Nursing-Focused School Signs Lease Near Lakeforest Mall in Gaithersburg
Scheer Partners has negotiated a five-year, 1,800-square-foot lease for Samuel Addo to open his second nursing-focused school in Montgomery County, this one at 101 Lakeforest Blvd., a 42,000-square-foot building in Gaithersburg owned by Guardian Realty Investors.
Addo, who also owns Care ‘Xpert Academy in Silver Spring, zeroed in on Gaithersburg for his second center, known as Morning Star Academy. He relied on Scheer Partners to identify a site with strong transportation access and amenities, as well as HVAC capabilities during the evening hours.
Ben Heller, a commercial leasing broker with Scheer Partners, says Addo concentrated his search on the area surrounding Lakeforest Mall.
"There's good transportation options, reserved parking and a large amenity base in the mall's vicinity, which is attractive to students," says Heller, who represented Morning Star along with Scheer Partners Senior Vice President Adam Nachlas.
"When Morning Star officials were looking at addresses for their second location, they found that much of their student base was coming from Gaithersburg, and in particular near Lakeforest Mall," Heller says.
Heller notes that the landlord, Guardian, accommodated Morning Star's requests, including its need for an after-hours, supplemental HVAC system because the school holds some of its classes at night. "Guardian's willingness to work with a non-standard office user helped allow the deal to go through," he says.
Morning Star's new facility in Gaithersburg includes a large classroom, several offices, a lab and a break room.
The Care ‘Xpert and Morning Star academies are private, for-profit career schools that provide nursing education to students from diverse backgrounds while bolstering the supply of certified nursing assistants and geriatric nursing assistants in the allied-health fields. Addo opened Care ‘Xpert in February of 2007.
Scheer Partners is a local commercial real estate services company, with offices in Rockville and Tysons Corner, focused exclusively on the Washington and Baltimore regions.