Daily News for Commercial Real Estate & Business – May 16, 2012

Here are the news articles you might find interesting today for commercial real estate and business:

Stapley Marketplace Sells for $1M  Stapley Marketplace, located at 1616 S. Stapley Dr., sold for $1 million, or about $147 per square foot, to J & L Development. Transaction was an REO sale, the seller being First International Bank & Trust. The 6,797-square-foot, multi-tenant retail building was built in 2006 and was fully occupied at the time of sale. Firehouse Subs is the anchor tenant at the property.   View article…

Clocktower Corporate Bldg Sold For $3M  Securian Financial Group, Inc. sold the Clocktower Corporate office building at 7776 S. Pointe Pkwy W. in Phoenix, AZ for $2.95 million, or about $27 per square foot, to Presson Corporation.  Built in 1987 and situated on a six-acre parcel, the 109,779-square-foot building was just 37 percent leased at time of sale.   View article…

Good business leaves little room for others on Mill Avenue  The city of Tempe is experiencing growing pains that may leave others envious.  Business is flourishing along Mill Avenue to such a degree that there is little room for new businesses to open.  “Since 2009, we’ve seen 48 businesses open and stay in business in this district,” said Tempe spokeswoman Kris Baxter-Ging. “We have a new restaurant preparing to open and when it does we will only have space for one more restaurant.”  View article…

Aaron Chamberlin Will Open Farm-Focused Cafe in Urban Grocery Space  When news broke last week that Urban Grocery and Wine Bar was closing, it didn’t take long for the rumor to start circulating that an undisclosed chef had expressed interest in the space.  Turns out, the rumor was true. Aaron Chamberlin, chef-owner of St. Francis, confirms for Chow Bella that he has negotiated a deal with landlord Kurt Schneider and plans to transform the charming vintage building into a cafe by early October.  View article…

Officials close to deal to bring Albright University to Mesa  The city of Mesa is in negotiations to attract Albright College to its city — the third university agreement this year.  City officials also are working with Westminster College and Benedictine University to establish branch campuses in downtown Mesa.  View article…

Rebound in Progress, But Still Years from Full Economic Recovery: Forecasts Delivered at W. P. Carey School Economic Outlook Luncheon   Despite positive growth, full economic recovery is still two years away for the nation and at least three years away for Arizona. That message was delivered today by top economists from the W. P. Carey School of Business at Arizona State University. The experts spoke at the annual Economic Outlook Luncheon sponsored by the Economic Club of Phoenix.  “Arizona lost 314,000 jobs during the recession, and we’ve only added back around 25 percent of those,” explained Research Professor Lee McPheters, director of the JPMorgan Chase Economic Outlook Center at the W. P. Carey School of Business. “We’ll probably pick up about 48,000 jobs this year in the state, but it will be three to four years until we can expect to see full recovery.” View article…

HOUSING:
ASU: Phoenix housing market still bruised, but recovering  The Phoenix-area housing market still has plenty of bruises from its recent knockdowns, but some of those wounds may be starting to heal.  Foreclosure sales, short sales and real estate investors still make up the bulk of current home sales in the Phoenix area.   View article…

Scottsdale builders seeing surge in new homes  Apartment development is the focus of Scottsdale’s housing market, but builders based in the city say they are seeing a surge in new-home sales elsewhere in the Valley.  Builders acquired permits for nearly 2,500 single-family homes in the first quarter, up 74 percent from a year ago, said Greg Burger, publisher with RL Brown of the “Phoenix Housing Market Letter.”  View article…

Housing Recovery to Occur in Two Phases: Demand Institute  The housing recovery will come in two phases. First, home prices will rise by just under 1 percent in the second half of 2012. In 2013, prices will rise by 1.5 percent, then go up another 2.5 percent in 2014. For the second phase, home prices will increase 3 to 3.5 percent between 2015 and 2017. These are the predictions from a report released by the Demand Institute, which is jointly operated by The Conference Board and Nielsen.  View article…

CURRENT FOR SALE OPPORTUNITIES:
Bella Vista Retail Center (IN ESCROW-ACCEPTING BACK UP OFFERS)–  Investment, multi-tenant retail center.  For a brochure, click here…

+/- 43,000 SF Leased Industrial Building in Southern Gardens – Single Tenant Investment opportunity.  For more information, click here…

2 Industrial Condos in Bahia Business Park - Owner/User opportunity to purchase 1 or both industrial condos.  For more information, click here…

