RECOLUMN

If you’ve noticed traffic building up along the Tejon Pass, you’re not alone. With more than 53,000 vehicles passing through the corridor along Interstate 5, Tejon Ranch Co. has begun development of what the company claims will be the largest travel facility in California. Tejon Ranch Co. and Petro Stopping Centers L.P., are set to open a $20 million fueling facility with restaurants, convenience stores and other vehicle services at the I-5 Wheeler Ridge Road off-ramp, three miles north of the Grapevine exit in Kern County. The 51-acre Petro Travel Plaza will accommodate nearly 700 vehicles and employ about 200 workers, according to company officials. Services include ATM machines, fax and mail services, a movie theater, and television and game rooms. The plaza will also service the adjacent Tejon Industrial Complex, a 4,000-acre center currently under development by Tejon Ranch Co. Executives at Tejon Ranch Co. expect the service plaza to serve as a hub connecting Los Angeles with Northern California and the Central Valley. Superior expansion Superior National Insurance Group Inc. has leased a 90,878-square-foot facility in Calabasas, a move designed to accommodate the company’s dramatic expansion. Superior, which writes workers compensation insurance, will move into the new national headquarters facility, at 26541 Agoura Rd., in November. The company expects to employ about 400 workers there, double the size of its current corporate staff. Superior is moving from a nearby 50,000-square-foot office building at 26602 W. Agoura Rd. Jeremy Dee, president of Corporate Realty Associates Inc. in L.A., represented Superior. Duane Cody and Ron Wade at Cushman & Wakefield represented the landlord, Kilroy Realty Corp. Building block A new high-tech industrial park is on tap for Moorpark. Cypress Land Co. has acquired a 33-acre site at Los Angeles Avenue, with plans to build a $40 million industrial park on the property. The complex, called Moorpark Corporate Center, will include a number of buildings totaling over 500,000 square feet of space. Construction is expected to begin during the first quarter of next year. Mike Tingus and John DeGrinis of the Seeley Co. represented Cypress and the seller, PacificUs, which was working on behalf of the Carlsberg Family Trust. Tingus and DeGrinis will also be the exclusive agents for the property. Auto firm moves up the road The principals of Performance Products, distributors of automotive parts, tools and accessories, have acquired a 57,859-square-foot industrial building in Van Nuys for $3.2 million. The building, at 8000 Haskell Ave., had been occupied by Sun Litho and Litton Industries. With the move, Performance Products, which is currently located in a nearby Van Nuys facility, will be expanding its corporate headquarters three-fold. Some 80 workers will be employed at the facility. Performance Products produces and distributes mail-order catalogs for Porsche, Mercedes-Benz, Ford, Chevrolet, General Motors, Toyota and Jeep vehicle models. The company expects to occupy the building in August. Ron Feder of R.J. Feder and Associates represented the buyer, Melron LLC. Scott Caswell of Delphi Business Properties represented the seller, Ruth Lieberman Trust. Medical sale Nadler Cypress Holdings, an investor, has purchased a 21,523-square-foot medical office building in Westlake Village for $4.15 million. The building, at 1220 La Venta Rd., is fully leased. Michael Schiff of Grubb & Ellis represented the buyer and seller, Medical Land Owners Association. Warner Center lease Zurich American Insurance Co. has relocated its regional headquarters offices to a 19,142-square-foot facility at Warner Corporate Center in Woodland Hills. The five-year lease is valued at more than $2 million. Zurich moved into the 12-story high-rise at 21300 Victory Blvd. on June 1, vacating another Warner Center office. The company employs 80 people at the site. Tom Specker and Scott Silverstein at Charles Dunn Co. Inc., represented the landlord, Nomura Warner Center Associates. Joseph F. Priola of National Realty Advisors LLC in Chicago represented the tenant. Consolidation State Farm Mutual Automobile Insurance Co. has leased a 10,872-square-foot office in Canoga Park to consolidate its area claims units. The five-year lease is valued in excess of $1 million. State Farm plans to move about 50 employees from it current offices in Northridge and Woodland Hills to the new facility at 6740 Variel Ave. Scott Silverstein at Charles Dunn Co. represented the landlord. CB Richard Ellis Inc. represented State Farm. News and notes Warner Center Properties signed three new leases. Epsilon Group took 727 square feet of space at the Plaza 2 tower at 21550 Oxnard St., and T. Rowe Price signed a deal for 3,604 square feet of space in the Plaza 5 building at 21800 Oxnard St. Morgan Stanley Dean Witter expanded its facility in the Plaza 3 building at 21650 Oxnard St. to 4,344 square feet. Greg Whitney at CB Richard Ellis Inc. represented T. Rowe Price in the transaction. Don Hudson and Bob Pearson of Warner Center Properties represented the other tenants Channel Island Properties, owners of Financial Plaza at 300 Esplanade Drive in Oxnard, closed three deals representing 7,700 square feet of office space with Law Offices of Alan Wisotsky, H. Roy Jeppson Professional Corp. and Jams/Endispute. Bill Kiefer and Steve Doll of Capital Commercial/NAI represented Channel Islands Properties, Wisotsky and Jeppson. CB Richard Ellis Inc. represented Jams.