J. — LCOR, along with co-developer The Pinnacle Cos., has topped out Phase I of Valley & Bloom, a mixed-use project in Montclair’s central business district. Located at 638 Bloomfield Ave., Valley & Bloom will be comprised of two buildings that will include a total of 258 residential apartments, ranging from studio to two-bedroom units; 20,000 square feet of office space; 22,000 square feet of retail space; and 571 parking spaces. Phase I is on track to be completed by the end of May 2015, with the second building following shortly after. Valley & Bloom is the first phase of the Montclair Center Gateway Redevelopment Plan. The Pinnacle Cos. recently received approval for Phase II, which will include The MC Hotel, part of Marriott International’s Autograph Collection. The MC Hotel is slated to begin construction in 2015.
NEW YORK CITY — FilmRise, a digital distribution company, has acquired office space at Industrial City in Brooklyn’s Sunset Park neighborhood. Located at 34 35th St., the 5,000-square-foot space was designed by Lester Evan Tour and features a large open floor space, bare ceilings, the original restored 100-year-old wood floors and more than 30 windows overlooking the New York City Harbor and the Statue of Liberty.
AUSTIN — DivcoWest has purchased Lakewood Center and The Park, two office complexes located in Austin’s northwest submarket. The projects contain three buildings totaling 185,000 square feet of Class A office space. Lakewood Center consists of two buildings located on Highway 360, one with 48,000 square feet and the other with 44,000 square feet. The Park, located on Highway 1, consists of one building with 93,000 square feet.
DALLAS — Law firm Lewis Brisbois Bisgaard & Smith LLP has leased 30,073 square feet at 2100 Ross Ave. in Dallas. Randy Cooper, Craig Wilson, Frank McCafferty and Jonathan Larsen of Cassidy Turley represented the law firm. The property is owned by Atlanta-based Cousins Properties. Cynthia Cowen and William Brokaw of Cushman & Wakefield represented the landlord. The building consists of 33 stories and includes a conference center that seats 175, cafes, a fitness center and sky bridge pedestrian system.
AUSTIN — Cousins Properties Inc. is set to begin construction on Research Park V in Austin. The 173,000-square-foot office development is the last in a five-building complex Cousins is developing. Construction is projected to start later this year and be completed in the fourth quarter of 2015. Cousins anticipates the total development cost for Research Park V will be $44 million.
MCKINNEY, TEXAS — Encore Retail LLC, a subsidiary of Dallas-based Encore Enterprises Inc., has acquired land to develop a 20-acre Class A neighborhood retail development in the master-planned community of Craig Ranch. The development is part of a 2,200-acre business, retail and residential community which will be located near the city limit lines of McKinney and Frisco. The project will be known as Marketplace at Craig Ranch and will be anchored by a grocer with inline retail space as well as five outparcel pad sites along Custer and Stacy roads.