New Car Dealers Association Buys Downtown Building

The California New Car Dealers Association has purchased a downtown office building that will serve as the organization’s new space in a year.

On Friday, the trade group purchased a nearly 13,000-square-foot building at 1517 L St., said Brian Maas, president. The association paid all cash. The price was not disclosed.

The association expects to move its staff of a dozen people into the office by July 2014, which will be the group’s 90th anniversary. Calpo Hom & Dong Architects will begin the renovation within a couple months, Maas said. The building has been vacant since 2006.

For the last nine years, the California New Car Dealers Association has occupied more than 7,500 square feet of leased space at 1415 L St. That lease expires in August of next year.

The association moved its headquarters up from Southern California in 2003, but finally just sold that south state office building in 2011, Maas said. The group’s membership of nearly 1,100 dealers wanted the association to own its Sacramento headquarters, so the trade group has been hunting for space for several years.

The California New Car Dealers Association purchased the building from several owners, including the Tsakopoulos family, Maas said.

Broker Craig Brinitzer of Cornish & Carey Commercial Newmark Knight Frank represented the association while Ken Turton of Turton Commercial represented the sellers.