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DETROIT — Rock Ventures, an umbrella entity whose family of companies includes Quicken Loans and Title Source, has acquired five properties in downtown Detroit with plans to renovate them into mixed-use facilities. This acquisition wraps up a year in which Rock Ventures has purchased eight properties totaling 630,000 square feet of commercial space. Last month, Rock Ventures broke ground on a 33,000-square-foot specialty retail development complete with a 10-story parking garage. Since August 2010, Rock Ventures has brought more than 7,000 employees to downtown Detroit. Rock Ventures has helped locate 45 companies in the city, including Twitter, Chrysler, Metro-West Appraisal and several tech start-ups. Rock Ventures was formed to facilitate the operation of Dan Gilbert’s portfolio of companies, investments and real estate. “It has been an exciting year of opportunity in Detroit,” says Gilbert. “Our focus in 2013 will be on the three Rs — residential, rail and retail, all of which are vital in creating the vibrant, thriving urban core we all envision.” Rock Ventures’ five-property acquisition includes 1201 Woodward (the Kresge Building), 1217 Woodward, 1412 Woodward, 1301 Broadway (Cary Building Lofts) and 1521 Broadway (Small Plates Building). The Kresge Building, which is 9 stories tall and includes 54,000 …

ATLANTA AND DENVER — Aragon Holdings has expanded into two new markets with the acquisition of two properties in Atlanta and one in Denver, deploying approximately half of the $52 million it raised in its recently closed private equity fund, Aragon Multi-Family Cash Flow Fund II. Freddie Mac provided the balance of the $100 million acquisition. In the Atlanta market, the company purchased Holland Park, a 496-unit property in Lawrenceville, and Azalea Springs, a 232-unit property in Marietta. The Denver purchase was Hampden Heights, a 376-unit property located just north of the Denver Tech Center. All three properties are located in areas with a strong employment base. These acquisitions increase Aragon’s multifamily portfolio to more than 5,000 apartment units, all acquired in the past four years. During 2012, the company purchased more than $200 million of multifamily assets in six states. Aragon Holdings is a real estate investment and fund management company based in Beverly Hills, Calif., that acquires and manages income-producing assets throughout the countryon behalf of high-net-worth investors. Aragon Multi-Family Cash Flow Fund II, which was formed to facilitate the company's acquisition activity and to produce monthly cash flow distributions to investors, provided equity for the three transactions. …

NORWALK, CONN. — Spirit Bascom Ventures, along with a private investor group, has purchased Jefferson at 55/77 Water, a Class A, mixed-use property in South Norwalk, for $43.2 million. The asset includes 136 apartment units and 28,175 square feet of ground-floor retail. The retail space is home to the U.S. headquarters of Virgin Atlantic Airlines and Kayak.com. Each apartment unit includes floor-to-ceiling windows, stainless steel appliances, a washer and dryer, plus balconies overlooking the Norwalk River. The buyers plan to upgrade the property, which was built in 2007, with contemporary design elements, as well as services and amenities not currently offered. The property is within walking distance to the South Norwalk retail and restaurant district, in addition to the South Norwalk MTA Station, providing easy access to Manhattan. In 2007, Jefferson at 55/77 Water was acquired for $51 million and was subsequently foreclosed upon by its mezzanine lender. Richard Horowitz of Cooper-Horowitz arranged the acquisition financing. Spirit Bascom Ventures is a joint venture between New York-based Spirit Investment Partners and Irvine, Calif.-based The Bascom Group. The joint venture was formed to acquire distressed and value-added multifamily assets in the Northeast, Southeast and Midwest.

WICHITA KAN. — Koch Industries Inc., which owns a diverse group of companies that specialize in everything from chemicals to biofuels to forest and consumer products, will expand its Wichita campus by adding a new 210,000-square-foot office building. The three-story structure will also include a lower level and have the capacity to accommodate 745 employees, according to the company. Koch companies employ more than 2,800 people in Wichita, and that number is expected to significantly increase. Koch companies currently have more than 150 unfilled jobs in Wichita. The freestanding building, which will connect to other buildings on the campus via walkways and tunnels, is the first phase of a long-term master plan to address potential future growth. Construction of the new building will begin in the fall of 2013 with completion slated for mid-2015. In addition to office space, the new building will include a satellite Café Koch and training space. The campus is located at 37th Street North between Oliver and Hillside streets. Construction of the three-story office building will begin in the fall of 2013. The possible expansion of Koch’s campus was announced in May of this year when the company said it was outgrowing its Wichita headquarters, …

SAN DIEGO — Global real estate firm Hines says the 415,000-square-foot building under construction at La Jolla Commons in San Diego will become the nation's largest carbon-neutral office building to date. The 13-story tower will utilize a combination of high-performance building design, directed biogas and on-site fuel cells that will annually generate more electricity than tenants will use. The fuel cells, acquired from Bloom Energy, will generate approximately 5 million kilowatt hours of electricity annually, which is roughly the equivalent of energy required to power 1,000 San Diego homes. Methane needed to power the fuel cells will be acquired from carbon-neutral sources, such as landfills and wastewater plants, and placed into the national natural gas pipeline system. Houston-based Hines and equity partner J.P. Morgan Asset Management have teamed up to develop the project. Construction began in April 2012 and completion is scheduled for mid-2014. The building will be fully leased and occupied by LPL FInancial LLC, an independent broker-dealer, institutional service provider and wholly owned subsidiary of LPL Financial Holdings (NASDAQ: LPLA). Both Hines and engineering firm WSP Flack + Kurtz spent time researching available technology for the project. “LPL Financial at La Jolla Commons is one further step in …

