Office

SAN DIEGO, CA-The Currie Partners is preparing to start work on Phase II of its $12.5-million Rio San Diego Plaza, with groundbreaking just a few months away. Design is currently underway, as KMA Architecture & Engineering has recently been retained to plan the second phase.

FAIRFAX, VA-The AMS Building--the 264,000-sf, class A office structure at 12601 Fair Lakes Circle--gets a new owner with Prentiss Properties Trust's $55-million purchase of the property from Gilbane Building Co. American Management Services has a lease on the entire building through 2011.

NEW YORK CITY-During an event held here late last week, three real estate appraisal experts explained the harsh realities facing valuations of Lower Manhattan real estate. Unfortunately, said the experts, a turnaround in property assessments is not in the foreseeable future.

HOLLYWOOD, CA-The Motion Picture Hall of Fame will lease 50,000 sf at the 6300 Hollywood Blvd. building, which occupies one of the film community's storied intersections. The building is owned by Meringoff Equities.

DALLAS-A well-heeled German family gets a 40,250-sf office building, a 12-year tenant and an option to buy more in a high-growth area. Centex, in turn, gets an immediate exit strategy for future product on its land mass along Texas 121.

WEST ORANGE, NJ-The telecom giant's directory services operation will occupy just over one-third of one of the four buildings making up the Reckson Executive Hill Office Park.

DENVER-The full-service general contractor, design-builder and construction manager will design the sandwich restaurant franchiser's new offices at 1475 Lawrence St., a building developed by Weitz Co. in 1981.

DALLAS-UT-Southwestern Medical School and the Certus Group cap a year of talking for wet lab space to launch its Cytogenetics research. UT signs a five-year lease for Research Row Biolabs. The lab rolls out in January 2003.