Market Reports

New Orleans Office Sector is in Rightsizing Mode as Tenants Downsize Footprints

by Alex Tostado December 16, 2019

With the recent influx of young talent, combined with the area’s thriving economy and renowned vibrant culture, the Greater New Orleans region is poised for growth. Although the office market sector is slow to show any significant gains, this signifies a potential undervalued opportunity for users. The metro area has nearly 20 million square feet of office space, including over 11 million square feet of Class A space with a published occupancy rate exceeding 87 percent. The predominant trend is a rightsizing of the market, resulting in more downsizing than growth. On a macro level, the oil and gas industry is phasing out, which has historically been a prominent space user. The conversion of office space into alternate uses also continues, as well as a reduction in company footprints. The outlying suburban office market has seen the most growth, with East Metairie being one of the strongest submarkets in both occupancy and rental rates. With less product in the area, supply and demand are closer to equilibrium. New Orleans’ central business district (CBD) and downtown office submarkets are coasting along. Class A occupancy rates are slightly down from last year, but rents have inched up to high-teens and low-20s. The …

December 16, 2019

Louisiana Market Reports Multifamily Southeast Southeast Market Reports

Tight Multifamily Occupancy in New Orleans Leads to 2,285 Units in the Pipeline

by Alex Tostado December 9, 2019

New Orleans (also known as Crescent City, The Big Easy and NOLA) is unique in many ways. The cuisine, architecture and music all set the city apart, but for the real estate industry, the geography is most important. In fact, it’s uniqueness among the great Southern cities is that the Mississippi River, Lake Pontchartrain and the wetlands to the east and west have created a barrier to entry unlike any other multifamily market in the country. These factors have limited development to a select few urban sites and redevelopment of historic structures. Garden-style product has been primarily confined to St. Tammany Parish located north of Lake Pontchartrain. The parish has an abundance of land as well as the demographic profile to support new market-rate construction. The multifamily market in metro New Orleans is further strengthened by the positive economic growth the city has experienced. The local and regional economies continue to see growth in the following sectors: energy, advanced manufacturing, international trade, healthcare, education, bio-science, tourism and technology. One example is DXC Technology’s new Digital Transformation Center located in downtown New Orleans. This new employer will create 2,000 well-paying jobs and provide further stability to the downtown multifamily market. The …

December 9, 2019

Louisiana Market Reports Multifamily Southeast Southeast Market Reports

New Orleans Adds Another Chapter to its 300-Year History Book of Multifamily Growth

by John Nelson January 21, 2019

How many cities can boast a multifamily history that goes back 300 years? New Orleans can, as it is celebrating its Tricentennial. New Orleans is home to the first apartment building in the United States. Historians have noted the “oldest continuously rented” multifamily development in the country is the Pontalba Apartments. Built in 1849 by the wealthy Baroness Michaela Pontalba, the iconic apartment’s crown molding, sconces, iron railings and balconies are now synonymous with New Orleans architecture. The Pontalba Apartments occupies prime real estate at the east and west side of the historic Jackson Square in the French Quarter. And yes, there is a waiting list to lease a unit. Today the city that sits on the bend of the Mississippi River has a limited amount of land, which keeps the equilibrium between supply and demand in sync. Thus new development is confined to urban infill locations, adaptive reuse projects or the few submarkets with available land — primarily located to the north of Lake Pontchartrain. Households that have income levels necessary to support the rents required for new properties are fueling market-rate development. The NOLA metro market has an inventory of approximately 54,000 units situated in nine distinct submarkets. …

