Midwest Market Reports

Omaha Undergoing ‘Remarkable’ Downtown Transformation

by Kristin Harlow April 25, 2019

Remarkable. It’s the word that continues to pop up in interviews and conversations relating to the present transformation occurring in Omaha’s downtown area. If you think you might be experiencing déjà vu, it’s likely because you are. After all, it wasn’t that long ago when the same word was being used to describe the transformation that took place in downtown Omaha 10 to 15 years ago. It was at that time that approximately $2.5 billion was invested in Omaha’s downtown through a combination of public and private developments. Omaha introduced a laundry list of new buildings and projects, including the city’s new arena and convention center (presently branded the CHI Health Center), TD Ameritrade Park (the home of College World Series), the 45-story First National Bank Tower, the National Park Service Building, Gallup Organization’s operational headquarters, Union Pacific’s 1.1 million-square-foot headquarters, The Holland Performing Arts Center, Roman L. Hruska Federal Courthouse and The Bob Kerrey Pedestrian Bridge. That was remarkable. What could be so “remarkable” about the current downtown Omaha transformation? The answer is a redevelopment of the Gene Leahy Pedestrian Mall as part of the $300 million Riverfront Revitalization project. You might be thinking $300 million doesn’t sound remarkable …

April 25, 2019

Market Reports Midwest Midwest Market Reports Multifamily Nebraska

Apartments Lead the Way in Omaha’s Real Estate Market

by Kristin Harlow April 18, 2019

Omaha’s apartment market continues to be fundamentally strong and attractive to national and regional investors. According to Reis, Omaha’s asking rental rates have increased in every quarter over the past eight years, and vacancy remains low at 5.6 percent as of the end of 2018. Historically Omaha has had low vacancy. The 4.6 percent average vacancy rate over the past decade and 4.4 percent over the past five years is in line with the five-year national average of 4.5 percent. Looking forward, Reis expects the vacancy rate in 2019 to remain steady at 5.6 percent, and Colliers International expects the vacancy rate to dip slightly during 2019. Remaining affordable Not surprisingly, the relatively tight market, coupled with new construction, has continued to drive rents higher with asking rental rates growing at a strong 5.1 percent during 2019, according to Reis. Colliers, as well as local developers we surveyed, expect that rents will continue to grow in 2019, but at a more modest level, which we expect will be very close to Omaha’s average annual increase of 2.7 percent over the past 10 years. Importantly, Omaha also continues to have a relatively low cost of living for apartment dwellers with an …

April 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 Minnesota Multifamily

Twin Cities’ Apartment Market Poised for a Strong 2019

by Kristin Harlow March 28, 2019

The Twin Cities apartment market is historically characterized by high occupancy and minimal volatility, with consistent and solid year-over-year rent increases, minimal concessions and a sustained vacancy rate well below 5 percent. As a result, there is abundant interest from investors and lenders alike to place capital in the Twin Cities. The lending environment for Twin Cities’ apartment owners appears poised for another great run in 2019, with all lender types having a large appetite to place capital in the market. Agency lenders Agency lenders (Freddie Mac, Fannie Mae and HUD) have been extremely active, and that will not change. Their allocations remain high, and all agencies are expected to compete aggressively for business. Additionally, there is an increased focus on products catering to affordable and workforce housing, not only for existing properties, but in providing loan commitments and locked interest rates for takeout financing for affordable or workforce housing projects. The agency reach extends geographically to secondary and tertiary out-of-state markets as well, with minimal impact on underwriting standards. Agency lenders are able to provide relatively high leverage, longer-term, nonrecourse financing for all classes of apartments. Their ability to offer partial or full-term interest-only payments is a significant …

March 28, 2019

Market Reports Midwest Midwest Market Reports Minnesota Office

To Attract and Retain Tenants, Office Landlords Get Creative in Minneapolis

by Kristin Harlow March 21, 2019

Stakes are rising in the war for talent, and employers are using amenity-rich real estate to win the hearts and minds of the brightest young recruits. Determined to outflank the competition, companies are increasingly focused on occupying buildings with the best available on-site features, proximity to nearby amenities, and the elusive “cool” factor. Competition escalates To heed the call for better offerings, landlords in Minneapolis have begun to offer unconventional amenities including golf simulators and nap pods. As owners of traditional Class B and C buildings undertake renovations and amenity package upgrades to compete with Class A properties, lines between building classes are starting to blur. Tenants will likely start taking a more cautious approach to real estate, reflecting an increase in business uncertainty and projections for slower growth. This mindset will decrease appetites for relocations, prompting more renewals in 2019. Despite this trend, there will be a healthy number of relocations for those tenants that have not yet right-sized by employing modern furniture systems, single-sized offices, more natural light and more collaborative space. Within tenants’ spaces, private offices will grow increasingly scarce, and those that remain will move to the interior to provide more light, greater flexibility and better …

