SOUTH PORTLAND, MAINE — The RAM Cos., an investment firm based in Maine, has acquired a three-building, 74,000-square-foot office complex in South Portland. Jessica Estes and Drew Sigfridson of Boulos Co. represented the seller, an entity doing business as 341 Park LLC, in the transaction. Howard Goldenfarb, Todd Goldenfarb and Mark Campbell internally represented RAM Cos., which acquired the asset through its affiliate, Mile Market Investments. The new ownership plans to implement a value-add program and rebrand the complex as Atlantic Place Commerce Center. The property was fully leased at the time of sale.
A lot has changed in the world since the beginning days of the COVID-19 pandemic in early 2020. Fast forward to November 2021 and the world is a very different place. Over 46 million people have been infected in the United States alone with over 750,000 deaths officially attributed to the virus. Most businesses have been forced to shut down in-person work for some period of time and many have instituted remote work programs until the beginning of 2022. The real question on everyone’s mind is when will we return to normal and more specifically, what will the new normal look like? Although we will most certainly have to deal with the aftereffects of COVID-19 and any variants that surface, there is light at the end of the tunnel. To date, approximately 427 million doses of the vaccine have been administered with over 192 million people fully vaccinated. Recently, Pfizer announced that it has developed an easy-to-administer COVID-19 pill, which when used in combination with a widely used HIV drug, can cut the risk of hospitalizations or death by 89 percent in high-risk adults who have been exposed to the virus. Given the combination of vaccinations, natural immunity for those …
ITASCA, ILL. — Sovereign Partners LLC has acquired Two Pierce Place, a 25-story office tower in Itasca. Piedmont Office Realty Trust sold the asset for approximately $24 million, according to Crain’s Chicago Business. The 489,876-square-foot property is situated within the 300-acre Hamilton Lakes Business Park. Two Pierce Place was built in 1991 and formerly served as the headquarters of Gallagher Insurance. Crain’s reports that the building is now more than 60 percent vacant. Amenities include a deli, sundry shop, fitness center, tenant lounge, covered parking and access to lakes and walking trails. Matthew Schoenfeldt of JLL arranged acquisition financing through an insurance company.
CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Dallas-based CBRE has signed a lease to relocate its office to Vantage South End, a 635,000-square-foot mixed-use campus in Charlotte. The firm will relocate approximately 100 employees to a 24,535-square-foot space on the second floor of the Vantage South End’s east tower, which is located at 1120 South Tryon St. The company will change offices in the fourth quarter. The West Tower of the property was completed in 2021 and the new East Tower will be completed in the third quarter of 2022. The new office is part of CBRE’s Workplace360 initiative, which is the Dallas-based company’s approach to workplace strategy. The strategy is designed to promote employee flexibility, mobility and productivity. Workplace360 offices feature several workplace settings, including both collaborative and private spaces that employees can self-select to accommodate their hour-by-hour needs. Vantage South End includes two 11-story office towers connected by more than an acre of outdoor greenspace. The property’s amenities include outdoor terraces and seating, a wellness and fitness center, tenant event and training center, 55,000 square feet of restaurants and amenity spaces and a planned boutique hotel. The property’s West Tower is occupied by tenants including Lending Tree and Grant Thornton. Vantage South …
HOPKINS, MINN. — Bridge Investment Group has purchased Excelsior Crossings in Hopkins near Minneapolis for an undisclosed price. The 508,590-square-foot office property, located on Excelsior Boulevard, consists of two Class A buildings that are each seven stories tall. Developed in 2008, Excelsior Crossings is 91 percent leased and recently underwent a $1.5 million amenity enhancement program. Bridge plans to invest an additional $6 million in capital and tenant improvements, including upgrades to the courtyard and common areas, kitchen, lobbies and elevator corridors. Current tenants include Element Fleet, Digi International and U.S. Bank’s Home Mortgage Division headquarters, which fully leases one of the buildings. Tom O’Brien of Cushman & Wakefield represented the seller, Colony Capital. Bridge Commercial Real Estate LLC, Bridge’s office operating company, will oversee capital improvements and management.
