An overabundance of under-utilized office space has led to a variety of creative and unexpected new uses throughout the country, including a charter school network’s deal to take over a large block of space in an office complex near Detroit.
Crescent College and Career Preparatory Academy leased 66,000 square feet in the Lahser Center II building in Southfield, Michigan, where it plans to begin holding classes for students in grades 7 through 12.
The move into vacant office space will allow Crescent to expand and modernize its middle and high school programs, while also providing room for potential future expansion.
It is one of many examples of real estate owners in Detroit and other markets getting creative to repurpose office space.
The three-story building at 26200 Lahser Road is owned by Foster Financial. The charter school network is authorized by Bay Mills Community College.
Crescent’s deal was chosen by a panel of local real estate professionals as the winner of a 2025 CoStar Impact Award for lease of the year in Detroit.
About the Project: Crescent is relocating from space in Southfield that it had been leasing from the Christian Tabernacle Church since 2017. The building’s rectangular shape and column spacing provide an efficient layout for classrooms and large communal spaces. The Lasher Center building is near Interstate 696 and neighborhood amenities.
What the Judges Said: Steve Eisenshtadt voted for the project “because it converts an older, Class B office property into an alternative use for a school.”
“This building has been vacant,” he added. “The lease stabilizes the portfolio of Lahser Centers I and II.”
They Made It Happen: The landlord was represented by P.A. Commercial brokers Matt Schiffman and Mike Gunn. The tenant was represented by Open Impact Real Estate Real Estate brokers Jake Cinti, Stephen Powers and Lindsay Ornstein and Transwestern broker Chuck Howard. Open Impact Real Estate Real Estate is a woman-owned commercial real estate services company specializing in nonprofit and impact real estate assets.