Industry News

Benefit Planners Inc., headquartered in Boerne, Texas, broke ground in March 2001 on the first phase of a new office complex, called Tech Park, in Northwest San Antonio. The $7.5 million, 70,000-sf structure will house customer service and claims processing and from 250 to 350 employees when completed in September 2001. When the first building is totally occupied, an additional $6-million, 60,000-sf facility is planned, for a total of approximately 120,000 sf at build-out. Darren Casey Interests is the developer of the project.

Horizon Blue Cross Blue Shield of New Jersey, based in Newark, N.J., plans to consolidate its Philadelphia and Evesham offices in a new 87,460-sf secondary headquarters in Mt. Laurel. The $11 million facility, built by Boston-based Leggat McCall Properties, will accommodate more than 400 employees beginning in late June 2001.

George Mason University Foundation has received approval for construction of a seven-story office building with a six-story, underground parking structure in Virginia Square. The $60 million project will sit on nearly two acres and provide 192,500-sf for office space and 13,275 sf of retail space on the building’s first floor. Above- and below-ground parking will accommodate 671 vehicles. The foundation uses private tenant lease money for acquisition and construction costs, selling or donating the building to the university when the project has been paid for.

PPL Corp., a Pennsylvania energy company, plans to locate its Energy Plus division  adjacent to its headquarters in Allentown. Liberty Property Trust will convert a former department store site into a six- or seven-story building; PPL will occupy 170,000 sf of the facility. Liberty has selected Robert A.M. Stern Architects of New York to design the building, with groundbreaking possible in early 2002, and completion in spring 2003. PPL plans to build a 1,000-vehicle parking deck nearby.

REMEC Inc. has plans for an 81,000-sf expansion at Parkway Business Centre, where the company’s wireless products division has a 65,000-sf R&D facility. The expansion includes all of the Parkway Centre Five building, where construction is expected to be complete in September 2001. The structure will accommodate the company’s broadband radio, mobile wireless infrastructure, as well as the wireless division’s manufacturing. KMA Architecture and Engineering is the architect for the project; R.G. Petty is the general contractor.