CHICAGO — BMO Financial Group has opened BMO Tower at 320 S. Canal St. in Chicago’s West Loop Gate neighborhood. The 50-story office tower will serve as BMO’s new U.S. headquarters. More than 3,000 employees will be based at BMO Tower, which rises more than 700 feet. Developed by Riverside Investment & Development, the property’s main floor features a new technology-enabled BMO bank branch. The project, which features a fitness center and 1.5-acre greenspace, was designed to achieve WELL Building Platinum and LEED Gold certifications.
By Chase Monroe, Carolinas Market Director and Charlotte Brokerage Lead, and Chris Schaaf, Executive Managing Director of Tenant Representation, JLL Nearly two years after the onset of the pandemic, Charlotte’s office market is showing strong signs of recovery as economic momentum builds. Last year, the Queen City set the stage for growth with 4.9 million square feet of office space delivered from pre-pandemic projects, boasting over 1 million square feet more than any other metro for deliveries that occurred in 2021. Market-wide preleasing also exceeded 60 percent and nearly 2.1 million square feet of office space was under construction. Entering 2022, the market continued to forge ahead as large occupiers started their return to the office, and leasing activity began to surge throughout the region. And long-anticipated projects, such as Legacy Union, 110 East and The Station broke ground. According to Urban Land Institute’s 2021 annual report, Charlotte ranked No. 6 among the hottest real estate markets in the United States, with developers and investors betting big on Sun Belt cities. Deemed an 18-hour magnet city by the Emerging Trends in Real Estate survey, people and businesses alike are flocking to Charlotte, the so-called “migration destination.” Thanks to strong economic …
AUSTIN, TEXAS — PGIM Real Estate has provided a $77 million acquisition loan for Centro South, a 164,976-square-foot, newly constructed office building in Austin. Centro South represents Phase II of a larger development, and the sister building, Centro North, will be complete later this summer. At the time of the loan closing, Centro South was 96 percent leased, with Australian software developer Atlassian serving as the anchor tenant. The borrower, AEW Capital Management LP, acquired the five-story building from the developer, Riverside Resources, which will retain management responsibilities.
HOUSTON — Engineering and construction firm CTCI Americas Inc. has signed a 49,662-square-foot office lease at 15721 Park Row in Houston’s Energy Corridor. The six-story, 145,000-square-foot building offers a tenant lounge, conference facilities and an outdoor collaboration area. Josh Morrow of Avison Young represented the tenant in the lease negotiations. Steve Rocher, Parker Duffie and Jenny Mueller of CBRE represented the landlord, BH Properties.
DALLAS — Multifamily investment and management firm RPM Living has signed a 16,403-square-foot office lease at Preston Commons, a 427,799-square-foot office park in North Dallas that is owned by California-based KBS. The three-building campus offers a health and wellness center, multiple dining options, business lounge, open-air courtyard with Wi-Fi and an upgraded lobby. Alexandra Cullins, Dennis Barnes and Jackie Marshall of CBRE represented KBS in the lease negotiations.
CLAYTON, MO. — McCarthy Building Cos. has topped out construction of Forsyth Pointe, a nearly 1 million-square-foot office development in the St. Louis suburb of Clayton. US Capital Development is developing the two-building project, which will feature street-level retail space and views of the adjacent Shaw Park. Commerce Bank Tower will rise 10 stories and span 265,000 square feet. The other building will rise eight stories and total 210,000 square feet. The development will also feature 20,000 square feet of retail space and a seven-level parking garage accommodating 1,250 cars. Designed to achieve LEED Silver certification, the project will include a 45,000-square-foot garden terrace built over the parking structure. Additional amenities will include a 10,000-square-foot fitness center and a ground-floor arts and entertainment venue. A timeline for completion was not provided.
DALLAS — Newmark has negotiated the sale of One Mockingbird Plaza, a 156,104-square-foot office building located near Dallas Love Field Airport. Chris Murphy, Gary Carr, Robert Hill and Chase Tagen of Newmark represented the seller, TXRE Properties, in the transaction. The buyer and additional terms of sale were not disclosed. The newly renovated One Mockingbird Plaza was 94 percent leased at the time of sale.
ALLENTOWN, PA. — Florida-based investment and development firm DLP Capital has opened Grand Plaza, a 254,782-square-foot office building located in the Lehigh Valley city of Allentown. DLP Capital acquired the building, which is located in the downtown area, via auction in 2021 and implemented a capital improvement program. Grand Plaza now features open, full-floor and multi-tenant floor plans, with office spaces ranging in size from 5,000 to 33,600 square feet. Additionally, Grand Plaza offer energy-efficient workspaces, winter gardens and a landscaped roof.
NEW YORK CITY — Los Angeles-based Thorofare Capital has provided a $16.8 million acquisition loan for a 42,500-square-foot office and retail building located at 69-30 Austin St. in Queens. Ross Cumming of Ackman-Ziff Real Estate Capital Advisors placed the financing with Thorofare Capital. The borrower, a partnership between LTNG, Crown Acquisitions and Forest Hills Real Estate Group, plans to use a portion of the proceeds to fund capital improvements.
CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Charlotte Metro Federal Credit Union (CMCU) plans to develop a new primary office building on the corner of Central Avenue and Piedmont Street in Charlotte’s Elizabeth neighborhood for its new headquarters. The two-story, 48,000 square-foot property will house the credit union’s operations and administration staff who currently deliver financial services for over 92,000 members. Designed by Liquid Design & Architecture, the building will have a large terrace on the second floor facing Uptown Charlotte, as well as a two-story atrium space and two underground levels of parking. The building will be directly adjacent to the new CMCU Central Avenue branch that broke ground in March and is expected to be open later this fall. Construction for the new headquarters will begin in the first quarter of 2023 with an expected completion date in the second quarter of 2024. Upon completion of the new headquarters facility, CMCU plans to sell its existing headquarters building at 718 Central Ave. in Charlotte but retain its operations offices in Matthews and Greensboro.