Midwest Market Reports

Increased Development Activity in Cedar Rapids Flows Across Property Types

by Kristin Harlow August 10, 2017

These are momentous times for the Cedar Rapids economy. On the jobs front, the unemployment rate for the Cedar Rapids area stood at 3.2 percent in May, even tighter than the national unemployment rate of 4.3 percent for the same period. Meanwhile, the housing market recorded its lowest inventory of housing on the market in two years with 1,482 active listings in June 2017, 540 less than June 2015. On average, the number of days that houses were on the market dropped from 87 to 62 in the last year-and-a-half, while the median house price increased to $166,646. The city has seen dramatic housing, commercial and industrial growth in the last several years. Municipal and business leaders are addressing several issues, including: • affordable housing for entry-level workers and those earning 30 to 50 percent of the area median income; • recruitment of workers to fill an abundance of job openings; • more recreational, retail and cultural opportunities to attract Millennials to the city to fill the job openings; • completion of the flood protection system to reinforce the confidence of developers in creating projects along the Cedar River. What follows is an update on the performance of the major …

August 10, 2017

Market Reports Midwest Midwest Market Reports Missouri Office

Specialty Practices Drive Growth in Kansas City Medical Office Market

by Kristin Harlow July 27, 2017

Kansas City is in the midst of an aggressive expansion of capital investment in medical office space that is consistent with national activity. A variety of factors drive these developments, including patients’ expectations for medical care, a change in how large-scale healthcare operators view their networks and the growth of specialty practitioners. The evolution of medical space created by these forces leads to an entirely new development approach. The most obvious evidence of this change in the Kansas City market is located along the Interstate 435 corridor between State Line Road and Metcalf Avenue. Every major healthcare operator in the metro area either has an established presence there, is in the midst of an expansion project, or both. Within that area, the new medical office building for St. Luke’s Health System at Mission Farms was completed in the second half of 2016. Further west, the 76,000-square-foot Quad Six medical office building, located at 6650 W. 110th St., delivered in June of this year. To the south, at 159th Street and Antioch Road, the first phase of the BluHawk project recently delivered for Shawnee Mission Health – Overland Park. The project includes a 75,000-square-foot medical office building, along with a separate …

July 27, 2017

Hospitality Market Reports Michigan Midwest Midwest Market Reports

Bedrock Is a Major Force in Motor City

by Kristin Harlow July 20, 2017

You’d be hard-pressed to find a commercial real estate company in the Midwest more active than Bedrock Detroit. The full-service firm — which acquires, leases, finances, develops and manages commercial and residential space — has several projects in the development pipeline spread across property types. Since its founding in 2011, Bedrock has located more than 160 office and retail tenants to Detroit’s “technology-centric” downtown. In addition, Bedrock and its affiliates have invested more than $3.5 billion in acquiring, renovating and developing slightly more than 100 properties totaling about 16 million square feet in downtown Detroit and Cleveland. Bedrock is commonly referred to as the real estate arm of billionaire businessman Dan Gilbert’s Rock Ventures. Gilbert is the chairman and founder of Rock Ventures and Quicken Loans Inc., the mortgage lending giant headquartered in Detroit. Diverse project portfolio In January, a joint venture between Shinola/Detroit LLC and Bedrock broke ground on the eight-story, 130-room Shinola Hotel. Located at 1400 Woodward Ave., the boutique hotel is scheduled to open in fall 2018. (Shinola, a Detroit-based company, is best known as a manufacturer of watches, bicycles and leather goods.) Chef Andrew Carmellini and Noho Hospitality are developing the food and beverage offerings to ensure …