January 21, 2019

Industrial Louisiana Market Reports Southeast Southeast Market Reports

Adaptive Reuse in Core New Orleans Pushes Industrial Activity Westward

by John Nelson January 14, 2019

When real estate professionals think of the New Orleans industrial market, oil companies, the Port of New Orleans (recently rebranded Port NOLA) and distribution companies come to mind. That thought is currently undergoing an evolution. The historically industrial areas of New Orleans are being absorbed seemingly daily by an insurgence of retail and entertainment-based business. As traditional retail in American shopping and strip malls is on the decline, developers are rushing to buy warehouses for physical entertainment and non-traditional uses. Port NOLA used to be home strictly to cargo ships and tankers, but is now expanding to fill the need of cruise ships. Norwegian, Carnival and the newly announced Viking Cruise lines all now use it as a docking port. The $2 billion port master plan encompasses the growth needs of the cruise ships, as well as the recently announced deepening of the Mississippi River’s main channel to 50 feet. However, Tchoupitoulas Street warehouses that once served the port are being turned into cross-training gyms and breweries. High-profile industrial properties are in huge demand. Drive Shack, a competitor of popular Topgolf, is developing a $29 million venue at the old Times-Picayune newspaper site owned by Howard Investors LLC, which is …

January 14, 2019

Louisiana Market Reports Office Southeast Southeast Market Reports

New Orleans’ Suburban Class A Office Space Still Outperforms U.S. Average

by John Nelson December 25, 2017

The greater metropolitan New Orleans office market contains approximately 15 million square feet of office space segregated into five distinct submarkets. Two major submarkets, the Central Business District (CBD) and Metairie (a suburban market), represent 94 percent of the total square footage. The occupancy rates of Class A properties in these two markets are 87.7 percent and 88.7 percent, respectively. These rates are 1.56 percent lower and 3.01 percent higher than the respective downtown and suburban Class A office averages nationally. The overall vacancy is limited to a select group of buildings resulting in limited options for tenants seeking more than 25,000 square feet of contiguous space. The New Orleans economy typically runs counter cyclically to the rest of the nation. It has enjoyed relative immunity from the lingering effects of the 2008 financial crisis and the relatively stagnant national economy. Over the last several years occupancy rates have trended above national averages and rental rates have experienced modest growth. New Orleans’ office market is performing well, consistently outperforming most national averages and rarely lagging far behind others. This track record of success can be attributed to several different factors. Due to geographic constraints there are limited sites available for …

December 25, 2017

Louisiana Market Reports Restaurant Retail Southeast Southeast Market Reports

Restaurants Prove to be New Orleans Retail Market’s Bread and Butter

by John Nelson December 18, 2017

Take a look at the current retail landscape, not only in New Orleans, but far beyond the Big Easy, and you will find this sector has changed drastically over the past decade. Some argue retail is dead, while others cling to the notion that every market goes through cycles, and this has been going on long before the dawn of any Tricentennial festivities. Somewhere between these two extremes is the confluence of trends, data, outliers, gossip and pontificating cries, that when carefully dissected, should provide the necessary context to obtain an understanding of the current retail market in New Orleans, as well as the opportunities that exist in the future. Make no mistake, retail in New Orleans is changing, but the restaurant sector is a bedrock, creating fresh concepts, diversifying the city’s food offering and strengthening the overall retail market. It’s futile to deny the impact technology has had on the overall retail market, and New Orleans is no exception. Retailers that derive a large portion of revenues from the sale of goods that can be purchased online are finding it difficult to compete due to the cost of operating a brick and mortar location. Of course, this is only …

December 18, 2017

Louisiana Market Reports Multifamily Southeast Southeast Market Reports

Multifamily Investors, Developers Find Hidden Opportunities in New Orleans

by John Nelson December 11, 2017

Sometimes there is a “herding” mentality in real estate investment activity, but markets that do not make the headlines of news stories or appear on the top market lists are the ones investors should focus on. New Orleans is one such market, and while it might not be on everyone’s radar, it has the fundamentals and dynamics that are attracting investors’ attention. With a total inventory of approximately 55,000 units, demand for multifamily acquisitions in New Orleans and the Gulf South region overall remains strong. Over the past 24 months, the market has experienced heightened demand from national, regional and foreign investors. The investment community is attracted to the stability of the market, as well as its significant barriers to entry. What is attracting investors to metro New Orleans are higher cash on cash returns and cap rates than what they are finding in larger metropolitan areas. Investors feel confident in their ability to realize rent growth, given the high cost of single-family housing and the significant geographic barriers to entry. Developable land is scarce and has given multifamily owners a franchise of sort since the ability to increase the supply is limited. As New Orleans prepares to celebrate its …

