Construction started about a week ago on the Leafs Ice Centre at the corner of Higgins Road and Wesemann Drive. The Leafs Hockey Club, which has approximately 650 skaters, is expected to move into the new building on Sept. 1. The 105,000-sf building will have three ice rinks, a pro shop, party rooms, concessions and parking for 350 cars. The hockey club raised $20 million for the project, which will pay for the cost of the land, the estimated $14 million for the cost of the building and a couple of years of debt service, says Mike Yungerman, project manager and senior real estate director at Opus North. The building is designed by Economou Partners. Don LaPato, with Club-Sports Consulting Group, and Sam Badger, with Paine/Wetzel-Oncor International, represented the Leafs Hockey Club and Noel Liston, with Darwin Realty, represented Opus in the transaction.

Construction also began about two months ago on a 154,000-sf speculative building. "Activity has been promising but we have no leases signed yet," he says. The asking lease rate is $5.75 per sf net on a divided basis, Yungerman tells GlobeSt.com. The building should be completed in June. Noel Liston and Rick Daly, with Darwin Realty, will be the listing agents. Yungerman would not disclose an estimated cost for the building. The speculative building is being designed by Opus Architects & Engineers.

The portion of the site fronting Higgins Road will be marketed as retail. An approximate 20,000-sf restaurant is expected to be constructed on a 1.5-acre site and approximately 35,000 sf to 40,000 sf of retail is expected to be constructed on a 2.5-acre site, he says. Yungerman would not disclose possible asking lease rates for the retail.