(Carl Cronan is editor of Real Estate Florida.)
FORT MYERS, FL-Sperry Van Ness has negotiated a five-year lease agreement that will put the Harry Chapin Food Bank of Southwest Florida in a 50,000-sf industrial building at 3760 Fowler St. The food bank will move from its current smaller base at 2126 Alicia St.
The total value of the lease is approximately $1 million, according to SVN. Additional costs will be necessary to retrofit the building for cold storage, though some of those may be offset by donations of money and materials.
"The food bank wanted to consolidate into a larger, more user-friendly warehouse," Andy Bauman, managing director of SVN in Fort Myers, tells GlobeSt.com. "It's also more centrally located to the areas it serves."
The new distribution site will allow the not-for-profit organization to process and store donations of perishable food to be distributed to residents in need in five surrounding counties. Space will also be made available to other charitable within the Fort Myers metropolitan area.
"The real goal will be to buy the building," says Bauman, who has been working with the Harry Chapin Food Bank in seeking an improved location for the last five years. "This is going to make for a more efficient operation. We see it as a win-win for the community."
The food bank was established in 1983 and named in memory of Harry Chapin, the famous singer/songwriter best known for "Cats in the Cradle." Fighting hunger was Chapin's chief cause prior to his death in an automobile accident on New York's Long Island in 1981 at age 38. Chapin's family remains involved in efforts to support the Fort Myers food bank, including a local music festival.
Bauman and Ron Kerr, also a managing director with SVN, represented the food bank in lease negotiations. Lou Pettingell of Commercial Property Management represented the landlord, Fort Myers-based Oakwood Associates LLC.
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