CHICAGO — Workbox Coworking Co. has signed a 15,295-square-foot, full-floor lease at 306 West Erie in Chicago. Workbox expects to occupy its space in mid-2021. North Wells Capital and Urban Innovations recently completed the expansion and redevelopment of the office and retail property. Additionally, the developers have commenced construction on the street-level buildout for Fairgrounds Coffee & Tea, which is slated to open in mid-2021. The location will be the brand’s sixth in the Chicagoland area. The building is part of Verso, a three-building collection in Chicago’s River North. JLL is the leasing agent for 306 West Erie and the entire Verso portfolio.
Office
EverWest Sells Linq Creative Office Campus Near Los Angeles to Harkwood Ventures for $24M
by Amy Works
REDONDO BEACH, CALIF. — Hawkwood Ventures has purchased Linq, a two-building creative office campus located at 2400 Marine Ave. in the Los Angeles suburb of Redondo Beach. EverWest Real Estate Investors sold the property for $24 million. Developed in 1964 and renovated in 2018, Linq features a total of 50,000 square feet of office space with private tenant entrances, glass roll-up doors, skylights and a wrap-around boardwalk, as well as new power, landscaping, lobby, restrooms and signage. At the time of sale, the property was fully leased to multiple tenants. Steve Solomon, Kristen Bowman and Andrew Harper of JLL represented the seller, while the buyer was self-represented in the transaction.
OAKBROOK TERRACE, ILL. — J.C. Anderson has completed a 108,723-square-foot office buildout for Bosch at One Tower Lane in Oakbrook Terrace. The project scope included a 92,840-square-foot space on the top five floors of the office building as well as a 15,883-square-foot separate space known as “the annex,” which will serve as a testing and lab facility. Bosch is relocating approximately 350 employees from its Automotive Aftermarket Division at 2800 S. 25th Ave. in Broadview, Ill. The new space includes conference and training rooms, private offices and open seating areas. The top floor boasts a 360-degree view of the Chicago skyline. Whitney Architects provided architectural services and Cushman & Wakefield provided project management services. Bosch, a supplier of technology and services, operates in four different business sectors: mobility solutions; industrial technology; consumer goods; and energy and building technology.
SAN DIEGO — CIM Group has closed a $121.3 million bridge loan to refinance and provide future leasing capital to an affiliate of Westbrook Partners and The Casey Brown Co. The funds will be used toward AMP&RSAND, a 342,742-square-foot office complex in San Diego. Situated on 13 acres in the Mission Valley submarket, AMP&RSAND comprises two Class A creative office buildings with average floor plates of 37,852 square feet, 14-foot ceilings and floor-to-ceiling windows. The property, which is the former San Diego Union Tribune headquarters, features an on-site café, fitness studio and 1,371 parking spaces. The recently renovated complex is currently leased to two full-floor tenants that use the space as regional and corporate headquarters. Rob Rubano of Cushman & Wakefield arranged the financing for the borrower.
Alturas Real Estate Fund Acquires NorthCreek Office Complex in Colorado Springs for $46.6M
by Amy Works
COLORADO SPRINGS, COLO. — Alturas Real Estate Fund has purchased NorthCreek Office Complex, located at 5725, 5755 and 5775 Mark Dabling Blvd. in Colorado Springs. NorthCreek Complex LLC sold the asset for $46.6 million. James Brady, Patrick Devereaux and Campbell Davis of CBRE Capital Markets represented the seller in the deal, which closed on Jan. 29, 2021. Built between 1984 and 1989, NorthCreek offers a total of 325,208 rentable square feet spread across three buildings situated on 16.6 acres. Building amenities include atrium spaces with seating, a full-service café, abundant parking with covered spaces, a fitness center with locker rooms and showers, and a 58-person conference/training center. The sellers invested more than $3.6 million in capital improvements to the property, including major roof, lobby and common area renovations, parking lot and garage repairs, and HVAC upgrades. At the time of sale, the property was 98 percent leased to a mix of tenants, including CSAA Insurance, First Source Group and Pima Medical Institute.
