Plans for a $900 million mixed-use project at Denver International Airport (DIA), the 10th busiest airport in the world, take on a greater sense of reality as officials unveil renowned architect Santiago Calatrava’s conceptual design for the South Terminal Redevelopment Program.

The project will be constructed in phases, with the first stage carrying a development price tag of $650 million. Phase I will consist of a 500-room hotel to be designed by architectural firm Gensler, approximately 40,000 square feet of meeting space. “We think there will be great demand for the hotel,” John Ackerman, Acting Deputy Manager of Revenue and Business Development,” told CPE. “The nearest hotel to the terminal is about five to six miles away and the next nearest hotel is about 10 miles away, so we will have the only hotel situated directly on the airport property. And, with a strategic location in the middle of the country there will be robust demand from companies planning to fly people in and out for day-long meetings.”

In addition to the hotel, there will be a plaza featuring approximately 38,000 square feet of retail and concession offerings. “We want a blend of restaurants and amenities for our customers,” Ackerman said. “We’re in the early stages of looking at a mix of offerings to complement what we already have in the terminal. The project’s mixture of uses will be a regional draw to people to experience the plaza retail offerings and the hotel.” The first phase will also produce a rail bridge and a terminal train station that will ultimately be incorporated into commuter rail service between the airport and Union Station in downtown Denver.

No date has been set for the commencement of Phase II of the South Terminal Redevelopment Program; however, should plans proceed to the second stage, the cost of the entire redevelopment endeavor will increase by $250 million for a final development cost of $900 million.

Financing for the program will be provided predominantly through General Airport Revenue Bonds to be repaid by airport revenues. Airport officials will forego usage of taxpayer dollars altogether.

Mortenson, Co. is on board as construction manager and contractor for DIA’s South Terminal Redevelopment Program. Completion of Phase I, which will result in the creation of over 6,000 jobs, is on schedule for 2016.

Northern California commercial office landlord Equity Office has inked two new lease transactions at Skyway Landing in San Carlos, California.

Wells Fargo Insurance Services has taken 40,257 square feet at 959 Skyway Road – the building’s entire second floor – and will relocate from its current quarters in Redwood City. Wells Fargo was represented by Marcus Wood of Cassidy Turley/BT Commercial, while Equity’s in-house Peninsula leasing team of Vahe Soghomonian and Rick Buziak along with the Cornish & Carey listing team of Jack Troedson, Kristoph Lodge and Graham Woodall represented the landlord.

In adition, information infrastructure software firm MarkLogic Corp. has extended its existing lease at 999 Skyway and nearly doubled its occupancy by expanding into an additional 18,630 square feet, making for a total of 40,268 square feet. Derek Johnson and Chris Holland of Jones Lang LaSalle represented MarkLogic, while Soghomonian represented the landlord.

The 247,000-square-foot Skyway Landing was built in 2000 and sits on 12.6 acres.

In Aurora, Colo., The Children’s Hospital has commenced construction of a new 350,000-square-foot tower at its facility less than ten miles west of Denver. The $230 million expansion project will address a demand that has been on the rise since 2007 when the hospital opened its new location at the 227-acre Anschutz Medical Campus, a recently developed education, research and patient care complex.

According to officials, Children’s Hospital has experienced an annual increase in inpatient admissions of 10 percent or more over the last three years. “When we first moved to the Anschutz Medical Campus in September 2007, we wondered if our patients would follow us,” Jim Shmerling, President and CEO of The Children’s Hospital Colorado, told CPE. “The response has been a resounding, ‘yes!’ Here we are three years later, about to build another ten floors, about five years ahead of schedule.”

Phipps/McCarthy is handling construction of the East Tower, which will ultimately accommodate the addition of 500 patient beds. The new 10-story building, designed by ZGF Architects and H+L Architecture, will meet standards for LEED certification.

Children’s Hospital is hardly alone in its quest to provide additional space to address demand–demand that is only going to increase with the 32 million uninsured Americans that will become insured in a few years as a result of healthcare reform. Turner Construction Company broke ground this week on a $161 million, 216,000-square-foot patient tower at the Inova Fairfax Hospital campus in Falls Church, Va. In June, the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs kicked off development of a 1.5 million-square-foot replacement medical center in New Orleans, and in May, work commenced on the $750 million, 1.2 million-square-foot Wishard Memorial Hospital replacement hospital in Indianapolis, Ind.

The new tower at Children’s Hospital in Aurora will open in late 2012, bringing the hospital’s total footprint at the Anschutz campus to nearly 1.8 million square feet.

