A Minnesota investment firm just scooped up three office towers at Coliseum Centre, shelling out about $51 million for the airport-adjacent complex west of Charlotte Douglas International Airport. That price is roughly half of what the same trio commanded in 2020, a stark reminder of how far some suburban office values have fallen. The deal hands a cluster of Class-A suburban buildings to an opportunistic buyer that has been busy chasing discounted offices this year.
Deal details
According to the Charlotte Business Journal, the transaction closed June 16, 2026, with Onward Investors paying about $51 million for the package. The buyer is a Minneapolis-area firm that highlights several recent acquisitions on its website and describes a strategy focused on opportunistic debt and equity investments in real estate. Onward Investors has not issued a public statement laying out specific plans for the campus.
How this compares to 2020
The three buildings were part of a 2020 sale that fetched roughly $102 million, a transaction arranged by JLL, according to REBusinessOnline. Current investment-marketing materials from JLL show the portfolio at roughly 512,000 square feet and about 82% leased as of April 2026, underscoring uneven occupancy across the individual towers. JLL had been marketing the assets earlier this year.
Why the markdown
The sharp discount tracks with a broader reset in suburban office pricing as tenant demand stays soft and sublease space remains abundant, especially in airport-adjacent submarkets. Industry reports and market briefs have flagged persistent vacancy pressure that has pushed some sellers to take significantly lower prices than during the 2018–2020 cycle. Cushman & Wakefield's Charlotte office market brief cited elevated sublease availability and headwinds in the airport submarket earlier in the recovery.
Onward's playbook
Onward has been an active buyer of discounted office properties this year, leaning on asset management, leasing and selective capital projects to create upside. A recent report noted the firm paid about $26 million for two LakePointe buildings near Charlotte Douglas, and national coverage has highlighted other discounted office purchases, including a Washington, D.C., trade. Together, those deals suggest Onward is following a playbook of acquiring stabilized cash flow with room for leasing improvement.
What comes next
New ownership typically ushers in a fresh leasing and stabilization push: marketing bigger vacant blocks, offering concessions where needed and funding amenity or build-out projects to keep current tenants while luring new ones. JLL's marketing materials point to on-site amenities and recent leasing momentum across the campus, which could give the new owner several tactical options to boost cash flow. Deed records and additional filings are expected to surface in public records over the coming weeks, offering a clearer look at financing, the seller's identity and any conditions tied to the deal.
