Half of the 201 Depot Street development is down for the count now that Barracuda Networks has signed a lease for the space.
The Silicon Valley-based software company will take over one of the two floors of the new building on Ann Arbor's near north side. It will inhabit approximateluy 12,500 square feet for its Ann Arbor research-and-development office.
Barracuda opened the office in Ann Arbor last year and has since grown it to 23 software engineers. The company expects to hire a total of 185 people within the next five years.
The three-story office development features 25,000 square feet of new Class A office space. The ground floor is dedicated to open-air parking while the second and third floors have 12,500 square feet of office space overlooking the train tracks and the Huron River.
The site, on Depot Street next to the Amtrak station and Wheeler Park, was historically an industrial area. In the early 20th Century it was used as a coal yard for trains before becoming a part of the Washtenaw Lumber Yard. It sat vacant for several years before the new redevelopment. A coal car has been placed on an old train track trestle in front of the building as a reminder of its past.
Ann Arbor-based First Martin is still looking for tenants for the rest of the space in the building. Mike Martin, an associate with First Martin, says "there are some people who have expressed some interest in the building," but there are no firm takers yet. For information on the building, call (734) 994-5050.
Source: Mike Martin, associate with First Martin
Writer: Jon Zemke
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