Fountain Square, a 241,000-square-foot office complex in Boca Raton, traded for $54.5 million — a 47 percent increase over what it sold for three years ago.

Bridge Investment Group Partners of Sandy, UT bought the three-building development at 2600, 2650 and 2700 N. Military Trail from a joint venture between affiliates of Contrarian Capital Management LLC of Greenwich, CT, and NAI/Merin Hunter Codman in West Palm Beach.

The sellers bought the property for $37 million in 2014 from JP Morgan, which paid $63.5 million in 2007.

NAI launched a multimillion dollar capital improvement program to upgrade common areas and tenant suites. That resulted in more than 100,000 square feet of leases in the past two years and boosted occupancy from 62 percent to 90 percent.

The owners filled the building by negotiating leases for $15 and $16 per square foot, according to Neil Merin, chairman of NAI Merin Hunter Codman. He said rents today are in the range of $22 to $23 per square foot.

“It’s a real marker for the recovery of values in Florida,” Merin told CoStar News. “We did well — no doubt about it.”

Gil Tenzer, portfolio manager and director of real estate investments at Contrarian, said, “Fountain Square represents our commitment to partnering with local operators to invest in and turn around under-performing assets with high potential.”

Christian Lee and Jose Lobon of CBRE and Neil Merin, of NAI Merin Hunter Codman, represented the seller. The buyer did not have representation.

Source:  CoStar