Colorado Springs Real Estate Briefs: February 16, 2007

Griffis Blessing Inc. has added three new management contracts to its 4,700-unit multifamily portfolio: Alikar Gardens Resort, Templeton Ridge and The Signature at Promontory Pointe.

The Colorado Springs properties are owned separately, said Pat Stanforth, senior vice president for multifamily services.

Alikar Gardens Resort, 1123 Verde Drive, consists of 124 furnished and unfurnished apartment homes and is owned by Karl Finzell.

Templeton Ridge, 4766 Winewood Village Drive, consists of 85 townhomes and is owned by a bank.

The Signature at Promontory Pointe includes 93 units located at 380 N. Limit St. and caters to the senior population. The latter complex was sold by Jeff Dunn & Associates to Brown Family Ventures of San Francisco.

Griffis Blessing added a net total of 830 units to its portfolio in 2006 and sold the Park Ridge Apartments, Crossroads at Chapel Hills and the Aspen Ridge Apartments in Colorado Springs. The company also sold the Lakes at Monaco Point apartment complex.

"Our portfolio currently holds 16 properties here, two in Pueblo, one in Castle Rock, three in Denver and two in the Fort Collins- Loveland area," Stanforth said.

The company has eight full-time employees, including a full- service accounting department in its Colorado Springs' property management division, as well as on-site managers, maintenance and housekeeping personnel at each property.

Baywood moves

Baywood Homes' offices have moved to 6265 Lehman Drive, Building A in north central Colorado Springs.

Pikes Peak region makes top architectural building list

In honor of the American Institute of Architect's 150th anniversary, Harris Interactive polled more than 1,800 adults, and based on a pre-selected list of 247 buildings around the country asked what respondents considered the top architectural buildings.

The AIA commissioned the survey to generate public awareness about architecture, said the organization's president, R.K. Stewart in a statement provided in conjunction with the poll's release.

While it was no surprise that buildings like the Empire State Building, the White House, the Sears Tower, the Jefferson Memorial and the Golden Gate Bridge appeared high on the list of 150 structures selected, those polled might have surprised surveyors by choosing as their 40th pick the U.S. Air Force Academy. The Broadmoor Hotel was voted the 78th most architecturally popular.

Other Colorado properties that made the list were Denver International Airport Terminal (57) and the Brown Palace Hotel (148). Nearly half the 150 buildings selected were located in Washington, D.C., New York City or Chicago.

G.E. Johnson finishes Denver hospital job

Porter Adventist has opened its $70 million addition in Denver.

The project was designed by ESA Architects and includes a new entry and lobby, expansion to surgical areas and ICU/CCU and two new floors for the Oncology Center, as well as a 223,000-square-foot parking garage.

The project was the third Centura Health venture that Kitchell Contractors and G.E. Johnson Construction Co. of Colorado Springs have worked on jointly.

Transactions

in the spotlight

*A 12.86-acre parcel at Union Boulevard and Cordera Crest Drive has been purchased for $3.92 million by the owners of the Air Force Academy Credit Union.

Plans for the land include construction of a new facility in Briargate Crossing.

Gary Reyner of La Plata Investments represented the seller, LP47 LLC. Mary Dyer of Grubb & Ellis Quantum Commercial Group represented the buyer.

*Colorado State University has leased 1,200 square feet at 4570 Hilton Parkway. The landlord, FSLM Partners LLP, was represented by Andy Oyler of Grubb & Ellis Quantum Commercial Group. The tenant was represented by Mary Francis Cowan, also of Grubb & Ellis Quantum.

*Bertha's Kitchen, a new Mexican restaurant owned by Jose and Bertha Molina, has leased 1,470 square feet at 1853 S. Academy Blvd. in the Bally Plaza Shopping Center. Jay Carlson and Bob Nolette of Front Range Commercial represented the landlord and the tenant in the transaction.

*KOM Sports Marketing has leased 1,050 square feet in the Mountain Research Office Building at 4935 N. 30th St., Suite 200. Bob Nolette of Front Range Commercial represented the landlord, Quan Van Nguyen and Helen Cameron of Cameron Butcher Commercial represented the tenant.

*Perspective Shift LLC has leased 1,841 square feet in the Rice Shopping Center at 410 F S. 8th St. Nate Winterfield and Bob Cope of Front Range Commercial represented both parties in the transaction.

*Southwestern home decor retailer Sagrado Corazon Imports has leased space at 1219 N. Academy Blvd. Bob Cope of Front Range Commercial represented the tenant and the landlord, the Amerco Real Estate Co., in the transaction.

*Golf product retailer GolfTEC Enterprises has leased 1,800 square feet of retail space at 1727 Briargate Blvd. in the Chapel Hills Shops. Jay Carson of Front Range Commercial represented the owner, Harbour Corp., and Robert Myers of The Myers Co. represented the tenant.