Market Reports

Richmond’s Multifamily Market Maintains Rent Growth, High Occupancy

by John Nelson August 26, 2024

Richmond, capital of the Commonwealth of Virginia and centrally located between the rolling hills of the Blue Ridge Mountains and the sandy beaches fronting the Atlantic Ocean, remains a vibrant city with an educated and expanding workforce benefitting from the city’s thriving and diverse economy. Home to eight Fortune 500 companies and three Fortune 1000 businesses, Richmond’s unemployment rate of 2.8 percent, a 10-basis-point decrease year-over-year, is slightly above the state’s unemployment rate of 2.7 percent but well below the national rate of 4.3 percent, according to data from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Richmond’s job market has remained robust, adding over 38,000 jobs from first-quarter 2020 through summer 2024. In the past 36 months alone, CoStar Group (2,000 new jobs), LEGO (1,760 new jobs), and SanMar (1,000 new jobs) have all announced significant corporate and capital commitments to the market. Government and education/health remain the largest regional employment sectors and have experienced the highest year-over-year employment increases of 3.7 percent and 4.7 percent, respectively. Richmond’s continued ability to retain and attract talent due to a high quality of life, affordable cost of living and access to an abundance of local and regional amenities has had a profound impact …

August 26, 2024

Market Reports Retail Southeast Southeast Market Reports Virginia

Richmond’s Retail Market Is as Hot as a Firecracker, With a New Baseball Stadium Underway

by John Nelson August 19, 2024

If you asked any retail broker in the Richmond market in April 2020 what the forecast might look like, the response would be dark and stormy skies ahead with record-high retail vacancy rates. Fast forward four years later, and the forecast has been quite the opposite, with sunny skies in terms of deal flow and record-low retail vacancy rates, both a positive and a negative as it relates to the vacancy rate itself. Richmond boasts close to 82 million square feet of retail space, and at the end of the second quarter of this year, the vacancy rate stood at 3 percent. Despite COVID, the vacancy rate stood at 5.1 percent at the end of 2020. The market is experiencing record-high demand for new space and about a 15.6 percent year-over-year increase in quoted rental rates due to that demand and limited product availability. Since 2020, our market has seen, on average, 2 million square feet of retail space leased per year, and all signs point to steady leasing velocity in the future. Short Pump, Hull Street West The Short Pump and Hull Street West submarkets continue to be the prime focus of many retailers looking to expand in …

August 19, 2024

Market Reports Office Southeast Southeast Market Reports Virginia

Richmond Posts Stable Office Performance Across Multiple Submarkets

by John Nelson August 12, 2024

We are fortunate to live and work in a region that experiences steady growth and maintains a healthy economy. From a commercial real estate perspective, the Richmond market is a consistent performer due to its diversified economy and reliable and consistent business drivers. Industrial and multifamily construction activity has remained strong without being overbuilt, eliminating the pattern of “boom and bust” that some other areas experience. A submarket that has been red hot is Scott’s Addition, a 20-square-block neighborhood that has been transformed from warehouses and light industrial to a mixed-use mecca of multifamily, office and retail. Developers and tenants alike appreciate the proximity to the interstate, numerous amenities and abundant diversity within the community. Exceptional walkability scores, along with a thriving restaurant and brewery scene, seem to be driving tenants’ willingness to pay the highest rents in the area. The high cost of new construction also informs these rents and, ultimately, is passed through to end users. Scott’s Addition will likely continue to be a desirable location for many, although high rents and challenging parking will remain an issue for some. Another very desirable submarket and consistent performer is Glen Forest. Primarily office- and medical-focused, this area offers Class …