Former TDC Corp HQ – 6515 S Rural Road, Tempe, AZ  – Former Corporate HQ for TDC in Tempe, AZ For Sale.  For more information, click here…

5051 & 5057 E Thomas Road – (PRICE REDUCED-$295,000 for both buildings!) Former Dentist Office and Former Real Estate Office  For Sale/Lease.   For a brochure, click here…

7320 N Dreamy Draw – Freestanding Office Building in Squaw Peak Corridor-great owner/user opportunity.  For a brochure, click here…

6677 W Thunderbird – BANK OWNED – Grey shell office condo in Glendale.  For a brochure, click here…

Kokopelli Springs in St. David, AZ – Investment, 56 unit mobile home park.  For a brochure, click here…

2 Acres of Land – Owner/User opportunity to purchase 2 acres of land off of I-10 & 40th Street.  For a brochure, click here…

3.64 Acres of Land – BANK OWNED – Infill Development opportunity in Surprise.  For a brochure, click here…

Feel free to contact me regarding any of these stories, the current market, distressed commercial real estate opportunities or your property.   

Daily News for Commercial Real Estate & Business – May 15, 2012

Here are the news articles you might find interesting today for commercial real estate and business:

To view the May 2012 Mutlifamily Executive magazine, click here….

To view the CPI 1st Quarter 2012 Industrial Report, click here…

To view the CPI 1st Quarter 2012 Office Report, click here…

Phoenix’s Select Top Retail Sales for Q1 2012  The following is an account of the Phoenix market’s select top 10 retail sales transactions for the first quarter 2012. SyWest Development acquired three shopping centers, which included The Warner Ranch Plaza in Tempe, The Casa Paloma in Chandler and The Shoppes at Gilbert Commons in Gilbert, for a combined $121,776,600. Donahue Schriber was the seller.  View article…

Phoenix’s Select Top Retail Leases for Q1 2012  The following is an account of the Phoenix market’s select top 10 retail lease transactions for the first quarter 2012.  El Mirage Plaza signed a master lease for 41,705 square feet for five years at 12420 W Thunderbird Road in El Mirage. There were no brokers involved in the transaction. Rex Revola is the landlord.   View article…

Regal Group Relocating in Q2 to Newly Purchased Phoenix Industrial  Regal Group LLC purchased the industrial building at 945 W. Deer Valley Rd. in Phoenix, AZ for $1.725 million, or about $62 per square foot, from a family trust trading as SMW Associates LLC. Regal Group purchased the property as an owner/user and plans to occupy the building in Q2-2012, doing business as Harmon Electric, Inc.  View article…

Southwest Lending Closet opens in bigger space in Avondale  The Southwest Lending Closet doubled its size when it moved into a bigger building in Avondale, but it still has some big needs and it hopes to land more donors and grants.  Wednesday, the Lending Closet held its grand opening in its new location in Historic Avondale, formerly called Old Town. About 150 people crammed into the 1,800-square-foot building at 218 N. Central Ave.  View article…

Old Motorola radar tower demolished in Tempe as office park takes shape  A Motorola radar tower at Elliott Road and the Loop 101 in Tempe was demolished May 12, clearing room for the planned Discovery Business Campus.  Wentworth Property Company and partner Northwood Investors purchased the property from Freescale Semiconductor in 2011 for $53.7 million. Freescale is a spinoff of Motorola that was formed in 2004.  View article…

Applications for medical-marijuana sites open  The Arizona Department of Health Services will accept applications for medical-marijuana dispensaries through 5 p.m. May 25.  Under the voter-approved Arizona Medical Marijuana Act, the state can have 126 medical-marijuana dispensaries, but the application process had been stalled because of lawsuits and rule making.  View article…

Phoenix-area cities got innovative during economic downturn Responding to a growing demand for library services in east Mesa, the city in 2011 opened an express library at a vacant strip mall for $360,000 rather than building a stand-alone library for as much as $10 million.  In Scottsdale, the city court in 2010 expanded an at-home detention and electronic-monitoring program for DUI offenders with no history of violence, making sure defendants stay employed and receive counseling. The move saved the city an estimated $1.44 million in jail fees the first nine months of the program.  View article…

HOUSING:
Lennar Homes building 83 new homes in El Mirage  Lennar Homes says it will build 83 new single family homes in El Mirage this summer.  Lennar’s Discovery at Montecito Estates is located at Thompson Ranch and El Mirage roads in the West Valley.  The homes will be sized between 1,300 and 2,900 square feet on 5,000-square-foot lots.  View article…

