North Bay Business Journal

HAY

Petaluma uke maker doubles size

April 2nd, 2012

PETALUMA — Kala Brand Music Co. is more than doubling the size of its Petaluma base of operations as sales expand for the 6-year-old producer of exotic ukuleles and novel bass guitars.
Santa Rosa woman wins suit against 47.5 percent loan penalty

April 2nd, 2012

SANTA ROSA – A 61-year-old Santa Rosa woman has won a suit against a Florida-based mortgage lender after being hit with what a Sonoma County judge called a “gigantic” 47.5 percent fee for prepaying a commercial property loan. The Santa Rosa law firm that represented the woman, Beyers Costin, called the ruling a victory for borrowers over questionable lending practices.
Leases and sales: Week of April 2, 2012

April 2nd, 2012

Commercial real estate leases and sales in the north San Francisco Bay area
Vallejo property part of $68 million sale of shopping centers

March 30th, 2012

VALLEJO — Two East Coast investors today said they purchased Park Place, a 150,766-square-foot neighborhood shopping center in Vallejo, as part of a $68 million acquisition of 837,183 square feet in five properties across the country.
Leases and sales: Week of March 26, 2012

March 26th, 2012

Commercial real estate leases and sales in the north San Francisco Bay Area
Napa County CEO proposes consolidation of departments to create ‘one-stop shop’ for permits

March 19th, 2012

NAPA — In an effort to streamline its permitting process while reducing costs, Napa County is proposing to consolidate divisions currently within the Department of Environmental Management into the Department of Conservation, Development and Planning, while all general service functions would be operated out of the Public Works Department, creating a “one-stop shop” for permits.
Mullen & Filippi to move to downtown Santa Rosa

March 19th, 2012

SANTA ROSA — Mullen & Filippi, a law firm that specializes in workers’ compensation litigation and related legal services, is relocating its practice to about 6,000 square feet in downtown Santa Rosa from the Fountaingrove Executive Center.
New owner of Greenbriar Apartments plans ‘substantial renovation’

March 19th, 2012

PETALUMA — After a several-month effort to reach a purchase agreement with three lenders on the parts of a 224-unit Petaluma apartment complex involved in the Bijan Madjilessi bankruptcy, a significant California multifamily investor purchased Greenbriar Apartments and has a “substantial renovation budget” for maintenance and upgrades.
Leases and sales: Week of March 19, 2012

March 19th, 2012

Commercial real estate leases and sales in the north San Francisco Bay Area
Rohnert Park officials hope SMART will spur development

March 12th, 2012

ROHNERT PARK — North Bay officials said they were optimistic that the relocation of a proposed commuter rail stop in Rohnert Park will help spur transit-oriented development in a central district that includes the office complex State Farm Insurance vacated in 2010.
Positive signs for North Bay commercial property on horizon

March 12th, 2012

In the fourth quarter, U.S. gross national product has been revised upward to 2.8 percent — not great but better than the 2 percent GNP growth rates of the previous two quarters. Are we pulling out or falling back? What does either mean for the North Bay?
Sonoma Co. industrial real estate recovers slowly

March 12th, 2012

SONOMA COUNTY — Like the economy, which is in slow recovery, so is the Sonoma County industrial market.
Distressed sales continue to dominate Marin apartments

March 12th, 2012

MARIN COUNTY — More than half of all small apartment sales in Marin County (two to four units) were distressed sales in 2011, according to a recent survey by the Apartment Investor’s Advisor.
Santa Rosa office rents rise amid absorption

March 12th, 2012

SANTA ROSA — The office market in the North Bay’s largest city appears to have stabilized as tour activity and closed transactions have increased substantially compared to 2008–2010 levels. Property owners continue to compete for tenants at rental rates 10 percent–20 percent below the market peak, but competition appears to be that of a more typical market rather landlord desperation seen in recent years.
Window of opportunity opens for downtown Napa

March 12th, 2012

NAPA — If ever there were a window for opportunity in downtown Napa, it’s now. More retailers and restaurants have set up businesses and more are coming.
Southern Marin tight office market driving rents upward

March 12th, 2012

SOUTHERN MARIN — The best office spaces in southern and central Marin County are filling up, and the rest of the market is not far behind.
Napa-Solano industrial property market recovering

March 12th, 2012

SOLANO and NAPA COUNTIES — The industrial real estate markets of Solano and Napa counties showed modest improvement in 2011 over 2010, as several significant leases were completed and some significant buildings sold.
A year for big transactions in Petaluma

March 12th, 2012

PETALUMA — 2011 was a year of significant transactions in Petaluma’s commercial real estate landscape.
Sonoma County apartment occupancy holds as rents, sales grow

March 12th, 2012

The Sonoma County apartment market gained momentum in 2011. In terms of actual performance of properties, number of sales and pricing, apartments returned to the spotlight locally and nationally with big gains in most markets. In a nutshell: Rents grew by 2 percent to 3 percent. Occupancy stabilized at 97 percent. Number of sales for properties with [...]
Central, northern Marin office markets strengthen

March 12th, 2012

MARIN COUNTY — Central and northern Marin office space markets have strengthened significantly in the past 12 months, with vacancy rates finally dipping below 20 percent for the county.