Stirling Eight United Plaza LLC Acquires United Plaza VIII in Baton Rouge, Louisiana
Stirling Properties to Exclusively Manage and Lease the Class A Office Building
Stirling Eight United Plaza LLC, an entity comprised of local investors led by Stirling Properties, acquired United Plaza VIII from Wink United Plaza LLC on November 25, 2013. Built in 1993, the 3-story, Class A office building is located at 8641 United Plaza Boulevard in the United Plaza Office Park in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. Stirling Properties’ Sales and Leasing Executive Scott Macdonald represented the buyers and Branon Pesnell of Beau Box represented the sellers.
The exclusive management and leasing of the 52,606 square-foot, 91% leased United Plaza VIII will be handled by Stirling Properties. The ownership group which acquired United Plaza VIII, now owns four buildings in United Plaza Office Park – United Plaza I, United Plaza II, United Plaza VIII and United Plaza XII – totaling over 500,000 square feet with a combined occupancy of 97%. All of these buildings are exclusively managed and leased by Stirling Properties.
“Our acquisition team seized a tremendous opportunity in a market that we know to be a strong performer,” said Grady Brame, Executive Vice President of Stirling Properties. “The acquisition of United Plaza VIII is an excellent investment for the building ownership group and demonstrates Stirling’s commitment to Baton Rouge and our belief in the area’s future growth.”
For more information regarding United Plaza VIII contact:
- Grady Brame at 985-246-3769 or gbrame@stirlingprop.com for acquisition questions.
- Scott Macdonald at 225-201-0142 or smacdonald@stirlingprop.com for leasing opportunities.
Stirling Golf Tournament Raises Money for Mary Bird Perkins Cancer Center
Stirling Properties’ 13th Annual Stirling Invitational Golf Tournament raised $10,000 for Mary Bird Perkins Cancer Center. The scramble-style golf tournament hosted by Stirling Properties was held Monday, October 28th at University Club in Baton Rouge where generous contributions from sponsors and over 125 golfers helped to make the event a success.
Grady Brame, Executive Vice President of Stirling Properties, presented the donation to Todd Stevens, President and CEO of Mary Bird Perkins Cancer Center, during an awards celebration following the tournament.
“Due to the generosity of our tournament sponsors, we are able to once again this year donate to an organization that does so much good work for the people in our region,” said Brame.
Stirling Properties has been able to make over $106,000 in charitable contributions to various organizations over the past 13 years with Mary Bird Perkins Cancer Center being the charitable recipient of the majority of the tournament proceeds. Since 2004, $97,000 has been donated to the center in support of their cancer research and care-giving efforts.
Stirling Communities Update: Tiger Manor Improvements Completed!
Since our last Stirling Communities update, Tiger Manor has come a long way and the renovations are 100% complete! The $1.4 Million in renovations were completed a couple months ago and included these major renovations:
- Complete exterior repaint of all buildings
- New primary entrance road off E. State Street
- Card Access Security Gate Systems
- New management office
- Pool Renovations
- Landscaping and Irrigation
- Parking Lot Repairs
Tiger Manor is currently experiencing a strong summer lease-up season with 5% rental increases on average on the new leases being signed.
IBM – What a Win for Baton Rouge!
IBM‘s recent announcement that they will open an 800-job technology center in downtown Baton Rouge is a HUGE game changer for Baton Rouge, LSU and Louisiana. Along with the new, well-paying, tech-sector jobs that IBM will bring, the state has committed to fund an expansion of LSU’s computer science program, which will help to provide a well-trained workforce. Additionally, a mixed-use building to be developed on the river and occupied by IBM will transform the skyline of downtown Baton Rouge.
This economic win would not have been possible without the hard work and collaboration between the Baton Rouge Area Chamber (BRAC), the City/Parish of East Baton Rouge, Louisiana Economic Development (LED), Louisiana State University, the Baton Rouge Area Foundation (BRAF) and others that played a key role in successfully luring IBM to Baton Rouge.
Read more details in BRAC’s Press Release and LED’s Press Release.
Stirling Communities Update: Tiger Manor Improvements
Tiger Manor, a 287-unit student housing property situated just outside the North Gates of LSU, was acquired in September 2012 and added to the Stirling Communities portolio of multi-family properties. Since the acquisition, $1.4 Million in renovations to Tiger Manor are well underway, and are approximately 60% complete. All renovations to the complex are expected to be complete by April 15, 2013.
Major renovations include:
- Complete exterior repaint of all buildings
- New primary entrance road off E. State Street
- Card Access Security Gate Systems
- New management office
- Pool Renovations
- Landscaping and Irrigation
- Parking Lot Repairs
Tiger Manor – New Exterior Paint
Tiger Manor – New Primary Entrance from East State Street
Tiger Manor – Card Access Security Gate Systems – Lake Crest Gate Under Construction
Tiger Manor – New Management Office Renovations Underway
Tiger Manor Pool 1 Renovations – New Deck, Coping, and Resurface Underway
Tiger Manor Pool 2 Renovations – New Coping, Tile, Resurface and Suntan Ledge Underway
East Coast, West Coast…Emergence of the Third Coast
I wanted to share this recently published article, “The Rise of the Third Coast,” by Joel Kotkin, an internationally-recognized researcher and author on global, economic, political and social trends. In the piece, Kotkin describes the “Third Coast,” in large part driven by a “resurgent New Orleans” region, as “one of the major forces in twenty-first-century America.”
One quote in this article that is particularly striking to me is regarding the education system:
In a new report, government efficiency expert David Osborne describes New Orleans’s reforms as a “breakthrough.” The results, he says, are “spectacular: test scores, graduation rates, college-going rates, and public approval have more than doubled in five years.” He adds, “I believe this is the single most important experiment in American education today.”
