Business Specialties Leasing
Studley Report Says Sublease Space Floods San Fran Office Market
July 23, 2008

A total of 700,000 square feet of sublease space flooded the San Francisco office market over the last three months, pushing the overall availability rate to 14.8 percent, an increase of 1.6 percentage points as compared to the first quarter of 2008. Also, Class A availability rose by 0.8 percentage points to 14 percent, according to the San Francisco Studley Report. Among the significant sublease opportunities currently available are Sharper Image’s 63,000 square feet at Hills Plaza, data security firm Vontu’s 54,000 square feet at 475 Sansome, and California Pacific Medical Center’s 55,692 square feet at 633 Folsom Street.
Overall asking rental rates were stable during the second quarter, inching up to $37.70 per square foot. Class A asking rents were also flat on average, equaling $46.49 per square foot. Leasing activity continued to decline in the second quarter.  Four-quarter trailing leasing fell from 7.7 million square feet in the first quarter to 7.2 million square feet in the second quarter, an 11.2 percent drop from a year ago and 12 percent below the historical average of 8.2 million square feet. Firms are gravitating toward less expensive Class B and C space. The largest transaction of the quarter was McCann Erikson’s 112,000-square-foot lease renewal at 600 Battery Street. This was followed by DLA Piper’s 82,782-square-foot transaction at 555 Mission Street, the 550,000-square-foot project nearing completion, and Chevron’s 51,800-square-foot lease renewal at 345 California Street.


 
Recent Leasing Headlines
CarrAmerica Heavy Hitter Scruggs Heads to Transwestern
Aug. 21, 2008
After a highly successful 11-year stint as vice president of leasing at CarrAmerica Realty Corp. in Austin, real estate industry veteran Roy Scruggs has left the company and made his way to Transwestern as senior vice president. His departure has brought the closing of the leasing division of the Austin office two years after CarrAmerica had been snapped up by affiliates of The Blackstone Group in a $5.6 billion deal.
Extell Development Puts Manhattan Retail on Block
Aug. 20, 2008
A retail co-op occupied by Duane Reade in New York City is being put on the block by Extell Development, according to Eastern Consolidated, which is acting on behalf of the seller.
South Pacific Development Group Secures Land Lease for $450 Million Samoan Resort
Aug. 20, 2008
Hawaii-based South Pacific Development Group has obtained a 120-year lease for 600 acres of prime oceanfront land on Savaii Island in Samoa to develop the Sasina Village Resort.
Kosmos Energy Signs Lease at Park Lane in Dallas
Aug. 19, 2008
Harvest Partners said today that Kosmos Energy L.L.C. has signed an office lease for more than 50,000 square feet at Park Lane, a 33.5-acre mixed-use development currently
under construction in Dallas. This marks the first office lease signed in one of the new buildings at Park Lane.
RFP Closes 86,000 SF of Renewals, Expansions at RiverEdge in Atlanta
Aug. 18, 2008
RFP Mainstreet RiverEdge L.L.C. has closed more than 86,000 square feet of renewals and expansions at its RiverEdge office development in Atlanta’s Northwest submarket. The firm was represented by Jones Lang LaSalle. RFP Mainstreet RiverEdge acquired RiverEdge, a two-building, nearly 500,000-square-foot office complex, last year.
 

 

Pacific Office Properties Nabs $195M Portfolio
August 21, 2008
By Michael Fickes, Contributing Correspondent -- Pacific Office Properties Trust Inc. and an institutional co-investor have acquired a portfolio of seven Southern California office complexes for $195 million. The combined properties contain more than 1 million leasable square feet across...

$167M Construction Loan in Place for Brooklyn M-F Project
August 21, 2008
By Barbra Murray, Contributing Editor -- Forest City Ratner Cos. has closed on a $167 million construction financing deal for 80 DeKalb, a 365-unit apartment project in Downtown Brooklyn. The New York State Housing Finance Agency approved the project for...

Prime Income to Build $733M Resort in Germany
August 21, 2008
By Amanda Marsh, Associate Editor -- Dallas-based Prime Income Asset Management and Port Olpenitz GmbH are ready to break ground on the approximately $733 million, 425-acre Port Olpenitz, a holiday resort located in the northeastern section of Schleswig-Holstein, Germany. The...

Grubb & Ellis Realty Investors Nabs 199,000SF Atlanta Office
August 21, 2008
By Barbra Murray, Contributing Editor -- One Live Oak, a 199,000-square-foot office property in Atlanta, has just been snapped up by Grubb & Ellis Realty Investors L.L.C., which made the purchase on behalf of tenant-in-common investors. Crescent Real Estate Equities...

220-Acre Mixed-Use in Works Near University of Missouri
August 20, 2008
By Barbra Murray, Contributing Editor -- A 220-acre parcel near the University of Missouri's Discovery Ridge research park in Columbia is on tap to sprout a gargantuan mixed-use project. Forum Development Group, the owner of the land, recently wrapped up...

Is Family Business a Good Idea?
August 15, 2008
By Mike Myatt, Chief Strategy Officer, N2growth --Oh what a conundrum! Family business: Should I, or shouldn't I? In my opinion there really isn't a right or wrong answer to this question. It is simply a matter of personal preference....

What to Do When Marketing Goes Wild
August 08, 2008
By Mike Myatt, Chief Strategy Officer N2growth --Have your company's marketing initiatives wandered astray? Is the proverbial tail starting to wag the dog with respect to your current marketing campaigns? How do you know when marketing is out of control?...

Six Mistakes Real Leaders Avoid
August 01, 2008
By Mike Myatt, Chief Strategy Officer, N2growth --I recently had a reader ask: "Is there a simple test that can be used to quickly determine an executive's leadership ability?" The short answer is yes. There are, in fact, a great...

Top Brokers Do Deals in Bad Markets, Too
July 18, 2008
By Mike Myatt, Chief Strategy Officer N2growth --Many in the industry long for the frothy markets of 2005 when sellers experienced record low cap rates, buyers were aided by loose credit and a strong flow of funds from the capital...

Know Thy Customer
July 11, 2008
By Mike Myatt, Chief Strategy Officer, N2growth --How well do you really know your customer? Let me put this as simply as I can. If you want to succeed in business you must be in touch with the demands of...