LAKE FOREST, CALIF. — Prologis has purchased Pacific Vista, a corporate office campus at 25500-25550 Commercentre Drive in Lake Forest. An undisclosed party sold the asset for $96 million. Situated on 24.4 acres, Pacific Vista consists of five two-story buildings featuring a 322,262 square feet of Class A office space. At the time of sale, the property was leased to seven long-term tenants. Jason Ward of Cushman & Wakefield represented the buyer, while John Harty, Jeffrey Cole, Nico Napolitano and Ed Hernandez of Cushman & Wakefield represented the seller in the transaction.
COLUMBIA, MD. — The Howard Hughes Corp. (NYSE: HHC) has unveiled plans to invest $325 million to densify Downtown Columbia, the REIT’s 391-acre mixed-use development within the master-planned community of Columbia. Founded by James Rouse in 1967, Columbia is situated within the Baltimore-Washington, D.C. corridor in Maryland and is one of the first master-planned communities in the United States. The first new HHC project within Downtown Columbia’s Lakefront District is a four-story, 86,000-square-foot medical office building representing about $45.8 million in investment. Studio Red Architects is designing the property to achieve LEED Platinum and Fitwel certifications. Orthopaedic Associates of Central Maryland (OACM), a division of The Centers for Advanced Orthopaedics, will move its Columbia office into the new building upon completion in 2024, occupying approximately 20 percent of the asset. The property will be situated near a Whole Foods Market and Lake Kittamaqundi. Several health and wellness tenants signed on at Downtown Columbia to capitalize on the halo effect from the nearby Howard County General Hospital, which is part of Johns Hopkins Medicine. Other tenants at the Lakefront District include The Pearl spa, medtech firm NuVasive, MedStar Health’s headquarters, Healthcare Management Solutions, Welldoc, Sharecare, Consortium Health Plans, Vaya Pharma, Medisolv …
LONG BEACH, CALIF. — Parallel Capital Partners has completed the disposition of Shoreline Square, an office tower in downtown Long Beach. Shoreline Square Holdings LLC acquired the asset for $85.5 million. Located at 201 E. Ocean Blvd., the 20-story tower features 410,920 square feet of office space. At the time of sale, the property was 92 percent leased to a diverse tenant mix, with 52 percent of the rent roll including U.S. government and municipal tenants. Current tenants include U.S. Customs, California State Land Commission, Department of Defense, California Coastal Commission and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. Additional tenants include Jersey Mike’s Subs, Comeria Bank, Café 301 and Corporate Concierge. Kevin Shannon, Ken White, Rob Hannan and Laura Stumm of Newmark represented the seller in the transaction.
AURORA, ILL. — Thales Defense & Security Inc. has signed a 24,673-square-foot office lease at 750 Commons Drive in Aurora, located about 40 miles west of Chicago. Thales will move from 1444 N. Farnsworth Ave. in Aurora once tenant improvements are completed and the new lease commences in mid-2022. The 205,000-square-foot, two-building property, which supports both office and industrial users, is now fully leased. Stanton Road Capital purchased the asset in 2018 and added amenities such as a fitness center, tenant lounge, conference center and training center. Francis Prock and Dave Florent of Colliers are the leasing agents for the property. Kellen Monti and Chris Bynum of JLL represented Thales.
CHICAGO — SPINS, a data provider and advocate for the health and wellness industry, has preleased 47,883 square feet of space at 311 W. Huron, a new office development in Chicago’s River North. The developer, North Wells Capital, plans to break ground in April. SPINS will serve as the anchor tenant of the 15-story building upon completion in late 2023. The 153,611-square-foot building will be part of Verso, a three-phase development. Jeffrey Skender, Ari Klein, Scott Shelbourne and Marcus Berglund of Cushman & Wakefield represented SPINS. Melissa Rubenstein, Annie Nicolau and Anna Panici of JLL represented ownership. SPINS currently occupies space at 222 W. Hubbard, which is also owned by North Wells Capital.