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Columbia’s Industrial Market Is Establishing Itself as a Major Player in the Southeast

John Nelson — Mon, 08 Jun 2026 11:45:00 +0000

Columbia’s industrial market is evolving into a competitive contender in the Southeast, with only a low 4.7 percent vacancy rate. The Scout Motors manufacturing project is a huge win for Richland County and the Midlands and will bring back the iconic Scout SUV (and pick-up truck). The 4,000 jobs on 1,600 acres is greatly anticipated. South Carolina was the fastest growing state in 2024, according to U-Haul, and near the top in 2025, with no signs of slowing. Columbia is in the middle of this steady growth with its central location as an excellent logistics hub with I-20, I-77 and I-26 and less than two hours from the Port of Charleston. Growing inventory The Columbia industrial market now contains approximately 81 million square feet of inventory, reflecting steady expansion over recent years. Despite being smaller than major logistics markets, Columbia stands out due to its active construction pipeline, with nearly 4 million square feet under development as of late 2025. This represents one of the highest development ratios among comparable secondary markets, signaling strong investor confidence and long-term growth expectations. Much of this new supply is concentrated in: • Build-to-suit logistics facilities • Large-scale speculative distribution centers • Advanced manufacturing…

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Wichita Retail Activity Is Focused on High-Performing Corridors

Kristin Harlow — Thu, 04 Jun 2026 12:30:00 +0000

By Don Piros, CCIM, Landmark Commercial Real Estate Wichita’s retail and restaurant market is entering a new phase of evolution, marked by geographic concentration, steady suburban expansion and a wave of long-anticipated national brands entering the city. While overall demand remains stable, activity is increasingly focused in a handful of high-performing corridors, leaving older retail areas to repurpose or transition to new uses. Growth is concentrated in key corridors. Retail momentum in Wichita is strongest on the city’s east and northwest sides. The east side, particularly along Rock Road (Bradley Fair, Towne East Square), Webb Road (The Waterfront) and Greenwich Road (Greenwich Place Shopping Center), continue to attract higher-end retailers and nationally recognized restaurant brands. Strong household incomes and established shopping patterns have made the corridor the most competitive in the region. Meanwhile, northwest Wichita, especially along Maize Road and now Ridge Road, is emerging as the metro’s fastest growing suburban retail zone. Fueled by residential expansion and available land, the area has seen a steady influx of casual dining and quick-service restaurants and new strip retail developments. These two areas now anchor much of Wichita’s leasing activity, with tenants prioritizing visibility, traffic counts and proximity to new housing. In…

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How To Advance Water-Resilient Designs in Texas Data Centers

Taylor Williams — Tue, 02 Jun 2026 12:00:00 +0000

By Rives Taylor, principal, global resilience research lead, Gensler Texas is experiencing rapid growth in data center development as part of a broader push to support artificial intelligence (AI) ventures that have transformed digital infrastructure into a magnet for capital. As noted in Gensler’s recent Design Forecast, these assets demand abundant land, power and connectivity, making the region a natural fit for long-term growth in digital and industrial real estate. However, these facilities also require reliable access to significant water resources to support cooling systems that are essential for maintaining uninterrupted operations. As development increases, so do the needs for resources, and Texas lacks a consistent policy requiring operators to report essential metrics such as water use, energy consumption or cooling loads. This lack of transparency limits the ability of policymakers, communities and design professionals to fully understand the environmental impact of one of the state’s fastest-growing industrial sectors. With rising pressure on water supplies and power systems, the need for clearer reporting standards and more forward‑looking design approaches is becoming increasingly urgent. A recent white paper by the Houston Area Research Center (HARC), found that “without modernized planning and policy updates, the state faces a collision between finite water…

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With Suburban and Infill Projects, Columbia Takes the Next Step in its Retail Evolution

