By Gregory Schaffer Pennsylvania property owners and tenants, who pay some of the highest property taxes in the nation, are no doubt aware of the annual deadline to file a property tax appeal. After all, one look at a new tax bill is often enough to make even the most seasoned tax manager scramble to contact their local tax counsel. However, very few taxpayers are aware that the assessment they may have accepted as favorable could easily trigger a reverse appeal filed by the local school district. Assessment appeals filed by the taxing entities, often referred to as reverse appeals, are increasingly common as cash-strapped school districts seek to fill their coffers. Just as a tax manager might view an inflated assessment as a reason to appeal, more and more school districts see potentially under-assessed properties as a much-needed source of additional revenue. To the bane of many taxpayers, this tactic has now reached the city of Philadelphia. Despite undergoing a citywide property revaluation for the 2014 tax year, with another currently slated for 2018, the Philadelphia School District recently decided to begin filing reverse appeals against properties it feels are under-assessed. On Sept. 15, 2016, for the first time, …
GRESHAM, ORE. — Stockdale Capital Partners has purchased Gresham Station Medical Plaza, a 100,419-square-foot medical office complex in the Portland suburb of Gresham for $23.5 million. The four-building complex is located at 831 N.W. Council Drive, 862-894 N.W. Burnside Drive and 1851-1867 N.W. Civic Drive. The medical office complex is situated near the Adventist Medical Center. Adventist Health anchors Gresham Station Medical Plaza, which is 77 percent leased. Additional tenants include DaVita HealthCare Partners and Providence Health & Services. The facility provides surgery, imaging, dialysis, primary care, orthopedics, laboratory, physical therapy, dermatology, dentistry, women’s health and pediatrics services. HFF’s Nick Kucha, Evan Kovac, Andrew Milne and Trent Jemmett represented both the buyer and the seller, Westlake Realty Group, in this transaction. The firm also worked to secure an acquisition loan for Stockdale.
DENVER — A joint venture between Origin Investments and Hamilton-Titan Partners have completed the multi-million-dollar renovation and rebranding of Denver Corporate Center I. The 193,718-square-foot office building is now known as the Office @ dtc. It is located at 4700 S. Syracuse St. within the Denver Tech Center. The building was originally constructed in 1980. The JV renovated the lobby and added collaborative spaces, as well as upscale amenities, to the project. New amenities include a fitness center with country club-style locker rooms, secured bike storage, a Craft deli serving breakfast and lunch, a tenant social lounge, and a conference room and training center.
FORT WORTH, TEXAS — Henry S. Miller Brokerage Co. has closed the sale of a 64,292-square-foot, two-story building located at 15100 FAA Blvd. in Fort Worth. An AT&T call center most recently occupied the Class B office property, which is part of CentrePoint Business Park near Airport Freeway and the President George Bush Turnpike. Jim Turano and Lily Chang of HSM represented the seller, Lindy-Zell AT&T Texas LLC. The representative of the buyer, CCI-15100 FAA, and the sales price were not disclosed.
DALLAS — Younger Partners has negotiated three office leases totaling roughly 5,000 square feet at One Stratford Park, an office building located at 18383 Preston Road in north Dallas. Included among the new tenants is forensics consulting firm ProNet Group Inc., which leased 1,969 square feet, and Tilford Ltd, which leased 1,962 square feet. Sean Dalton and Byron McCoy of Younger Partners represented the landlord in all three deals. The three leases bring One Stratford Park to full occupancy.
BOSTON — Skanska USA has topped out 121 Seaport, a 17-story, 400,000-square-foot office building under construction in Boston. The construction milestone marks the completion of the building’s steel frame. Designed by CBT Architects, 121 Seaport is scheduled for completion in the first quarter of 2018. The property is located in Boston’s Seaport district across from District Hall and Seaport Square Green. Its three-story lobby will face Boston Harbor and open onto Harbor Way, a 70-foot-wide pedestrian street. A team of nearly 200 construction workers has put more than 35,000 hours into the project to date.
TARRYTOWN, N.Y. — Cushman & Wakefield has arranged the $30 million sale of 660 White Plains Road, an office building in Tarrytown. GHP Office Realty, a privately held real estate firm, acquired the property from RA 660 White Plains Road LLC, an entity controlled by RNY Property Trust. The six-story building totals 279,000 square feet and features on-site food service, 24-hour access and access to public bus service. It sits on 11 acres in the Tarrytown Corporate Center. Cushman & Wakefield’s Andrew Merin, David Bernhaut, Gary Gabriel, Brian Whitmer, Frank DiTommaso and Al Mirin brokered the transaction. The property is 87 percent leased to more than 40 tenants ranging in size from less than 1,000 square feet to nearly 60,000 square feet.
NEW YORK CITY — The Singer & Bassuk Organization (SBO) has secured a $15 million permanent loan on 9 E. 38 St. for a joint venture between Juster Properties and ClearRock Properties. Lincoln Financial Group funded the 20-year loan, which includes a fixed rate of 3.86 percent. Craig Bjornsund of NorthMarq Capital advised Lincoln Financial Group. Scott Singer and Jeffrey Moroch of SBO worked with Howard Juster of Juster Properties and Steve Grant and Joshua Weiner of ClearRock in the transaction. The joint venture purchased the office property in 2013 along with the adjacent 14 E. 39 St. After the purchase, ClearRock subdivided 9 E. 38 St. and sold 14 E. 39 St. plus the northern portion of the 38th Street property as a development site to hotel developer Sam Chang. 9 E. 38 St. is located in Midtown within walking distance of both Grand Central Station and Penn Station.
IRVINE, CALIF. — Toshiba America has leased 96,000 square feet of office space at University Research Park in Irvine. The park sits adjacent to UC Irvine, which features tech and innovation incubators including the 47,000-square-foot Cove and the Vine, where startups have generated more than $24 million in funding. The 185-acre office park is currently home to more than 75 companies and more than 8,000 employees. Toshiba America will move its electronics components, information systems and logistics companies to the campus, which is currently undergoing updates. JLL’s Louis Tomaselli and Steve Wagner represented Toshiba.
GRAND PRAIRIE, TEXAS — Bradford Commercial Real Estate Services has secured a new office hub and industrial distribution center for FloorballPlanet, a supplier of equipment and accessories for floorball, an indoor sport similar to field hockey, in Grand Prairie, a city in the Dallas-Fort Worth metroplex. The company has selected Woodlands Business Center, located at 2005 108th St., as its operating base and has leased 12,818 square feet, including 3,700 square feet for office space. Michael Spain, Brock Wilson and Joe Santaularia of Bradford Commercial represented the landlord, Woodlands Business Center LLC, in the transaction. Bob Gibbons of REATA Commercial Realty LLC represented FloorballPlanet.