WATERTOWN, MASS. — Locally based developer Berkeley Investments will undertake a project to convert a building at 64 Pleasant St. in the western Boston suburb of Watertown into a 105,000-square-foot life sciences facility. The two-story building offers a conference room, rooftop deck, fitness center and outdoor gathering spaces. Berkeley will upgrade the property’s utility and mechanical systems, elevate the ceiling heights, introduce reinforced concrete floors and add lab space. SGA is the project architect. The development team hopes to complete core and shell construction by the end of next year. Newmark has been tapped to market the building for lease.
Office
Swig Co. Receives $190M Loan to Refinance 633 Folsom Street Office Building in San Francisco
by Amy Works
SAN FRANCISCO — The Swig Co. has obtained $190 million in refinancing for 633 Folsom Street, an office building in the SOMA submarket of San Francisco. Bruce Ganong, Lillian Roos and Spencer Bergthold of JLL Capital Markets secured the seven-year, fixed-rate loan through Bank of China for the borrower. Originally developed in 1967, the building underwent significant a renovation and expansion, which was completed in 2021. The project added five new floors, all new building systems, exterior façade and an outdoor plaza. Asana, a cloud-based application for workplace management and team collaboration, fully leases the 271,000-square-foot property.
NEW YORK CITY — National law firm Lowenstein Sandler has signed a 125,700-square-foot office lease renewal and expansion at 1251 Avenue of the Americas in Manhattan. The 54-story, 2.3 million-square-foot office tower is situated atop the Rockefeller Center subway hub in the borough’s Midtown area. David Falk, Peter Shimkin, Eric Cagner and Nick Berger of Newmark represented the landlord, Mitsui Fudosan America, in the lease negotiations. Michael Goldman and Philip Weiss of AttentivRE represented Lowenstein Sandler, which is extending its current lease and taking an additional 25,000 square feet on the 19th floor.
TAMPA, FLA. — Atlanta-based Cousins Properties has acquired Heights Union, a 294,000-square-foot office property in downtown Tampa, for $144.8 million. Atlanta-based TPA Group and Heights master developer SoHo Capital were the sellers, according to the Tampa Business Journal. Built in 2020, Heights Union features two six-story buildings with parking provided. The office property is currently 93.4 percent leased with life sciences users representing 66 percent of the rent roll. Pfizer leases 106,000 square feet for a Global Capability Hub, and Axogen leases 75,000 square feet for its second headquarters and lab space. Additionally, White & Case leases 40,000 square feet for a mission critical global operations center. The office property is located within The Heights neighborhood, which is a live-work-play district located near the 2.6-mile Tampa Riverwalk that runs alongside the Hillsborough River. The district is also anchored by Armature Works, an adaptive reuse project of the former Tampa streetcar facility that includes 73,000 square feet of mixed-use space and over 20 restaurants and bars.
HOFFMAN ESTATES, ILL. — Headline Solar has signed a 15,690-square-foot office lease at Bell Works Chicagoland, the redevelopment of the former AT&T campus in Hoffman Estates. The solar panel installation company will make the office its national headquarters. Headline Solar currently operates in Texas and Illinois and plans to expand to Virginia, Florida and the Carolinas by 2023. The company expects to take occupancy of its new space in the first quarter of 2022. Headline Solar joins office tenants Platinum Home Mortgage, CPA Advisors Group, Mosquito Hunters and The Next Unicorn at Bell Works Chicagoland. Somerset Development is the owner and developer.
LONG ISLAND CITY — Locally based developer Tishman Speyer has received a $425 million green bond refinancing for The JACX, a 1.2 million-square-foot office complex in the Long Island City neighborhood of Queens. Built in 2019 and fully leased at the time of closing, The JACX consists of two 26-story office towers connected by a five-story base. According to the developer, the property represents the single largest addition to the supply of office space in Long Island City since the opening of the Citicorp Building in 1990. The development houses more than 50,000 square feet of retail space, including a food hall with nine culinary concepts, a restaurant by chef Dan Kluger and an upscale grocer. Other amenities include a fitness center operated by The Wright Fit, a landscaped public plaza, access to multiple public transit lines and a 175-space bike parking area with showers. MdeAS Architects designed the building to LEED Silver certifications, and environmentally friendly features include a 100,000-gallon stormwater reclamation system and an air filtration system. These assets made the property eligible for the green bond refinancing, which Bank of America originated. The transaction retires existing construction debt with permanent CMBS financing. “Tishman Speyer is dedicated to …
LPC West, Invesco Buy 211,000 SF Cascadian Office Building in Seattle’s Life Sciences Corridor
by Amy Works
SEATTLE — LPC West and Invesco Real Estate have acquired Cascadian, a nine-story office building located in Seattle’s life sciences corridor. Located at the intersection of South Lake Union, Capitol Hill and the central business district, Cascadian features 211,000 rentable square feet and potential ground-floor retail. The buyers plan to convert the property into a life sciences space. The redeveloped property will also feature a 7,300-square-foot rooftop terrace, on-site parking and transit accessibility. Terms of the acquisition were not released.
PHOENIX — Cushman & Wakefield has brokered the sale Riverpoint Building 2, a flex office and industrial property in Phoenix. Michael Hsiung of Phoenix Rising Investments acquired the property from BH Properties for $9 million. Located at 3100 E. Broadway Road, the 61,316-square-foot property was vacant at the time of sale. Built in 2002 on 5.3 acres, the single-story building is currently divided into three shell-condition suites of varying sizes and served by a newly constructed lobby. Eric Wichterman, Mike Coover, Larry Downey and Brett Thompson of Cushman & Wakefield represented the seller in the transaction.
Romeo Power Signs 215,000 SF Lease for Headquarters, Manufacturing Facility in Cypress, California
by Amy Works
CYPRESS, CALIF. — Romeo Power, an energy technology company delivering electrification solutions for complex commercial vehicle applications, has leased a new headquarters and manufacturing facility in Cypress. The facility will support Romeo Power’s expansion of battery development and testing capabilities adjacent to its production line, allowing for faster innovation and time to market. The 215,000-square-foot facility includes 191,000 square feet of industrial space that will be designed to double critical laboratory and testing capacity. The expanded manufacturing capabilities will enhance throughput, quality and cost effectiveness, while the increased office space will also allow for continued organizational investment in scientific engineering and other support resources. Romeo Power will assume occupancy in the near future, with full occupancy expected to be completed over the next six to nine months.
CHARLESTON, S.C. — CBRE has arranged the sale of South Park Plaza, a three-building office park in Charleston. Boyd Watterson purchased the property from an entity doing business as JEMA II LLC for $31.3 million. Charles Carmody, Patrick Gildea, Matt Smith, Grayson Hawkins and Ryan Carmody of CBRE represented the seller in the transaction. Located at 1-3 South Park Circle, South Park Plaza is a 139,060-square-foot property situated close to Interstate 526 and Citadel Mall, a shopping center anchored by Belk, Dillard’s, Target, Bath & Body Works and Loft. Since 2018, South Park Plaza has been 90.6 percent leased to tenants including The Medical University of South Carolina Hospital Authority.