July 20, 2017

Market Reports Midwest Midwest Market Reports Office Wisconsin

Millennial Workforce Drives Development Wave in Downtown Milwaukee

by Kristin Harlow July 20, 2017

There’s never been a better time to live and work in downtown Milwaukee. With the recession in the rearview mirror, a massive resurgence in the multifamily and office sectors has originated in Wisconsin’s largest city. Since 2011, 2,500 multifamily units have been completed, with an additional 1,500 units under construction and 2,000 proposed. The office market has seen a similar trend with nearly 2 million square feet of new development being created, the bulk of which is Northwestern Mutual Life Insurance Co.’s new $450 million, 32-story office tower. After decades of decline, downtown Milwaukee is experiencing a surge in population growth largely attributed to the development influx. This has changed the makeup of the city’s job market and molded a new workforce hinged on modern factors. With an increase in residents migrating to urban areas to work and reside, companies are shifting gears to tap into this ever-evolving talent market. Catering to millennials Known as the job-hopping generation, millennials are the focus of companies’ recruiting tactics. Combined with competitive compensation packages, businesses have begun leveraging their chief incentive: the physical office space. A prime example of this development, the Third/Fifth Ward on the city’s southeastern side has become one of …

July 20, 2017

Illinois Market Reports Midwest Midwest Market Reports

Lifting the Veil on Chicago and Cook County Real Estate Taxes

by Kristin Harlow July 6, 2017

It seems like politics watchers and the news media like to establish a veil of mystery around Cook County tax assessments. And although it sells papers and conjures an atmosphere of the unknown, the most important thing to know about tax relief in Cook County is the role of market value in assessments and how taxes are calculated. On June 13, taxing entities announced that tax rates in the City of Chicago would be going up approximately 10 percent. The second installment 2016 tax bills were scheduled to be published around July 1 with a very short payment deadline of Aug. 1, 2017. Those bills will reflect all changes to assessments, as well as the new tax rates. Tax increases make good headlines, but the increases were not a real surprise. The large anticipated property tax increases arise from a local ordinance designed to recapture a portion of the City of Chicago’s and Chicago Public Schools’ large budget deficits and pension plan deficits. This local real estate tax increase resulted from the absence any current resolution of the continuing budgetary stalemate between the general assembly and the governor’s office in Springfield, Illinois. The table below illustrates the potential real estate …

July 6, 2017

Iowa Market Reports Midwest Midwest Market Reports Multifamily

Population Growth Sparks Apartment Development Wave in Des Moines

by Kristin Harlow June 29, 2017

While recently visiting a local Starbucks, I noticed an employee behind the counter with a tattoo in the shape of California. I decided to ask the barista if she was from the Golden State, and indeed she was. I asked what brought her to Des Moines, thinking she would say family or a love interest, but I was wrong. She had read and heard so much positive press about the Des Moines area that she decided to give it a shot. She started applying for jobs online and landed one with Wells Fargo, the largest employer in Des Moines. Working at Starbucks was her second gig. I asked if she lived in the suburbs. She replied, “Nope, I live downtown and work in the suburbs.” Population surge This anecdotal story is pretty common these days. Young people are flocking to Des Moines like never before. I have lived in Des Moines nearly 40 years, and never have I seen the growth we are currently experiencing. Much of it has to do with the quality of life. We don’t yet have a rush hour — we call it rush minutes. The cost of living is reasonable, and young people stand a …

June 29, 2017

Illinois Industrial Market Reports Midwest Midwest Market Reports

Priming Chicago’s Industrial Corridors For 21st Century Development

by Kristin Harlow June 22, 2017

As Chicago has emerged as one of the country’s top tech capitals, large parcels of land across the city -— many set aside for manufacturers that no longer do business there — have remained stuck in the past, serving as roadblocks to billions of dollars in new real estate development. That’s about to change thanks to a yearlong effort spearheaded by Mayor Rahm Emanuel and the city’s Department of Planning and Development, which recently approved recommendations for modernizing the first of 26 industrial corridors across the city. The recommendations are the result of a community engagement process that solicited feedback from various stakeholders, including our firm and other real estate developers. The plan will pave the way for new residential and commercial projects throughout the North Branch Industrial Corridor, which stretches from Kinzie Street to just north of Fullerton Avenue along the Chicago River. These investments, which include much-needed infrastructure and open space initiatives, will engage the adjacent riverfront and create mixed-use environments. The early years In the 1980s, the city of Chicago designated a series of industrial corridors and Planned Manufacturing Districts (PMDs) — many along waterways and railways — to protect the city’s industrial base from encroachment by …

