SANTA ANA, CA-Grubb & Ellis Healthcare REIT II politely but firmly rebuffed an unsolicited offer by a rival public company to take control of the Orange County-based REIT.

New York City-based American Realty Capital II said it had sent a formal offer in November to the board of directors of Grubb & Ellis Healthcare REIT II Inc. In essence, American Realty proposed to take over the role of REIT sponsor, to replace outgoing Grubb & Ellis. The locally-based brokerage announced in October that it would take the unusual move of “transitioning” the REIT sponsorship away from Grubb & Ellis to a new “co-sponsorship” of American Healthcare Investors, LLC and Griffin Capital Corp. The company will be renamed Griffin-American Healthcare REIT II Inc., but will retain current management, including president Dan Prosky and chief executive Jeff Hanson.

“Given our experience, track record and highly competitive pricing, we believe that our proposal was in the best interests of (the Grubb & Ellis REIT) and its stockholders, both from a financial and a strategic point of view, and superior to the currently pending transition arrangements,” said Nicholas S. Schorsch, chief executive of American Realty, says in a statement.