Slower absorption and rent growth plagued industrial, office and multifamily asset classes across the United States in the third quarter, as outlined in Lee & Associates’ 2023 Q3 North America Market Report. Some regional exceptions were able to buck the overdevelopment trend, but retail was the only property type to avoid the quarter’s shift toward rising vacancy rates. High interest rates, slower rent growth and fear of overbuilding have contributed to lower construction starts in every sector. The full Lee & Associates report is available — including breakdowns of factors like detailed vacancy rates, inventory square footage, cap rates outlined city by city, market rents and more — here. The analysis below provides an overview of industrial, office, retail and multifamily real estate sectors alongside sector trends, economic background as well as geographic exceptions within each property type. Industrial Overview: Absorption Continues Slowing, Inventories to Spike Demand for industrial space remained positive in the United States in the third quarter, but growth this year has lost steam compared to strong net absorption totals of the last two years. U.S. net growth in the third quarter totaled 29.9 million square feet compared to 94 million square feet for the same period last year. …
Leasing Activity
AcquisitionsContent PartnerDevelopmentFeaturesIndustrialLeasing ActivityLee & AssociatesMidwestMultifamilyNortheastOfficeRetail
NASHVILLE, TENN. — Entertainment and sports agency Creative Artists Agency (CAA) has signed a 75,000-square-foot office lease at Nashville Yards, a 19-acre mixed-use project currently underway in downtown Nashville. Scheduled to begin in late 2025, CAA’s occupancy will span two floors. Designed by CannonDesign, the office will feature indoor-outdoor workspaces, game and listening lounges and private terraces on each floor. Amenities at the property, which is located at 955 Church St., will include plazas, courtyards, green spaces, meeting hubs, entertainment spaces, an outdoor deck, three levels of retail and dining space, parking and valet services. CAA will be relocating from its current Nashville office within the SunTrust building next to the Ryman Auditorium. Southwest Value Partners is the landlord and developer at Nashville Yards, which, upon completion, will feature a 591-room hotel and a 4,500-person concert venue in addition to retail, dining and office space.
HOUSTON — National homebuilder Taylor Morrison has signed a 29,000-square-foot office lease at Reserve at Westchase, a 194,919-square-foot building in Houston’s Westchase District. Jack Scharnberg and John Heard of Transwestern represented the undisclosed landlord in the lease negotiations. Jon Lee and Claire Douthit of CBRE represented the tenant, which is relocating from a nearby building at 2929 Briarpark Drive. Reserve at Westchase is currently undergoing a capital improvement program to upgrade the lobby and other common areas.
DALLAS — Lee & Associates has negotiated a 19,791-square-foot industrial lease in northwest Dallas. According to LoopNet Inc., the property at 5145 Norwood Road was built in 1981, totals 43,040 square feet and features 22-foot clear heights, three drive-in bays and 156-foot truck court depths. Ally Tanghongs of Lee & Associates represented the Tenant, Xpress Foods, in the lease negotiations. Stephen Williamson and Matthew Johnson, also with Lee & Associates, represented the landlord, Stonelake Capital Partners.
WOOLWICH TOWNSHIP, N.J. — Cushman & Wakefield has negotiated a 60,435-square-foot, full-building industrial lease at 135 High Hill Road in Woolwich Township, located outside of Philadelphia in Southern New Jersey. The newly constructed building features a clear height of 32 feet and 49 car parking spaces. John Gartland, Jonas Skovdal and Chris Butera of Cushman & Wakefield represented the landlord, a partnership between regional developer Endurance Real Estate Group and Boston-based Cabot Properties, in the lease negotiations. Harry McKenna of Jackson Cross Partners represented the tenant, Valken Inc., a supplier of paintball, airsoft and defense protection products.
NEW YORK CITY — EliseAI, a platform that serves the commercial and residential real estate industries, has signed a 26,582-square-foot office lease at 33 E. 33rd St. in Midtown Manhattan. The company is expanding from a 20,582-square-foot space within the 12-story building via a new five-year agreement. Val Stobetsky, Will McGarry, Calum Waddell and Hale King of JLL represented EliseAI in the lease negotiations. Erik Harris and Zach Weil of Newmark represented the landlord, Kalimian Equities.
KANSAS CITY, MO. — Amerhart has leased 144,490 square feet of industrial space at Blue River Commerce Center Building IV in Kansas City. NorthPoint Development owns the business park, which is now fully leased. Wisconsin-based Amerhart will use the facility to warehouse and distribute its building products and plans to take occupancy in December. Jack Goldsborough of Cushman & Wakefield and Ed O’Connor of Lavista Associates represented the tenant, while Joe Accurso of Cushman & Wakefield represented ownership.
HOUSTON — HVAC systems provider Daikin Comfort Technologies has leased 500,840 square feet of industrial space at The Great 290 Distribution Center, a newly built facility located near the intersection of The Grand Parkway and I-290 in northwest Houston. Designed by Powers Brown Architecture, The Great 290 Distribution Center occupies 41 acres within a 64-acre site, allowing tenants additional space for outdoor trailer parking or materials storage. Nathan Wynne and Jason Dillee of CBRE represented the landlord, locally based developer Pagewood, in the lease negotiations. Seth Koschak, Tyler Maner and Heath Donica of Stream Realty Partners represented the tenant, which will occupy the entirety of the building.
HOUSTON — Locally based developer Levcor has completed renovations at Post Oak Plaza, a retail power center in Houston’s Uptown neighborhood. Capital improvements included updates to building and store facades, new lighting, upgraded landscaping and widened pathways. Additionally, three new tenants have signed leases at the center: scratch kitchen Local Foods (3,016 square feet), mattress retailer Saatva (4,000 square feet) and furniture provider Arhaus (22,201 square feet). Renovations were first announced in mid-2021.
DALLAS — Florida Tile has signed a 14,903-square-foot industrial lease in northwest Dallas. According to LoopNet Inc., the property at 9755 Clifford Drive was built on 8.2 acres in 2001 and totals 114,320 square feet. Adam Graham and Stephen Williamson of Lee & Associates represented the landlord, Prologis, in the lease negotiations. The tenant representative was not disclosed.