AUSTIN, TEXAS — Architecture and design firm Gensler has completed the repositioning of Fifth + Tillery, a 188,000-square-foot office building in East Austin that is a redevelopment of an industrial facility. The owner, CIM Group, acquired the property in October 2019 shortly after construction began, and the initial construction was completed in August 2020. Spaces at Fifth + Tillery are marketed to creative office users featuring outdoor balconies with heightened levels of natural light. The building also offers a landscaped courtyard with various outdoor amenities.
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NEW YORK CITY — Corporate communications and public relations firm Prosek Partners has signed a 34,000-square-foot office lease at 28 East 28th Street in Manhattan’s Midtown South area. The tenant plans to relocate to the 15th floor of the newly renovated building, which houses a Whole Foods Market on the ground floor, from 105 Madison Avenue in the fourth quarter. Barry Zeller, Jonathan Serko and Barry Garfinkle of Cushman & Wakefield represented the tenant in the lease negotiations. Peter Duncan, Matt Coudert and Alex Bermingham represented the landlord, George Comfort & Sons, which owns the building in partnership with Jamestown and Loeb Partners Realty, on an internal basis.
RAVENNA, OHIO — Boston Group, which designs and manufactures custom metal and plastic displays for retail stores, hospitals and pharmacies, has unveiled plans to relocate its headquarters from Boston to Ravenna, about 15 miles east of Akron. The company will also relocate from an existing manufacturing facility in Hubbard, Ohio. The new headquarters and manufacturing facility will span 308,000 square feet of office and warehouse space. The property owner, Industrial Commercial Properties, acquired the asset in March 2021 and renovated interiors and exteriors. David Stubblebine and David Skinner of The Stubblebine Co. and Kevin Joseph of Weber Wood Medinger/CORFAC International represented Boston Group in the transaction.
Cushman & Wakefield Arranges $193M in Development Funding for The Confidential Mixed-Use Project in Seattle
by Amy Works
SEATTLE — Cushman & Wakefield has procured a $193 million development funding package on behalf of Seattle-based Security Properties. The package includes a $65.2 million joint venture equity investment with MetLife Investment Management and $115.3 million in construction financing from Bank OZK for The Confidential, a 29-story, 212-unit, 374,000-square-foot mixed-use building being developed in the Belltown submarket Located at 2315 Fourth Ave., at the corner of Bell Street, The Confidential will feature 212 apartments, 17,500 square feet of office space, 8,000 square feet of ground-floor retail space and 243 parking spaces. Planned community amenities include a fitness center, lounge and theater. Currently under construction, The Confidential is expected to open in 2024. Design of The Confidential is being provided by VIA Architecture. Communita Atelier is the landscape architect and Exxel Pacific is the general contractor.
OMAHA, NEB. — Omaha National Group Inc., a provider of workers’ compensation insurance, has opened its new headquarters at 9110 W. Dodge Road in Omaha. The 52,000-square-foot building can accommodate up to 300 employees. The company currently has 200 employees. The office features private workspaces and areas for collaboration and multimedia purposes. The new office more than doubles the firm’s previous space and provides employees with a larger break room.
LISLE, ILL. — Byline Bank, a subsidiary of Byline Bancorp Inc. (NYSE: BY), has provided an $11 million loan for the acquisition of a three-building flex industrial portfolio totaling 157,000 square feet in Lisle. A joint venture between Integris Ventures and Starlight Equity Partners was the borrower. Upon acquisition, the buyers plan to implement a capital improvements program. The seller was undisclosed.
NEW YORK CITY — Deutsche Bank has provided a $285 million loan for the refinancing of The Offices at Essex Crossing, located on Manhattan’s Lower East Side. The 350,000-square-foot complex is part of the 2 million-square-foot Essex Crossing mixed-use development and is 50 percent leased following a 140,000-square-foot commitment from Verizon last winter. The borrower is Delancey Street Associates, which is a joint venture of Taconic Partners, L+M Development Partners, BFC Partners, The Prusik Group and Goldman Sachs Asset Management. JLL and Walker & Dunlop arranged the financing on behalf of Delancey Street Associates.
PHOENIX — SDC Foothill Inc., a global investment manager, has completed the disposition of Foothills Corporate Centre I, a value-add office building in Phoenix. WG Group purchased the property for an undisclosed price as its first acquisition in the Phoenix market. Located at 14415 S. 50th St., the single-story Foothills Corporate Centre I features 110,360 square feet of office space. At the time of sale, the property was 64 percent leased to one tenant. The new owner plans to convert the property to flex/light industrial space. CJ Osbrink, Scott Scharlach and Kevin Shannon of Newmark represented the seller and buyer in the deal.
ATLANTA — Shadowbox Studios, a TV and movie studio operator formerly known as Blackhall Studios, is underway on expanding its studio campus in Atlanta from nine soundstages to 31. The 1.2 million-square-foot expansion project will grow the locally based company’s footprint to total 2 million square feet. The move follows a $500 million financing commitment from Silver Lake, a private equity investor with more than $88 billion in assets under management. Silver Lake will partner with existing investor Commonwealth Asset Management, which remains the majority shareholder of Shadowbox Studios. The capital injection will also be used to fund Shadowbox’s studio developments underway in London and Los Angeles. Deutsche Bank, EY and Sidley Austin represented Shadowbox in the financing transaction with Silver Lake. Farrer & Co. and King & Spalding also provided legal counsel. Latham & Watkins represented Silver Lake. The existing Atlanta studios for Shadowbox Studios served as filming locations for movies such as Jumanji: The Next Level, Jungle Cruise and Godzilla: King of the Monsters. The construction timeline for the expansion project was not disclosed.
Catalyst Healthcare, Bain Capital Break Ground on 60,000 SF Medical Office Building in Laurel, Maryland
by John Nelson
LAUREL, MD. — Catalyst Healthcare Real Estate and Bain Capital Real Estate have broken ground on a 60,000-square-foot medical office building in Laurel, a city about midway between Baltimore and Washington, D.C. The property will be connected to the University of Maryland Capital Region Health Hospital by an enclosed skyway and offer outpatient services, including family medicine, imaging, internal medicine, oncology, orthopedics, pharmacy, physical therapy, OB/GYN and dialysis. The building, which will feature about 3,000 square feet of commercial space, is the first phase of the master plan that will include the development of 11 healthcare buildings, as well as retail, restaurants and green space. Catalyst Healthcare and Bain Capital plan to open the property in summer 2023.