Altschuler also got a 25,437-sf renewal at Park Central III, negotiating for the building owner while John Shaunfield of Dallas-based Mohr Partners bargained for the tenant, Kimley-Horn & Associates.

Fort Worth's Crescent Real Estate Equities had nine class A renewals, expansions and extensions--not yet reported in the market--that kept 133,789 sf filled in the Dallas CBD, Las Colinas and Telecom Corridor, the region's Big Three when it comes to gluts of empty space. In the last nine months, Crescent's downtown trophy trio--Trammell Crow Center, Bank One Center and Fountain Place--had 60,000 sf renewed out of the 273,000 sf negotiated for their floors.

The REIT's crown jewel, the 98%-occupied Crescent, is fetching the highest rate in town at $36 per sf plus electric. "It might be the highest rate, but it's by far the best value," Mike Lewis, Crescent's vice president of leasing, tells GlobeSt.com. Haas Wheat & Partners just renewed a 10,497-sf office in the Uptown property in a deal put together by Mike Silliman, leasing manager, and the tenant's reps, Jeff Ellerman and Kelley Kackley, a Staubach Co. team.

Lewis agrees renewal activity is on an upswing, but he disputes it's due to fire-sale rates. "Most companies have five reasons to move before it even gets to the rate so it's not about the rate," he says. "If there's no compelling reason to move other than price, then they typically don't move."

Over the long haul, the renewal rates being put on the table aren't necessarily translating into huge savings. It's more about locking in low numbers in uncertain times while pushing deals to market at a hardy pace. "It shows people are in the process of moving forward," Lewis says. "They are making decisions and they are more comfortable with where the business economy is headed."

At Fountain Place in downtown Dallas, renewals were sealed for Crouch & Inabnett, 12,866 sf, and Gainsco Inc., 8,352 sf, while Hunt Consolidated, a 312,320-sf tenant, added 23,152 sf. Crescent's Kirby White worked out the terms. Bill McClung of Cushman & Wakefield of Texas Inc.'s Dallas office handled talks for the Crouch & Inabnett.

Meristar Hotels & Resorts renewed 38,060 sf and Durango McKinley Paper Co., 7,759 sf, at MacArthur Center II in Las Colinas. Lewis represented Crescent while Becky Dennis of Coldwell Banker brokered for the paper company.

Crescent's 125 E. John Carpenter Freeway, the same Las Colinas address to win a 116,000-sf renewal a few weeks ago, kept 11,794 sf filled by the Gartner Group Inc. in a deal negotiated by Lewis and C&W's Rick Hughes.

Also in Las Colinas, Verizon Information Services held onto 13,839 sf at Waterside Commons in a Lewis-negotiated pact with Staubach's Jim Ballard.

In the Telecom Corridor, Lewis and Dan Patterson of Swearingen Realty Group in Dallas worked out a 7,500-sf expansion for Xanser Corp., a 17,000-sf tenant at Palisades Central II.

Newmark & Co.'s Dallas team of Rebecca Griffin and Lissa Cooke handled talks for JP Mobile Inc. in a lease extension of 15,500 sf for five years at 3 Metro Square at 12000 Ford Rd. RM Crowe's Clif Cone negotiated its side of the deal.

A 7,496-sf lease extension was signed for Signature Place II in Dallas as a close-out of deals from a leasing assignment change from Grubb & Ellis Co. to Jones Lang LaSalle. Grubb & Ellis' Robert Powell signed Penn Mutual Life Insurance Co. to a 1,328-sf expansion and pushed out the expiration on 6,168 sf so both will come due in five years. Powell also renewed Risk Placement Services of Texas Inc. to a 2,629-sf office at Signature Place II in a two-year deal.