John Nelson — Mon, 01 Jun 2026 11:45:00 +0000

As we wrap up April, Columbia’s retail market is growing in two distinct directions. Out in Lexington County and the northeast Richland County, new retail-anchored mixed-use projects are stepping up to meet the demands of a booming housing market. At the same time, downtown is getting a major facelift as new infill developments reshape the city center. Historically, Columbia has always had a reputation as a steady, reliable market — thanks to our major hospital systems, state government, universities and Fort Jackson. But that steady market is officially evolving. Between tightening vacancy rates and the massive wave of economic confidence brought on by the Scout Motors plant, Columbia has moved beyond just being a “safe bet” and is quickly emerging as a highly competitive powerhouse in the Southeast. Suburban powerhouse Platt Springs Crossing (South Lexington/Red Bank): A centerpiece of this growth is Platt Springs Crossing, a $65 million, 57-acre mixed-use development at the intersection of Platt Springs and Old Orangeburg roads, has seen overwhelming interest from national brands. • Anchor success: Lowes Foods opened its 51,000-square-foot store in late 2025, serving as a massive traffic driver. • Tenant velocity: Confirmed regional and national tenants include Chipotle Mexican Grill, Panda Express,…

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Lee & Associates’ Report: Industrial and Multifamily Slow, Office Recovers, Retail Demand Holds

Jaime Lackey — Fri, 29 May 2026 16:52:19 +0000

The headline numbers in commercial real estate rarely tell the full story. First-quarter 2026 data is a case in point: Lee & Associates reports that industrial and multifamily are slowly absorbing a historic supply surge, office is staging an uneven recovery, and retail is contending with a shortage of quality space rather than a glut of it. Here’s a sector-by-sector look at where U.S. commercial real estate stands heading into the rest of the year — and which markets are bucking the trend. Sponsored: Download Lee & Associates’ 2026 Q1 North America Market report. Industrial Overview: Logistics Demand Moderates; Small Space Needs Gain There was continued weakness in the first quarter across North American industrial markets. The slowing has produced an overhang of newly delivered speculative logistics space, while rent growth has fallen to virtually nil. In the United States, net absorption totaled 32.8 million square feet in Q1, or 0.2 percent of the 19.3-billion-square-foot inventory. It was the lowest rate of tenant growth in more than a decade aside from the 17.6-million-square-foot contraction in Q2 following the U.S.’s initial tariff announcements. The overall vacancy rate in Q1 settled at 7.5 percent, which has nearly doubled since 2022 as new…

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Topeka’s Housing Market Builds Momentum as Demand Outpaces Supply

Kristin Harlow — Thu, 28 May 2026 12:30:00 +0000

By Bob Ross, Greater Topeka Chamber of Commerce The Topeka, Kansas, housing market continues to distinguish itself as one of the most competitive and resilient markets in the Midwest — offering a compelling case for developers seeking opportunity in a high-demand, undersupplied environment. New data from the Sunflower Association of Realtors underscores that strength. In February, the Topeka metropolitan area recorded 166 home sales, matching the pace from the same period last year, with total sales volume reaching $33.9 million. The median home price stood at $184,000 (compared with the national average of $360,591), while homes sold in an average of just 13 days (compared with the national average of 39 days) — an exceptionally fast turnaround compared with peer markets. Perhaps most notably, homes in Topeka sold for 100 percent of their list price and 98.7 percent of their original list price, a clear signal of strong buyer competition. By contrast, homes in the Greater Kansas City market took an average of 57 days to sell and closed at just 96.3 percent of original list price. Taken together, the data paints a clear picture: Demand in Topeka is not only strong — it is accelerating. Area employers frequently note…

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Texas Retail Brokers Adjust To New Realities

