Blackmon is a fire and water restoration and cleaning company, primarily for commercial buildings. The firm, which has been in Houston for 30 years, is moving from Harwin Street, also in the southwest submarket.

Stephen H. Jaggard, president and CEO of developer Vantage Cos., tells GlobeSt.com that the Beltway 8 Business Park structure has a 15% office finish and is particularly appealing to the firm because of its accessibility to Beltway 8 and Texas 59. Other motivating factors are the freeway visibility and ample parking, says Ken Aylesworth, general manager for Blackmon Mooring's Houston offices.

Doug Nicholson of Grubb & Ellis Co. in Houston has represented Blackmon Mooring. Vantage has used in-house broker Walter Menuet Jr. to seal the deal, which takes the business park to 30% occupancy.

Blackmon's fire, water, storm and accident restoration services obviously are in great demand right now, with cleanup from Tropical Storm Allison still in progress. Aylesworth says his company needs to "substantially increase the size of our facility to handle our clients' needs. This Beltway 8 facility meets our immediate requirements as well as our anticipated growth."

At build out, the 25-acre Beltway 8 Business Park will contain 260,000 sf. The first phase, which delivered in March, contains the 133,000-sf structure that Blackmon has selected, two 26,400-sf office-tech buildings and another office-warehouse totaling 73,500 sf. The smaller warehouse has a 30% office finish while the tech buildings have 70% to 100% office finish. Jaggard says Blackmon is looking to expand its 30% office accommodations in its leased site. The quoted rates range from $5 per sf to $11.50 per sf depending on the level of office finish. Jaggard says the Beltway 8's emergence as a popular artery and development corridor has resulted in a bevy of queries about available space.