HUNTINGTON BEACH, CA-WM Pack-Rat, a franchise of a Washington, DC-based company that operates a regional storage business, has signed leases for 79,000 sf of warehouse space here and in the City of Orange, according to the Charles Dunn Co., a GVA Worldwide partner. According to John Bowman of Dunn, the combined negotiation involves a 60-month lease of a 40,000-sf unit inside a 160,000-sf industrial facility located at 7391 Heil Ave. in Huntington Beach and a 29,000-sf industrial unit located at 449 Freedom Ave. in Orange.

Terms of the transactions were not disclosed. Orange County industrial rates remain near historical highs of about 75 cents per sf per month, triple-net for the countywide average, according to recent market reports, which peg Huntington Beach average rates right around the countywide average and City of Orange rates from five cents to seven cents higher.

Unlike the office market, which has been buffeted by the subprime mortgage mess and posted negative net absorption for 2007, the industrial market remains one of the strongest in the country, with low vacancy and high demand. Morgan Holdings LLC, the landlord of the Huntington Beach property, was represented by Colliers International. TMT Nelson Freedom, the landlord of the Orange property, represented itself.

Recent industrial deals in Orange County besides the Pack-Rat leases include the $5.2-million sale of a 23,348-sf building at 15775 Gateway Circle in Tustin that will serve as the corporate headquarters for Fluid Research Corp., a designer and manufacturer of fluid dispensing equipment. The new space represents an approximate tripling in size from the former Fluid Research facility elsewhere in Tustin, according to John Rothwell of Daum Commercial Real Estate Services, who represented buyer Wolf Tree Corp. while seller Mezzasalma Properties LLC was represented by J.R. Williamson of NAI Capital.

In another deal in which Rothwell represented the building owner, an affiliate of Fox Racing Inc. signed a five-year lease for 42,000 sf of office space at 1621 Alton Pkwy. in Irvine. Fox racing, a sponsor of action sports teams and a designer of youth and action sports-oriented apparel, will operate a design center and regional office in the building.

Rothwell and Karen Davis of GM Properties represented landlord Del Mar Avionics. Fox Racing was represented by Mark Zuvich and Oliver Ternate of Zuvich Corporate Advisors.