Market Reports

Job Growth Fuels Apartment Demand in Cleveland Market

by Kristin Harlow August 15, 2019

For the year ending in March, multifamily vacancy in the Cleveland metro area tightened to the lowest level since 2016, keeping annual rent growth climbing. Measured supply gains amid increased renter demand over the past four quarters have resulted in steady vacancy and rent improvement. These trends should continue over the next several quarters, holding vacancy below the 5 percent threshold. Favorable apartment operations are capturing investor attention. Demand for apartments is coming from an increase in employment that is allowing more people to move into rentals. Employers added roughly 14,200 positions year over year in May, nearly double the previous year’s growth. Another encouraging sign for Cleveland is that most employment sectors added jobs during this period. The heightened hiring has kept the unemployment rate below 5 percent for the past five months and the rate is down 80 basis points since May 2018. Education and health services is the most dominant employment sector, and the construction segment led employment gains during the past 12 months, staffing more than 5,300 new positions, followed by professional and business services with nearly 4,200 people. New apartment projects contribute to some of the construction jobs. Over the past four quarters, builders added …

August 15, 2019

Market Reports Midwest Midwest Market Reports Ohio Retail

Cleveland Adapts to Changing Retail Landscape

by Kristin Harlow August 8, 2019

“The retail landscape is changing.” How many times have we, industry professionals especially, heard these words over the past several years? But the reality is, it’s true. There have been countless articles, blogs and lectures blitzing us with arguments supporting or arguing against the notion that brick-and-mortar retail is fighting a losing battle against a burgeoning e-commerce industry. As many of us in the industry know, brick-and-mortar stores still hold a 90 percent market share of retail sales. While that number is shrinking, it is shrinking at a slower pace with each passing quarter. So, rather than talking about e-commerce and its potential negative impact on physical stores, I’d prefer to focus on the categories that are thriving, and in many cases benefiting from e-commerce. The fact is that pressures of e-commerce, coupled with changing consumer preferences driven by millennials and Gen Z, have forced retailers to adapt. The Cleveland market is an excellent microcosm of this retail evolution that has swept through the U.S. Here are the most notable retail trends in Cleveland. Health and beauty Perhaps the hottest category in retail right now is health and beauty. In plain terms, Americans today, more than ever, value being healthy …

August 8, 2019

Industrial Market Reports Midwest Midwest Market Reports Ohio

Cincinnati Industrial Market Absorption Drives 8 MSF in New Construction

by Kristin Harlow July 25, 2019

In 2018, the Greater Cincinnati industrial market experienced record-breaking positive net absorption of 7 million square feet, the highest level of absorption in more than a decade. This was followed by only 201,000 square feet of direct net absorption in the first quarter of this year, which at first glance could be concerning. But the good news is that 8 million square feet is currently under construction across our market. Over the past five years, new construction deliveries have been a consistent source of growth and positive absorption in Greater Cincinnati. The industrial market typically does not experience a high absorption rate in the first quarter when compared with the rest of the year. The low absorption figure in the first quarter of 2019 is actually due to lack of available supply rather than a major market change. Leasing impact New-construction, pre-leased buildings were a major source of positive net absorption in 2018. Winter weather and construction schedules limited first-quarter completions to just 520,000 square feet. The largest delivered facility was the 308,000-square-foot West Chester Trade Center #1, a bulk distribution building in the Northwest submarket. TSC Apparel moved into 196,000 square feet at the facility, absorbing more than 60 …