Wilson Commercial said Tuesday that it had inked leasing assignments for 13 retail centers totaling more than 2 million square feet in the first six months of 2010.

Those assignments include three new developments, five redevelopment projects and five existing centers. The company also completed 32 leases totaling 600,000 square feet during the first half of the year.

The largest assignments include the 487,370-square-foot Commons at Quartz Hill in Lancaster, California, the 218,503-square-foot Crossroads at 395 in Victorville, California and the 224,783-square-foot Granada Village in Granada Hills, California.

“During this challenging economic climate, landlords understand the importance of retaining a firm who has the experience and knowledge to improve occupancy at their center,” Wilson president Chris Wilson said. “We have a deep understanding of the landlord and tenant side of the business, enabling us to deliver results in this ongoing challenging market.”

Wilson currently oversees leasing at 90 retail properties totaling 8.3 million square feet in Southern and Central California.

Voit Real Estate Services has directed the $5.7 million sale of an 85,053-square-foot industrial property at 900 Ajax Avenue in City of Industry, Calif.

The property includes an 82,053-square-foot building and a 3,000-square-foot building. It is situated on 4.7 acres. It was purchased by diamond-based cutting tools manufacturer SH Trading, Inc., the United States subsidiary of South Korea-based Shinhan Diamond Corp. The firm will use the space for local manufacturing and distribution.

“To ensure the space would meet our client’s specific needs, Voit provided the client with strategic guidance and expertise in working … to find the ideal location,” Voit vice president of the Anaheim Metro office Mike Boomer said when announcing the news. “Our clear understanding of the zoning process and necessary permits to obtain was crucial to aiding the company in relocating their business.”

Boomer, Joe Miller and Stan Kwak of the Anaheim Metro office represented SH Trading. The seller, Ajax Properties L.L.C., was represented by Anthony Brent of Lee and Associates.

Voit was founded in 1971 and currently employs 170 people. It has owned, developed and managed more than 45 million square feet of commercial real estate, participated in $1.3 billion of construction projects and completed more than $32 billion in brokerage transaction volume.

The Boston Marriott Newton in Newton, Mass., is the latest upper-upscale hotel to make it onto Chesapeake Lodging Trust’s shopping list. The nearly six-month-old Annapolis-based REIT signed a definitive agreement to acquire the 430-room hotel from CR/TPG Newton Hotel L.L.C.–a joint venture involving Cranston, R.I.-headquartered The Procaccianti Group, Newton Lower Falls, Mass.-based Charles River Realty Investors and Jacksonville, Fla.-based Rockpoint Group L.L.C.–for nearly $77.3 million in cash.

Located approximately 15 miles west of Boston at 2345 Commonwealth Ave., the 41-year-old, seven-story Boston Marriott Newton occupies an 11.5-acre site fronting the Charles River. The property has undergone extensive renovations over the last two years and, in addition to its guestrooms, features 20,000 square feet of meeting space, a restaurant and a fitness center.

Chesapeake plunked down a $3 million deposit for the hotel. As for financing the acquisition, the company plans to rely on borrowings from a revolving credit facility that it expects to secure in advance of the anticipated closing, which is on track to occur within the next 30 days. CR/TPG Newton Hotel will pay off debt attached to the property upon the closing.

The definitive agreement between Chesapeake and CR/TPG Newton Hotel comes just one year after the hotel last changed hands. Procaccianti, Charles River Realty and Rockpoint bought the Boston Marriott Newton from Host Hotels & Resorts Inc. in July 2009 for $29 million. What turned out to be just a one-year hold dovetails with the joint venture’s original strategy. “We have completed our property improvement plan,” Brian H. Kavoogian, President of Charles River Realty, told CPE. “We’ve done a lot to improve the margins, operations and the physical condition of the hotel, and the valuation has increased over the last year. It was time.” That is not to say that there aren’t advantages for the buyer. “There is a real opportunity for growth and income, as well, given the improvements occurring in the hotel market.”

Chesapeake’s acquisition of the Boston Marriott Newton will mark the REIT’s second purchase in Beantown. In March, the company snapped up the 498-room Hyatt Regency Boston–and an air rights contract–for approximately $113.1 million. Chesapeake has struck a few other notable deals since the completion of its January 27 IPO. In June, it closed the $46 million acquisition of the ritzy 188-room Hilton Checkers Los Angeles. Additionally the $25 million purchase of the 153-room Courtyard Anaheim at Disneyland Resort hotel in Anaheim, Calif., is currently pending.

