Sources report that the new tenants received incentives and a market allowance from the City of Glendale to refurbish the 21-year-old building, situated on 31 acres at 5353 W. Bell Rd., adjacent to Talavi Business Park. The 10-year lease, which includes a hefty tenant-improvement allowance to bring it up to speed for data center capability, is being touted as the largest office transaction to close in Glendale in recent years.

Honeywell Inc., a local business segment of Honeywell International Inc. of Morristown, NJ, had sold the building in June 2005 for $9.95 million to West Coast Capital Partners of Los Angeles as part of a consolidation effort. The sale had been structured as a sale-leaseback, with Honeywell signing a one-year lease. With a new tenant on the horizon, Phil Breidenbach, senior vice president in Phoenix for Colliers International Inc., says "Honeywell accelerated their move-out to try to accommodate the new tenants."

Wally Hale with the Staubach Co.'s Phoenix team tells GlobeSt.com that the San Francisco-based association and the local AAA Arizona spent months searching several states for an appropriate property. Hale teamed with Staubach's Tom Maloney in Walnut Creek, CA, to lead the site search.

"The tenants were introduced to the property in late November, early December and were impressed with it," says Breidenbach, who partnered with Colliers' Peter Neiman, Amy Whatley and Lindsey Carlson to negotiate on West Coast Capital Partners' behalf. The building's quoted rent was $13.50 per sf, triple net, according to Briedenbach.

The AAA partners will create up to 1,100 new jobs in three years with the data and call center. When it's fully staffed, the operation will be one of the city's largest employers. Based on data from the Greater Phoenix Economic Council, about 500 positions will be "high-wage" jobs, paying more than $75,000 annually.