Shadow Inventory: 46 Months to Clear Distressed Housing Supply  It will take 46 months to clear the market’s supply of distressed homes, or the shadow inventory, according to estimates from Standard & Poor’s Rating Services based on first-quarter 2012 data.  The agency’s latest estimate came in one month shy of the liquidation timeline determined in the fourth quarter of 2011.  View article…

CURRENT FOR SALE OPPORTUNITIES:
Bella Vista Retail Center (IN ESCROW-ACCEPTING BACK UP OFFERS)–  Investment, multi-tenant retail center.  For a brochure, click here…

+/- 43,000 SF Leased Industrial Building in Southern Gardens – Single Tenant Investment opportunity.  For more information, click here…

2 Industrial Condos in Bahia Business Park - Owner/User opportunity to purchase 1 or both industrial condos.  For more information, click here…

Former TDC Corp HQ – 6515 S Rural Road, Tempe, AZ  – Former Corporate HQ for TDC in Tempe, AZ For Sale.  For more information, click here…

5051 & 5057 E Thomas Road – (PRICE REDUCED-$295,000 for both buildings!) Former Dentist Office and Former Real Estate Office  For Sale/Lease.   For a brochure, click here…

7320 N Dreamy Draw – Freestanding Office Building in Squaw Peak Corridor-great owner/user opportunity.  For a brochure, click here…

6677 W Thunderbird – BANK OWNED – Grey shell office condo in Glendale.  For a brochure, click here…

Kokopelli Springs in St. David, AZ – Investment, 56 unit mobile home park.  For a brochure, click here…

2 Acres of Land – Owner/User opportunity to purchase 2 acres of land off of I-10 & 40th Street.  For a brochure, click here…

3.64 Acres of Land – BANK OWNED – Infill Development opportunity in Surprise.  For a brochure, click here…

Feel free to contact me regarding any of these stories, the current market, distressed commercial real estate opportunities or your property.   

Daily News for Commercial Real Estate & Business – May 14, 2012

Here are the news articles you might find interesting today for commercial real estate and business:

Mesa land sold to tire recycler CRM of America  A company that recycles used tires for new uses has bought 4.5 acres of land in Mesa.  CRM of America LLC bought the bank-owned land in Mesa for $205,000. CRM has tire recycling plants in Los Angeles, New York and Mesa. The vacant land is located at the northeast corner of Pecos and Mountain roads near CRM’s plant.  View article…

Loco Patron opening third Arizona restaurant  Mexican restaurant Loco Patron will open its third Valley location in Tempe by this fall.  The company leased nearly 5,000 square feet from Vulcan Real Estate in the Tempe Gateway building in the Mill Avenue District. The new location will feature a sports bar and patio bar in addition to the restaurant’s award-winning Mexican food and drinks.  View article…

Price Corridor data site to break ground  A California-based company is building a data center that can hold up to 200,000 servers within five years in the Price Corridor.  The company, NextFort, breaks ground Monday on the first phase of 130,000 square feet at 2600 W. Germann Road in Chandler. NextFort President/CEO Mark Towfiq hopes the building will open by the end of the year.  View article…

Scottsdale Arte retirement community developer defaults  The developer of the Arte retirement community in Scottsdale has defaulted on a loan and the property is set for a July 5 trustee sale, according to Maricopa County records.  Arte Senior Living LLC of Scottsdale, affiliated with the Avenir Group of Cos., originally borrowed $36.25 million to develop the rental retirement facility. It opened in early 2010 at 114th Street and Via Linda.  The beneficiary for the foreclosed property is SMA Portfolio Owner LLC, which is affiliated with the Square Mile Capital Management LLC of New York.  View article…

Tempe’s Hayden Flour Mill set to reopen  New real estate developments are coming to Tempe’s Mill Avenue.  The long fenced-off and vacant Hayden Flour Mill will have those fences come down on May 22. The mill and silos have been fenced off since 1998 and the historic site has become somewhat of an eyesore. Mill Avenue gets its name from the mill, and the site has long been an iconic symbol of downtown Tempe.  View article…

Curis Resources gets $40M loan for Pinal County copper mine  Curis Resources Ltd. says it has finalized a $40 million loan for its contentious underground copper mining project in Pinal County.  Vancouver-based Curis said it has executed the loan deal with RK Mine Finance Trust I for its Florence Copper Project.  View article…

