In brief: Aqua | French Market | Halo for Men

By Staff, Oct. 16, 2009

Aqua tower to feature electric car plug-ins

The 82-story Aqua condominium and apartment tower in the Lakeshore East development recently dedicated the city’s first public electric car charging stations. The six stations, which can charge 24 plug-in vehicles, are based in the garage of the Aqua building at 225 N. Columbus Drive. The stations are part of a network run by Chicago-based Carbon Day Automotives. Lakeshore East developer Magellan Development Group LLC feted Mayor Richard Daley and other city dignitaries for a demonstration and dedication Saturday.

French market to open next month in Ogilvie Transportation Center

Sixteen additional vendors have joined the roster of small merchants planning to open stalls in Chicago French Market, bringing the total number of tenants to 25 sellers who plan to hawk their wares in the 15,000-square-foot space, developer U.S. Equities Realty LLC said Friday. A key part of the long-delayed MetraMarket retail and restaurant emporium project in the Ogilvie Transportation Center, the French market is now scheduled to open in mid-November, Chicago-based U.S. Equities said. It is 80% leased. The MetraMarket project is anchored by a 14,000-square-foot CVS/Pharmacy, with an address of 101 North Clinton St., which is already opened.

Men’s salon adding two new stores in South, West Loop

Chicago-based Halo for Men recently opened new locations in the West and South Loop. The company signed 10-year leases at each site: for 1,450 square feet at 1351 S. Michigan Ave. and 500 square feet at 938 W. Madison St. Halo, now has seven spa and barber shops in the city, says owner Robert Patrizi. The West Loop location, based in a mid-rise condo building, opened last week while the bigger South Loop store opened early this week in an Enterprise Cos. condo tower. Mt. Patrizi, who opened his first store in 2005, says he’s in talks to open three more locations in River North and Lincoln Park. Halo was represented in both leases by Danny Spitz of @properties.

First tenant signs at Wis. Park

The first tenant has leased space at an industrial park near Racine, Wis. being developed by HSA Commercial Real Estate. Menomonee Falls, Wis.-based Maysteel LLC, which makes custom metal enclosures, signed a five-year deal for 40,744 square feet at one of the two completed buildings at the project called Park 94 at Mt. Pleasant. Maysteel’s space is in a 125,000-square-foot building. The other building is 323,610 square feet. Both were just finished. Maysteel plans to move part of a product assembly operation to the Mt. Pleasant development from a facility about 45 miles away in Menomonee Falls, north of Milwaukee. HSA’s joint-venture partner in the two-building first phase is Phoenix Capital Partners Ltd., a Dallas-based real estate investment firm.