Tag Archive for: malcolm butters

Butters Construction, PEBB Enterprises, Konsker Development Join Forces To Develop New Class A Office Project In Midtown Boca

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Butters Construction & Development, Inc. (Butters), and PEBB Enterprises, two Boca Raton–based real estate firms with deep roots in the community, along with Konsker Development, are partnering to develop One Midtown, a brand-new Class A office project in one of the city’s most sought-after commercial districts.

Designed to accommodate today’s evolving workplace needs, One Midtown will feature efficient floor plates, high-end finishes and street-level retail that enhances the walkability and vibrancy of the surrounding neighborhood.

One Midtown will include more than 120,000 square feet of Class A office space, along with over 11,000 square feet of ground-floor retail, designed to meet the growing demand for modern, high-quality office environments in Boca Raton. The development offers a central, highly accessible alternative to West Palm Beach and Miami’s urban core markets.

In a strong signal of that demand, One Midtown is already approximately 35% pre-leased.

Butters brings a longstanding track record to the partnership, having built more than 28 million square feet of commercial real estate valued at over $5 billion during its 36-year history. Its notable Boca Raton developments include Boca Village, Boca Ice and Boca Logistics Park.

PEBB is one of South Florida’s most active commercial real estate investment and development firms, with a significant portfolio and history of successful projects throughout Boca Raton and beyond. Over the past decade alone, PEBB has completed more than 5 million square feet of transactions representing more than $3 billion in value. It is currently partnering with BH Group on The Eclipse (redevelopment of the former Office Depot headquarters in Boca Raton) and owns several additional office assets in the city.

“Boca Raton has been our home for decades, and we believe strongly in its future as a premier office market,” said Malcolm Butters, President and Co-Founder of Butters Construction & Development, Inc. “One Midtown reflects the reemergence we are seeing in office real estate across Palm Beach County and pent-up demand for new Class A office space in the city.”

The joint venture comes at a time when office leasing activity is gaining momentum throughout Palm Beach County. In Boca Raton, the demand for new, well-located office space is already evident. The Aletto, a new office project in East Boca, is currently 70% pre-leased.

Butters and PEBB are already in active negotiations with prospective office tenants.

“One Midtown is simply the best office location in the city,” said Ian Weiner, CEO of PEBB Enterprises. “It offers the same quality, connectivity and amenities companies are seeking in West Palm Beach or Miami, but at a far more compelling value. New office leases in those urban core markets are reaching $150 per square foot triple-net, while Boca provides comparable product at substantially discounted rents.”

Christina Jolley, Kevin Carrasco, Tere Blanca, and Danet Linares of Blanca Commercial Real Estate are the leasing representatives for One Midtown. Zach Feldman of PEBB is overseeing retail leasing on the venture’s behalf.

 

Butters, PEBB Enterprises Acquire Boca Raton Office Buildings

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Butters Construction & Development, Inc. and PEBB Enterprises announced the successful acquisition of two office buildings located at 2000 Glades Road and 1951 Wyndham Way in Boca Raton for $26.15 million, equating to more than $438 per square foot.

The transaction marks the first partnership between the two firms.

The two multi-tenant office buildings total 59,667 square feet in one of Boca Raton’s busiest business corridors. The buildings are currently 75% occupied, presenting significant upside potential through a targeted capital improvement program and a focused, aggressive leasing strategy aimed at capturing mark-to-market opportunities.

Butters and PEBB plan to enhance the buildings through strategic upgrades and repositioning efforts designed to attract new tenants and elevate the overall tenant experience. The partnership will leverage both firms’ deep local expertise and operational capabilities to maximize the value of the asset.

Butters brings a longstanding track record to the partnership, having built more than 28 million square feet of commercial real estate valued at over $5 billion during its 36-year history. The company has developed a wide range of office, industrial and mixed-use projects throughout South Florida and beyond.

“Partnering with PEBB on this acquisition represents a natural alignment between two firms that share a long-term vision for Boca Raton,” said Malcolm Butters, President and Co-Founder of Butters Construction & Development, Inc. “This is a well-located asset with strong fundamentals and compelling upside. We see a clear opportunity to enhance the property and capture demand from tenants seeking high-quality office space in this market.”