July 25, 2019

Market Reports Midwest Midwest Market Reports Office Ohio

Various Submarkets Attract Cincinnati Office Tenants

by Kristin Harlow July 18, 2019

Over the past decade, Cincinnati has successfully positioned itself as a formidable Midwestern city, hungry for growth and innovation. Whether you’re a startup or a Fortune 500 company, the city (and its surrounding suburbs) can provide an attractive backdrop. The Cincinnati office market largely reflects this momentum. Demand in some areas has slowed, but the office market remains steady. In fact, the office market has experienced a flurry of activity in 2019 and is awash in new lease transactions and announcements of proposed new development. The first quarter of 2019 recorded a 1 percent drop in the entire market vacancy to 14.2 percent, according to Colliers International. The central business district (CBD)’s 12.2 percent vacancy is expected to drop another percentage point, as several pending leases are soon to be announced. I-71 North dominates The most active area is the I-71 North submarket, where five lease transactions came to fruition. Eversana leased 78,000 square feet at 8990 Duke Blvd., filling the former Express Scripts building just months after it went vacant. Worldpay took down 50,000 square feet at 8845 Governor’s Hill Drive across the street from its headquarters. Smith/Halleman Partners, the owner of the multi-building Governors Pointe, attracted Resurgent Capital …

July 18, 2019

Industrial Market Reports Midwest Midwest Market Reports Ohio

Population Growth, Strategic Location Fuel Columbus Industrial Activity

by Kristin Harlow April 11, 2019

Fueled by continued population growth that has made Columbus the 14th-largest city in America and its strategic location in the U.S. Interstate system, the Columbus industrial market has been on a multi-year run in terms of new inventory and positive net absorption. Given the fact that drivers are able to reach approximately 50 percent of American households and 30 percent of Canadians within a one-day drive of the city, we see no end in sight for these market trends. That one-day drive statistic has made Columbus one of the country’s leading e-commerce distribution markets. Also, according to a recent ranking by Realtor.com, the metropolitan area is the only large northern city to grow its population by more than 10 percent from 2010 to 2017. The company also reported that Columbus was the fourth-hottest housing market based on the number of hits each listing receives and time on the market. Further, the central Ohio region’s business-friendly environment encourages developers to build in designated areas, and it is working. At the close of the fourth quarter last year, 5.7 million square feet of new industrial product was under construction. The overall vacancy rate for the Columbus industrial market was 4.8 percent, which …

April 11, 2019

Affordable Housing Market Reports Midwest Midwest Market Reports Multifamily Ohio

The Columbus Way: Collaboration Is Key to Delivering Affordable Housing

by Kristin Harlow April 4, 2019

Columbus, Ohio’s exploding population growth and strong economy are reflected in a red-hot housing market. Each weekend, open house signs dominate intersection corners. It is hard to miss big splashy billboards announcing new market-rate apartment complexes along our major I-70 and I-71 corridors. Last spring, Realtor.com named Columbus as the fourth-hottest housing market in the country. The bad news is our housing supply is not keeping up with demand. In fact, the Building Industry Association of Central Ohio notes that by 2050, when we’ll have a predicted 500,000 new jobs and 1 million new residents, a general housing shortfall of 43 percent will occur if we continue on our current building rate of 8,000 new units per year. We need 14,000 units for all incomes per year to keep up. Affordable housing gap An affordable housing crisis runs even deeper. Columbus’ booming housing market widens the gap for residents seeking affordable, safe and decent homes. Low- and moderate-income working families desperately need greater access to affordable housing near our city’s job centers. Service jobs abound in and around the city core, but most of our urban neighborhoods are quickly gentrifying, and rents have spiked due to their appeal to higher …

April 4, 2019

Market Reports Midwest Midwest Market Reports Ohio Retail

Columbus Retail Development Keeps Pace With Rising Population

by Kristin Harlow October 25, 2018

Columbus is a city on the rise. While that’s not exactly a new development, the fact that the arc of commercial development continues to bend up in Ohio’s capital city is noteworthy — and the pace of growth is impressive, to say the least. Columbus is the gateway market for the state of Ohio, with an impressive civic and economic resume. The counties making up the greater Columbus region have not only added approximately 160,000 jobs since 2010, they have brought in more than $8 billion in capital investments during that time. Columbus is home to The Ohio State University (OSU), one of the largest and most influential public universities in the nation; a long and expanding list of headquarters of national brands and businesses; and Columbus boasts a combination of arts, culture and commercial creativity that has led some to refer to it as the “Austin of the Midwest.” Downtown’s Arena District, home to the city’s professional hockey team the Columbus Blue Jackets, is the standard bearer for large-scale urban infill projects. The new Grandview Yard development brought additional mixed-use horsepower to the city. Retail expansions Easton Town Center is the major retail destination in Columbus, located in the …

