A developer is close to buying a pair of large office buildings in Portland’s Old Port, property that includes three-plus acres of prime buildable land, according to those with knowledge of the pending transaction.

Debra Napolitano, a broker with Paragon Commercial Real Estate, which leases space at One Portland Square and Two Portland Square, confirmed Friday that the current owner has been in discussions with a potential buyer, although she would not name the buyer.

The current owner of the properties is RREEF America, a real estate investment trust company affiliated with Deutsche Bank, according to city assessor records.

Joe Malone, a commercial real estate broker who represents the potential buyer, did not return calls for comment on Friday.

Tim Soley, co-owner of the local development firm East Brown Cow, confirmed that he was among the bidders on the two properties, but dropped out a couple of weeks ago when the asking price eclipsed $62 million.

Soley says the two towers are the best office buildings in Portland and that whoever buys them and the attached land can help “define the character of downtown Portland.”

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One Portland Square, at the corner of Union and Spring streets, is home to the law firm Verrill Dana and to H.M. Payson, an investment company, among other professional offices.

Two Portland Square, which sits at the corner of Union and Fore streets, houses the executive offices of TD Bank and several financial companies including Wells Fargo, Ameriprise and Prudential.

It also includes Walter’s, an upscale restaurant, and other retail shops on the street level.

Timothy O’Neil and his partner, Bobby Monks, own the top four floors of One Portland Square, which contain 10 condominiums.

O’Neil doesn’t know who the potential buyer is, but said any transaction would not affect his property.

The buildings at One and Two Portland Square also come with land that is used for parking, but that could change.

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Soley, who owns Canal Plaza, which is directly across Union Street, and who recently developed the new Hyatt Place Hotel, said he would be shocked if the land is not developed.

“If they don’t have immediate plans to develop, I can’t see how they could support the value of the vacant land,” he said.

Soley doesn’t know how high the bidding went, only that it was north of $62 million.

To put that in perspective, Soley purchased the Canal Plaza property, which included three existing buildings and buildable land, for half that – $31 million – in 2010.

O’Neil agreed with Soley that the land would likely be developed, but he said that would create a parking crunch.

“If you eliminate that parking, you would not only need to find it elsewhere, but create new parking for any new construction,” he said.


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