Taylor Williams — Wed, 27 May 2026 11:46:00 +0000

By Taylor Williams There’s nothing free in this world, not even a full-blown, multi-year resurgence in brick-and-mortar retail real estate. The ferocious revival of physical retail in the post-COVID era, headlined by fewer national bankruptcies, record rental and occupancy rates and renewed investor interest, has slowly but surely been stymied and hamstrung by macroeconomics. Despite real ingenuity and entrepreneurship among today’s operators, the business of leasing retail space in high-growth markets remains fraught with potential deal-killers that go beyond supply-demand dynamics that are favorable to landlords. For Texas retail brokers who specialize in tenant representation — men and women who genuinely love helping businesses grow, expand and serve their communities — that means taking on fresh challenges day in and day out. It means navigating pitfalls that have a way of consuming the two most valuable commodities on the planet: time and money. It means perfecting the art of self-motivation, of having ananticipatory mindset and thinking multiple steps ahead. It means embracing the hustle. Since venturing out on his own following a 12-year career at Weitzman, Matthew Rosenfeld, founder and president of Dallas-based brokerage firm The Rosenfeld Company, has lived and breathed these realities. Rosenfeld’s shop has been open for…

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Southwest Florida Industrial Market Is Primed for a Surge

John Nelson — Mon, 25 May 2026 11:45:00 +0000

When it comes to the Florida commercial real estate market, the conversation typically gravitates toward the larger metro areas. However, for those of us on the ground, it’s clear that Southwest Florida is becoming a key player in the state, particularly for industrial users. By nearly every measurable standard — population growth, job creation and infrastructure investment — Southwest Florida continues to outperform much of the United States. Industrial users and investors have taken notice, and so far in 2026, leasing activity has already outpaced all quarters in 2025. According to the latest Colliers market report, the market has absorbed 115,777 square feet of flex and industrial space in the first quarter alone, compared to fourth-quarter 2025 which saw (-189,303 square feet) of negative absorption. This is due to pent-up demand from users taking a cautious “wait-and-see” approach last year. And while the factors preventing them from making decisions in 2025 still exist, the sheer necessity of a physical presence in the area has finally outweighed the perceived risks. ‘Supply reset’ On paper, the data might give pause. Overall vacancy in Southwest Florida rose to 9.7 percent in first-quarter 2026, a sharp departure from the 7.2 percent we saw just…

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Omaha Industrial Market: When Limited Supply Meets High Demand

Kristin Harlow — Thu, 21 May 2026 12:42:00 +0000

By Kevin Stratman, Investors Realty The Omaha industrial market is essentially at full occupancy. Since 2016, the approximately 115 million-square-foot industrial market in Omaha has grown by an average of 3 to 4 million square feet per year. Yet, for a number of reasons, vacancy has consistently hovered around 3 percent. Activity to start 2026 has created a real problem. In just the first quarter of the year, the market transacted over 1.3 million square feet across six properties. As a result, an already constrained vacancy rate is now approaching a critical point. The roots of this issue trace back to 2024. That year, only four speculative construction projects over 100,000 square feet broke ground. For years, Omaha has faced ongoing sewer infrastructure challenges that have limited development in key areas. At the same time, construction costs approached peak levels, and land prices escalated rapidly. This was driven in part by major build-to-suit activity from users such as FedEx and Amazon, as well as large-scale data center developments from Meta and Google, which collectively absorbed thousands of acres of land. Given these conditions, developers made a logical decision to pause after what had been a historic run of construction. That…

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New Jersey Retail: The Juice Is Worth The Squeeze

Taylor Williams — Wed, 20 May 2026 11:49:00 +0000

By Taylor Williams Much like the two major cities that border its northern and southern ends, New Jersey is, for retailers, restaurant groups and entertainment operators that are serious about establishing and growing national footprints, a market that checks every key box. Yet for all the similarities between the Manhattan or Center City Philadelphia retail markets that also apply to New Jersey — tight availability of space, high rents, time-consuming regulatory processes, strong residential density, healthy disposable incomes — brokers and owners that call the Garden State home also know that it’s a market unto itself. “Northern New Jersey is not the same as New York City,” confirms John Azarian, CEO of The Azarian Group, a longtime owner-operator of shopping centers in New Jersey and New York. “Retailers that want to venture into New York City want a different environment, and while we have a lot of density in Northern New Jersey, it’s just not the same as New York City. But if retailers are willing to do deals with different [store] formats, their businesses can do just as well here.” Kevin Pelio, Azarian’s executive vice president of leasing, says that tenants that started in other parts of the country…

