BETHESDA, MD. — Cushman & Wakefield has secured a 168,000-square-foot lease for the Henry M. Jackson Foundation, a nonprofit organization dedicated to the advancement of military medicine, at SkyBridge Towers in Bethesda. The two-building property totals 427,000 square feet and is located at 6720 Rockledge Drive. Ben Powell and Gwen Fraker of Cushman & Wakefield arranged the lease on behalf of the building owner, an affiliate of Bridge Investment Group, which recently acquired the building. The lease represents a 22,000-square-foot expansion for the foundation, which also signed a long-term lease extension. Bridge is renovating SkyBridge Towers with modernized coworking space, conference centers and a 9,000-square-foot tenant amenity center with a lounge, coffee bar, gaming area, indoor/outdoor bar and an entertainment concept.
Office
RIDGELAND, MISS. — Concord Capital LLC has acquired the 600 Concourse Building, a 73,000-square-foot, Class A office building located at 1076 Highland Colony Parkway in Ridgeland, roughly 11 miles north of Jackson. Constructed in 2007, the building is home to tenants such as law firm Copeland Cook Taylor & Bush, Feild Cooperative Association, First Commercial Bank and Carroll Bufkin Law Firm. Duckworth Realty Inc. — which is operated by Concord Capital principals — will manage the property and handle the building’s leasing assignment. Robert Hutchinson of Butler Snow LLP arranged the transaction on behalf of Concord, and Copeland Cook Taylor & Bush advised the undisclosed seller. The sales price was not disclosed. Origin Bank provided acquisition financing for the transaction.
DETROIT — LinkedIn has signed a 74,500-square-foot office lease at the historic Sanders building in Detroit. The property, owned by Bedrock, is located at 1523 Woodward Ave. and dates back to the early 1900s. Renovations are underway and the job networking site plans to move into the new space within the next year. LinkedIn currently has 40 employees at its Detroit office.
AUSTIN, TEXAS — Valor Capital Partners (VCP) has acquired The Overlook at Rob Roy, a 100,000-square-foot, Class A office building in southwest Austin. Built in 2002, the property is located just off Bee Cave Road. This is the fifth acquisition in the Austin area for VCP, which will build an additional two-story parking structure at the property. Equitable Commercial Realty (ECR) represented the seller in the transaction. Other terms of sale were not disclosed.
ADDISON, TEXAS — British tech firm Basis Technologies has relocated its North American headquarters from Vancouver to Dallas, signing a 4,200-square-foot lease at 16301 Quorum Drive in the Dallas suburb of Addison. Ryan Hoopes of Colliers represented the company in its lease negotiations. Basis Technologies plans to hire 100 additional employees in the U.S. over the next five years.
CHICAGO — Publicis has signed an office lease renewal and expansion at 35 W. Wacker Drive in Chicago. The new lease for 681,545 square feet represents a 50,000-square-foot expansion for Publicis, which is an advertising and public relations company. The firm is consolidating three other Chicago-area offices into this location. Also known as the Leo Burnett Building, 35 W. Wacker is a 1 million-square-foot, Class A building that is now fully leased. Drew Nieman and Christy Domin of CBRE represented the landlord, UBS Asset Management, in the lease transaction. Mike Christian and Steve Schneider of Cushman & Wakefield represented Publicis.
Forest City Realty, Madison International Acquire Five Properties in University Park at MIT for $302M
by Amy Works
CAMBRIDGE, MASS. – Forest City Realty Trust, in a joint venture with Madison International Realty, has closed on the acquisition of the interest of Forest City’s partner in five assets at University Park at MIT in Cambridge. The transaction values the undisclosed partner’s share of the assets at a total of $302 million, including assumption of debt. The assets include three office buildings: 300 Massachusetts Ave., 350 Massachusetts Ave. and 38 Sidney St., comprising a total of 486,000 square feet of life science office space; a 975-space parking facility; and the commercial space adjoining the Le Meridian Cambridge-MIT hotel. Forest City is the 100-percent owner of seven other life science office buildings and four multifamily communities that are also part of the University Park at MIT campus.
FARMINGTON, MICH. — Colliers International has brokered the sale of the Professional Pavilion in Farmington, a northern suburb of Detroit. The sales price was not disclosed. The 21,338-square-foot medical office building is located at 23133 Orchard Lake Road. The buyer, Healthcare Real Estate Services LLC, plans to do interior and exterior upgrades, including repaving the parking lot, lobby renovations and new landscaping plans. The company also plans to add an additional 14,600-square-foot building along the same road. Two tenants at the property include Beaumont Pediatrics and South Oakland Gastroenterology Associates. Gary Grochowski and Bryan Barnas of Colliers represented both the buyer and the seller, Ziegler-Michigan 5 LLC.
SSH Real Estate, Young Capital, Quilvest Purchase Full Ownership of 880,000 SF Office Complex in Philadelphia
by Amy Works
PHILADELPHIA — SSH Real Estate and Young Capital, in partnership with the real estate arm of Quilvest Private Equity, have announced a $100 million recapitalization of the 880,000-square-foot 123 South Broad Street and Witherspoon Building complex in Philadelphia’s central business district. Currently, the property is 95 percent leased, with Wells Fargo as the anchor tenant renting 225,000 square feet of space across multiple floors. The complex was previously split into two condominium units with separate ownership. Unit 1 comprised of 255,000 square feet from the basement through the fifth floor of both 123 South Broad Street and the Witherspoon Building. Unit 2 comprised floors six through 30 of 123 South Broad Street and six through 11 of the Witherspoon Building, totaling 625,000 square feet. SSH Real Estate and Young Capital partnership acquired Unit 1 earlier this year, and with Quilvest’s investment in Unit 2, the 725,000-square-foot 123 South Broad office building will be under common ownership for the first time in 20 years. As part of the transaction, the partnership secured a loan facility from Guggenheim Commercial Real Estate Finance, which includes capital to complete leasing and capital improvements for the building. HFF served as the broker for the financing. Additionally, …
PORTLAND, ORE. — Alliant Credit Union has closed a $9 million refinancing for a newly constructed office property located in Portland’s Eastside submarket. The loan replaces the construction financing. The 33,351-square-foot property features energy-efficient construction, which is expected to result in LEED Platinum certification. Prior to the receipt of certificate of occupancy, the property was 95 percent pre-leased. The borrower was not disclosed. Casey Davidson of HFF referred the transaction to Alliant.