Midwest Market Reports

Cincinnati’s Over-the-Rhine District Makes Way for Larger Office Developments

by Kristin Harlow April 5, 2018

Cincinnati’s Over-the-Rhine (OTR) neighborhood has come a long way since it served as the location for gritty scenes in movie director Steven Soderbergh’s 2000 film Traffic. Gone are the 500 vacant buildings and 700 vacant lots. The disadvantage of having the highest crime rate in the city is no more. Thanks to efforts by prominent Cincinnati companies such as Kroger Co. and Procter & Gamble, as well as the Cincinnati Center City Development Corp. (3CDC), efforts to revive the historic neighborhood have exceeded expectations. Located just north of downtown Cincinnati, OTR is one of the largest urban historic districts in the United States and is known for its abundance of architecturally significant buildings and homes. The area has a rich cultural scene due to its proximity to the Art Academy of Cincinnati, the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra, the Cincinnati Opera, the School for Creative and Performing Arts, Memorial Hall and other artistic points of interest. OTR was named one of the top 15 “cool streets” in Cushman & Wakefield’s Cool Streets of North America report. A new breed of urban, experiential and independent mid-market retailers catering to millennial consumers has led to the rise of 100 Cool Streets across the United …

April 5, 2018

Market Reports Midwest Midwest Market Reports Minnesota Multifamily Seniors Housing

Future Is Bright for Senior Living Development in the Twin Cities

by Kristin Harlow March 29, 2018

Exciting times are in store for the senior living industry. A massive generation of baby boomers is entering the golden years of retirement and beyond, driving a wave of demand for seniors housing. The U.S. Census Bureau estimates 78 million baby boomers were born between 1946 and 1964. The youngest boomers are 54 this year and the oldest are 72, so we are just eclipsing the front end of the wave. In 2029, just 11 years from now, all baby boomers will be at least 65 years old, with the vast majority beyond age 65. This group will represent 20 percent of the U.S. population, and that is when the wave may start to resemble a tsunami. Strength in numbers Demographers agree that circumstances are favorable for growth in the seniors housing market, and the real estate industry is responding. In the Twin Cities, market conditions are balanced with an adequate supply of seniors housing to handle the first groups of seniors moving in. At this time, we observe that the greatest demand is for independent living versus assisted living, memory care or skilled nursing. Overbuilding has not been an issue in the Twin Cities and most of the Midwest …

March 29, 2018

Market Reports Midwest Midwest Market Reports Minnesota Retail

From Pop-Up Shops to Escape Rooms, Minneapolis Embraces Experiential Retail

by Kristin Harlow March 22, 2018

The retail sector in metro Minneapolis continues to adapt to changing consumer preferences, fast-moving economic opportunities and new state laws. Over the course of 2017, the retail real estate market showed positive growth in every category. Absorption of 1.4 million square feet surpassed the 1.3 million square feet of deliveries, according to CoStar Group. The rising cost of construction, low vacancy rate (3.1 percent) and increasing rental rates are creating new barriers to entry for retail businesses. The aforementioned factors, along with a newfound confidence in the rising economy, are causing landlords of all magnitude to become more selective with the quality of tenants they accept. Landlords will continue to become more reserved with regard to the tenant allowances they provide for new tenants. We have seen retail giants such as Walmart and Target add new services that emphasize both value and convenience and bring shoppers back for quick fill-in trips. Minneapolis-based Target Corp. announced the public rollout of its Target Restock program, a next-day delivery service for household essentials that is designed to compete with Amazon’s Prime Pantry. After being beta-tested by its employees, the program is currently only available in about nine markets, but plans are to slowly …