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The Dawn of Y’all Street: What the Texas Stock Exchange Means for Big D

Taylor Williams — Tue, 19 May 2026 12:08:00 +0000

By Garrett Karam, chief investment officer, EMBREY The Texas Stock Exchange (TXSE) represents the most serious attempt in 55 years to challenge the NYSE-Nasdaq duopoly and signals something that has not happened in generations: New York City’s monopoly on exchange infrastructure now has a credible challenger. As the TXSE prepares to launch in phases through 2026, EMBREY, a San Antonio-based investment and development firm, shares insights on how the exchange could further reinforce Dallas-Fort Worth’s (DFW) emergence as one of the country’s most important financial and economic centers. We also consider the direct implications for long-term economic growth and multifamily demand correlated to the launch of TXSE. Announced in 2024 and approved by the SEC in 2025, the TXSE has already raised more than $270 million from institutions including BlackRock, Citadel Securities, J.P. Morgan, Goldman Sachs, Bank of America and Charles Schwab. The exchange’s pitch to public companies centers around lower listing costs, fewer prescriptive requirements and a governance framework designed for operators. Combined with the state’s broader efforts to position itself as an increasingly attractive destination for business and corporate investment, the TXSE reinforces a larger shift already underway across North Texas. The exchange arrives at a time in…

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Retail Leasing, Development Activity ‘Slow and Steady’ in Baltimore Market

John Nelson — Mon, 18 May 2026 11:52:00 +0000

Mirroring conditions nationally due to elevated interest rates, associated higher construction costs and general economic and geopolitical uncertainties, the volume of retail leasing and new development activity remains “slow and steady” in the greater Baltimore metropolitan region. The collective business and real estate communities remain optimistic for a rebound later this year, given the robust fundamentals that remain constant locally and the lessons learned during a tepid first-quarter 2025, which was followed by an over-performing remainder of the year. We expect the same to occur in 2026, with robust third and fourth quarters on the horizon later this year. Interest rate complexities Although interest rates have declined somewhat over the past year, the continued elevated climate has made all phases of the retail industry more expensive and forced developers and retailers to take a brief pause or to dig deeper for projected returns. More specifically, this has placed a halt on the future development of several new shopping centers in the Baltimore area due to higher financing costs, and multiple local retailers are also rethinking expansion plans because of steeper Small Business Administration and local banking loans. Separate retail centers in Harford and Howard counties — after being designed and…

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New Development, Backfill Activity Fuel Omaha Retail Market Momentum

Kristin Harlow — Thu, 14 May 2026 12:33:00 +0000

By Mandi Backhaus-Barr, The Lerner Company As they say, when one door closes, another one opens, and the same is true in commercial real estate. In 2025, the Omaha market experienced a plethora of activity, from store closures to quick backfills, and numerous new developments either announced, commenced or completed. Omaha’s market continues to demonstrate strong momentum, showing little sign of slowing down. This strength was reinforced when the metro-area population recently surpassed the 1 million mark, a milestone that appears to carry more weight with retailers than slightly lower population figures. As a result, the market has responded positively, with year-over-year asking rents increasing by 5.4 percent. Despite rapid growth and development across the city, Omaha’s core market fundamentals remain solid. From a retail standpoint, we are seeing retailers continue to test new formats and refine their store footprints, while a recent wave of international brands has begun entering the U.S. market, signaling a new level of global interest and underscoring the growing appeal of well-positioned retail environments. Additionally, the consumer is still spending, just differently. Beauty, footwear and apparel are categories with strong momentum. The trend of mid-tier retailers being squeezed into an increasingly polarized market, where value-focused…

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Baltimore Industrial Recalibration: Driven by New Supply and Selective Leasing

