SAN FRANCISCO — A local unidentified private investor has purchased the 22-unit Mallard Pointe apartment complex in the San Francisco submarket of Belvedere has sold to a for $18.2 million. The community is located at 1-22 Mallard Drive. Mallard Pointe was built in 1951 and has been renovated several times during the past five decades. The property is situated on Belvedere Lagoon, directly across from Angel Island, a California state park. Ryan Wagner of Colliers International and Matt Wagner of Paragon Commercial represented both parties in the transaction. The seller was a local private investor who owned the property for almost 80 years.
SAN JOSE, CALIF. — DivcoWest has acquired 2 West Santa Clara, an 83,896-square-foot historic office building in downtown San Jose, for an undisclosed sum. The building is situated at the corner of West Santa Clara and North First streets. The property was built in 1910 and expanded in 1927 with the addition of a nine-story annex. The asset has been extensively renovated within the past few years. DivcoWest plans to carry out a full rehabilitation to provide smaller tenants with the opportunity to have a full-floor presence. The space served as one of the first examples of steel-framed office construction in California. It was originally the home of First National Bank. The property was also the headquarters for Bank of the West and, later, lumber company Pacific States Industries. Ritchie Commercial represented the buyer and seller in this transaction. The acquisition is part of a joint venture with an investment group led by Gary Dillabough.
OAKLAND, CALIF. — A joint venture between Ellis Partners and Intercontinental Real Estate Corp. has purchased a vacant parcel in downtown Oakland known as 1100 Broadway. The acquisition includes the dilapidated, historic Key System building, which contains 34,000 square feet across seven floors. The JV plans to restore the vacant building and integrate it into a new Class A office tower to be built on the site. The Key System building was constructed in 1911 as the headquarters of the Key System Railway, which transported East Bay residents locally and across the lower deck of the Bay Bridge to San Francisco. The seller, SKS, purchased the lot and vacant building in 2008. JLL’s Capital Markets team of Michel Seifer, Rob Hielscher and Erik Hanson brokered the transaction.
LONG BEACH, CALIF. — Urban Commons has unveiled plans for a $250 million mixed-use development surrounding the Queen Mary, a retired cruise ship docked in Long Beach, Calif. The 700,000-square-foot project — designed by Gensler and titled Queen Mary Island — will include a main lobby plaza; 2,400-foot boardwalk alongside marinas, eclectic retail shops, cafes and bars; 200-room hotel; and outdoor amphitheater. Urban Commons assumed the master lease of the ship in April of last year, and subsequently began a renovation program to restore the ship to its former glory. The company is also collaborating with London-based Urban Legacies to develop Urban Adventure, a 150,000-square-foot entertainment facility. The building will offer 20 interactive and experiential activities including an indoor ice climbing wall, surfing, skydiving, zip lining and a trampoline park. An expected date of completion for the development has yet to be announced. Urban Commons is a Los Angeles-based real estate investment and development firm with a portfolio of assets across the United States. — Katie Sloan
EL SEGUNDO, CALIF. — NSB Associates has commenced construction on Ascend, an 80,000-square-foot creative office building in El Segundo. The property is situated at the Utah Avenue Campus. Legendary architect Frank Gehry will design Ascend. It will include customizable, creative workplaces with 24-foot clear-height ceilings, large glass panel walls, skylights and 16,000 square feet of private outdoor patio space for collaboration. The building sits on a podium over a covered parking structure. The building is near to the LA Metro Green Line and LAX. It is scheduled for occupancy in the fourth quarter of 2017. JLL’s Mike McRoskey, Blake Searles, Evan Moran and Jason Fine are leading the property’s leasing efforts.
MENIFEE, CALIF. — Hanley Investment Group Real Estate Advisors has arranged the $9 million sale of a single-tenant, 17,185-square-foot, Rite Aid-occupied property located in Menifee. Kevin Fryman of Hanley represented the seller, Parkcrest Construction Inc. Ron Duong of Marcus & Millichap represented the buyer, an undisclosed private investor. Rite Aid has nearly 20 years remaining on its initial lease term, with increases every 10 years.
MORGAN HILL, CALIF. — Steadfast Senior Living has unveiled plans for an unnamed, 67-unit assisted living and memory care community in the San Jose suburb of Morgan Hill. The two story, 62,000-square-foot development will consist of studio, one- and two-bedroom units ranging from 400 square feet to 1000 square feet. Steadfast plans to break ground on the project this summer for a scheduled opening sometime in 2018. Steadfast currently owns two other assisted living and memory care communities, both in the Los Angeles metro. The two communities are the newly opened GranVida in Carpinteria and Crestavilla, currently under construction in Laguna Niguel. Steadfast Senior Living is a division of Steadfast Cos., an Irvine-based developer, investor and operator of commercial real estate properties in the United States and Mexico.
ONTARIO, CALIF. — Sares Regis Group has signed four new leases for distribution buildings within the Meredith International Centre in Ontario. The leases contain a total of 972,000 square feet. The project is situated on 150 acres near Ontario International Airport. All of the lease agreements range from five to 10 years. Five out of the seven buildings at the project are now fully leased. The two remaining buildings contain 575,000 square feet and 398,000 square feet. New leases were signed with international marketing, financial and technology service provider Arvato, which leased a 552,000-square-foot building; international air services provider Metro Air Service, which rented a 155,000-square-foot building; aftermarket automotive wheels and accessories maker and distributor the Wheel Group, which absorbed a 138,000-square-foot building; and transportation management solutions provider Metropolitan Logistics Services, which leased a 127,000-square-foot building. Joe McKay and Chris Morrell of Lee & Associates represented Sares Regis in the deals. Meredith International Centre totals 243 acres and includes plans for 1.1 million square feet of office and retail space and 800 apartments.
There was a big shake-up in the big box world with long-time sporting goods staples Sports Chalet and Sports Authority shuttering stores across the county. Macy’s in Mission Valley is also closing, while Nordstrom is shutting down in downtown. Interestingly, Hobby Lobby and the large pet stores seem to be buffered by the big box epidemic. In Chula Vista, two long-time vacant big boxes were finally chopped up into four spaces to accommodate the mid-sized box users. The good news is that big, “boring” boxes are being replaced by big “experiences.” Experiences, whether in a larger property or within a specific business, continue to be important for retailers and restaurants. Landlords across the county are making large investments to create experiences that will attract consumers. At the top end of the spectrum we have seen Westfield finally pulling the trigger on a massive remodel of the UTC mall, which will include more than 100 new stores and restaurants. Rouse purchased the Carlsbad mall from Westfield and has seemed to follow a similar business plan with its revamp, adding an exciting lineup of restaurants along the outside of the property. Liberty Station in Point Loma is coming into its prime with, …
SAN FRANCISCO — An unnamed buyer has acquired a 38-unit apartment building in San Francisco for $31.8 million. The community is located at 2201 Pacific Ave. Edward E. Young designed the property, which features a Spanish Colonial-themed lobby with a vaulted wood ceiling and gold and copper leaf design. James Devincenti and Brad Lagomarsino of Colliers International arranged the sale on behalf of Union Bank’s Trust Department, which represents the buildings’ outgoing ownership entity.