Arkansas Business

Jeff Maxwell’s JM Development & Consulting LLC and Coldwell Banker Commercial Hathaway Group are leading the Little Rock development team on the project.

After Midtown Medical opens, the Doctors Hospital Building will be razed, and the site will be converted to parking and possibly another office building.

“Office rents have more or less been flat or lost a little bit of ground,” Martin said. “We anticipate that it will remain that way for the balance of the year. There is some good activity in the midtown area.”

Absorption continues of office space totaling more than 195,000 SF in three buildings on the former Alltel campus purchased by a local investment group from Verizon in December 2011 for $10.3 million.

Lease up of the first 89,100-SF building is all but finished, and the action has shifted to the second 89,100-SF office building.

“We’ve had a lot of activity here,” said Mark Bentley, director of brokerage at the Little Rock office of Colliers International. “We have a deal in play that would completely fill the first building in the Riverfront Plaza complex, and we’ve got the first floor leased in the second building.”

Occupancy among the 40 buildings in the Midtown Little Rock market has bumped up to 77.4 percent as the Riverfront Plaza fills. Another sizable leasing task in the 1.9 million-SF market is the Plaza West Building, where Southwest Power Pool vacated 60,000 SF and moved into its new west Little Rock campus.

“In terms of the buying and selling, the biggest deal is the sale of the GMAC Building,” Bentley said. “It was a strong number, about $139 per SF.”

Crain Investments Ltd., led by Larry Crain Sr., sold the 50,900-SF project at 16101 La Grande Drive in west Little Rock for $7.1 million. The 9.4-acre development was purchased in April by 16101 Properties LLC, led by Terry Fleming.

Occupancy in the 3.8 million-SF, 70-building office market in west Little Rock stands at 92.3 percent.

“Personally, I’m impressed and encouraged with our overall strong market,” said John Hathaway, sales associate at Little Rock’s Coldwell Banker Commercial Hathaway Group. “We have been able to absorb a huge chunk of space that came on the market relative to the sale of Alltel to Verizon.

“In my own experience, I’m beginning to see more confidence from tenants. Some are beginning to explore expansions, indicating growth and stability. Many are looking at longer base lease terms, an indication that the tenants’ crystal balls are getting clearer and more positive going forward.”