October 25, 2018

Market Reports Midwest Midwest Market Reports Office Ohio

Startups, Millennials Drive Strong Fundamentals for Columbus Office Market

by Kristin Harlow October 18, 2018

The Columbus office market continues to be diverse and thriving as the city becomes an economic hub in the Midwest. With a population that has grown to over 2.1 million people, and the eighth largest millennial population, Columbus has developed varied markets including concentrations in automotive, data centers, fashion/apparel, finance/insurance, food, healthcare, logistics, manufacturing, R&D, beauty, retail/e-commerce and technology. Columbus boasts 14 Fortune 1000 headquarters and five Fortune 500 companies, including Cardinal Health, Nationwide Insurance, American Electric Power, L Brands and Big Lots. Columbus also hosts a multitude of other large businesses, which are drivers in the market, such as The Ohio State University, JPMorgan Chase and Huntington Bancshares. Having such large employers in the central Ohio region has helped draw other small businesses and given rise to a thriving start-up community, which is supported by Rev1 Ventures (a technology incubator), several community supported incubators and venture capital. A successful Columbus start-up, Cover My Meds, recently sold for $1.3 billion, and the city of Columbus hopes that this is the first of many similar success stories. With its recent sale, Cover My Meds is now planning a new 400,000-square-foot corporate headquarters in Columbus. Another notable project in Columbus is Facebook’s …

October 18, 2018

Market Reports Midwest Midwest Market Reports Office Ohio

Cleveland Office Market Is on Very Solid Ground

by Kristin Harlow August 23, 2018

U.S. economic growth in 2018 is expected to be the strongest in three years. The steady momentum in the Cleveland office market fully supports this forecast. Overall vacancy rates in the Cleveland metro area align with national trends in the range of 12 to 14 percent, rental rates are increasing modestly with averages in the low $20s per square foot and the market for Class A office space continues to be very tight. Tenant improvement allowances offered by landlords are rising faster than rents in a competitive leasing environment, ranging from $20 to $60 per square foot. Larger, multi-floor blocks of quality space are becoming especially difficult to come by in both the central business district (CBD) as well as the suburbs, making new office construction projects more viable than in the past. Attraction, retention When it comes to attracting the best and brightest workforce, office occupiers are seeking vibrant, walkable locations, rich with amenities and character. Building owners and developers in the Cleveland CBD continue to introduce office conversion projects that bring more apartments downtown, helping in turn to strengthen the office market. The K&D Group is currently converting a portion of the iconic 52-story Terminal Tower to …

August 23, 2018

Industrial Market Reports Midwest Midwest Market Reports Ohio

Cleveland Industrial Market Embraces New Projects

by Kristin Harlow August 16, 2018

The industrial real estate market in Cleveland has a long and storied history. The region’s market powered much of the overall growth in the early 20th century and, at that time, propelled Cleveland to the nation’s sixth largest city. The market transitioned to automotive production, which reached its peak in the 1960 and 1970s. Nearly half a million people were employed in the automotive sector during these decades, in plants operated by Ford, Chrysler and Chevrolet, or at the thousands of third-party companies that supplied everything from wire harnesses to pumps and steel. Over the next half century, the market has again transitioned and while domestic automotive production is still a critical component, advances in technology coupled with a gradual but consistent decrease in the number of vehicles actually being built has resulted in considerably fewer people being employed in the auto industry. Current estimates are around 120,000 jobs. A terrific example of this transition is the former Chrysler stamping plant in the Cleveland suburb of Twinsburg. It opened in 1956 and quickly became a critical part of the auto giant’s production cycle, processing and stamping over 25,000 tons of steel annually. At its peak, the plant employed over 5,000, …

August 16, 2018

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