Three years behind schedule, Green Exchange close to signing a major tenant.

Have you noticed that hulking, huge, vacant, massive, old, other adjective warehouse that backs against the Metra tracks, I90, and Diversey?  Well that’s the Green Exchange, located at 2545 W. Diversey Pkwy.

Originally planned as loft condos, the neighborhood had major issues with the plans so the development was halted.  Does anyone know why there was an issue with an old delapidated lamp factory being turned into nice, new condos?  Now being advertised as the nation’s biggest showcase for environmentally friendly businesses, it’s been quite the elephant in the room for the neighborhood because the Green Exchange is three years behind schedule.

The developers are currently in talks to land a major lease with Coyote Logistics LLC which will take 18-31% of the 227,450 square feet of available space making the building over 70% leased.  Some would say Coyote Logistics isn’t much of a green buiness but Coyote is a trucking company that works to minimize the number of trucks traveling empty, which in turn reduces energy consumption and emissions.

Check out the full Crain’s Chicago Business article AND video HERE!

Chicago’s Downtown Office Vacancies Have Reached a New 4 Year High.

Downtown office vacancy highest in 4 years

By: Thomas A. Corfman March 29, 2010

(Crain’s) — The downtown vacancy rate has made its biggest leap in seven years, as a sharp drop in demand was compounded by the completion of yet another office project.

The vacancy rate spiked to 14.9% during the first quarter, compared to 13.8% during the fourth quarter and 11.5% during the first quarter of 2009, according to a report by the Chicago office of real estate firm CB Richard Ellis Inc.The jump of 1.1 percentage points is the largest single-quarter increase since the fourth quarter of 2002, when the vacancy rate climbed 2.1 percentage points, to 12.9%, in the wake of another recession.

The vacancy rate has climbed for six consecutive quarters and now stands at the highest level since first-quarter 2006, when the vacancy was 15.1%. During the last decade, the vacancy rate peaked at 16.0% at the end of 2005.

Yet in a hopeful sign, the amount of sublease space fell during the first quarter, the first decline in two years, prompting some landlord representatives to think the worst may be over.

“I think we have nudged off the bottom,” says landlord rep Robert Gillespie, a senior vice-president with CB Richard Ellis. “I am not suggesting that we are on a sharp V-type of recovery, but we are on an upward trajectory.”

Including sublease space, the overall vacancy rate shot up to 17.1% during the first quarter, compared to 16.2% during the fourth quarter and 13.3% during the first quarter of 2009, CB Richard Ellis says.

The increase in overall vacancy is the largest single-quarter jump in five years.

Demand for downtown office space plunged by more than 700,000 square feet during the first quarter, the fourth time during the past six quarters that demand has fallen. The drop in demand is the biggest single-quarter decline since the fourth quarter of 2002.

Demand is measured by net absorption, the change in the amount of leased and occupied space, compared to the previous quarter.

Mr. Gillespie says that first-quarter demand reduction is the result of corporate decisions made six to nine months ago.

But tenant representative Daniel Arends says he expects the vacancy rate to rise another full percentage point this year, adding, “There just doesn’t seem to be a lot of demand.”

More than half of tenants with leases coming due are renewing, compared with just 30% to 35% in 2008, says Mr. Arends, a principal in Rosemont-based Colliers Bennett & Kahnweiler Inc.…

Read the full Crain’s Chicago Business article by clicking HERE!

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