The Energy Corridor: Investor Buys Another Office Project

In Houston, A three-building office portfolio has been sold in the Houston’s Energy Corridor, part of an emerging trend that has motivated realty investors jump on deals in the Energy Capital of the World.

In the recent Energy Corridor deal, JLL Capital Markets closed the sale of the three-property office portfolio totalling 570,045 SF. JLL represented the seller, a court appointed receiver, and procured the buyer, LFFP Ashford Portfolio.

The portfolio consists of Ashford 5 at 14701 St. Mary’s Ln.; Ashford 6 at 1155 Dairy Ashford Rd. and Ashford 7 at 900 Threadneedle St. The three buildings sit on 12.2 acres immediately adjacent to Interstate 10 and near Beltway 8.

The Energy Corridor has been the fastest growing area of Houston and has witnessed tremendous leasing momentum over the last 12 months.

The office market in the Energy Corridor is strong, unlike many other submarkets in Houston, a city where the overall office vacancy rate has been hovering around 25%

The JLL team handling the deal included Marty Hogan, Kevin McConn, Rick Goings, John Ream and Clay Anderson.

“The Energy Corridor is home to the largest concentration of energy companies in the world and has seen tremendous growth not only from a population perspective but from a leasing perspective as well,” said Hogan. “The Ashford Portfolio stands to benefit from this explosive growth particularly with the lease-up of the available space.”

Goings added, “The Ashford Portfolio purchase is a part of a 20+ acre assemblage purchased by LFFP at the hard corner of I-10 and Dairy Ashford, a generational investment in an irreplaceable location. Our client was a pleasure to work with through a complex and lengthy closing process, and this purchase grows their portfolio from zero to over 750,000 SF of office space in the Energy Corridor within the last 12 months.”

Renovated between 2014 and 2016, the Ashfordd portfolio offers tenants a fitness center, tenant lounges and separate parking garages serving each building. The eight-story properties are 58% occupied overall with a current weighted average lease term of 4.7 years.

JLL Capital Markets also represented the buyer in the assumption and modification of the in-place loan. The buyer, LFFP, is a consortium led by a local family office that acquires and manages prime commercial office properties in Houston’s Energy Corridor. In addition to the Ashford Portfolio, LFFP recently purchased Westgate II, located on I-10 just west of Highway 6.