Real estate investment management firm Buchanan Street Partners has funded a $21 million first mortgage loan for a luxury apartment complex in Oakland, Calif. The mortgage is on Aqua Via, an eight-story, 104-unit building that comprises 116,539 square feet and is currently 98 percent occupied.

Via the first mortgage, the borrower was able to buy the existing note for $23.6 million – a 31 percent discount from the outstanding balance.

Aqua Via is located near Jack London Square, a hallmark of Oakland currently undergoing a $375 million redevelopment. It is also located close to public transportation, including AC Transit buses and Amtrak trains.

“This investment is an excellent example of the strength of Buchanan’s principal lending platform,” Buchanan president and chief investment officer Tim Ballard said when announcing the news. “Buchanan structured a multi-level capital solution with a fast, reliable and transparent closing process on this time sensitive note purchase.”

In a sign that hotels may not yet be fully in recovery, the Doubletree Berkeley Marina hotel in Northern California has fallen into mortgage default. The Contra Costa Times reports that the 387-room hotel is still operating as normal.

According to the Times, the Doubletree was purchased in September 2006 by a joint venture of Westmont and Canada-based Cadim Inc., which paid $416 million to buy a real estate investment trust along with its 21-hotel portfolio, including the Doubletree.

At that time, the Times reports, the venture procured a $160 million mortgage from Citigroup Global Markets. On June 25, Citigroup filed a notice of default against the Doubletree as well as the other six hotels for which the loan provides financing: two in Florida, two in North Carolina, one in Michigan and one in Ohio.

Due to decreased travel and tourism stemming from the recession, hotels have been one of the hardest-hit products.

Los Angeles-based CB Richard Ellis Investors, acting on behalf of its CBRE Strategic Partners U.S. Value 5 Fund, has acquired a premier five-building portfolio of properties consisting of 1.6 million square feet of office and retail space and a parking facility at Oakland City Center in Oakland, Calif. CBRE Investors purchased the assets from San Francisco-based Shorenstein Properties L.L.C. and the State Teachers Retirement System of Ohio for approximately $356 million.

Shorenstein had acquired four of the buildings in a $120 million deal in late 1996, and brought in the Ohio pension fund as a 50/50 partner in 1998. In 1999, the joint venture exercised an option to purchase the parking facility from the City of Oakland.

Located in Oakland’s central business district, the group of assets includes the LEED Gold-certified office structures at 1111 Broadway and 555 12th Street. The buildings encompass over 1 million square feet of office space, ground-level retail space and underground parking accommodations. The office properties at 1300 Clay Street and 505 14th Street and the City Square building feature an aggregate 460,000 square feet of office space and 55,000 square feet of ground-level retail space. The portfolio is rounded out by the City Center Garage, which accommodates 1,150 vehicles.

“While the entire portfolio is high quality, 555 12th street and 1111 Broadway represent the best buildings in the East Bay,” Phil Hench, Senior Managing Director, CBRE Strategic Partners U.S., said in a prepared statement. “This diversified portfolio in the heart of Oakland’s CBD benefits from spectacular views, tremendous access to major transportation corridors and BART, and proximity to newly developed residential properties.”

The multi-structure complex is 91 percent leased, a respectable accomplishment considering the current condition of the Oakland office market. The total vacancy rate for all office types in the Oakland area is 15.1 percent, according to a first quarter report by real estate services firm Colliers International. The total vacancy rate for Class A assets in the Oakland area is 12.5 percent. However, the portfolio’s occupancy level is more in line with that of the CBD’s Class A market, where the total vacancy rate is a relatively low 9.5 percent.

CBRE Hawaii and CBRE’s National Retail Investment Group – West have announced the completed $25.7 million sale of the Waianae Mall on the Hawaiian island of Oahu.

The retail center consists of 11 buildings housing 43 tenants in 170,275 square feet of retail space, with major tenants including Longs Drugs and City Mill. It is located on a 15.62-acre lot.

Real estate investment trust TNP Acquisitions purchased the mall from 3D Investments. In connection with the purchase, TNP assumed a $20.7 million loan with an interest rate of 5.39 percent, due November 2017.

“Part of the appeal of this center is its coastal location and lack of competition in the market, which together created a very rare investment opportunity,” Phil Voorhees of CBRE said when announcing the news. He added that the mall accounts for nearly 10 percent of the commercially zoned land in Waianae and does not fall within a special management area, making it simpler to redevelop or expand the property.

Both buyer and seller were represented by the CBRE brokerage team, which included Scott Voorhees, Scott Gomes, Todd Goodman and Patrick Toomey.