HOMESTEAD, PA. — Commonwealth Charter Academy, an online education platform, has purchased Waterfront Technology Center, a 140,000-square-foot office building in Homestead, an eastern suburb of Pittsburgh. The building, which was 94 percent leased at the time of sale, was originally a Macy’s department store. The sellers, Chicago-based M&J Wilkow and BIG Shopping Centers, purchased the property from Macy’s in 2018 and converted it to an office use. Commonwealth Charter is currently a tenant in the building.
GREENVILLE, S.C. — United Community Bank, a retail and commercial bank, plans to relocate its corporate headquarters from Blairsville, Ga., to Greenville and expand operations in the Upstate area. The $24.8 million investment will create 227 new jobs in the Palmetto State. By establishing Greenville as its corporate headquarters, United Community Bank will be the largest bank headquartered in South Carolina. The bank has 160 branches in Florida, Georgia, North Carolina, South Carolina and Tennessee and nearly 290 employees. United Community Bank was founded in 1950 in Blairsville. In 2012, the bank began building its presence in Greenville County and now has three office locations in downtown Greenville apart from its branch network. United Community Bank’s new downtown office will be located at 200 E. Camperdown Way and will house a retail branch. The new office will be located near Falls Park and the Reedy River, as well as the upcoming Camperdown mixed-use development downtown. United’s new headquarters is expected to be completed by 2024.
Seefried Industrial, Clarion Partners Break Ground on 1 MSF Tracy Logistics Park in California
by Amy Works
TRACY, CALIF. — Seefried Industrial Properties, in a joint venture with Clarion Partners, has broken ground on Tracy Logistics Park, a more than 1 million-square-foot speculative office and warehouse project in East Tracy. Seefried and Clarion originally purchased the 76-acre site in January for an undisclosed amount. Located at the northeast corner of Grant Line and Chrisman roads, Tracy Logistics Park will feature a 210,000-square-foot building, a 507,800-square-foot building and a 309,000-square-foot building. Tenants will have the opportunity to occupy space ranging from 20,000 square feet to 500,000 square feet. The buildings will feature tilt-up construction, clear heights ranging from 32 feet to 36 feet, 180-foot- to 185-foot-deep truck courts, a combined 236 trailer spaces, ESFR sprinkler systems and ample parking. Completion is slated for fourth quarter of this year. HPA is serving as architect, K&W as civil engineer and Alston Construction as general contractor. Mike Goldstein and John Steinbuch of Colliers International will handle marketing and leasing efforts for the project.
BOSTON — Global investment management firm Loomis, Sayles & Co. has signed a 232,000-square-foot office lease extension and restructuring at One Financial Center in downtown Boston. Ron Perry, Larry Epstein and Matt Perry of Avison Young represented the tenant in the lease negotiations. Bill Anderson, Dave Martel and Allison Cavanaugh of Newmark represented the landlord, a joint venture between MetLife Investment Management and Norges Bank Investment Management. The deal, which keeps the tenant on the premises with a reduced footprint through 2037, marks the largest office lease transaction in Boston since mid-2019, according to the brokerage team.
AUSTIN, TEXAS — Stonelake Capital Partners plans to build a 50-story, 465,000-square-foot office and multifamily tower on a half-acre site that it has acquired at the corner of West Fifth and Colorado streets in downtown Austin. Named “5th & Colorado,” plans call for 318 luxury apartments above 100,000 square feet of high-end office space. Stonelake tentatively expects to break ground in first quarter of 2022 with completion slated for early 2025. “Now more than ever, both companies and people are moving to Austin,” says Will Jenkins, the Stonelake principal leading the development. “5th & Colorado’s design will reflect the next generation of vertical mixed-use development, placing emphasis on quality, generous living areas, dedicated workspace and multiple open-air amenity offerings with panoramic views.” Austin was the No. 3 metro area as far as maintaining employment levels during the COVID-19 pandemic, posting a job loss of 1 percent from December 2019 to December 2020, according to the Austin Chamber of Commerce. By contrast, four major metro areas lost more than 10 percent of their jobs in that span. Apartments at 5th & Colorado will average 1,150 square feet, and office floor plates will total 20,000 square feet around a central core. The …