Major events in individual commercial and industrial real estate markets across the area in the fourth quarter.

The sour economy is trouble enough in most real estate markets, but toss in the collapse of major tenants and a glut of brand-new office space, and you’ve got the perfect storm that is the Tri-Cities office market.

Total office vacancies edged up during the quarter to 17.5 percent, but that’s a significant increase from a year ago, when only 11 percent of the office product was vacant, according to Grubb & Ellis Co. Class A asking rents fell eight cents to $2.92

Burbank’s vacancies remained a little less than 18 percent last quarter, a far cry from the 4 percent rate 12 months prior. The jump can be attributed in part to M. David Paul’s 14-story, 479,000-square-foot property at 2900 W. Alameda Ave., which came on line during the third quarter and joined a handful of other brand-new office buildings in town.

Glendale’s vacancy rate has been historically higher than its two counterparts, and then the submarket was faced with an empty new property during the second half of 2009: Maguire Properties’ eight-story, 187,973-square-foot Class A office building at 207 Goode Ave.

“Those buildings were built on spec and nobody predicted the market to slow down,” said Jonathan Larsen, executive managing partner, Transwestern.

Pasadena clocked in with vacancies at 15.9 percent, up slightly for the quarter, but more space could empty out if Bank of America consolidates the offices it acquired along Lake Avenue since its pickup of mortgage lender Countrywide Financial Corp. and financial services firm Merrill Lynch.

Office Market At a Glance

Inventory: 19.5 million square feet

Under Construction: 0

Class A Asking Rent: $2.92

MAIN EVENTS

• Online women’s clothing retailer MyShape Inc. inked a two-year lease with Crown Realty & Development to take over the entire building at 210 W. Lexington Drive in Glendale. The company will move its corporate headquarters from Pasadena to the new location. Financial terms of the deal were not disclosed.

• Custom Comfort Mattress Co. signed a 10-year lease to take over a 7,000-square-foot property at 412-414 S. Lake Ave. in Pasadena for $1.9 million. Carolyn N. Thompson Trust, the Coontz Family Trust and Linda Malone own the property.

• Retailer Best in Green Solutions LLC opened a store at 123 S. Victory Blvd. in

Burbank. The shop specializes in eco-conscious products including electric vehicles, and energy and water conservation devices.

• NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory opened its Flight Projects Center, a federally funded research and development facility managed by Caltech. The 190,000-square-foot building includes a 400-seat auditorium, basement, conference rooms and private work stations. The property received a gold-level LEED

certification and features a green, living roof to help with heating and cooling, and to minimize storm water runoff into the Arroyo Seco; low-flow faucets and toilets; and “smart” ventilation systems.

• Privately owned restaurant chain Stonefire Grill Inc. opened its sixth location, at 437 N. Rosemead Blvd. in Pasadena. The restaurant also has stores in Valencia, Irvine, Fountain Valley, West Hills and Chatsworth.