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byline: Paula C. Squires

Three-building industrial complex in Norfolk goes on the market


The former General Foam Plastics facility in Norfolk Industrial Park is on the market.
According to S. L. Nusbaum Realty Co., the facility, which includes three industrial buildings totaling about 415,419 square feet, has been listed for $6.4 million. 

Nusbaum’s Stephanie Sanker and Ashley Bussey are providing seller representation for the 12.2-acre property located at 3321 E. Princess Anne Road.

The property is zoned BC-2 (business and commerce park) and is within an enterprise zone with a possibility for redevelopment.

S&V Warehousing renews 64,000-square-feet lease in Newport News


S&V Warehousing LLC renewed its lease for 64,000 square feet of space at 5601 City line Road in Newport News. Clay Culbreth of Cushman & Wakefield | Thalhimer handled lease negotiations.

In other transactions for Thalhimer in Hampton Roads:

Lift Off Distribution LLC renewed a 20,000-square-foot lease at 550 Woodlake Circle in Chesapeake.  Geoff Poston handled the lease negotiations on behalf of the tenant.

Family Dollar Stores of Va. Inc. renewed an 11,300-square-foot at 3400 George Washington Highway in Portsmouth. Tom Dana handled the lease negotiations.

Futura Marketing Ltd. renewed a lease for 10,200 square feet at 1228 Cavalier Blvd. in Chesapeake. William Throne handled the lease negotiations on behalf of the tenant.

Huntington Ingalls Inc. Facility Dept. renewed a 10,090-square-foot in Maritime Square at 2600 Washington Ave. in Newport News. Teresa Nettles handled the lease negotiations.

Cuisine Solutions expands in Loudoun County

 

Cuisine Solutions in Loudoun County is expanding. The company is adding 63,000 square feet of space to its Sterling headquarters and investing nearly $70 million in equipment, technology and construction. 

 

“This is great news for an important Loudoun company, but it’s also great news for the diversity of the Loudoun economy,” Phyllis Randall, chairman of the Loudoun County Board of Supervisors, said in a statement. 

 

According to Loudoun County Economic Development, Cuisine Solutions is the largest “sous vide” company in the world.  Bruno Goussault, the company’s chief scientist, pioneered the  technique “sous vide” technique, which allows the company to offer gourmet food that can be shipped and stored without harmful preservatives or the loss of flavor or texture.

 

The company produces a range of food items sold to the military, cruise ships, airlines and resorts. “Cuisine Solutions’ clients are international brands with household names,” Buddy Rizer, Loudoun Economic Development’s executive director, said in a statement.

 

The county is working with the company to finalize an incentive package that will come before the Board of Supervisors at its Feb. 22 meeting.

 

When the company opened in 2013, its staff included about 80 employees. Since then, it has hired more than 700 employees, including 500 new hires since the beginning of 2017.

 

“Over the last several years, we have worked closely with various groups within Loudoun County to expand our production capabilities. These resources, coupled with the proximity to multiple means of transportation, have made Loudoun County an ideal headquarters location,” said Mark Kujawa, Cuisine Solutions’ chief financial officer.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Final phase of office warehouse suites opens in Hampton


ACO Development (ACO) has completed the fourth and last of its office warehouse suites in Hampton. The 10,000-square-foot building, which offers space designed for startup companies, is located on Incubator Road in the Copeland Industrial Park, not far from Interstate 664. 

Clay Culbreth, one of the partners in the venture, says a couple of the units already have been leased. “We’re going for those small, owner operators who are coming out of their kitchens, their pickup trucks, and they want to establish their first legitimate business location and business address,” he says.

ACO will hold a ribbon cutting ceremony on Friday at 11:30 a.m. to celebrate the final phase of a private commercial development that began more than a decade ago.

In 2006, ACO Development partners Culbreth, Tom Atherton, and Bill Overman purchased a 14-acre parcel from the city of Hampton. While the city had initially slated the land to be saved for a future large manufacturer, the ACO partners persuaded the city to sell to them with a promise of new development, increased employment and taxes — with no city incentives.

“We saw a need for an incubator-style office warehouse project as well as ancillary services to benefit the prospective new tenants and the existing business in Copeland Industrial Park, “says Culbreth.

ACO subdivided the parcel and sold tracts to companies such as 7-Eleven and Langley Federal Credit Union who built their own buildings. 

For the remaining six-acre tract, the group came up with the concept of KISS: Keep It Simple Suites for office warehouse clients. ACO built three buildings of about 10,000 square feet each. The first two buildings went up in 2007, while the third building was completed in 2016.  “All of them have been full ever since,” says Culbreth. “We finished the fourth building in December at a cost of about $1.1 million, including site work.”


For $895 a month, clients get a 900-square-foot unit with two parking spaces. Rent includes real-estate taxes, stormwater management fees, grounds maintenance, fire inspection and use of a dumpster.

Short-term leases are available. “We’ll do a month, a year. If a company is growing, it doesn’t want to be locked into 900 square feet,” says Culbreth.