August 12, 2024

Market Reports Multifamily Southeast Southeast Market Reports Virginia

Richmond’s Multifamily Growth Reflects the Local Economy’s Positive Trajectory

by John Nelson October 23, 2023

As Richmond continues to grow, its relative value points to prosperity in the market for years to come. Having grown our company in Richmond, we’ve witnessed the transformative momentum and tremendous change firsthand. Specifically, the diverse employment base has continued to expand through economic strength and migration trends, increasing not only population but also multifamily demand and asset performance. Strong economics support Richmond’s stability. Richmond’s diverse employment base empowers a resilient market with high-growth potential. The MSA is home to 11 Fortune 1000 companies and a robust private sector, encompassing hospitals, energy companies and financial services. The economy is stabilized by the presence of many institutions of higher learning, along with substantial medical and life sciences users. Numerous major corporations have announced or recently completed large expansions. These include CoStar’s new $460 million corporate campus (2,000 jobs) and The LEGO Group’s new $1 billion, 1.7-million-square-foot production facility (1,760 jobs). As Virginia’s state capital, Richmond has a large government presence, including the Richmond Federal Reserve Bank and the U.S. Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals. The city is also actively engaged in creating public-private partnerships — including the “Diamond District,” a 67.5-acre parcel redevelopment into a mixed-use entertainment district, and “City Center,” …

October 23, 2023

Industrial Market Reports Southeast Southeast Market Reports Virginia

Deal Velocity for Richmond’s Industrial Market Slows for First Time This Cycle

by John Nelson October 16, 2023

With rising interest rates from the Federal Reserve playing out across the capital markets, uncertainty has crept into all corners of commercial real estate, even in red-hot industrial markets like Richmond. For the first time this cycle, deal velocity has slowed for new acquisitions and leasing activity alike in the greater Richmond area. Borrowing costs have skyrocketed in the past 12 months, leading to an extended period of price discovery from both buyers and sellers, thus fewer investment sales. Richmond’s occupancy rate remained steady from first-quarter to second-quarter 2023 at 96 percent, according to research from Porter Realty. Occupancy ticked up 400 basis points for Class A space during that time frame — from 92 to 96 percent — and Class B stayed steady at 98 percent quarter-over-quarter. The second quarter saw more than 280,000 square feet of space returned to the market, though it had negligible impacts on occupancy rates. (Porter Realty tracks industrial facilities in the greater Richmond market sized 40,000 square feet and larger.) The bulk of new leases recently are executed by third-party logistics providers. Recent deals include Riverside Logistics taking 90,000 square feet in Henrico County, Bermuda Distribution & Trucking subleasing 48,000 square feet in …

October 16, 2023

Market Reports Office Southeast Southeast Market Reports Virginia

Richmond’s Office Market Is Stable and Active on the Leasing Front

by John Nelson October 9, 2023

In the second quarter of 2023, the Richmond office market posted more than 670,000 square feet of leasing volume, the highest total volume in more than four years. As transactions commence in future quarters, absorption will be impacted from occupancy shifts later in the year. Despite increased leasing activity, however, the market softened slightly as absorption has started to plateau. The second quarter represented the fourth consecutive quarter of negative net absorption as Richmond’s office market observed occupancy losses dipping to 21,489 square feet. Vacancy rates rose and settled at 12.6 percent, an 8-basis-point increase quarter-over-quarter. Pre-pandemic, overall asking rents saw stable upward rent growth. Since 2020, rental rates have continued to increase though at a leaner rate. Class A rents have flattened over the past 12 months, while Class B rents continued to rise. The Manchester and Scott’s Addition submarkets remain the hot spots for office development. Though there are currently no major office buildings underway at this time, most major office projects under construction in the last five years have either been build-to-suits or conversions. The only notable exception to this was The Current, a 70,000-square-foot spec office building that delivered in Manchester at the end of 2021. …

October 9, 2023

Affordable Housing District of Columbia Market Reports Maryland Multifamily Southeast Southeast Market Reports Virginia

More Affordable Housing Options Needed in Greater D.C. Region, Says Fossi of Enterprise Community Development

by John Nelson February 1, 2023

WASHINGTON, D.C. — In 2019, the Metropolitan Washington Council of Governments issued a report stating that the D.C. region — comprising the city, Northern Virginia and suburban Maryland — needed to add 320,000 more housing units between 2020 and 2030, and that at least 75 percent of this new housing should be affordable to low- and medium-income households. Rob Fossi, senior vice president of real estate development at Enterprise Community Development, says the figure has only climbed in recent years due to macroeconomic and local challenges. “In the three years since that report was issued, this demand has only intensified while supply chain interruptions, interest rate spikes and competing resource challenges precipitated by the COVID-19 pandemic have all been challenges to maintain pace,” says Fossi. Enterprise Community Development, an affiliate of Enterprise Community Partners, is the top nonprofit owner and developer of affordable homes in the Mid-Atlantic with a portfolio spanning about 13,000 apartments that house more than 22,000 residents. The firm is actively developing and preserving affordable housing across the region in order to address the demand, which Fossi says shows no signs of abating anytime soon. “There is little doubt that the demand for quality affordable housing will …

