CORFAC News

Contact:
Melanie Carrera
(410) 423-2033

Caryn Sagal
(410) 363-9583

COLUMBIA, Md. (June 19, 2012) – Manekin, LLC has begun redeveloping a 72,000-square foot former manufacturing facility into a LEED-Certified Class A office building at 5500 E Lombard St. Manekin/CORFAC International is the brokerage services unit of Manekin LLC.

Located directly off I-895 at Johns Hopkins Bayview, at the NIH entrance, the property is adjacent to future MARC and Redline stations.

“5500 E. Lombard St. is well-located with superior access to John Hopkins,” said John Graham, Manekin’s investment services co-director. “Upgrading the use of this facility fits in well with our current strategy of identifying redevelopment opportunities that are transit-oriented and medical.”

The full-service real estate firm entered into a joint venture with Jim Crystal, who developed and built the property in 1985 as a manufacturing plant for his national furniture business, LUI Corporation. Nearly 300 people worked there at its height.

In 2005, Crystal moved his business out and leased the building to Cambrex, a local drug manufacturing company. Lonza, an international bioscience company, purchased Cambrex and relocated approximately two years ago.
 
Bob Vujcic with DVA Architects in Gaithersburg was tapped for the building redesign. One of his projects recently won a NAIOP Maryland 2012 Excellence Award for “Best Adaptive Reuse.”

Built to LEED standards, the project will offer the features of a multi-story office building – such as a central atrium -- on one story. Spaces will be available from 2,664 square feet to 72,000 square feet. Amenities will include a heavy electric capacity with back-up power and a parking ratio of 5 spaces per 1,000 square feet.

Having completed the preliminary design phase, Manekin has begun engineering, storm water management design and site coordination with Johns Hopkins. The firm also will oversee construction, with an anticipated Spring 2013 completion.

Additionally, Manekin will manage the property and has begun pre-leasing with a team comprising Adam Nachlas, Susan Homberg, Stacey Berman and Brendon Behan. For more information, call 410-290-1400.

“Johns Hopkins continues to grow and this is an optimal location adjacent to the Bayview campus,” said Cole Schnorf, Manekin’s senior vice president and director of development. “This project presents another opportunity to expand on our deep medical experience.”

Manekin previously developed the Johnston Professional Building at Union Memorial Hospital in Baltimore, Catoctin Medical Center in Frederick, Greenbelt Ambulatory Care Center in Greenbelt and Park Centre in Bel Air, as well as buildings for Columbia Medical Plan in Columbia.

Its medical property management portfolio includes over 500,000 square feet of medical office space under management on behalf of the University of Maryland Medical System, MedStar, Shore Health Systems and others.

Manekin’s medical brokerage clients have included Johns Hopkins, Johns Hopkins Community Physicians, St. Agnes Hospital, Sinai Hospital/LifeBridge, Northridge Medical Center, Orthopaedic Associates, Pine Heights Medical Center and Woodholme Medical Office Building.
 
Manekin/CORFAC International
Founded in 1946, Manekin, LLC is a full-service commercial real estate firm headquartered in Columbia, Md. with additional offices in downtown Baltimore and Southern Maryland. The company offers asset management, brokerage, construction, development and investment services. For more information, visit www.manekin.com.