PEBB is one of South Florida’s most active commercial real estate investment and development firms, with a long track record of acquiring, repositioning and developing assets throughout Boca Raton and the broader South Florida market. Over the past decade alone, PEBB has completed more than 5 million square feet of transactions representing more than $3 billion in value.

“This acquisition shows our continued conviction in Boca Raton as a premier office market,” said Ian Weiner, CEO of PEBB Enterprises. “With strong demographics, limited new supply and increased leasing activity, we believe this property is well-positioned for long-term growth. We are excited to partner with Butters on our first transaction together and unlock the full potential of this asset.”

 

“This is exactly the type of opportunity we are focused on – well-located assets where we can apply a disciplined capital program and leasing strategy to create value,” said Eric Hochman, Chief Investment Officer of PEBB Enterprises. “Boca Raton continues to show strong demand fundamentals, and we see a clear path to improving both tenancy and overall performance at the property.”

Abanca provided acquisition financing for the transaction, supporting the partnership’s business plan.

Douglas Mandel of Marcus & Millichap’s Institutional Property Advisors division, along with Zach Levine and Cody Hershey, brokered the sale on behalf of the seller, BOA 520 LLC. Christopher Staller of Nelson Mullins Riley & Scarborough LLP represented the buyers in the transaction.

IPA Closes Palm Beach County Office Building Sale

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Institutional Property Advisors (IPA), a division of Marcus & Millichap, announced the sale of Peninsula Corporate Center, a three-story, 48,829-square-foot office building in Boca Raton.

The building sold for $15.3 million.

“The property is 100% occupied by 54 tenants representing a variety of industries,” said Douglas Mandel, IPA executive managing director. “Short lease terms and below-market average rents give the buyer an opportunity to significantly increase revenue.”

Mandel and Marcus & Millichap’s Zach Levine and Joshua Gilbert represented the seller, BREF 950, LLC, an entity affiliated with Malcolm Butters, and procured the buyer, an affiliate of Bark Management, a Boca Raton-based real estate investment company.

Located between Boca Raton and Delray Beach, the building is visible from Congress Avenue, which sees over 30,000 vehicles per day and provides access to Interstate 95. The Florida Turnpike is nearby and within three miles, the average annual household income is over $106,000.

Built in 2006, Peninsula Corporate Center offers a unique array of features, including private restrooms and mini kitchens in each of the 54 suites. The building also provides hurricane impact glass, two elevators, a back-up generator, lush courtyard, and an atrium fountain.

 

Butters Office Team Closes 171,000 Square Feet of Sales, Leases Since Pandemic Onset

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Since the first case of COVID-19 struck Florida on March 1, the Butters Realty & Management office brokerage team of Darcie Lunsford, Caroline Fleischer, Molly McDonough and Sky Butters have executed more than 170,000 square feet of office transactions. In all, the Butters team generated $32.4 million in aggregate transaction value for internal and third-party assets and clients since the pandemic’s onset.

The transactions span nearly two dozen leases to representation of medical financier Bankers Healthcare Group in its acquisition of a 130,000-square-foot corporate headquarters at 3700 Lakeside Drive in Miramar in an off-market deal.

“As soon as the shelter-in-place order was lifted, our team was back in the office that day,” said Lunsford, director of office leasing at Butters. “We saw a wave of up pent-up demand coming out of the shutdown as leases expired and smaller entrepreneurial companies emerged looking to seize potential deals in the market.”

While many large corporate occupiers have remained reticent to make real estate decisions, firms of less than 5,000 square feet have still been active, Lunsford noted.

“Generally, we are seeing companies with counter-cyclical models, insurance, law, technology or financial service providers and other essential administrative hubs that have not been as drastically impacted by the pandemic-induced recession,” Lunsford said.

“In a tough economic situation like this, you can’t wait for the market to come to you, you have to go to the market,” said Fleischer, director of occupier services for Butters. “There are tenants out there that have a need and a want, but you have to be dogged.”

During the pandemic, Butters also increased occupancy several percentage points to 97 percent within its own four-building Boca Raton office portfolio.