March 21, 2019

Indiana Industrial Market Reports Midwest Midwest Market Reports

If You Build It, Will They Come? Indy Industrial Tenants Demand Smaller Spaces

by Kristin Harlow March 14, 2019

Recently, my national research colleagues released “The Top 10 Commercial Real Estate Trends for 2019,” a piece featuring predictions on subjects such as trade tensions, labor shortages and the evolution of “co-everything.” Of all the predictions, one stood out as being especially relevant for the Indianapolis industrial market as we inch further into 2019. Indianapolis has lacked industrial space for occupiers seeking to grow, particularly in smaller segments. The great news is that the market is well on its way to remedying this ailment. Demand causing shortage As we all know, the industrial sector is undergoing an e-commerce revolution. This has created a rush of demand by retailers and third-party logistics (3PL) providers for distribution and warehouse space, especially in cities like Indianapolis, which historically has been recognized for logistics strength. As a result, industrial market fundamentals have generally tightened across much of the United States. In the fourth quarter of 2018, the U.S. industrial vacancy rate fell to 4.8 percent, the lowest rate on record. Similarly, Midwestern markets currently sitting at 4.8 percent vacancy have experienced a 50-basis point decline in vacancy since the fourth quarter of 2017. Pair that with north of 111.5 million square feet of …

March 14, 2019

Indiana Market Reports Midwest Midwest Market Reports Retail

The Resilience and Importance of Retail in Indianapolis

by Kristin Harlow March 7, 2019

While Indiana is well known for the Indianapolis 500, the state’s economy is firing on all cylinders and experiencing noteworthy job growth. Indiana’s marketing campaign, “A State That Works,” has been successful in attracting investment to the state by touting its highly ranked business climate, competitive cost of doing business, pro-business tax climate, low cost of living, extensive logistical infrastructure and access to strong educational systems. In June 2018, Bloomberg ranked the Indiana cities of Elkhart (No. 1), Kokomo (No. 3) and Columbus (No. 13) for having the largest employment gains in the country since the recession. The Indianapolis metro area has created one of the nation’s top burgeoning tech scenes with a 68.1 percent increase in tech job growth from 2006 to 2016, landing No. 5 on Forbes’ list of “Cities Creating the Most Technology Jobs.” The state’s stable economy and encouraging unemployment rate have provided strength to the rapidly evolving retail industry. While national news is filled with retail bankruptcies and store closures, there has been tremendous retail activity backfilling vacancies and spurring new development from the following retail sectors: grocery, home living, health and wellness, beauty, fitness, off-price/discount, and dining and entertainment. Backfilling bankruptcies Following the bankruptcy …

March 7, 2019

Illinois Market Reports Midwest Midwest Market Reports Office

Chicago Office: Fulton Market Isn’t in the West Loop

by Kristin Harlow February 28, 2019

Long before the emergence of Fulton Market, local real estate professionals referred to the West Loop as the office submarket between Wells Street and immediately west of the Chicago River. But today some also refer to the Fulton Market area, an area one mile west and across a natural boundary of the Kennedy Expressway, as the West Loop. So which is it? The West Loop is the leading — and by far the largest — office submarket in Chicago with over 50 million square feet of office space inventory. Its proximity to public transportation and wide setbacks along Wacker Drive and the Chicago River offer better view corridors and more access to natural light — key competitive advantages in an area that permits more buildable density than the periphery of the central business district (CBD). On the other hand, Fulton Market has its own distinct “edgy” identity that some area office tenants consider the antithesis of the Loop (recall that the original reference to the Loop meant the area surrounded by the Elevated CTA tracks, the “El,” that loops around the CBD). The West Loop proper has witnessed significant change in the last 10 to 15 years. The …

February 28, 2019

Illinois Industrial Market Reports Midwest Midwest Market Reports

Chicago Industrial Predictions: Absorption May Slow in Second Half of 2019

by Kristin Harlow February 21, 2019

As we begin 2019, there are several opposing market forces at work that are sure to influence each of us, and our respective firms and clients. These market dynamics will ultimately dictate who has a great year and why — or why not. This year, it seems the signals are more mixed than in the past several years, so making predictions about the local industrial real estate market is somewhat daunting. Nonetheless, here is what to look for in 2019. A tale of two halves Listen carefully: skip vacations, stay in town, hunker down and make as many deals as you can in 2019. Based on current supply and demand dynamics with several significant users already in play (build-to-suits, new leases, renewals, etc.), plus a recent wave of speculative deliveries, look for the first and second quarters to be fairly robust in terms of gross absorption. This should extend the growing record of 35 straight quarters of positive net absorption, dating back to the second quarter of 2009, with at least two to three more such quarters. But, like in sports, what happens in the first half can be overshadowed by a shift in momentum or other significant change in …

February 21, 2019

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