BRANFORD , CT — O,R&L Commercial has negotiated a 12,030-square-foot biomed-tech office lease for dermatology company Azitra Inc. in Branford, an eastern suburb of New Haven. Azitra researches skin conditions and diseases and develops medical treatment products. Richard Guralnick of O,R&L represented Azitra in the lease negotiations. Guralnick also represented the undisclosed landlord.
FRANKLIN, TENN. — Charlotte-based Crescent Communities has sold Two Greenway Centre, a five-story office building in Franklin, 16 miles south of Nashville in the market’s Cool Springs district. The 155,000-square-foot property is located at 302 Innovation Drive on a 16-acre parcel. Nashville Business Journal reports that TA Realty LLC purchased the building from Crescent for $43.5 million. Cushman & Wakefield brokered the sale on behalf of Crescent. Two Greenway is situated near Interstate 65, with access via two interchanges. The LEED Silver-certified building offers open floor plates, a fitness center, parking and nearby walking trails. Construction on Two Greenway began in 2015, and the first office tenants occupied the building in 2017. Little Diversified Architectural Consulting served as the project architect, and Barrett, Woodyard & Associates served as engineer. Whiting-Turner was the general contractor.
MINNETONKA, MINN. — Dominium has acquired Crest Ridge, a 120,000-square-foot office building in Minnetonka. The purchase price was undisclosed. Dominium, a Minnesota-based apartment owner, developer and manager, plans to relocate its corporate office to the building and occupy approximately half of the property. Dominium also plans to begin renovating the building early this year. Constructed in 2009, Crest Ridge was formerly home to Syngenta Seeds.
GOLETA, CALIF. — Agoura Hills, Calif.-based Majestic Asset Management has purchased two office and R&D buildings situated on adjacent parcels in Goleta. An undisclosed seller sold the asset for $24.2 million. Located at 125 and 175 Cremona Drive, the buildings offer a total of 133,299 square feet of space situated on 8.17 acres. Medtronic occupies 125 Cremona Drive, but will vacate the 82,132-square-foot building in February. Resonant, Surgical Eye Expeditions International and Ricardo Defense are tenants at the 51,167-square-foot property at 175 Cremona Drive. Francois DeJohn and Steve Hayes of Hayes Commercial Group represented all parties in the sale transaction.
SAN ANTONIO — Dornin Investment Group has sold the Parkway Plaza office park in San Antonio’s North Central submarket. A private investor based in Texas purchased the single-story buildings for an undisclosed amount. Situated on 13.7 acres, the 189,390-square-foot property was 91 percent leased at the time of sale. Todd Mills of Cushman & Wakefield represented Dornin Investment Group in the sale.
DALLAS — Newmark Knight Frank (NKF) has secured a long-term lease renewal at Fountain Place, a 60-story office building in Dallas that recently underwent a $70 million redevelopment. The tenant is Commerce Street Holdings LLC, the holding company for Commerce Street Capital LLC. The company will retain its office on the 27th floor of Fountain Place, which is located at 1445 Ross Ave. in the city’s Arts District. Jim Cooksey, Paxton Cooksey, Garrison Efird and Louis Pascuzzi of NKF represented Commerce Street Holdings in the lease transaction. Atlanta-based Goddard Investment Group owns and operates the office tower, which includes four new restaurants, a dry cleaner, Wells Fargo bank branch, onsite training center, car wash, sundry shop, tenant lounge and an 8,000-square-foot fitness center.
The office market in metropolitan Washington, D.C., is currently differentiated between a vigorous investment sales market and anemic leasing fundamentals. According to data from CoStar Group and Cushman & Wakefield, office investment sales have averaged $8.4 billion annually from 2014 to 2018 versus $5.5 billion annually from 2008 to 2013. Investment sales in the District have been dominated by Class A and trophy assets with little leasing risk, while demand is buoyed by foreign capital sources. In Northern Virginia, sales have trended toward core-plus and value-add investments led by domestic buyers seeking additional yield. Investors are more comfortable with leasing risk in Northern Virginia due to its robust job growth, a trend likely to continue given the jurisdiction’s comparative advantages in cloud computing, cybersecurity and internet infrastructure. Amazon’s selection of Crystal City for HQ2 and Amazon Web Services’ large block leasing in the Dulles Toll Road corridor are emblematic of these larger regional trends. However, there are signs that investment demand may have peaked for the current cycle. This year’s sales volume is the weakest in several years despite an influx of closings in September to beat Washington, D.C.’s increase to the transfer and recordation taxes from 2.9 percent to …
PLANO, TEXAS — Cawley Partners, an office real estate investment and development firm based in Dallas, has purchased 5501 Headquarters, a three-story, 169,179-square-foot office building in Plano’s Legacy submarket. Situated near the Dallas North Tollway, the office serves as the corporate headquarters of Rent-A-Center, a rent-to-own furniture and electronics retailer. Rent-A-Center sold the asset to Cawley Partners for an undisclosed price and will remain in roughly 60 percent of the building on the east side. About 70,000 square feet of office space is coming available at 5501 Headquarters in April. Cawley Partners plans to modernize the 2007-era property for multiple tenants. Updates are planned for the lobby, restrooms, fitness center and conference rooms, and Cawley Partners plans to add an upscale convenience market and tenant lounge. Additionally the land off Headquarters Drive has future development opportunities, according to Cawley Partners.
AUSTIN, TEXAS — Barings and B&Z Development LLC plan to break ground on 701 Rio in west downtown Austin next Wednesday, Jan. 8. Situated in the Original Austin Neighborhood at Rio Grande and 7th streets, 701 Rio will span 120,983 square feet of office space across five floors. JLL is leasing the property on behalf of the ownership group. The design team includes architect BGK and Colorado-based general contractor Hensel Phelps. Barings, a subsidiary of MassMutual, is a $335 billion global asset management firm.
PHILADELPHIA — Norvin Healthcare has acquired 3 Crescent Drive, a 96,000-square-foot medical building in Philadelphia. The property is 100 percent leased to Thomas Jefferson University Hospitals Inc. and stands at the gateway of the Philadelphia Navy Yard. The 1,200-acre Navy Yard houses more than 165 businesses, including the South Philadelphia Sports Complex. Liberty Property Trust was the seller.