May 2009

Table of Contents
- Real Estate Roundup ( April 2009)
- MARE ISLAND, VALLEJO lands Rail Car Firm
- Solano County economic and community progress index recognized by statewide organization
- Did you know?

Real Estate Roundup (April 2009)

Colliers International (www.colliersparrish.com)
- 437 & 441 Industrial, Benicia - 80,000 s/f Lease to Valero Refining Company
- 521 Stone Road, Benicia - 49,920 s/f Lease Renewal to Sears Logistics Services, Inc.
- 536 Stone Road, Suites G&H, Benicia - 4,608 s/f Lease to ThyssenKrupp Safway, Inc.
- 4727 Mangels Blvd, Fairfield - 1,441 s/f Commercial Condo Sale to Sierra Pacific Investment Co.

Cornish & Carey (www.ccarey.com)
- 2320 Cordelia Road, Fairfield - +/- 26,700 SF Leased to Certified Coatings
- 3001 Bayshore Road, Benicia - +/- 4,400 SF Leased to GEM Mobile
- 299 Beck Avenue, Fairfield - +/-150,000 SF Leased to Meyer Corporation

Grubb & Ellis (www.grubb-ellis.com)
- 4949 Fulton Drive, Fairfield - 10,000 sf lease to O’Hara Metal Products
- 4949 Fulton Drive, Fairfield - 5,000 sf lease to The Picture Company

Premier Commercial (www.pcres.net)
- 2350 S Watney Way, #C-H, Fairfield - 9,600 sf leased to Vortex Int'l Enter


MARE ISLAND, VALLEJO lands Rail Car Firm

On May 6, 2009 Lennar Mare Island, LLC (LMI) announced that it has signed a lease with Alstom Transportation, Inc. (Alstom), an international transit company, for more than 112,000 sq. ft. of office and manufacturing space in Building 599, one of Mare Island’s largest structures. The company will bring 20 new jobs to Mare Island.

“LMI is pleased to welcome Alstom to the Mare Island business community,” said Jason Keadjian, spokesman for LMI. “Alstom’s operation will result in a significant investment in Mare Island.” Light industrial and manufacturing users like Alstom represent the majority of the more than 2.5 million square feet of commercial space currently occupied on Mare Island.

Alstom and LMI are investing more than $1,000,000 toward the reuse of Building 599, including improvements to the building’s roof, exterior lighting, office space, and a railroad spur for the company’s use. As part of their operations, Alstom will also be responsible for maintaining the rail lines to Building 599, and will add a rail spur approaching the building. Alstom will be working with Amtrak to refurbish rail cars used for Amtrak’s Capitol Corridor service. Alstom plans to host a grand opening for the new Mare Island operation sometime later this year.

Located at 450 Pintado Street between Nimitz and Railroad Avenues, Building 599 has a history with rail transportation uses, as it was previously leased by Kinkisharyo International, which manufactured light rail cars for the Santa Clara Valley Transit Authority.

Alstom Transportation is a promoter of sustainable mobility; the company develops and markets a complete range of systems, equipment and service for the railway market. The company is an international leader in the development of transportation, light rail and energy infrastructure, and has more than 80,000 employees worldwide.

Lennar Mare Island, LLC is master developer of Mare Island located in Vallejo, Calif. and currently owns 650 acres. LMI was selected by the City of Vallejo in 1997 to implement the Mare Island Reuse Plan, which includes roughly 7 million square feet of commercial and industrial space, 1,400 homes and many recreational amenities.
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Solano County economic and community progress index recognized by statewide organization

The Solano County Index and Economic and Community Progress project, initiated in February 2007 under the direction of the Solano EDC, has been recognized as the outstanding Economic Development Program for 2008.

The California Association for Local Economic Development (CALED) selected the Solano County study for its award of excellence at its recent annual meeting.

Michael Ammann, EDC president, said CALED’s award demonstrates the importance of the index for the future of Solano County.

“The index helps us tell the story of how we are doing as a community,” Ammann said. “It also gives us the empirical data to take advantage of opportunities that will expand the prosperity of the people who live and work in Solano County.”

The first report on the index was presented in November 2008 and several workshops have been held since then to engage a diverse community group to address challenges that were identified in the phase one report. The index researchers are also analyzing five industry clusters, and the first focused on life sciences in Solano County, released earlier this year. The energy industry cluster is scheduled for release later this year.

The index project grew out of a series of Solano County Economic Summits, proposed by the Solano County Board of Supervisors and facilitated by Solano EDC. Later, the county awarded EDC a contract to fund the ongoing index study which is conducted by Collaborative Economics.

EDC Vice President Sandy Person, called the index “a critical tool for economic development in Solano County. It could not have been conducted at a better time. As we move out of the recession in California the data gathered through this ongoing index research will benefit EDC’s membership. Through EDC we will be able to keep our outreach efforts focused and update marketing plans based on what we learn from the index studies” Person said.

Supervisor Michael Reagan worked actively with EDC to create the county summit meetings.

“In the few months since the Solano County Index was released, we have seen this incredible tool bring together all aspects of the community to focus on our shared challenges and opportunities in attracting and retaining quality jobs,” Reagan said. “This award from the people who do economic development for a living (CALED) affirms that we are on the right track for improving the economy of Solano County.”

The Solano Index and life Science Cluster Study can be viewed at www.solanocounty.com/economicindex.


Did you know?
Did you know that there are over 30 wineries located in Solano County within three overlapping Appellations: The California State Appellation, Solano County Green Valley Appellation & Suisun Valley Appellation.

Support your local vintners and wineries!


The Solano Economic Development Corporation’s mission is to enhance the economic vitality and quality of life in Solano County communities through the attraction, growth and retention of business and industry.

Solano EDC Team

Mike Ammann, President (mike@solanoedc.org)
Sandy Person, Vice-President (sandy@solanoedc.org)
Pat Uhrich, Office Manager (pat@solanoedc.org)
Andy Turba, Special Projects (andy@solanoedc.org)

Solano Economic Development Corporation
360 Campus Lane, Suite 102, Fairfield, CA 94534
Phone: (707) 864-1855 Fax: (707) 864-6621
Website: www.solanoedc.org