Gestamp Solar Steel to expand, hire 80  Gestamp Solar Steel is slated to expand its Surprise facility that makes parts for solar power plants and add 80 new jobs.  The company announced this week at a Surprise council meeting it was starting the second phase of its construction next week, which would add 36,000 square feet to the facility. A third phase of 140,000 square feet will be added starting later this year.  View article…

Commuter rail should be fast-tracked in Arizona  As someone who drives almost 45 miles round trip from the West Valley into downtown Phoenix every day for work, I was all ears when I heard an National Public Radio report yesterday about yet another study to determine whether a passenger rail between Tucson and Phoenix would be viable.  View article…

Downtown Phoenix-to-Tolleson light-rail route revised  Valley transit officials are close to approving a new proposal for extending light rail to link downtown Phoenix to Tolleson.  Albert Santana of the Phoenix City Manager’s Office and Tom Callow of Metro light rail told the Phoenix Citizens’ Transit Commission on Thursday that a series of meetings with state officials and residents in the St. Matthew’s neighborhood, west of the state Capitol, have led to a tentative agreement on a route.  It calls for the 11-mile West Rail Link to run near Interstate 10 from Tolleson into Phoenix.  View article…

CURRENT FOR SALE OPPORTUNITIES:
Bella Vista Retail Center (IN ESCROW-ACCEPTING BACK UP OFFERS)–  Investment, multi-tenant retail center.  For a brochure, click here…

+/- 43,000 SF Leased Industrial Building in Southern Gardens – Single Tenant Investment opportunity.  For more information, click here…

2 Industrial Condos in Bahia Business Park - Owner/User opportunity to purchase 1 or both industrial condos.  For more information, click here…

Former TDC Corp HQ – 6515 S Rural Road, Tempe, AZ  – Former Corporate HQ for TDC in Tempe, AZ For Sale.  For more information, click here…

5051 & 5057 E Thomas Road – (PRICE REDUCED-$295,000 for both buildings!) Former Dentist Office and Former Real Estate Office  For Sale/Lease.   For a brochure, click here…

7320 N Dreamy Draw – Freestanding Office Building in Squaw Peak Corridor-great owner/user opportunity.  For a brochure, click here…

6677 W Thunderbird – BANK OWNED – Grey shell office condo in Glendale.  For a brochure, click here…

Kokopelli Springs in St. David, AZ – Investment, 56 unit mobile home park.  For a brochure, click here…

2 Acres of Land – Owner/User opportunity to purchase 2 acres of land off of I-10 & 40th Street.  For a brochure, click here…

3.64 Acres of Land – BANK OWNED – Infill Development opportunity in Surprise.  For a brochure, click here…

Feel free to contact me regarding any of these stories, the current market, distressed commercial real estate opportunities or your property.   

Daily News for Commercial Real Estate & Business – May 11, 2012

Here are the news articles you might find interesting today for commercial real estate and business:

$85 MILLION SENIOR HOUSING COMMUNITY PLANNED AT TEMPE TOWN LAKE  (Here is more information about the project I told you about on Wednesday this week)  A joint venture called MDT Development Partners LLC plans to develop a $85 million senior housing project located along the south side of Tempe Town Lake and just east of Arizona State University in Tempe. The 262-unit project, being called The Villas at Southbank, is planned for a 2.23-acre site located along the north side of Rio Salado Parkway and east of Rural Road. Southbank ASU LLC in Anthem (formed by MDT) paid $2.7 million to buy the parcel. The seller was Pier at Town Lake LLC, a company formed by The Wolff Co. in Scottsdale (Fritz Wolff, et al., principals).   View article…

LIBERTY PROPERTY TRUST ADDS TO PORTFOLIO WITH 400,000-SQUARE-FOOT ACQUISITION   A limited partnership formed by Liberty Property Trust in Malvern, Pa. (NYSE:LRY, John DiVall, city mgr. for Arizona region) paid $17.03 million ($42.22 per foot) to purchase a 403,321-square-foot industrial project located in Tolleson. The seller was E & V Investments LLC in Tolleson (Vito Ancona, principal).   View article…

ANGELO, GORDON VENTURE SPENDS $46.5 MILLION FOR 660-UNIT APARTMENT COMPLEX IN TEMPE  AG-ICC Haven Owner LLC, a joint venture formed by Angelo, Gordon & Co. in New York City, N.Y. (John Angelo, Michael Gordon, partners), paid $46.5 million ($70,455 per unit) to buy the 660-unit Haven apartments at 1440 E. Broadway Road in Tempe. The seller was Haven Holder LLC, a collateralized debt obligation investment managed by Petra Capital Management in New York City,   View article…

