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TULSA, OKLA. — Tulsa-based Stan Johnson Co. has brokered the sale of a 20-property CVS/pharmacy portfolio for $62.7 million. The portfolio contains more than 248,000 square feet of retail space. The pharmacies are located in Alabama, California, Connecticut, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Massachusetts, Michigan, New Hampshire, Pennsylvania, Texas and Virginia. Jeff Hughes of Stan Johnson's Tulsa office and Brandon Duff of the firm's Chicago office represented the buyer and seller, both undisclosed, Texas-based parties. –Coleman Wood

SAN JOSE, CALIF. — Walker & Dunlop has originated $138.93 million in Freddie Mac funds for the refinancing of a San Jose apartment community. Elan at River Oaks is a 941-unit community that also contains 23,000 square feet of commercial space. The undisclosed borrower recently completed a $15 million renovation of the property that included unit upgrades, a clubhouse renovation, elevator upgrades, new exterior paint and a fountain upgrade. The borrower plans to use the proceeds to retire $120 million in existing debt. Verne Murray, III, and Jeff Burns led the Walker & Dunlop team that originated the loan. Last year, Walker & Dunlop also arranged a $151 million Freddie Mac loan for Ritz Plaza, a 43-story residential tower located in New York City's Times Square. — Coleman Wood

GLENVIEW, ILL. — Japanese pharmaceutical company Astellas Us Holding has broken ground for the construction of its new U.S. headquarters. The complex will be located in Glenview, less than 10 miles away from its current headquarters in Deerfield. Construction will include two buildings totaling 425,000 square feet of space. Astellas plans to move approximately 1,000 employees to the complex, which can accommodate up to 1,700. The site also contains space for a future third building that could total up to 175,000 square feet. Completion of the project is slated for 2012. It is applying for LEED certification. MB Real Estate assisted Astellas in acquiring the 8-acre site, which was formerly held by Culligan Water. MB's Project Services division will partner with Chicago-based GlenStar Properties to provide development management services. The project architect is Goettsch Partners. — Coleman Wood

HUTCHINS, TEXAS — The Dallas office of Duke Realty Corp. has leased a 626,100-square-foot warehouse/distribution building located in the Dallas suburb of Hutchins. American Standard Brands, a kitchen and bath products manufacturer, will occupy the building and use it as a distribution center for its south and central U.S. regions. Known as Intermodal I, the building features immediate access to the Union Pacific Railroad Intermodal Facility as well as nearby access to interstates 45 and 20. “Intermodal I's Triple Freeport inventory tax exempt status and location in a foreign trade zone also offers benefits to American Standard, as do the additional incentives that the city of Hutchins was willing to provide American Standard to help facilitate the move,” says Curt Hefner, a senior leasing representative for Duke Realty who represented his company in lease negotiations. Dave Anderson of CB Richard Ellis represented American Standard in the transaction. The tenant plans to take occupancy in June and will be consolidating its multiple San Antonio locations into the new facility. – Coleman Wood

CHICAGO — Chicago-based JRM Technology has received city approval for the development of a 315,000-square-foot data center on Chicago's Near South Side. The project will be located at 111 E. Cermak Road, just two blocks away from an existing 1.1 million-square-foot data center located within the former RR Donnelly printing plant at 350 E. Cermak Road. “With 350 East Cermak approximately 95 percent leased, firms that need very fast fiber optic transmission speeds are seeking data center space close by,” said James McHugh, principal of JRM Technology, in a statement. “The new center's location helps ensure a large amount of fiber providers with high-volume and low-latency fiber optic lines.” The new data center will be powered by up to 40 megawatts of electricity, and two ComEd substations are planned to service it. The six-story building will also contain 143,000 square feet of raised floor space, 18-foot ceiling heights, space for full-generator backup and heavy duty cooling systems. In addition, the project will be applying for LEED-Gold certification. James McHugh Construction Co. is serving as design/build contractor. Environmental Systems Design is serving as lead architect/engineer, and Archideas will be the consulting architect. The project is anticipated to break ground this fall, …

LARGO, FLA. — Construction is complete for a new medical office project located on the campus of HCA Largo Medical Center in the Tampa Bay city of Largo. The building contains 155,000 square feet over six stories. The anchor tenant is Diagnostic Clinic, a physician-owned, multi-specialty medical practice that occupies more than 110,000 square feet of the building over four floors. In addition, Walgreens has partnered with Salient Medical Center for an on-site pharmacy and an “Option Care” outpatient treatment center, both of which are located on the second floor. The Greenfield Group is the developer of the project. Leighton McGinn Co. was the general contractor, the the project architect was Glidden, Spina & Partners. Largo Medical Center is a 465-bed hospital with campuses in Largo and Indian Rocks. Facilities at the hospital include a 24-hour emergency room, the Tampa Bay Heart Institute, the Florida Spine and Neurosurgery Center, the Florida Breast Institute, and centers for chest pain, cancer and stroke. — Coleman Wood

CHICAGO — The Chicago Plan Commission has granted approval for development to move forward for the Chicago Lakeside Development. The project, which is being touted as one of the largest public-private projects in the city's history, consists of the brownfield redevelopment of 369 acres of lakefront land in the city's South Shore neighborhood. The developer of the $4 billion project is Chicago Lakeside Development LLC, a joint venture between McCaffery Interests and U.S. Steel Corp., whose former South Works plant currently occupies the site. The scale of the project is massive. In its 25- to 45-year build-out period, the project will add approximately 17.5 million square feet of commercial space, 13,575 new homes, a new high school and a 1,500-slip marina to the neighborhood. Approximately 125 acres will consist of public land, and an estimated $450 million in public infrastructure will be added, including an expansive commuter rail and bus service. Funding will come from the joint venture as well as the city. “The approvals by the Plan Commission are the result of more than 4 years of collaboration and negotiations with the City of Chicago,” said Daniel McCaffery, founder and president of McCaffery Interests, in a statement. “It hasn't …

FAIRFAX, VA. — George Mason University will break ground this month for a new $47.5 million student housing project on its Fairfax campus. The project, known as the Northwest Housing VIIIA complex, will consist of two buildings containing 609 beds. Approximately half of the units will be apartment-style residences with kitchens and the other half will be suite-style dorms. The new residence hall will primarily house upperclassmen, with junior and seniors given preference for the apartment-style units. Additional landscaping work will be done at the outdoor quad created by the buildings. Pavers, terraced lawns and bench seating will be added. The project, which is being built by Balfour Beatty Construction and designed by Gensler, is applying for LEED-Silver certification. Demand for student housing at George Mason has consistently grown, and the school has done its best to keep up. In the past 5 years alone, approximately 1,400 beds of student housing have been added. And more is on the way. The current construction pipeline consists of Northwest Housing VIIIA as well as the Hampton Roads, a 400-bed project scheduled for a July completion. “For us, it's about wanting to get to the place where we are feeling like we are …