“I think the key factor to our effectiveness in closing a high volume of transactions in the face of this unprecedented crisis is that we are highly focused,” said Malcolm Butters, president of Butters. “We have very strong local relationships and we are able to execute.”

Among the more notable office lease transactions:
• Bohler Engineering leased 4,910 square feet at 1900 NW Corporate Boulevard in Boca Raton
• Medigap Life leased 3,577 square feet at 1900 NW Corporate Boulevard in Boca Raton
• Trust Hills Co. leases 3,680 square feet at 851 Broken Sound Parkway in Boca Raton

Butters, Bristol Group Buy Landmark Coral Springs Office Building

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A co-development by veteran South Florida developer Butters Construction & Development and San Francisco-based Bristol Group has acquired one of Northwest Broward County’s largest and most prominent office buildings.

In an all-cash transaction, the partnership purchased the 205,000-square-foot building at 3111 N. University Drive with plans to reposition the 10-story building as Broward County’s premier suburban corporate center.  The tower, which anchors Coral Springs’ main business district on University Drive just south of Sample Road, has been renamed University Place at City Center.

The name change is the first step in Butters’ and Bristol’s multi-prong strategy to reposition the property as a best-in-class office center.  A multi-million dollar renovation and capital improvement project is being rolled out with renovations starting as early as March on upgrades and modernization of the building’s lobby atrium and new main entry.  The newly rebranded University Place at City Center will also undergo full refurbishment of its front retail façade, which has immense street presence spanning nearly a half block along University Drive.   A full upgrade of the building’s passenger elevator system, which includes two all-glass cabs that offer riders dramatic views of the lobby atrium, will be completed in February.

“This building was 90 percent leased five years ago, and was always regarded as one of the best office buildings in west Broward,” said Malcolm Butters, president of Butters. “We are confident that within a few years this building will regain its stature.”

Prior to the Butters and Bristol acquisition, the 10-story building, formerly known as Preferred Exchange Tower, had been controlled by a commercial mortgaged-back securities trust, which foreclosed on its previous ownership in 2012.

A servicer for the CMBS trust put the property on the market late last year with the Butters and Bristol team emerging as the winning party following a competitive bidding process.

“We saw an opportunity to acquire an irreplaceable asset in the Coral Springs market at a very competitive price,” said Rob Banovac, project manager with Bristol. “We knew this would give us a competitive advantage in the marketplace and allow us to quickly turn it around with well-capitalized, institutional ownership and an experienced leasing team.”

Adam Vaisman, director of acquisitions for Butters, worked with Bristol to craft the economic structure of the deal to capture the winning bid.

Darcie Lunsford and Molly McDonough, both senior vice presidents at Butters, will oversee leasing.

University Place at Center Center’s current tenant roster includes Scarborough Research, Community Bank of Broward and IPS Worldwide.

 

Boca Village Corporate Center Under Contract

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The 100,000-square-foot Boca Village Corporate Center, one of the premier Class A office buildings in Boca Raton, is under contract for about $30 million to an investment group from Brazil. The developable land next door is not part of the deal, sources said.

The identity of the buyer was not known, but sources said the buying group is made up of individual investors seeking to park their
money in a stable, revenue-generating property. The character of the group is important because groups of individual investors from Brazil are increasingly interested in South Florida’s commercial inventory.

Malcolm Butters, Ned Segal and Art Falcone were partners in the development of the Boca Village Corporate Center, at 4855 Technology Way. Tenants include professional services firms like Oppenheim and Smith Barney.

Butters Construction and Development would not comment on the possible sale. CB Richard Ellis’ Chris Lee and is representing both parties in the deal, was not immediately available for comment.

Peter Reed, principal with Commercial Florida Realty Services, which is not involved in the deal, said the interest in Boca Village, which may sell for as much as $300 a square foot, is justified because of its location, the quality of the building and the solid tenancy.

Tom Capocefalo, managing director with tenant representative firm Studley, was not involved in the deal, but said the “top tier” tenancy and the small number of trophy office buildings in Boca Raton drove the price.

Source:  SFBJ