Devon USA wants to build a new warehouse in Chesterfield County

 

 Devon USA announced plans Wednesday for a 320,853 square-foot warehouse facility at James River Logistics Center in Chesterfield County.

The project, dubbed “Project Lightning 2, ” would be identical in size and scope to a building developed by Devon in 2017 at Enterchange at Northlake in Ashland that was later leased by Amazon.com.  That project was completed in 6 months following the start of construction, and, was the largest industrial transaction in the Richmond market last year, according to Cushman & Wakefield | Thalhimer.  

Site plans for the new project in Chesterfield County have been approved. However, Devon is working with Ashland-based McKinney & Co. to modify the existing plan for re-submission to Chesterfield County based on its “Project Lightning” prototype.  At this time, the Richmond-based company does not have a tenant lined up. “It’s a spec project.  We have had lots of interest, but we don’t have anyone who has committed to the building. But its enough interest that the owner is convinced that it’s a good time to do the project,” says Evan Magrill, an executive vice president for Thalhimer.

The project would be located in the Bermuda District, which is represented by Dorothy Jaeckle, chairman of the county’s Board of Supervisors. “I would like to thank Devon for their continued investment in Chesterfield County. The proposed new development will add the type of product that is currently in short supply in the region,” Jaeckle said in a statement.” We are anxious to see the building developed so that we can attract the kind of high quality national tenants that typically lease these buildings.”

James River Logistics Center is located about 12 miles south of Richmond on Bellwood Road. Devon completed two buildings at the center in 2002 that are 100% leased.  A third building would close out the center, and boost the total square footage to 1.1 million square feet of distribution space.

The new building would offer 32’ clear ceiling heights, a sprinkler system, eight drive-in doors, and 96 truck-height dock doors. Sustainable building design also is planned with skylights, R-30 roof insulation and LED lighting.  Parking will be provided for up to 467 automobiles and 64 trailers.  There is enough space for the building to be expanded to 500,000 square feet, depending on a tenant’s needs.

The park has access to I-95 and I-895 via US Route 1. Its current zoning (heavy industrial) allows for many commercial and industrial uses including office, warehouse, and manufacturing.

Thalhimer’s Magrill and Dean Meyer would be the new building’s exclusive leasing representatives.

 

3160 Fairview Park Drive in Falls Church undergoing major renovations

Newmark Knight Frank (NKF) has been selected as the exclusive office leasing agent for 3160 Fairview Park Drive in Falls Church. Recently purchased by Washington Property Company, based in Bethesda, Md., and partner Bailard, the property is currently undergoing renovations to transform it into an opportunity for a corporate headquarters location.

When the renovations are complete, the 118,000-square-foot building will have a new lobby, fitness center, conference facility and tenant collaboration area with lounge seating.

According to NKF, the improvements also include the complete replacement of all building systems. Located in Northern Virginia’s Fairview Park, the building offers 2.5 miles of jogging trails, a parking garage and proximity to the Dunn Loring-Merrifield Metro Station, the Mosaic District, Tysons and I-495.

“Given its location and new improvements, we believe 3160 Fairview Park Drive is an ideal corporate headquarters opportunity in the highly sought after Fairview Park setting,” NKF’s Executive Managing Director Mike Pepper, said in a statement.

Current tenants at Fairview Park include General Dynamics, Northrop Grumman, Computer Sciences Corp., HITT Contracting and Booz Allen & Hamilton.

Pepper and NKF Managing Director John Henschel will handle leasing for the office space.

GO Virginia board approves a second round of grants

 

A pharmaceutical accelerator at Virginia Commonwealth University in Richmond, a seed fund in Hampton and a water and sewer project in Roanoke were among a second round of nine grants totaling $2.68 million  announced Tuesday by GO Virginia. 

The state’s new regional economic development initiative, GO Virginia awards state funds to projects intended to grow and diversify regional economies across the state.

The board has approved 18 projects so far with more than $5 million in state funds. In addition, Go Virginia said the projects also have leveraged $8.5 million from other sources to assist with economic diversification efforts.

“With this second round of projects approved, GO Virginia continues to make progress in addressing our state’s economic challenges and in lifting up our communities. We look forward to carrying out this important work to boost Virginia’s economy and create more higher-paying jobs over the next months and years,” GO Virginia Board Chairman John O. “Dubby” Wynne said in a statement.

The approved projects are:


VCU pharmaceutical accelerator: $500,000. The project will help to create a sustainable pharmaceutical, manufacturing cluster, with research activity based in Richmond and pharmaceutical manufacturing in Petersburg, through a partnership between VCU and several private sector partners.


757 Seed Fund: $140,000. This project will help initiate the 757 Seed Fund in Hampton Roads. The fund fills a gap in the region’s entrepreneurial community by providing seed-stage investments in promising technology startups.

Hampton Roads Unmanned Systems Facility: $150,000. The facility will provide a place — at a newly developed site in York County — that can be used by public institutions, private companies and individuals to develop, test, and demonstrate various surface, aerial, and underwater unmanned systems.

