Tucson, AZ. – Larsen Baker has fully leased Broadway Crossing.  The recently acquired 86,500-square-foot shopping center located at 5355-5455 E Broadway Blvd. in Tucson, Arizona recently underwent rebranding and updating of the building exteriors and landscaping. Starbucks is now open for business. Several new retail concepts will join the center later this year.

LuxSpace Studios WC LLC, dba LuxSpace suites, leased 8,400 square feet at 5355 E Broadway, in the west end cap of the center. This will be their second location. LuxSpace offers individual salon studios for lease to stylists and beauty professionals. Below is the rendering of their new façade:

The Landlord was represented by Larsen Baker’s Isaac Figueroa.

AZ Taichi Tea LLC, dba Taichi Bubble Tea, leased 1,900 square feet at 5451 E Broadway. Taichi Bubble Tea is a fast casual restaurant offering ramen, poke and bubble tea. Isaac Figueroa and Elaina Elliott with Larsen Baker represented the Landlord and handle this transaction.

Additionally, Larsen Baker announced it’s maintaining strong portfolio activity with renewals with the following lease renewals:

• Nurses Nook renewed 2,682 square feet of office space at Crossroads Festival, 4811 E Grant Rd Suite 255 in Tucson.
• Tamayo’s Discount Superstore renewed 2,062 square feet of retail space at Prince Fairview Shopping Center, 925 W Prince Rd. in Tucson.
• US National Guard renewed 1,482 square feet of retail/office space at Tucson Place, 595 E Wetmore Rd. Suite J-105 in Tucson.
• Hevie’s Beauty Supply & African Hair Braiding renewed 1,200 square feet of retail space at Frontier Village, 3917 E Pima St. in Tucson.
• Title Max renewed 1,200 square feet of retail space at Speedway Craycroft Plaza, 5470 E Speedway Blvd. Suite 104A in Tucson, AZ.
• Heavenly Hair renewed 736 square feet of retail space at Northwest Design Center, 6435 N Thornydale in Tucson.

Elaina Elliott and Isaac Figueroa handled these transactions on behalf of the landlords, all affiliates of Larsen Baker.

To learn more, Figueroa should be reached at 520-296-0200 ext 218.

DALLAS, TX.  – KBS, one of the largest investors in commercial real estate, has signed three new lease agreements totaling 24,568 square feet with national, regional and local tenants at Preston Commons, a 427,799 square-foot, Class A office park in Dallas, Texas. Preston Commons is owned by KBS Real Estate Investment Trust III.

KBS has signed a 16,403 square-foot lease agreement with national multifamily investment firm RPM Living, a 5,856 square-foot lease agreement with a regional financial institution and a 2,309 square-foot lease agreement with Dallas-based private investment firm Scalar Gauge Fund.

The transactions represent the high caliber of KBS’ office properties as well as the increasing strength of the Dallas/Fort Worth market in which Preston Commons is located, according to Giovanni (Gio) Cordoves, Western regional president for KBS.

“KBS recognizes the solid job infrastructure of the Dallas/Fort Worth market, making this an attractive area for industry-leading companies to expand,” says Cordoves. “From February 2020 to November 2021, Dallas experienced a job growth rate of 4.1%, placing the area at No. 4 on the jobs list of best-performing markets among the top 50 metro areas.”

Dallas is on the rise as both a city and county. The population of Dallas County increased by 10.4% since 2010, with a spike of young professionals and families moving to the region over the last two years due to many top companies leaving coastal states for Texas.

In addition, positive net absorption in Dallas’ office sector is laying the groundwork for further stabilization throughout 2022.

The new lease agreements at Preston Commons are indicative of the way that the Dallas office market has continued to lead the country in returning to the office, notes Cordoves.

“We have seen that in order to truly collaborate and thrive at peak potential, many companies need a physical space that fosters next-level innovation and teamwork,” says Cordoves. “The signing of these leases at Preston Commons is a testament to this, as well as to the enduring appeal of top-tier office space in the best locations in the country.”