March 22, 2018

Indiana Market Reports Midwest Midwest Market Reports Multifamily

Multifamily Urban Infill Development Spreads Into the Suburbs of Indianapolis

by Kristin Harlow March 15, 2018

If you happen to read or listen to Freddie Mac officials, the key economic factor driving housing demand is the labor market. In 2017, the Indiana Economic Development Corp. (IEDC) secured 293 commitments from companies across the country to locate or grow in Indiana. Collectively, this will make for more than $7 billion in new investments and 30,158 new jobs in the coming years, marking the highest annual commitment in IEDC history. Companies currently expanding and adding thousands of jobs throughout the region have been contributing greatly to the growth of the multihousing market in central Indiana. More than 2,380 market-rate apartment units were completed in 2017. Construction doesn’t appear to be slowing down either, as over 2,200 units were under construction at the beginning of 2018. Apartment deliveries soar Central Indiana has experienced a marked increase in overall multifamily deliveries. Between 2014 and 2017, developers delivered approximately 15,000 new units, compared with 13,500 units over the previous 14 years combined. A large majority of the projects are greater than 100 units, particularly the market-rate developments. Lately, most of these projects have contained pockets of amenities or are located near amenities. Downtown Indianapolis was home to one of the more …

March 15, 2018

Indiana Industrial Market Reports Midwest Midwest Market Reports

Driven by E-Commerce, Indy’s Industrial Bulk Market Continues Growth Spurt

by Kristin Harlow March 15, 2018

In 2017, newly signed bulk space deals in the greater Indianapolis industrial market totaled 10.2 million square feet. Of that total, over 50 percent had some affiliation with e-commerce. With 26 new buildings and another 5.7 million square feet under construction, the Indianapolis industrial market will clearly become increasingly linked to the performance of e-commerce as the total share of online retail sales remains in a significant growth mode. Projections by Cushman & Wakefield show that by 2020 nearly 12 percent of all retail sales will be associated with e-commerce — three times what it was 10 years ago. Stronger growth will be driven by the onset of e-grocery and e-pharma. Additionally, e-commerce will continue to be a driving force in these industrial deals because the online industry is getting better at what it does. Coming off the strongest holiday season since the Great Recession, companies are now focused on the cost of package returns and are re-examining the value of brick-and-mortar stores. When it comes to package returns, not only is the processing time significantly slower, but it is six times costlier to return a package using regular shipping methods. Returning items to physical store locations is the cheapest …

March 15, 2018

Illinois Market Reports Midwest Midwest Market Reports Office

For Some Office Tenants in Chicago, Being Out of the Loop Is In

by Kristin Harlow March 8, 2018

Office developers in Chicago are thinking outside the box — and outside the central business district — in order to cater to tenants in search of creative office space. While there will always be companies that want the cachet that a business address in the Loop offers, others realize the strategic advantages of urban, non-CBD locations as a recruiting tool. Live/work/play neighborhoods like River North and the West Loop are growing because high-profile employers want to attract a younger workforce that is drawn to the loft-style offices these neighborhoods can provide. This can be achieved either through ground-up development projects like McDonald’s soon-to-open headquarters at 1035 W. Randolph St., or adaptive reuse projects such as 1K Fulton, a former cold-storage facility that now counts Google among its tenants. Yet as rents in these submarkets continue to climb, office users are starting to ask whether they can get the same space for less money in equally desirable locations. For many, the answer is a resounding “yes.” New opportunities While neighborhoods near the CBD such as River West and Pilsen have benefitted from this office “ripple effect,” Chicago’s recently rezoned North Branch Industrial Corridor is perhaps the most alluring and uncharted territory …

March 8, 2018

Industrial Market Reports Midwest Midwest Market Reports Missouri

Tight Industrial Market Encourages Large-Scale Construction in St. Louis

by Kristin Harlow February 22, 2018

With what appears to be a never-ending stream of construction, the biggest source for excitement coming into 2018 for the St. Louis industrial market is new, speculative development. According to research from Colliers International, construction completions exceeded 4 million square feet in 2017. This is the second-highest year of recorded construction volume for the market due to last year’s Goliath delivery of 6 million square feet. Currently, over 2 million square feet is under construction, with more slated for groundbreaking in 2018. One of the larger projects recently announced is NorthPoint Development’s proposed 300-acre industrial park in Hazelwood, situated in North St. Louis County. According to the St. Louis Post-Dispatch, NorthPoint plans to develop over 3 million square feet focused on logistics and light industrial warehouse space. The big question, it seems, is how long can developers continue to find new tenants for their large, modern bulk developments in St. Louis? Even with high, positive absorption in both 2016 and 2017, expectations for continued growth may be tempered as we move forward in 2018. Looking back at 2017, we see the industrial vacancy rate for metro St. Louis dropped to 6.7 percent at the end of the year. This rate …

