Richmond is thriving and the office market is following suit. The office market, like the broader Richmond region, benefits from Richmond’s diverse economy, high-quality of life at a reasonable cost of living and the steadily growing, highly educated workforce. These attributes make Richmond an attractive option for large employers evaluating cities for operations. Recent entrants to Richmond include CoStar Group, ICMA-RC and Owens & Minor. The CEO of CoStar pointed to Richmond’s educated workforce, affordability and excellent quality of life as the reasons Richmond recently beat out several other Southeast U.S. cities as the new home for the company’s global research headquarters. Growth from within Richmond is also driving the market with new developments of over $1 billion in the pipeline or currently under construction from two of Richmond’s largest employers: Virginia Commonwealth University Health System and Dominion Energy. Their developments in downtown Richmond are accompanied by a wide array of creative office developments in the formerly industrial Scott’s Addition micro-market located near the convergence of Interstates 64 and 95. The city of Richmond continues to be the recipient of most new office development with suburban development being limited and mainly healthcare centric, led by Bon Secours Health System and …
DENISON, TEXAS — Swagit Productions LLC, a Dallas-based video streaming company, will open a 10,000-square-foot office in Denison, a city in north Texas near the Oklahoma border. The company’s new facility will be located along State Highway 84 and will be remodeled in advance of the opening. The move is expected to create up to 40 new jobs, with hiring slated to begin this winter and operations commencing in spring 2019. Kent Smith of NAI Robert Lynn represented Swagit in the lease negotiations.
MALVERN, PA — Marcus & Millichap has negotiated the $5.7 million sale of Montgomery County Intermediate Office – Unit 23, a 40,000-square-foot, net-leased office building in Malvern. Located at 333 Technology Drive, the office is used for educating and training public school employees. Eric Grad and Alex Mobin of Marcus & Millichap represented the seller, a developer and property owner, in the transaction. The seller purchased the building in 2006. The buyer was in a 1031 exchange.
ATLANTA — BlackRock, an asset management firm and a technology solutions provider, has selected Atlanta for the company’s newest Innovation Hub. The company plans to expand its presence in Fulton County, partner with the Atlanta business community and local universities and create 1,000 career opportunities over the next several years. This expansion will extend BlackRock’s technology capabilities, as well as provide close proximity to Georgia Tech, where BlackRock sponsors the BlackRock Hallac Scholarship for socioeconomically disadvantaged students pursuing degrees in science, technology, engineering and math (STEM). “Atlanta’s culture of collaboration with public and private stakeholders bolsters our region’s economy, creates well-playing jobs and expands economic opportunity,” says Atlanta Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms. “The opening of BlackRock’s Atlanta Innovation Hub continues this legacy, and we look forward to welcoming and working with them.” According to Dr. Eloisa Klementich, president and CEO of Invest Atlanta, the technology business expansions in Atlanta in 2018 alone are projected to create an economic impact of $500 million, as the companies create thousands of new jobs and millions of dollars of capital investment.
TYSONS, VA. — KPMG, one of the world’s Big Four accounting firms, has signed a lease to occupy up to seven floors of The Boro, an under construction 20-story office tower in Tysons. The Meridian Group and Rockefeller Group are co-developing the tower, with Skanska constructing the Gensler-designed building. KPMG plans to relocate approximately 1,830 employees from its current office at 1676 International Drive in Tysons to the new property in 2019. The move brings preleasing to more than 60 percent ahead of construction completion, with approximately 178,000 square feet remaining at the tower. Additional committed tenants include Hogan Lovells, a global law firm, TEGNA, Whole Foods Market and Kerasotes Showplace Theatres. Situated on 15 acres, the transit-oriented property will feature office, retail, restaurant and outdoor space. The LEED Gold-designed tower features nine- to 10-foot ceilings, efficient floorplans and a rooftop terrace. Rob Faktorow and Terry Reiley of CBRE represented the landlords, while Phil Leibow and Bill Craig of JLL represented KPMG in the lease.
WASHINGTON, N.J. — HFF has brokered the $16.2 million sale of The Village Shoppes at Hawk Pointe and Hunterdon Medical Office Building in Washington. The Village Shoppes at Hawk Pointe comprises an 81,415-square-foot, fully leased, ShopRite-anchored retail center. Other tenants at the retail property include Anytime Fitness and Visions Federal Credit Union. Built in 2016, the Hunterdon Medical Office Building is a 25,000-square-foot, single-tenant property occupied by Hunterdon Healthcare. HFF represented the seller, Asbury Farms, in the transaction. The buyer was Larken Associates.
PATERSON, N.J. — Silver Arch Capital Partners and Procida Funding & Advisors LLC have provided a $12.5 million refinancing for Art Factory Studios, a 170-year-old, 21-building creative office park situated on 4.7 acres in Paterson. The borrower, Great Falls Industrial Park Inc., will use the loan proceeds to pay off debt and make capital upgrades. Located at 60-70 Spruce St., the property is the former home of the American Hemp Co. Past redevelopment of the campus has included retail stores, event spaces and light industrial spaces as well as more office and studio space. Terms of the financing were not disclosed.
SAN DIEGO — Dempsey Construction, on behalf of owner LBA Realty, has completed the redevelopment of a five-building project, located at 4400 Ruffin Road in San Diego’s Kearny Mesa submarket. Formerly occupied by Pratt & Whitney, the office and aerospace complex has been converted to a modern office and warehouse property. The project involved the demolition of a 102,000-square-foot building and the renovation of the adjacent two-story, 130,000-square-foot office buildings to include showcase lobbies and entrances, as well as structural enhancements. Additionally, a 106,000-square-foot tilt-up warehouse was constructed to feature 33-foot clear heights and 28 truck docks with roll-up doors.
PASADENA, CALIF. — Avison Young has arranged the sale the Artistry Theater Building, located at 600 E. Colorado Blvd. in Pasadena’s Playhouse District. Colorado Creative LLC sold the property to Morton Development Group for $5.3 million. The buyer plans to redevelop the long-vacant property into a retail and office asset. Built in 1931 as a United Artists theatre, the 15,060-square-foot property was first renovated in 1960, but the property has fallen into a long state of disrepair and neglect. Its tenant of more than a decade, Angels School Supply, vacated the building more than three years ago, and the property has been empty ever since. Andrew Berk and Chase Gordon of Avison Young represented the seller, while the buyer was self-represented in the transaction.
SOUTHFIELD, MICH. — Money360 has provided a $3.2 million bridge loan for the acquisition of a 60,000-square-foot office building in Southfield. The two-year loan features a loan-to-value ratio of 74.4 percent. The borrower was not disclosed.