COLUMBUS, OHIO — Global design consultancy Fitch has relocated from the Brewery District to the Arena District within Columbus. The company now occupies 7,637 square feet at 191 W. Nationwide Blvd. The agency says it hopes to attract new talent, create a better workspace for employees and have increased exposure and visibility with clients. Kirk Smith of CBRE represented Fitch in securing its new studio, which features two floors, standing desks and an open area for collaboration.
TEMPE, ARIZ. — Anaheim, Calif.-based Crowne Pointe Equity has purchased an office/flex building located at 914 S. 52nd St. in Tempe. A joint venture between Phoenix-based ViaWest Group and a capital partner sold the asset for $5.9 million. Situated on 2.7 acres, the property offers 32,350 square feet of Class A office/flex space. At the time of sale, two tenants fully occupied the property: La Frontera EMPACT Suicide Prevention and SISU Healthcare Solutions. Geoff Turbow, Matt Pourcho, Anthony DeLorenzo, Gary Stache, Bryan Johnson and Doug Mack of CBRE Investment Properties – SoCal/Phoenix/Vegas and Pat Feeney, Dan Calihan, Rusty Kennedy and James Cohn of CBRE’s Phoenix office represented the seller in the deal.
GLENDALE, ARIZ. — Scottsdale, Ariz.-based Diversified Partners has broken ground for En Fuego, a retail, office and flex development located at 91st and Glendale avenues in Glendale. The first phase of En Fuego will include retail pads ranging in size from 3,000 square feet to 15,600 square feet. Starbucks Coffee, Raising Cane’s Chicken Fingers, Barro’s Pizza, Biscuits Café and Jack in the Box have pre-leased space at the property. The second phase of development will include 8.32 acres of office, flex or entertainment space.
ATLANTA — An affiliate of Lone Star Funds has acquired 55 Allen Plaza, a Class A office building totaling 342,854 square feet in Atlanta’s Innovation Corridor. The purchase price was not disclosed. Completed in 2007 and anchored by professional services firm Ernst & Young, the 14-story property includes a recently constructed tenant lounge and conference center, as well as an innovation lab. It is situated at 55 Ivan Allen Jr Blvd., less than a mile from the World of Coca-Cola, the Georgia Aquarium and Centennial Olympic Park. Richard Reid, Ryan Clutter, Ralph Smalley and Huston Green of JLL represented the seller, a state pension fund advised by Lincoln Property Co. Ed Coco and Matt Casey of JLL arranged a five-year, floating-rate acquisition loan on behalf of the buyer through NXT Capital. In 2011, the property traded hands for $57 million, according to the Atlanta Business Chronicle. Lone Star is a private equity firm advising funds that invest globally in real estate, equity, credit and other financial assets. Since 1995, the firm has organized 20 private equity funds with aggregate capital commitments totaling approximately $85 billion. — Kristin Hiller and Alex Tostado
NEW YORK CITY — Amazon has acquired the Lord & Taylor office building in Midtown Manhattan for $1.15 billion, according to the New York Post. The e-commerce giant will use the 660,000-square-foot building at 424-434 Fifth Ave as its New York City headquarters, which will house several thousand employees. A partnership of investors including WeWork-owner Rhone Capital and Saks Fifth Avenue-owner Hudson’s Bay Co. sold the building. The Post reports that as part of the agreement, Amazon will pay $750 million in construction loans that WeWork borrowed to renovate the building. The acquisition follows Amazon’s scrapped plan to open a 4 million-square-foot HQ2 headquarters in Queens, which would have housed 25,000 employees.
PARSIPPANY, N.J. — JLL has brokered the sale of Morris Corporate Center 1 & 2, two Class A office buildings totaling 550,000 square feet in Parsippany, located approximately 30 miles west of New York City. The properties are located at 300 Interpace Parkway and 1 Upper Pond Road within the 31-acre Morris Corporate Center and feature four atrium lobbies, two cafés, two conference rooms and a 5,000-square-foot fitness center with locker rooms and a yoga studio. At the time of sale, the properties were 67 leased to tenants including Zurich Insurance, York Risk Services and market research company Ipsos. Jose Cruz, Kevin O’Hearn and Mark Mahasky led a JLL team that represented the seller, an affiliate of Brookwood Financial Partners LLC. The team also procured the buyer, P3 Properties. The sales price was undisclosed.
HOUSTON — Locally based brokerage firm Finial Group has secured a 3,561-square-foot office lease at 14425 Torrey Chase Blvd. on the north side of Houston. Jason Gibbons of Finial Group represented the landlord in the lease negotiations. The representative of the tenant, Fresh Start Therapeutic Services, was not released
FARMINGTON HILLS, MICH. — L. Mason Capitani CORFAC International has arranged the sale of a 128,829-square-foot office building in Farmington Hills for an undisclosed price. Built in 2001, the Class A property is located at 37101 Corporate Drive. It is fully leased to Panasonic Automotive Systems. Mason L. Capitani represented the buyer, LREH Michigan LLC. The seller was undisclosed. Capitani’s affiliate company, Liberty Property & Asset Management, will manage the asset.
HOUSTON — Commercial contractor DPR Construction has signed a 12,609-square-foot office lease expansion at Phoenix Tower, a 34-story building located within Houston’s Greenway Plaza. Chris Nash and Walker Ryan of Colliers International represented DPR Construction in the lease negotiations. J.P. Hutcheson represented the landlord, Parkway, on an internal basis. Greenway Plaza is a 52-acre mixed-use campus situated between Houston’s Uptown and Downtown districts that comprises 11 buildings spanning 5 million square feet.
JERSEY CITY, N.J. — Thor Equities Group has acquired Liberty Innovation Centra, a 337,888-square-foot office building in located at 95 Greene St. in Jersey City, for $94.5 million. The building served as a primary manufacturing facility for Colgate Palmolive until 1987, when it was converted into a Class A office building. The building offers convenient access to the Exchange Place rail station and Newark Airport. Daniel Loughlin, Jose Cruz and John Cunningham led a JLL team that represented the seller, SJP Properties, in the transaction.