February 22, 2018

Market Reports Midwest Midwest Market Reports Office Wisconsin

Downtown Milwaukee Is Experiencing Booming Development Across Sectors

by Kristin Harlow February 15, 2018

In 2017, downtown Milwaukee was unrecognizable from its former self — a year that brought additional outside investment, both public and private development and a rethinking of how we utilize office space. Developers broke a decade-long dry spell in 2016, and now nearly 500,000 square feet of office space is under construction downtown. It’s a story of persistence, as an overhaul of available office product has occurred over the past few years. Now, a vast majority of outdated Class B and C office product has been removed from downtown, bolstering rent growth and enticing the outside investment that Milwaukee deeply needed. Outside investors Prior to the close of 2017, one of downtown Milwaukee’s largest office buildings and the third largest multi-tenant office complex in the state, 310 West Wisconsin Avenue, sold to an investment group based in New York. Just as Millbrook Real Estate Co. and Fulcrum Asset Advisors finished renovating, rebranding and reopening the Two-Fifty office building — a downtown tower that struggled for years — Milwaukee’s second largest office tower, 411 East Wisconsin, sold to Middleton Partners. The repositioned property sold for $50 million more than it fetched just three years prior. Both projects are a testament to …

February 15, 2018

Hospitality Illinois Market Reports Midwest Midwest Market Reports

Chicago Hotel Supply Growth Is in Line With Other Markets

by Kristin Harlow February 8, 2018

Back in mid-2017, in a piece that was published right here in Heartland Real Estate Business, I talked about what might be in store for the remainder of the year. Specifically, I wrote that while “concerns about oversupply will likely persist in many [Midwestern] markets,” the outlook was not as grim as some industry analysts had been forecasting — a “second wind in the hotel sector” was “helping to calm the waters.” The general sense was that we would continue to see moderate growth. Happily for hoteliers across the Midwest, the market has played out fairly close to those predictions. A generally better-than-expected second half of the year didn’t allay everyone’s concerns, of course. I participated in an investor call recently with some of our lenders and their local analysts, and they were still talking about the threat of oversupply. They expressed some concerns about the prospect of the hotel boom in my home market of Chicago turning into a bust. Oversupply is a valid concern. From where I stand, however, the pattern over the past six to 12 months is not showing any real sign of changing. While the rate of growth has slowed slightly, the demand side of …

February 8, 2018

Illinois Market Reports Midwest Midwest Market Reports Retail

How to Find the Formula for Success in Chicago’s Retail Market

by Kristin Harlow February 1, 2018

Successful retail development, especially in today’s evolving retail environment, needs constant re-evaluation by developers as well as municipalities. In some cases, the old rules are being rewritten to allow for more creative uses of otherwise stagnant — and sometimes historic — properties. The city of Chicago’s Industrial Corridor Modernization Initiative, designed to relax zoning in areas once reserved for manufacturing, is an excellent example of a notable shift that will allow developers to execute new strategies for retail development, often in combination with other uses. The recently adopted guidelines for the North Branch Industrial Corridor, the first of 26 such areas in Chicago to be evaluated, suggest the formula that will be needed to help realize the city’s ambitious vision. Neighborhood workforce With employers increasingly focused on attracting and retaining talent in a tight labor market, they are seeking locations with a mix of retail amenities that their employees can take advantage of before, during or after the workday. Increasingly, this mix is found in neighborhoods outside the downtown core that offer a relative value when it comes to office rents — another benefit for companies looking to make a move. In some cases, office and retail are located in …

February 1, 2018

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