John Nelson — Mon, 11 May 2026 11:47:00 +0000

Baltimore’s industrial market entered the first quarter of 2026 in what some are describing as a correctional rather than a contractional phase, with CoStar Group recently characterizing the market as undergoing a “sharp correction” driven by rising vacancy, elevated supply and slower leasing activity. Vacancy reports vary but the rate is hovering at approximately 9.7 percent as leasing teams worked to absorb approximately 3.2 million square feet of new deliveries over the past 12 months. Trailing absorption is negative at approximately 2.4 million square feet, reflecting a slowdown rather than a disappearance of demand, according to CoStar. New development pipelines remain active at 2.1 million square feet and new starts are moderating, signaling that developers are adjusting to conditions. In recent years, a series of events in Baltimore City made headlines and positioned the region in the worst possible way, and “Charm City” remains misunderstood in the minds of outsiders through the lens of these news articles. But, earlier this year, a substantial influx of institutional capital turned heads when making a decisive bet on the greater metropolitan area. A joint venture between Camber Real Estate Partners and PGIM Real Estate acquired a seven-building infill industrial portfolio at a 5.75…

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Salt Lake City’s New Wave of Urban Retail

John Nelson — Fri, 08 May 2026 10:59:00 +0000

— By Tanner Olson of Legend Commercial — Downtown Salt Lake City has undergone a meaningful transformation over the past decade. The growth of ground-floor mixed-use retail, a rapidly expanding bar and restaurant scene, and the arrival of nationally recognized brands such as STK Steakhouse, the Capital Grille, Uchi and concepts affiliated with Fox Restaurant Concepts reflect a maturing urban core. At the same time, local operators such as Aker, Matteo, Urban Hill and many others have elevated the city’s culinary identity, with homegrown concepts adding depth and authenticity to the market. It was only 15 years ago that Salt Lake largely functioned as a commuter-based retail environment. Consumers prioritized surface parking and drive-thru convenience. Downtown activity outside of peak weekend hours was limited, while urban living lacked the density and vibrancy needed to support consistent retail demand. That dynamic has shifted. Today, tens of thousands of multifamily units have been delivered in and around the CBD, accompanied by hundreds of thousands of square feet of ground-floor retail. Just two to three years ago, downtown contained roughly 200,000 square feet of available mixed-use retail space, fragmented across 60 to 70 small-format spaces. Filling that space required not just tenants, but…

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How Is Music Helping Midwest Cities Find Their Rhythm?

Kristin Harlow — Thu, 07 May 2026 12:20:00 +0000

By Leirion Gaylor Baird, Mayor of Lincoln, Nebraska All roads lead to Lincoln. Located midway between Chicago and Denver, our capital city has long served as a crossroads for touring legends, local artists and fans who pack historic music venues night after night. Our live music scene has grown organically in bars, theaters and alleyways, becoming a defining part of our civic DNA. Now, Lincoln is intentionally amplifying this authentic strength and sound. Through the creation of the Boehmer Street music district, the City of Lincoln, in partnership with the Downtown Lincoln Association and with support from the Nebraska Department of Economic Development, is investing in assets that define our unique cultural landscape. This effort advances a longstanding plan to designate a music district as a downtown catalyst. Our vision is to convert underutilized downtown space into active, mixed-use momentum that grows economic opportunity, strengthens quality of life and brings renewed vitality to our urban core. Anchor culture, community The Boehmer Street music district links three major geographic anchors — the University of Nebraska–Lincoln campus, the State Capitol and our iconic main street — to form a walkable corridor. Longstanding, thriving music venues, including the Zoo Bar, The Bourbon Theatre,…

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Building Bifurcation: A New Framework for Evaluating Industrial Real Estate in Texas

Taylor Williams — Tue, 05 May 2026 11:49:00 +0000

By Taylor Williams Defined by Gemini as “the division of a system, structure or entity into two distinct branches or parts,” the term “bifurcation” is coming up more frequently in the context of industrial development in Texas — a sort of umbrella term for the process of establishing new subcategories of the property type. The past seven or so years have constituted one of the most massive industrial building booms in modern history. Like matches and gasoline, Americans’ newfound obsession with e-commerce paired with unimaginably low interest rates for much of that time, sparking an all-out industrial development and leasing mania. Capital flowed into the sector with insatiable appetite, eventually forcing yield-chasers to devise new means of unlocking value within the space lest they cannibalize each other. Of course, even before e-commerce irrevocably changed the way Americans shop and allowed industrial real estate to ascend as an institutionalized asset class, functional differences were recognized between manufacturing and distribution facilities, or between pure-play industrial and flex buildings. Investors understood the relative differences in how these subcategories of industrial product were built, operated and valued. And in terms of development, at the most basic level, the size of a building has always…