Hollyleaf grading: $150,000. This project will allow the creation of a pad-ready site to accommodate new industrial development in the Southwest part of the state.

Western Virginia Regional Industrial Facility Authority Wood Haven Road water and sewer infrastructure enhancement: $200,150. This project will improve site readiness and marketability by making water and sewer utility connections to the 109-acre site being developed at the intersection of Interstates 81 and 581. It is joint project among the cities of Roanoke and Salem, along with Roanoke County, to have sites shovel-ready for future business prospects.

CCAM Apprentice academy: $430,000. Designed to expand GO Virginia Region 4’s advanced manufacturing workforce development ecosystem, the project will provide two new pilot apprenticeship programs: the mechatronics Workforce Training Center and the New Transitioning Military Program. Once fully operational, CCAM’s Apprentice Academy in Central Virginia will graduate about 200 students a year in mechatronics, machining, and welding to create a pipeline of these workers to fill jobs across the region.

Region 2 Talent Collaborative: $300,000. The collaborative will serve the town of Amhertst, city of Lynchburg, and surrounding counties to stimulate economic growth by closing the skill and interest gaps in middle-to-high skilled occupations in manufacturing, healthcare, and information technology.


GO-TEC Talent Collaborative: $648,000. The project will expand existing curriculum offered by six higher education partners in Region 3 (counties of Charlotte, Halifax, Mecklenburg, Pittsylvania and the city of Danville), build a regional training system of scale for career training for careers in IT and focused areas in advanced manufacturing, and develop a pipeline beginning in middle school to increase the number of students entering the five targeted areas:  (precision machining, welding, IT/cyber security, robotics, automation and mechatronics; and advanced materials).

Rockbridge Area Advanced Manufacturing: $100,000. With light manufacturing  a target industry sector for Region 8 in the Shenandoah Valley, this project is designed to supply talent for that industry. Through a partnership with Byers Technical Institute, RAAMP will have a particular emphasis on welding and other high-demand occupations.

New solar project approved for Gloucester County


The state Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) has issued a permit for Strata Solar Development to construct and operate a solar facility, Gloucester Solar LLC, in Gloucester County. The 19.8 megawatt (MW) project will supply enough electricity to power more than 4,000 homes.

“Once complete, the new Gloucester facility will allow thousands of Virginians to sustainably power their homes and businesses,”  Gov. Ralph Northam, said in a statement announcing the project.  “This latest announcement is proof that Virginia’s solar sector is growing. We will continue to support investments in solar energy infrastructure that will bring low-cost, renewable energy to all corners of the commonwealth.”

The project is expected to offset the generation of tons of 39.6 million pounds of carbon dioxide, 26,908 pounds of nitrogen oxides, and 31,254 pounds of sulfur dioxide.

According to the governor’s office, the commonwealth has seen a dramatic increase in its installed solar capacity during the past five years, growing from 17 MW in 2014 to more than 300MW at the end of last year. DEQ has granted permits to more than 600MW of renewable energy since 2015 and has received notification for an additional 2,300 MW.

CBRE|Hampton Roads to lease Pembroke Park in Virginia Beach


Suburban Capital has selected CBRE|Hampton Roads as the exclusive leasing agent for Pembroke Park, a 300,000-square-foot, six building campus in Virginia Beach. 

Suburban Capital has completed capital improvements at the property and has additional improvements planned for the park.

Pembroke Park is in the TownCenter submarket of Virginia Beach with access to Interstate 264 at Independence Blvd. Immediately adjacent to Pembroke Mall, the property is located within walking distance to banking, restaurants, and retail shops.

It offers a newly renovated conference room available to all tenants and a workout facility.

According to CBRE, Suburban Capital plans to break ground on a 137-room Hyatt Hotel in April 2018 that will deliver in spring of 2019.

“We are excited to be working with Suburban Capital and look forward to executing their vision,” Perry Frazer, managing director of CBRE |Hampton Roads, said in a statement.

Frazer and Brian Davidson will handle  the park's leasing and marketing.

Office component of Village at Leesburg is for sale


Avison Young has been retained as the exclusive adviser in the sale of two Class A office buildings totaling more than 120,000 square feet that are part of a mixed-use development in Leesburg. 

The buildings at 1602 and 1608 Village Market Blvd. comprise the office component of the 55-acre Village at Leesburg. The main building offers 107,642 square feet of office space on three floors above one retail floor, which is not included in the offering.

The second building, occupied by a single office tenant, has 12,494 square feet of office space on two stories. 

In addition to the office space, the 1.2 million-square-foot, development includes more than 550,000 square feet of retail space and 335 apartment units.  The project’s developers are Rappaport (retail) and Kettler Inc. (multifamily).

According to Washington, D.C.-based Avison, the buildings are 93 percent leased. The property is surrounded by retail outlets, including Wegmans, Cobb Theatres, Bowlero Bowling and LA Fitness.

The property is located on the Route 7/Leesburg Pike, with access to Interstate 495, I-395 and Washington Dulles International Airport.