June 22, 2017

Illinois Market Reports Midwest Midwest Market Reports Office

Strong Tenant Demand Continues to Propel Chicago’s Office Market

by Kristin Harlow June 15, 2017

In spite of the ongoing fiscal woes of the State of Illinois and City of Chicago, the downtown office market in the Windy City continues to experience solid growth in demand for quality office space. The first quarter of 2017 saw net absorption of 374,000 square feet, a 54 percent increase from the 243,000 square feet of net absorption recorded during the first quarter of 2016. This comes on the heels of a spike in supply in the central business district (CBD) of Chicago, with the opening of two new Class A office towers during the past two quarters: 150 North Riverside Plaza and 444 West Lake Street, developed by Riverside Investment & Development Co. and Hines Interests, respectively. These trophy assets added 2.4 million square feet of office space to the CBD. With these additions, Chicago’s office inventory in the CBD expanded from 132.6 million square feet in the first quarter of 2016 to 135 million square feet in the first quarter of 2017. Two additional towers under construction now at 151 N. Franklin Street and 625 W. Adams Street will open in the next 12 months, adding an additional 1.3 million square feet to the supply and bringing …

June 15, 2017

Market Reports Midwest Midwest Market Reports Multifamily Wisconsin

Wisconsin Supreme Court Reaffirms Subsidized Housing Valuation Methods

by Kristin Harlow June 8, 2017

In a major victory for subsidized housing developers and investors, the Wisconsin Supreme Court has reaffirmed longstanding principles governing the assessment of these properties. The Dec. 22, 2016 decision in Regency West Apartments LLC v. City of Racine confirms that the assessment of a subsidized housing project is a property-specific exercise that must take into account the type of federal program involved, specific restrictions on the property, and actual property income and expenses. The decision also affirms that the value of a subsidized property cannot be determined by comparison to conventional apartment properties that have no restrictions and can charge full market rents. Historical context The Wisconsin Supreme Court first upheld these principles in a 1993 case involving a Milwaukee apartment project subject to rental and other restrictions imposed by the U. S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD). The assessor had valued the property based on market rents at conventional apartments, ignoring the property owner’s inability to legally charge market rents. The Supreme Court nullified the assessment, stating that the assessor had illegally assessed the property by “pretend[ing]” that the HUD restrictions did not apply. The new decision In the December 2016 decision, the Supreme Court reaffirmed the …

June 8, 2017

Kansas Market Reports Midwest Midwest Market Reports Retail

A Growing Number of National Retailers Have Wichita on Their Radar Screen

by Kristin Harlow June 1, 2017

The pace of retail construction remains brisk in Wichita with national retailers showing an increased interest in the market. In the first quarter, developers started construction on nine buildings totaling 112,961 square feet, reports brokerage firm NAI Martens. Completions during the first quarter totaled 117,300 square feet. Notable store openings included Sprouts Farmers Market at Central Avenue and Rock Road; Save-A-Lot grocery store at 1640 S. Broadway; Cavender’s western wear store in Greenwich Place at K-96 and Greenwich Road; Andy’s Frozen Custard at NewMarket Square along 21st Street; and a freestanding Starbucks at Wichita State University on the school’s innovation campus. In short, developers in Wichita appear to be making up for lost time. As a result of the Great Recession, the local economy shed 30,000 jobs between 2009 and 2011, many of them related to the aviation industry, according to the Wichita Metro Chamber of Commerce. Commercial real estate activity ground to a halt at that point. “Between 2008 and 2012 and maybe into 2014, we just didn’t have much development at all. There were some plans on the drawing boards, but nothing really reached fruition,” recalls Thomas Johnson, president of NAI Martens. But consumer confidence gradually began to …

June 1, 2017

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