RICHARDSON, TEXAS — Dallas-based KDC, a commercial real estate development and investment firm, plans to acquire 186 acres of land in Richardson to develop a $1.5 billion master-planned project. The mixed-use development, which will include office, healthcare, retail and multifamily components, will be located near the intersection of President George Bush Turnpike and Interstate 75 (North Central Expressway). Financing is in place for the development, but details aren’t available at this time. The Richardson City Council approved rezoning for the tract, which has paved the way for the project’s development. The project will be adjacent to the Dallas Area Rapid Transit (DART) Bush Turnpike Station on its red line. KDC anticipates closing on the land acquisition before the end of the year. “We started out with a vision of what this property could be and worked alongside the City of Richardson to make it happen,” says Steve Van Amburgh, CEO of KDC. “The development will have a great mix of amenities in a pedestrian friendly environment that is inviting to corporate users and the community.” “The site is one of the finest undeveloped properties in the Dallas/Fort Worth Metroplex, and perhaps in any major U.S. metropolitan area,” adds Walt Mountford, …

ALBANY, ORE. — Vintage Real Estate LLC has acquired the 406,500-square-foot Heritage Mall, an underperforming shopping center in Albany, from a consortium of lenders for an undisclosed sum. Albany is one of the fastest growing cities in Oregon. A major shopping destination for the city and Linn County, Heritage Mall features 52 major retailers, boutiques and restaurants. Among the retailers are Target, Sears, Ross Dress for Less and Old Navy, Maurices, rue21, Zumiez, Famous Footwear, GameStop and Bath & Body Works. Heritage Mall is located on 33 acres west of Interstate 5 and just north of Corvallis, home of Oregon State University and its more than 26,000 students. The mall, which opened in 1988, was remodeled in 2006 and currently is 50 percent occupied. This transaction removed $38 million in debt from the property. Heritage Mall, which opened in Albany, Ore., in 1988, was remodeled in 2006. Albany’s population of 50,158 has risen nearly 21 percent since 2000. However, the area’s unemployment rate stood at 10.4 percent in October, well above the national average. “We have the capacity, both in terms of capital and management, to reposition the mall and improve its performance by adding many national tenants,” says Fred …

SAN JOSE, CALIF. — The Sobrato Organization has sold the 508-unit Willow Lake Apartment Homes in San Jose for $148 million. Essex Property Trust Inc. (NYSE: ESS) purchased the community for approximately $291,000 per unit. Willow Lake was built in three phrases: 282 units in 1989, 126 units in 1990 and 100 units in 1997. The community offers a range of one-, two- and three-bedroom floor plans averaging 929 square feet. The property features a large lake, two resort-style pools and three spas, as well as a fitness center, community lounge and business center. Stan Jones, Phil Saglimbeni, and Sal Saglimbeni with Institutional Property Advisors (IPA), a multifamily brokerage division of Marcus & Millichap, represented the seller in the transaction. “With 12.5 percent rent growth over the last 12 months and an average occupancy of 96.4 percent, San Jose’s market fundamentals are strong and getting stronger,” says Jones. “Rental demand here is now at one of the highest levels since 2001, resulting in a year-over-year vacancy decline of 60 basis points. Furthermore, rental demand growth is predicted to exceed additions to existing stock.” The multifamily community is located with convenient access to Caltrain and the VTA Light Rail Network. It …

NEW YORK CITY — Cole Real Estate Investments has acquired Canarsie Plaza, a 278,000-square-foot shopping center located in the Canarsie neighborhood of Brooklyn in New York City. The $124 million transaction is one of Cole’s largest multi-tenant retail transactions of the year. Acadia Strategic Opportunity Fund II LLC was the seller. Built in 2011, the property is 96 percent occupied and is anchored by several well-known national tenants, including BJ’s Wholesale Club, Planet Fitness and PetSmart. The property also includes a number of additional specialty retailers such as Vitamin Shoppe, Dunkin’ Donuts, and T-Mobile. “This high-quality asset is attractively located in Brooklyn, a vibrant and densely populated borough of New York City,” says Thomas Roberts, executive vice president and head of real estate investments for Phoenix-based Cole. “Canarsie Plaza holds long-term leases with nationally recognized retailers who benefit from the positive retail traffic created by the location’s dense population and nearby public transportation.” Thomas Falatko, vice president of acquisitions, multi-tenant retail, represented Cole in the transaction. Andrew G. Scandalios, senior managing director of HFF, represented the seller. Cole primarily targets net-leased single-tenant and multi-tenant retail properties under long-term leases with creditworthy tenants, as well as single-tenant office and industrial properties, …

HOUSTON — A national developer known for large-scale mixed-use projects has announced plans for a $450 million development in Houston. San Diego-based OliverMcMillan plans to break ground this spring on River Oaks District, which will combine commercial and residential buildings on Westheimer Road, two blocks inside the Loop. The 15-acre site is about a half-mile from the Galleria Mall. Plans call for 270,000 square feet of retail, high-end restaurants, outdoor cafes and a movie theater, along with 100,000 square feet of office space. The developer will also construct 278 residential units. When the project was first announced in 2007, before the recession, it included two luxury hotels and a slightly higher square footage of retail, office and residential space, according to the Houston Business Journal. The Houston City Council granted OliverMcMillan a rebate of up to $19 million, provided that stores in the project generate that much in sales tax. OliverMcMillan says it will aim to create a “timeless environment” with walkable streets, a town center canopied by Texan Oak Trees, individualized storefronts and covered outdoor dining. The architectural design will also feature native Texas stones and design elements. “Houston is already a shopping, dining and residential investment destination for …