GRAPEVINE, TEXAS — Marcus & Millichap has arranged the sale of a portfolio of five office buildings totaling 25,000 square feet in Grapevine, located on the fringe of DFW International Airport. Cody Payne of Marcus & Millichap represented the seller and procured the buyer, an out-of-state private investor, in the transaction. Other terms of sale were not disclosed.
CHICAGO — Skender has completed interior construction of Upwork’s new 34,000-square-foot headquarters in Chicago. Upwork, a website for hiring freelancers, has relocated to 525 W. Van Buren St. from its former space at 224 N. Desplaines St. Upwork’s space includes a café, server room, reception area, executive suite and open office concept for workstations. Upwork plans to build out an additional 34,000 square feet for use in 2020. Skender collaborated with architecture firm SCB, engineering firm Syska Hennessy Group and the building owner’s representative, Cresa.
SUMMERLIN, NEV. — New York City-based PBC USA has received a $70 million loan to refinance Tivoli Village, a 28-acre mixed-use development in Summerlin, a suburb of Las Vegas. Bank of Nevada provided the capital, which replaces financing from KeyBank and reduces the interest rate by 150 basis points. The refinancing is a result of near completion of a two-year turnaround campaign at the 700,000-square-foot retail and office property, bringing occupancy rates to above 80 percent. The first phase of Tivoli Village opened in 2011 and the second phase opened in 2016. Tenants at the property include Restoration Hardware’s RH Las Vegas, Echo & Rig Butcher and Steakhouse, Brio Tuscan Grille, David Barton Gym and Dance With Me. The property features 370,000 square feet of retail space and 300,000 square feet of Class A office space.
Although one of New England’s smallest geographical submarkets, spanning only 7.1 square miles, Cambridge packs a serious one-two punch between its thriving office and life science sectors. Routinely ranked as one the nation’s most densely populated cities, universities, research institutes and private corporations employ many of the 110,000 residents of Cambridge. Not surprisingly, 44 percent of those residents are highly educated millennials between the ages of 18 and 35, according to the most recent U.S. Census and American Community Survey. Those millennials form the unparalleled labor pool that has employers clamoring for talent. Hosting more than 230 life science and high-tech companies, research from CBRE suggests that Cambridge contains upwards of 700 start-ups, many of which are pioneered by entrepreneurial professionals spinning out from larger institutions. Known as the city of squares, Cambridge is divided into three distinct submarkets, each with their own distinctive flavor — East Cambridge, anchored by MIT and Kendall Square; Mid Cambridge, home to Harvard University and West Cambridge/Fresh Pond area. Collectively the city contains roughly 11.2 million and 14.6 million square feet of commercial office and life science space, respectively. Low Vacancy, High Rents Cambridge finished 2018 maintaining incredibly low office and life science vacancy …
BOSTON — KS Partners LLC has acquired 15 Court Square, an 11-story office building with ground-floor retail space in downtown Boston. The sales price was undisclosed. The 82,000-square-foot property, which is also known as 15 Pi Alley, includes an on-site tailor, 24-hour maintenance and an ATM. At the time of sale, 15 Court Square was 98 percent leased. KS Partners acquired the building from Brickpoint Properties, which had owned the property since 1978. KS Partners plans to fully renovate the lobby and common areas of the property and add amenities such as a lounge, conference room, fitness center and bike room.
KATY, TEXAS — Marcus & Millichap has brokered the sale of West Little York Office Plaza, a 61,500-square-foot business park located in the western Houston suburb of Katy. Built in 2015 on 3.7 acres, the property was 87 percent leased at the time of sale. Nate Newman and Logan Kelly of Marcus & Millichap represented the seller, a local developer, in the transaction. Newman also procured the buyer, a limited liability company. Both parties requested anonymity. The sales price was also undisclosed.
LOS ANGELES — Alvarez & Marsal Capital Real Estate recently acquired a 4.3-acre site at 18362-18424 Oxnard St. in Los Angeles’ Tarzana neighborhood for redevelopment into a creative office campus with studio capabilities. The site, which was formerly used as production space, will be redeveloped into ELEVAR, a state-of-the-art studio and creative office campus. Situated at the corner of Oxnard Street and Reseda Boulevard, the asset currently consists of four standalone flex and industrial buildings totaling 73,045 square feet. The new construction will add more than 20,000 square feet, bringing the total project size to 96,500 square feet. The redeveloped campus will feature usable outdoor space, including a greenbelt, WiFi-enabled patios and an artisanal café. Additionally, the campus will feature shaded outdoor areas, above-standard power and data capabilities, high ceilings and a fitness center for tenants. ELEVAR will offer ample surface-level parking and close proximity to the Metro Orange Line Reseda Station. Rob Hooks, Katie Bernhisel and Dillon Moscone of Cushman & Wakefield, along with Kevin Fenenbock and Jacob Mumper of Colliers, will serve as the leasing agents for the property.
MILWAUKEE — Andrus Intellectual Property Law LLP has signed a lease to occupy 7,248 square feet at BMO Tower in Milwaukee. The intellectual property law firm will occupy the space on the 22nd floor. The company was founded in Milwaukee in 1939. BMO Tower is a 25-story Class A office development under construction. Approximately 160,000 square feet of office space and 12,000 square feet of retail space remain available for lease. Anchor tenants include BMO Harris Bank, Michael Best & Friedrich and Heartland Advisors. David Pudlosky and Michael Streit of JLL represented Andrus in the lease transaction. Mike Wanezek of Colliers International represented the landlord, Irgens.
CARLSBAD, CALIF. — Peregrine Realty Partners has acquired Carlsbad Airport Plaza, an office asset in Carlsbad. Swift Real Estate Partners sold the property for $14 million. Located at 5963 La Plaza Court, the three-story, 64,817-square-foot building features newly renovated common areas and restrooms, balconies for select units and new landscaping. At the time of sale, the property was 86 percent occupied by a diverse tenant roster, including technology, healthcare, finance and engineering firms. Louay Alsadek and Hunter Rowe of CBRE represented the seller, while Peregrine was self-represented in the transaction.
CHICAGO — Net absorption in office markets across the United States exceeded new construction in the fourth quarter of 2018, according to Cushman & Wakefield. This enabled the national office vacancy rate to drop to 13.2 percent. Nationwide absorption during the fourth quarter totaled 20 million square feet and marked the 33rd consecutive quarter of positive absorption since 2010. The total volume of space under construction increased slightly to 114.2 million square feet in the fourth quarter, up from 113.2 million in the third quarter. A total of 13.7 million square feet of new office projects delivered in the fourth quarter, bringing the total for 2018 deliveries to 52.7 million square feet, the second-highest amount of new space completed since 2010. Relative to inventory, the markets with the highest construction figures are San Mateo, Calif.; Austin, Texas; Nashville, Tenn.; Seattle; and Midtown Manhattan. On the west side Office markets in the Western United States performed the strongest in 2018 and accounted for 22.6 million square feet of net absorption, the highest volume since 2015. The lowest vacancy rates were seen in tech-driven markets like Seattle (6.2 percent vacancy) and San Francisco (6.4 percent). According to Cushman & Wakefield, the western …