Midwest Market Reports

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 Now, a vast majority of outdated Class B and C office product has been removed from downtown, bolstering rent growth and enticing the outside investment that Milwaukee deeply needed.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

Market Reports Midwest Midwest Market Reports Missouri Office

Uptick in Speculative Development Bodes Well for Tenants in St. Louis Office Market

by Kristin Harlow January 18, 2018

Welcome to St. Louis, Missouri. Home to nine Fortune 500 companies and the 11-time world champion St. Louis Cardinals franchise. St. Louis currently lays claim to nearly 3 million residents in the metropolitan statistical area and has exemplified economic stability and consistent growth since the Great Recession. Herein we’ll explore one key indicator of the economic health of the region: the slow but steady growth of the St. Louis office market. Demand drivers With approximately 136 million square feet of space, St. Louis is one of the largest office markets in the Midwest, and it is getting larger. Increased demand in the local office market has been predominantly driven by job growth and the consistent decrease in unemployment since its high mark of 10.4 percent in the fourth quarter of 2009. As of November 2017, the region’s unemployment rate is down to a healthy 3.3 percent, compared to a national average of 4.1 percent. Consequently, this demand for office space has resulted in decreased vacancy, increased rental rates and, ultimately, new construction. At the end of the third quarter of 2017, the vacancy rate was 7.6 percent, down from 8.7 percent in 2016. Average asking rental rates were up to …

January 18, 2018

Industrial Market Reports Midwest Midwest Market Reports Missouri

Kansas City’s Industrial Market Shows Record Absorption in 2017

by Kristin Harlow January 11, 2018

Over the last five years, Kansas City has seen a flurry of activity in the industrial sector. Since 2012, we have seen approximately 22.7 million square feet of new Class A industrial space hit the market, with speculative development and build-to-suits. Considering that Kansas City had only about 14 million square feet of Class A industrial space prior to 2012, these additions have had a huge impact on our marketplace. Prior to big box speculative development in Kansas City, it was hard to land large users due to lack of available product. These users did not have the time to wait for build-to-suit projects to be completed, so if product wasn’t readily available, they would move on to a different market. As a result, developers began to introduce speculative buildings, meeting this demand for new Class A product. Kansas City has thus emerged as a major player competing for larger users and their requirements. This year alone we have seen record absorption numbers and are not showing any major signs of slowing down anytime soon. The two major drivers that are taking this space are e-commerce and logistics users. The new demand for larger spaces has increased the average size …

January 11, 2018

Market Reports Midwest Midwest Market Reports Missouri Retail

Mixed-Use Projects Breathe New Life Into Kansas City Retail Market

by Kristin Harlow January 4, 2018

The overall Kansas City retail market remains very healthy and active. As retailers continue to navigate through e-commerce challenges, developers continue to get creative with the redevelopment of existing centers, adding mixed-use components and consolidation of big box vacancies. Restaurants and hospitality seem to be catalysts in helping to kick-start these redevelopments from the retail side. Over the past year, retail spending in Kansas City has continued to increase, but there remains a limited amount of speculative construction in the market. Therefore, the vacancy rate has dropped from 6.2 percent in 2016 to 5.7 percent as of the third quarter of 2017. The average rental rate has increased from $12.85 to $13.05 per square foot as of the third quarter. Solid job creation from major employers like Cerner and Garmin has helped the unemployment rate of 3.7 percent stay below the national average of 4.1 percent. The restaurant sector is in the process of evolving just as the retail sector is. We are seeing a lot of the major chains slowly shuttering locations where the larger footprint is no longer viable. These properties are getting backfilled fairly quickly by retailers and smaller local restaurant groups. Retail investors have stayed active. …

January 4, 2018

Market Reports Midwest Midwest Market Reports Multifamily Nebraska

Why Omaha Multifamily Market Is Golden for Investor Opportunities

by Kristin Harlow December 14, 2017

The national love affair with the multifamily sector may be starting to cool, but the Omaha market is just coming of age and heating up. “Overall, it was a strong third quarter, which was a nice surprise,”said Michael Cohen, CoStar Group director of advisory services, during his State of the Multifamily Market Third Quarter Review and Outlook on Nov. 1. “We’re still in the golden age for multifamily, but we’re seeing signs of a gradual slowdown in the apartment market.” Trendy new apartment towers and historic building conversions in downtown Omaha are all the rage — like most markets — but under the radar the entire Omaha metro is experiencing a significant boom in apartment development and sales. And why not? What’s not to like about Omaha? We are the non-threatening little brother of the Midwest that everyone likes, but never thought of in that way. But something has changed and Omaha is catching the attention of players that would have traditionally overlooked our strong fundamentals. Omaha has a diversified and stable economy fortified by nine Fortune 1000 companies, including Berkshire Hathaway, Union Pacific Railroad, Mutual of Omaha and TD Ameritrade, as well as a burgeoning innovation scene and a …

December 14, 2017

Hospitality Market Reports Michigan Midwest Midwest Market Reports

Wave of New Hotel Supply in Metro Detroit Reflects Improved Economic Fortunes

by Kristin Harlow December 7, 2017

The Detroit metropolitan area has experienced significant economic growth in recent years, fueled by a strengthening auto industry as well as the continued diversification of the local employment landscape. The hotel sector is benefitting from existing employers expanding operations locally and new entrants to the market. The Big Three automakers continue to invest in the region, while companies like e-commerce giant Amazon.com Inc. are building large warehouse facilities. Revenue gains for hotels were accordingly robust during the 2010–2016 period. Revenue per available room (RevPAR) during that stretch grew nearly 71 percent, rising from a low of roughly $38 in 2009 at the depths of the Great Recession to over $64 by year-end 2016. Both the average daily rate (ADR) and occupancy have posted consistent gains since 2010. Moreover, hoteliers sold a record number of room nights in the city of Detroit in 2016, according to STR. Occupancy levels approached 70 percent by the end of 2016, with ADRs of nearly $150 in the central business district (CBD). The data for 2017 show a relatively stable occupancy level with robust gains in ADR. The record performance achieved in this expansionary period has spurred tremendous hotel development in the downtown core and …

December 7, 2017

Market Reports Michigan Midwest Midwest Market Reports Retail

Retailers, Investors Find Detroit’s Improving Economy Inviting

by Kristin Harlow November 16, 2017

Steady employment gains and new households in metro Detroit have boosted optimism in the retail sector. The local economy added 36,500 nonfarm payroll jobs in the 12-month period that ended September 30, 2017, an expansion of 1.8 percent and in line with employment growth nationally. Job gains were led by the professional and business services sector, which filled more than 12,400 positions. This segment includes many well-paying tech jobs as companies such as Penske Logistics and Lear Corp. increase staffing. As of August, Detroit’s seasonally adjusted unemployment rate stood at 3.2 percent, down from 5.3 percent a year earlier, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. Amazon.com is rapidly expanding in the metro area. Amazon opened a fulfillment center in Livonia this fall, creating 1,000 positions, and has additional facilities planned in 2018 for Romulus and Shelby Township that will create a combined 2,600 jobs when fully staffed. The combination of job creation and increasing wages is boosting household incomes and contributing to rising retail sales. The median household income in the third quarter stood at $59,600 per year, slightly higher than the U.S. level. The gain in spending power is benefiting existing retail operations and attracting new businesses such …

November 16, 2017

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