December 11, 2017

Louisiana Market Reports Office Southeast Southeast Market Reports

Despite Challenges in Marketplace, New Orleans Office Activity Has Picked Up

by John Nelson January 23, 2017

New Orleans may be The Big Easy, but when it comes to understanding this unique Southern city’s commercial real estate marketplace, very little is easy or simple. The numbers, at least, are fairly straightforward. New Orleans currently has around 8.8 million square feet of Class A office space and 1.6 million square feet of Class B. Average rental rates are approximately $19.00 per square foot and $15.50 per square foot for Class A and Class B, respectively, with current occupancy rates at 89.5 percent for Class A and 71 percent for Class B. By way of comparison, the popular suburban Metairie market has around 2 million square feet of Class A and 1.5 million square feet of Class B office space, with occupancy rates at 93 percent and 88.2 percent, respectively (both down slightly from 2014 highs of 95 percent and 92 percent). Average rental rates are approximately $24.00 per square foot in Class A properties and $19.50 for Class B. The numbers in the suburban North Shore market are similarly healthy, with rates and occupancy numbers in the same general range as Metairie. Look beyond the surface numbers, however, and things get interesting, and a little more complicated. In …

January 23, 2017

Louisiana Market Reports Multifamily Southeast Southeast Market Reports

New Orleans’ Metro Multifamily Market is Humming an Upbeat Tune

by John Nelson February 15, 2016

There is a popular song from the HBO show Treme written and performed by Steve Earle titled “This City Won’t Wash Away”. Ten years ago the wind and water of Hurricane Katrina threatened to destroy almost a third of the multifamily market in metro New Orleans. After a decade of rebuilding, the multifamily market has emerged as one of the most dynamic and resilient markets in the country. For 10 straight years this world-class city has seen strong demand, increasing rents and stable occupancy. New Orleans is not only unique in its food, music and culture, but also its geography. The Crescent City is situated on the bend of the Mississippi River with Lake Pontchartrain to its north and wetlands to the east and west. The ability to increase inventory in Metro New Orleans is seriously impaired by a lack of land, as well as historic and demographic factors. Over the past 14 years the multifamily inventory in metro New Orleans has only increased by 10,500 units, an average of only 750 units per year. Included in that number is the rebuilding of existing inventory damaged by Hurricane Katrina. Fifty percent of the increase of inventory has been in downtown …

February 15, 2016

Louisiana Market Reports Office Southeast Southeast Market Reports

Following Massive Conversions, New Orleans’ Office Market is Taking Shape

by John Nelson February 8, 2016

The New Orleans office market remains dynamic. The city has obviously changed dramatically in the 10 years since Hurricane Katrina and is on a continued path of change going forward. Positive change. In the past 12 to 18 months, more than 1 million square feet of what used to be considered office space in downtown New Orleans has been converted to retail, hotel, residential or multifamily use. Projects such as 225 Baronne Street, the 1100 block of Tulane Avenue, 600 Carondelet Street, Factor’s Row redevelopment and approximately 130,000 square feet of space at 1250 Poydras Street (a 423,000-square-foot, Class A tower) are just a number of examples. More of this space was unoccupied than occupied at the time of the conversions. The most recent of these conversions, 600 Carondolet Street, resulted in the largest absorption of Class A office space in the market. Additionally, URS, now AECOM, leased approximately 70,000 square feet of space in 1515 Poydras, a 530,000-square-foot building located across from the Mercedes-Benz Superdome. In the central business district (CBD), Class A office occupancy is a healthy 90 percent and average rental rates have increased in the past 12 to 24 months to approximately $19 per square foot. …

February 8, 2016

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