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Birmingham’s Office Market: Stabilizing, Adapting and Gaining Momentum

John Nelson — Mon, 04 May 2026 11:42:00 +0000

We hear this question a lot: “How is commercial real estate doing in Birmingham?” Many people assume our market is experiencing the same volatility seen in national headlines over the past few years. The reality is a bit different. Birmingham is actually a stable market. While we certainly feel broader economic shifts, our office sector has avoided many of the dramatic swings seen in larger metro areas and is gradually positioning itself for future growth. To set the stage, Birmingham’s office market consists of approximately 18.8 million square feet of multi-tenant inventory across five submarkets, four of which include Class A properties. Overall absorption for fourth-quarter 2025 totaled negative 35,336 square feet following a positive third quarter. However, the market still finished the year with 56,786 square feet of positive net absorption. Occupancy remained largely stable throughout the year, with the overall vacancy rate holding at 19.8 percent. Direct vacancy improved slightly to 16.6 percent by year-end. Leasing activity also remained steady across the market. In total, 640,255 square feet of office space was leased in 2025, representing an approximately 14 percent increase compared to the amount of office space leased in 2024. Class A transactions accounted for more than…

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Utah Multifamily Signals Return to Rent Growth as Supply Tightens

John Nelson — Fri, 01 May 2026 11:00:00 +0000

— By Patrick Bodnar of CBRE — Utah’s multifamily market remains one of the most resilient and compelling real estate environments in the country, supported by exceptional economic fundamentals and a steadily tightening development pipeline. Utah once again ranked No. 1 in the nation in 2025 in the American Legislative Exchange Council’s (ALEC) economic outlook index, marking its 18th consecutive year at the top and earning high marks for overall performance, labor participation and business affordability. These strengths, paired with ongoing population and job growth, continue to reinforce consistent long-term demand for rental housing across the Wasatch Front. Against this backdrop, rent trends are beginning to shift. After several years of rent stagnation driven by elevated supply, rent growth is positioned to rebound in the second half of 2026. The past three years were characterized by relatively flat asking rents, but CBRE’s analysis indicates that future rent growth is approaching as new deliveries decline and supply is absorbed. This shift is largely the result of two converging factors: a meaningful slowdown in new construction starts — driven by higher interest rates and sustained construction cost pressures — and persistently strong absorption, which places Utah among the top-performing absorption markets in…

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Columbus Industrial Market Accelerates Amid Mega-Projects, Strategic Growth

Kristin Harlow — Thu, 30 Apr 2026 12:30:00 +0000

By Derek Lichtfuss, Newmark Columbus, Ohio, is emerging as one of the nation’s most dynamic industrial markets. With a strategic location, robust infrastructure and a diversified economy, the metro area is attracting industrial, manufacturing and logistics investment at a pace rivaling traditional coastal hubs. According to Newmark Research, Columbus’ industrial market closed 2025 with positive absorption of 8.8 million square feet — ranking among the top five U.S. markets. Remarkably, the fourth quarter alone contributed more than 3 million square feet, marking the second consecutive quarter above that threshold. The market’s fundamentals underscore its strength. Vacancy ended the year at 7.2 percent, down from 9.7 percent in 2024. Asking rents, while largely flat in 2025, have climbed for six consecutive years, reflecting steady demand. More than 5.2 million square feet are currently under construction, signaling developer confidence. Drivers of growth Several factors drive the city’s momentum. Columbus benefits from an exceptional logistics profile. The metro area can reach roughly 50 percent of the U.S. population within a one-day drive or train, bolstered by I-70, I-71 and the second-largest inland port at Rickenbacker International Airport. Its multimodal capabilities — including Norfolk Southern rail and cargo air — have made it a…

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