Wells Fargo plans to locate 60 of its local workforce at 45 Park Place West in Fresno by December. Google Earth image

The largest bank in the region is planning to take a chunk of one of Fresno’s premier office buildings.

Wells Fargo has signed a lease for 17,684 square feet at 45 Park Place West, Suite 208, the glass-paneled, multi-story office building owned by Zinkin Development that greets motorists on Highway 41 just south of Audubon Drive.

Wells Fargo plans to move about 60 of its employees from its commercial banking, lending and small business teams to the office in early December, according to a Wells Fargo spokesperson.

“This move supports our multiyear effort to build a stronger, more efficient Wells Fargo, by continually assessing our real estate portfolio to ensure we are best meeting the needs of employees and customers, responding to consumer and economic trends, and managing our costs responsibly,” according to a Wells Fargo statement. “Additionally, we believe bringing our employees together in fewer buildings will help create a more collaborative work environment that will provide them with access to new, more modern workspaces, technology, and amenities while building a stronger sense of community at work.”

Phil Souza, Luke Tessman, and Nick Sorensen of commercial real estate brokerage Newmark Pearson Commercial in Fresno were the agents on the lease agreement in cooperation with Nick Zinkin of Nick Zinkin Realty and Phil Fontes of ASU Commercial.

Wells Fargo is the largest bank in the Central Valley with nearly 21% of the local market share. It has 24 offices and deposits of $6.7 billion in the Central Valley, according to the Federal Deposit Insurance Corp.