There’s a reason why warehouse facilities and fulfillment centers ranked No. 1 and 2 for 2016 investment and development prospects. In addition to the annual commercial real estate survey findings by PwC and the Urban Land Institute, the National Council of Real Estate Investment Fiduciaries (NCREIF) is reporting that the Midwest posted the strongest industrial income return among all U.S. regions in second quarter 2016. “E-commerce is affecting more than just the industrial real estate business park. It is the most significant driver of demand in industrial products across the county right now,” says Ryan O’Leary, regional senior vice president at Duke Realty. “Business parks are obviously a big beneficiary of that.” O’Leary, who oversees the Chicago, Minneapolis and St. Louis markets for the Indianapolis-based REIT, estimates that e-commerce drove 35 to 40 percent of the approximately 8 million square feet of industrial absorption in the Windy City during the second quarter. Business parks with very good infrastructure, access to major thoroughfares and easy flow for heavy truck and auto traffic have a huge advantage in securing that tenant demand, which usually requires a quick turnaround on building delivery. Unlike development costs for a garden-variety warehouse space 15 years ago, …