Scottsdale City Council clears way for $65 mil apartment site  A $65 million, 369-unit apartment complex will be built north of Scottsdale Fashion Square, despite the objection by some nearby residents who fear it will create traffic problems and decrease property values.  With a 5-1 vote, the Scottsdale City Council cleared the way for Dallas-based JLB Partners to develop the nine-building complex on the 9.6-acre parcel near the southwestern corner of Scottsdale and Chaparral roads. Portales Corporate Center is to the east, Optima Camelview Village is to the south, and single-family residences are west and north of the site.  View article…

GLENDALE WILL FINALLY GET A CHANCE TO SHOP AT A GOODWILL STORE  In many ways the opening of Glendale’s first Goodwill store will become a monumental occasion. This event will mark Goodwill of Central Arizona’s 50th opening of a retail store in their region. Additionally, this event celebrates the efforts Goodwill has invested in opening a store in the city of Glendale. After several attempts by Goodwill over the past ten years, the city of Glendale and its residents have finally given support to having Goodwill move to 6161 W. Bell Road. View article…

Mesa, Cubs breaking ground on new baseball facility in July  The Chicago Cubs and the City of Mesa have announced that they will be breaking ground on a new spring training baseball facility this summer.  On Wednesday it was revealed that construction on the new facility is scheduled to begin on July 11.  View article…

Scottsdale builders seeing surge in new homes  Apartment development is the focus of Scottsdale’s housing market, but builders based in the city say they are seeing a surge in new-home sales elsewhere in the Valley.  Builders acquired permits for nearly 2,500 single-family homes in the first quarter, up 74 percent from a year ago, said Greg Burger, publisher with RL Brown of the “Phoenix Housing Market Letter.”  View article…

Phoenix eases process for building permits  Efforts by businesses to get building permits will be easier now that the Phoenix City Council has approved a six-month pilot program aimed at “reducing red tape, permit-turnaround times and business expenses.”  The changes were made as the result of studies by a task force of 125 members led by Councilmen Sal DiCiccio and Tom Simplot.  DiCiccio wanted to privatize the process further, but he was overruled by other council members, and he agreed to compromise on the question.  View article…

LPS: Home Prices Increased, but We’ve Been Down This Road Before  For the first time since March 2010, data from Lender Processing Services (LPS) showed an increase in home prices, but still, the analytics company warned to embrace the positive news with some caution.  Nationally, February 2012 seasonally-adjusted prices rose 0.2 percent, according to the LPS Home Price Index, which incorporated residential sales concluded during February. Not only is the increase a first in almost two years, but it’s also the third increase in five years.  View article…

CURRENT FOR SALE OPPORTUNITIES:
Bella Vista Retail Center (IN ESCROW-ACCEPTING BACK UP OFFERS)–  Investment, multi-tenant retail center.  For a brochure, click here…

+/- 43,000 SF Leased Industrial Building in Southern Gardens – Single Tenant Investment opportunity.  For more information, click here…

2 Industrial Condos in Bahia Business Park - Owner/User opportunity to purchase 1 or both industrial condos.  For more information, click here…

Former TDC Corp HQ – 6515 S Rural Road, Tempe, AZ  – Former Corporate HQ for TDC in Tempe, AZ For Sale.  For more information, click here…

5051 & 5057 E Thomas Road – (PRICE REDUCED-$295,000 for both buildings!) Former Dentist Office and Former Real Estate Office  For Sale/Lease.   For a brochure, click here…

7320 N Dreamy Draw – Freestanding Office Building in Squaw Peak Corridor-great owner/user opportunity.  For a brochure, click here…

6677 W Thunderbird – BANK OWNED – Grey shell office condo in Glendale.  For a brochure, click here…

Kokopelli Springs in St. David, AZ – Investment, 56 unit mobile home park.  For a brochure, click here…

2 Acres of Land – Owner/User opportunity to purchase 2 acres of land off of I-10 & 40th Street.  For a brochure, click here…

3.64 Acres of Land – BANK OWNED – Infill Development opportunity in Surprise.  For a brochure, click here…

Feel free to contact me regarding any of these stories, the current market, distressed commercial real estate opportunities or your property.

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