Preston Commons is a three-building office park located in the heart of the prestigious Preston Center submarket. With convenient access to the Dallas North Tollway and US 75, Preston Commons is ideally situated amongst major business hubs, including the Dallas Central Business District and the growing Plano and Frisco corridors.

The property won the 2015 Office Building of the Year (TOBY) award in the Renovated Building category from the Building Owners and Managers Association (BOMA). Top-quality on-site amenities include an upgraded lobby, business lounge, open-air courtyard with high-speed WiFi, and outdoor meeting and workspaces. The

amenities package also features training rooms, a health and wellness center with fitness equipment, and varied dining options throughout the building including gourmet deli The Commons Counter.

“Preston Commons provides all the key amenities top office users are seeking in the Dallas market,” says Brett Merz, asset manager for Preston Commons and senior vice president at KBS. “Also, the asset is located in a high-demand, posh area that provides elegant dining experiences and easy access to entertainment and high-end retail.”

Due to its high-end location, Preston Commons is the preferred destination for Dallas/Fort Worth’s business elite, Merz adds. The property is within a few blocks of dining and retail establishments including R+D Kitchen, Rock ‘n Roll Sushi, SoulCycle, and much more.

Alexandra Cullins, Dennis Barnes, and Jackie Marshall of CBRE represented KBS in the lease transaction.

“Tenants are drawn to Preston Commons for its prime location within the Dallas/Fort Worth area, along with KBS’ dedication to the tenant experience,” says Cullins. “This is quite simply one of the best office properties that Dallas can offer.”

Preston Commons is located at 8111, 8115, & 8117 Preston Road, Dallas, Texas.

PIMA COUNTY,  ARIZONA – The Pima County Elections Department June 24 successfully conducted a mock election to aid in staff training and public education about new voting equipment to be used at Vote Centers.

“This mock election provided Elections staff the opportunity to test the new e-pollbooks and ballot-on-demand printers we will use in this year’s elections. The event allowed us to use this equipment in real-world situations and anticipate how to address a variety of conditions we may encounter during an actual election,” Elections Director Constance Hargrove said.

The new equipment the County will use in the 2022 Primary and General elections are designed to provide greater flexibility in voter choice and expedite the check-in process. The e-pollbooks contain electronic versions of the voter registration roll. A paper roster was previously used to check-in voters at polling places. The Pima County Recorder maintains this voter registration database and provides a roster of eligible voters to the Elections Office for use on Election Day.

The ballot-on-demand printers enable elections workers to print the correct individualized ballot for every voter once they are checked-in. Because the roster of voters and precinct information is contained in the e-pollbooks, voters can cast their ballots at any of the 129 Vote Center locations open during the Primary and General elections. The voter will not be limited to the polling place within their specific precinct.

About 70 members of the public participated in the mock election and the overwhelming majority were checked in and received ballots in the expected timely manner. A small number of voters, however, did encounter delays in getting a mock ballot due to a mistake in uploading the full fictitious names list for the mock election.

“This was a mistake on our part that wouldn’t occur if this were a real election. This was a defect in preparing the database for the mock election, not a defect in the system. The system worked,” Hargrove said. “It is not possible that this scenario could be replicated in an actual election because the roster would contain current voter information associated with that election’s ballots. Still, it provides an excellent training opportunity for our next mock election.”

The Elections Department plans to hold a second mock election on Friday, July 1, from 9 a.m. to 11 a.m. at Abrams Public Health Center, 3950 S. Country Club Road.

“Because we had a bit of hiccough in this training exercise, we want to hold another mock election before voting starts for the Primary Election to demonstrate to the public that this is a fast, convenient and accurate way to check in voters at Voting Centers on Election Day,” Hargrove said.

Learn more about Election 2022 at pima.gov/vote2022