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Office tenant jumps to lease in Warehouse District
David Parker
Calgary Herald
Thursday, April 13, 2006
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Joel Lipkind plans to build a mirror image of his Ribtor building as part of a Warehouse District redevelopment.
In the race for space in downtown and Beltline office properties, any developer who can supply new product by next year is in an enviable position. Availability and location have resulted in leasing agent Chris Law of Colliers International being able to lease the top two floors of a second tower planned for the parking lot adjacent to the Ribtor Building, at 318 11th Ave. S.E.
Ribtor East, to be developed by Ribtor owner Joel Lipkind in partnership with Ronmor Developers, has been designed by Gibbs Gage Architects as a mirror of the fully leased original historic building that will continue to house the retail store. Four storeys in height, it will provide 45,000 square feet of office space and two levels of underground parking.
The main entrance will face the west building and with higher grading between the two there will be fewer stairs to the front doors of both. A canopy will stretch out over the central courtyard, where visitors can be dropped of before vehicles enter the parkade on the north end.
Ceiling heights of 13 feet on the main floor and 12 feet on the remainder have been included in the design, but thanks to new construction techniques, it will have more glass added to the brick and stone exterior.
The location is in an evolving neighbourhood where a number of residential and office projects are planned as well as the Stampede's expansion, proposed extension of Olympic Way into East Village, and the redevelopment of CPR lands. It's also fairly close to LRT stations and an easy walk to City Hall and Stephen Avenue Mall.
Lipkind says he's excited with the way the Warehouse District is being redeveloped into a trendy office area. The Ribtor East is the only heritage-style office block coming on stream in the neighbourhood.
Construction could start as early as July 1, with the building ready for occupancy by May 2007. Temporary parking for west tower tenants during construction has been arranged across the street.
The top floors have been leased to a national company expanding in the Calgary market, which leaves two other floors totalling about 22,000 square feet available for lease.
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David Parker appears Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday. He can be reached at 830-4622 or e-mail info@davidparker.ca
© The Calgary Herald 2006