Seventh Wells REIT II Building Earns LEED Gold Certification
2500 Windy Ridge Parkway attains green building standard
NORCROSS, Ga. (April 1, 2010) - A seventh office building owned by Wells Real Estate Investment Trust II, 2500 Windy Ridge Parkway in the northwest Atlanta suburbs, has won gold-level certification under LEED, the standard for environmental real estate practices.
LEED - Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design - is a national benchmark for the design, construction and operation of high-performance green buildings. Certification is administered by the U.S. Green Building Council. Gold certification is the second-highest of four classifications under LEED standards.
"World-class real estate today goes hand in hand with outstanding environmental practices," said Don Henry, chief real estate officer, Wells Real Estate Funds. "This recognition is indicative of our commitment to operate our properties in keeping with green building practices."
The 316,000-square-foot, 15-story property, with a distinctive curved glass exterior, is leased to tenants including Coca-Cola Enterprises and Merrill Lynch.
Located in the Wildwood development in Atlanta's northwest suburbs, the property was acquired by Wells REIT II in 2004.
The property has achieved certification under LEED-EB standards for existing buildings. Under Wells' management, the property has gone from an ENERGY STAR® score of 75 to a 93, Henry noted. Wells has worked with the tenants to enhance the building's recycling programs, and replaced aging equipment with more environmentally-friendly systems.
Wells REIT II owns 89 office and industrial buildings in 23 states; Washington, D.C.; and Moscow, Russia, covering more than 20 million square feet. For more information on the REIT, visit http://www.wellsreitii.com/.
Wells REIT II is a program of Wells Real Estate Funds, a national real estate investment company founded in suburban Atlanta in 1984. Since its inception, Wells investment offerings - current and closed - have invested more than $12 billion in real estate for more than 250,000 investors. For more information about Wells Real Estate Funds, see http://www.wellsref.com/.
This press release may contain forward-looking statements within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933 and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934. Such forward-looking statements can generally be identified by our use of forward-looking terminology such as "may," "will," "expect," "intend," "anticipate," "estimate," "believe," "continue," or other similar words. Readers of this press release should be aware that there are various factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from any forward-looking statements made in this release. Factors that could cause or contribute to such differences include, but are not limited to, changes in general economic and business conditions, industry trends, changes in government rules and regulations (including changes in tax laws), and increases in interest rates. Accordingly, readers are cautioned not to place undue reliance on these forward-looking statements, which speak only as of the date of this press release. The identifier "Wells Real Estate Funds" is used generally in this communication, and not always in reference to Wells Real Estate Funds, Inc. The portfolios referenced are separate entities, as explained in the products' prospectuses. This is neither an offer nor a solicitation to purchase securities. Such an offer can be made only by prospectus. For a prospectus, contact Wells Investment Securities, Inc., 6200 The Corners Pkwy., Norcross, Ga. 30092-3365 (tel. 800-448-1010). SEC filings:
http://www.sec.gov/cgi-bin/browse-edgar?action=getcompany&CIK=0001252849&owner=include.
