Prime spot: The former downtown site of Capital City Press is officially up for grabs, according to Kurz and Hebert Commercial Real Estate, the sales agent for the Manship family, which owns the property. George Kurz, co-owner of the real estate firm, says the land at 525 Lafayette St. is packaged with a parking lot southeast of the square-block site. He says a for-sale sign went up about a month ago at the location where The Advocate operated for decades before moving to Bluebonnet Boulevard. “It’s a prime development site on the river,” Downtown Development District Executive Director Davis Rhorer says. “We’ve had maybe four or five different groups express interest on that.” Kurz says the land has been bulldozed for about two years and could host a multi-level parking garage, condominiums or other downtown residential space, or office space.
Sticking around: The Lightstone Group real estate company announced 12,000 square feet of lease extensions at 11441 Industriplex Blvd. The complex features about 35,600 square feet of office, showroom and warehouse space. Laboratory Corporation of America Holdings signed a lease extension for 9,200 square feet in the building; the company develops diagnostic technologies and provides medical tests and services. Motorola signed a lease extension for 3,300 square feet and will continue to use the space as a sales office and product warehouse.
Ascension a bright spot: The number of homes sold in the Capital Region during the first nine months of the year is down 12% from 2008. According to the Greater Baton Rouge Association of Realtors Multiple Listing Service, last year there were 5,930 houses sold through September, compared with 5,231 this year through September. The average sale price was down from $204,396 through the first three quarters of 2008, to $193,448 in the first three quarters of this year. Ascension Parish had an increase in home sales over 2008, with 967 houses sold in the first nine months of last year, compared with 981 this year through September.
