CHICAGO—Gateway Planning Group, Inc., an urban design, planning and development consulting firm, has opened an office in Chicago. Kelsey Berry, principal, who has been with Gateway since 2013 and recently relocated to Chicago, will lead the new office. Berry, who has a master's degree in city and regional planning with a focus in design, has led numerous downtown revitalization projects across the US as well as multiple public engagement initiatives. “Her expertise in designing for redevelopment and reinvestment starts our new Midwest office with incredible momentum,” says Scott Polikov, president of Dallas-based Gateway Planning. Berry has been actively engaged with The Real Estate Council in Dallas/Fort Worth, Urban Land Institute, Congress for the New Urbanism, National Town Builder's Association, and the American Planning Association.

DEALTRACKER

COLUMBUS—The Ohio Consumers' Counsel has agreed to lease 15,132 square feet of office space at Capitol Square, located at 65 E. State St., in the heart of Columbus' CBD. The landlord, Hertz Columbus One, LLC, represented by Todd Greiner, senior vice president at CBRE, agreed to lease the space beginning January 1. There is 75,000 square feet of contiguous available office space inside Capitol Square. The building features panoramic views of downtown, an underground garage, on-site property management, newly renovated common areas, along with 24/7 security.

ITASCA, IL—ML Realty Partners recently completed four lease transactions totaling 211,758 square feet throughout Chicagoland. The recent lease transactions included a 127,800 square foot new lease to American Louver Co. at 100 E. Howard Ave. in Des Plaines, IL. Kevin Segerson and Matt Mulvihill of CBRE represented ML Realty Partners. Denise Chaimovitz of Paine Wetzel represented American Louver, a manufacturer of plastic products, in the transaction. In another new lease, TAWI USA, a developer and manufacturer of ergonomic lifting equipment, will occupy 19,117 square feet at 380 Internationale Blvd. in Bolingbrook, IL. Josh Hearne and Mike O'Leary of Cawley Chicago represented the landlord: a partnership of ML Realty Partners and HSA Commercial. Terry Grapenthin of Lee & Associates represented TAWI in the transaction. In addition, Advance Mechanical Systems, Inc. renewed their lease for 46,341 square feet at 425 E. Algonquin Rd. in Arlington Heights, IL, and Axelent, Inc. signed a lease renewal for 18,500 square feet at 14503 S. Gougar Rd. in Lockport, IL.

CLEVELAND—KeyBank Real Estate Capital has arranged a total of $28.2 million in Freddie Mac first mortgage loans for the acquisitions of two multifamily properties located in Columbus. A $14.6 million loan was secured for College Park Apartments, a 250-unit property comprised of 28, two-story residential apartments and a clubhouse. The properties were built between 1999 and 2000 and renovated in 2017. In addition, a $13.6 million loan was arranged for Gateway Lakes, a 17-building property comprised of 16, two- and three-story garden-style buildings, a one-story clubhouse/leasing office and 11 garage buildings. The properties were built in 2000. Chris Black and Caleb Marten of Key's national multifamily accounts group arranged the adjustable-rate loans with a seven-year terms, two-years of interest only and 30-year amortization schedules.

BUILDING BLOCKS

WESTERN SPRINGS, IL—Downtown Western Springs, IL, will ring in the New Year with a new look. Plans to beautify and redevelop the downtown district are well underway, and crews have begun upgrading the Metra train platform and completing the first floor of the highly anticipated 28-unit luxury condominium development, Foxford Station, the first transit-oriented development in town. Located at the corner of Wolf Rd. and Burlington Ave., Foxford Station replaces the long-vacant Tischler Finer Foods and Breen's buildings, transforming this corner of town into a mixed-use development that includes 28 luxury condominiums and 3,600 square feet of commercial space. “Foxford Station has taken a long-underutilized piece of property and is redeveloping it to provide housing and retail that will help revitalize downtown Western Springs,” says Martin Scott, village of Western Springs director of community development. “We believe Foxford Station will complement and attract new patrons to our town's family-owned shops as well as its award-winning restaurants.”

ST. LOUIS—The Gatesworth senior living community in University City, MO, just held a ribbon-cutting ceremony to mark a milestone in the development of the latest addition to its 15-acre campus, which now encompasses more than a million square feet. The new three-story, 102,000-square-foot McKnight Place Assisted Living expansion features 90 new, upscale apartment homes and debuts with an 80% occupancy rate. The addition is the first phase of a $32 million expansion. Gatesworth has begun ramping up on the second phase, which includes a complete renovation of the existing 74,000-square-foot McKnight Place Assisted Living building. Upon completion in March 2018, the renovated space will feature 18 additional assisted living apartments and the debut of dedicated memory care at McKnight Place. GateCo Development serves as general contractor on the project, and Chris Leonard, vice president of development and construction for GateCo, leads the team.

COLUMBUS—Mark F. Taggart Co. is ready to go vertical on the second phase of the Air South Commerce Center in Whitehall, OH, a Columbus suburb. Located in the Airport South Commerce and Tech Center, Taggart plans to complete the 259,800-square-foot office and warehouse facility by April 1, 2018. The new building will bring the total square footage of the development to 400,000 square feet. The builders broke ground on July 15, 2017. The new warehouse facility, located at 4712-4760 Poth Rd., will feature concrete tilt up panels, 32' clear height, ESFR fire suppression, T-5 lighting, 60' speed lane, 200+ car parking, 40 trailer parking, and prominent glass entrance features. Interested tenants will be offered a Fifteen Year 100% Real Estate Tax Abatement on improvements through the City of Whitehall. Taggart Co. has already signed its first tenant, Wolff Bros. Supply, which will lease 52,000 square feet of industrial office and warehouse space.