Chicago Auto Dealer Buys Calabasas Nursery, Plans Redevelopment
After more than 30 years in business, Sperling Nursery has sold to Chicago-based Slevin Capital Development, which owns and operates car dealerships in Chicago and SoCal. Lee & Associates-LA North/Ventura principal John Battle (snapped with his grandson Zach playing golf in the Dominican Republic earlier this year) repped both sides and tells us the team got eight or nine offers for the land after taking it to market without a price. John tells us the marketing effort that eventually landed Slevin was a targeted direct mail campaign. The dealership will be a Nissan.
The owners decided to sell after nursery founder Joe Sperling died in 2013. It's expected to remain in operation as the developer goes through the entitlement process. The 24460 Calabasas Rd spot opened in 1971 as a sod outlet and is one of the last commercially zoned properties of its size in Calabasas. Lee's Mike Tingus and Grant Fulkerson also repped both sides. No financial information was provided.