February 1, 2023

District of Columbia Industrial Market Reports Southeast Southeast Market Reports Virginia

Industrial, Warehouse Product Remains Tight Throughout Northern Virginia

by John Nelson January 9, 2023

Sustained leasing velocity for industrial/warehouse space in the Northern Virginia market, combined with the nearly insatiable demand for data center product, is contributing to developers repurposing existing business communities with this asset class to support demand, as well as companies expanding their geographic footprints into suburban Maryland and Central Virginia to secure space. This trend could be pivoting slightly due to the recent slowdown in leasing activity both locally and nationally as it relates to rising interest rates, the prospects for a looming recession and the possible end of a prolonged real estate cycle. The vacancy rate for industrial/warehouse space in the region currently stands at just over 2 percent. In the last quarter, the Northern Virginia industrial market experienced the largest pipeline in its history with more than 1 million square feet of space delivered, with nearly 5 million square feet of space in the development pipeline. The largest projects are contained within Stafford County as land in Loudoun and Fairfax counties has become unaffordable, or simply unattainable. Triple-net asking rents reached another all-time high of $12.45 per square foot in the third quarter, aided in part by these new deliveries. New space remains scarce and commands a premium, …

January 9, 2023

Market Reports Office Southeast Southeast Market Reports Virginia

Smart Office Development Poises Richmond for Further Investment and Growth

by John Nelson September 6, 2022

The high quality of life and relatively low cost of living in Richmond, coupled with sustained investment in live-work-play infrastructure, has led to population growth and a surge in investor interest in the city. The job market is showing strong signs of recovery with an unemployment rate of 3.2 percent, which is 40 basis points below the national average. Although office-using employment remains elevated at 3 percent from pre-pandemic levels, office vacancy rates remain relatively stable at 11.2 percent. Live-work-play rules the day Richmond has become a hot spot for millennials, boasting a low cost of living, high quality of life and amenity-rich neighborhoods. While the broader Richmond market has recorded 10 percent population growth since 2010, key submarkets in the urban core are growing at a faster pace, with Scott’s Addition recording 23 percent population growth during the same period. Developers have capitalized on this increased demand for city living, building out the urban core with multifamily and mixed-use developments in trendy submarkets. Scott’s Addition and Manchester — which have more breweries per capita than any other neighborhood — have added a combined 3,000 apartment units in the last five years, with an additional 1,300 units currently under construction. …

September 6, 2022

Market Reports Retail Southeast Southeast Market Reports Virginia

Residential Growth in Scott’s Addition, Manchester Drive Richmond’s Retail Market

by John Nelson August 30, 2022

With a 20 percent increase in population in the City of Richmond over the past half decade, and more to come, the city still struggles to attract national retail tenants such as The TJX Cos., Williams-Sonoma and Ann Taylor LOFT, as well as other soft and hard goods users. What Richmond does not struggle attracting are breweries, distilleries, regional and local restaurant operators and many start-up retailers dipping their toes into the growing 22 to 35 demographic calling Scott’s Addition and Manchester home. The food-and-beverage scene in Greater Scott’s Addition is blowing up with the addition of restaurant operations such as ZZQ (rated the best BBQ in Richmond), Lucky AF (from EAT Restaurant Partners), Wood & Iron, Tazza Kitchen and the James Beard Award-winning Peter Chang’s. When coupled more than 15 breweries, distilleries and the city’s only meadery, this energy is attracting ‘retailtainment’ such as River City Roll, Bingo Beer, The Circuit, Tang & Biscuit, Movieland by Bow Tie Cinema and Brambly Park. TRP (Thalhimer Realty Partners), Historic Housing (Louis Salomonsky’s firm) and Capital Square 1031 are local companies leading the developments, and Greystar and Bonaventure have come in from out of town to plant their flag as well. The …

August 30, 2022

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