W. P. Carey Pays $43M for Chandler Office Building; Meritex Makes Local Debut With Industrial Acquisition

By Amalia Otet, Associate Editor

In a $43 million deal, W. P. Carey Inc. has acquired a 183,000-square-foot Class A office building in the heart of Chandler’s Price Road Corridor, one of the Phoenix metro’s most sought-after office submarkets. The seller was Los Angeles-based Regent Properties.

The transaction was arranged by a three-member team of Colliers International brokers: Neil Glassmoyer, senior vice president; Tivon Moffitt, vice president; and Peter Bauman, senior associate, AZ Big Media reported.

Located at 2700 Frye Road, the three-story building serves as the West Coast regional headquarters of QBE Holdings, a global insurance company, which occupies the property under a 10-year-lease. Amenities include covered parking for more than 1,000 vehicles, a large cafeteria, reflective windows and significant IT infrastructure. The site offers additional development opportunities.

“The Price Road Corridor is Phoenix’s strongest submarket, with an 8.9 percent Class-A office vacancy,” said Gino Sabatini, W. P. Carey managing director and co-head of global investments, in a statement. “”The submarket – referred to as the ‘Silicon Desert’ – is filled with companies that specialize in research, technology, financial services and high-tech manufacturing. High-tech, professional and other ‘knowledge workers account for over 60% of Chandler’s workforce.”

In industrial investment news, Minneapolis-based Meritex Enterprises purchased a two-building industrial portfolio totaling 193,366 square feet in a deal that marks the company’s entry into the Phoenix market. The Class A properties are located at 21410 and 21415 North 15th Lane in the Deer Valley submarket.

At the time of closing, the buildings were 97 percent leased to ten tenants, including one that recently expanded by nearly 15,000 square feet. Both properties offer easy access to I-17 and Loop 101.

Tony Lydon and Pat Harlan, both managing directors with JLL, represented Meritex. Metro Commercial Properties will continue to handle management duties for the assets, and John Pompay of Cassidy Turley has been retained as the listing agent.

Meritex’s chief investment officer, Dan Williams, said in a statement that the firm will seek additional investment opportunities in the Phoenix area as part of its strategy to expand and diversify its industrial portfolio.

Photo courtesy of W.P. Carey Inc. via official website