Miami Herald Signs 158,000 Square Foot Office Lease in Former Southern Command Building

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(MIAMI, FL) -- On the heels of selling their own downtown waterfront building last year to the Genting Group for a reported $235 million for their proposed $3.5 billion mega-resort and casino, the Miami Herald Media Company ("Miami Herald") has just agreed to terms to relocate to a 158,265 square foot office building in Doral, Florida.

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The property, which formerly served as the headquarters of U.S. Southern Command, will be renamed One Herald Plaza at Wespointe Business Park. The Miami Herald also completed the purchase of an adjacent six acre site directly to the building's east, which will house the company's 119,000 square foot production building.

The Miami Herald Media Company was represented by Blanca Commercial Real Estate President and CEO Tere Blanca, Vice Chairman Hank Klein, and Executive Vice Presidents Danet Linares and David Valdez. The team also included Jose Hevia of Aligned Properties, who provided strategic counsel on the project's construction and development components, and Jose Juncadella of Fairchild Partners, who advised on the industrial market. Westpointe Business Park owner GPA-I, L.P., a Tennessee-based limited partnership, was represented by David Steinfeld, Senior Associate at CB Richard Ellis.

"After surveying the market and determining the factors of greatest importance to the Miami Herald Media Company, it soon became clear that Westpointe Business Park offered the perfect mix of functionality, flexibility and access," said Blanca Commercial Real Estate President and CEO Tere Blanca. "The project's setting in the fast-growing Doral business district and close proximity to South Florida's major expressways will enable the Miami Herald Media Company to continue to advance its mission as South Florida's largest news source."

Given its history as the former home of U.S. Southern Command, the Miami Herald's future headquarters is equipped with a number of design and construction features that will enhance productivity and ensure operations continue under any circumstance. These include backup generators, high impact bullet-proof glass, and an uninterrupted power supply system. The building offers ample on-site parking for employees and visitors.

Westpointe Business Park is located at 3511 NW 91st Avenue in the heart of the City of Doral, long recognized as a corporate and business hub with more than 9,000 businesses and several Fortune 500 companies. With a commercial population that swells to more than 150,000 employees daily and a residential population that more than doubled from 20,000 in 2000 to more than 45,000 in 2010, Doral is one of South Florida's fastest growing cities. The region offers ample housing options and direct access to Miami International Airport, Florida's Turnpike, the Palmetto Expressway (S.R. 826) and the Dolphin Expressway (S.R. 836).

The Miami Herald Media Company will remain in place at its current home in downtown Miami through May 24, 2013.