Northeast Market Reports

Mixed-Use Owners in Northeast Face Retail Tenancy Dilemma

by Taylor Williams May 20, 2022

By Taylor Williams As the pandemic recedes from the minds and wallets of American consumers, the food and beverage (F&B) industry finds itself embroiled in a host of new financial problems, driven this time by pure economics rather than public health. Inflation and supply chain disruption are working both in tandem and within independent channels to bring new hardships to the sector, mainly in the form of elevated costs and delayed timelines for operating and expanding restaurants of all types. At the same time, F&B owners and operators finds themselves awash with pent-up demand to dine out, drink, socialize and enjoy entertainment attractions and activities. Meanwhile, across the Northeast, quality F&B spaces that went dark during the first 18 months of the pandemic have largely been reabsorbed. That confluence of circumstances encapsulates major incentives and opportunities for landlords to raise rents. Add in the fact that these property owners have in many cases been operating on deferred, reduced or restructured rent payment schedules for much or all of the last two years, and the move to push F&B rents is even more justifiable. For owners of traditional retail product — from power centers to neighborhood strip malls to single-tenant, net-leased …

May 20, 2022

Industrial Market Reports New Jersey Northeast Northeast Market Reports Pennsylvania

Rents, Costs Move at Record Paces Throughout Mid-Atlantic Industrial Market

by Taylor Williams April 19, 2022

By Taylor Williams Industrial brokers and developers throughout New Jersey and Eastern Pennsylvania are flush with tenant demand, but the frenetic pace and frequency at which revenues and costs change in this market has introduced a whole new set of operating challenges. In terms of the supply side of the market, developers of industrial product, like those of every other property type, have been squeezed by supply chain disruption. Prices and lead times for ordering key materials change radically and often without warning. Developers who try to circumvent these obstacles by ordering way earlier than normal in the process now run an increased risk of having to take delivery of supplies without having all permits and sources of construction financing in place. Such a misfire in timing can create lags in delivery, potentially alienating tenants needing turnkey space and generating additional short-term costs via storage of the materials before construction begins. In addition, misaligning these timelines can spook potential investors that want the certainty of knowing that a project is moving forward. “We’re buying supplies a year in advance and trying to sync up deliveries of those materials with when we expect to have full project approval,” says Peter Polt, …

April 19, 2022

Development Market Reports Massachusetts Multifamily Northeast Northeast Market Reports

Multifamily Developers Face Unique Set of Challenges in Boston’s Seaport District

by Taylor Williams March 30, 2022

By Becky Bedwell, vice president of development, Cottonwood Group As one of Boston’s fastest-growing and most dynamic areas, the Seaport District has gotten a lot of attention as it has undergone a multitude of transformations over the past 150 years. The area has evolved from a bustling railyard and shipping area in the early 20th century to a no-man’s land of parking lots in the 1990s to its most recent iteration: The Innovation District. While the spotlight is only growing brighter as several high-profile residential and mixed-use projects come on line in this distinctive and in-demand neighborhood, the headlines tell only part of the story. The Seaport District’s seemingly sudden emergence is the result of more than a decade of development and over $22 billion in public funding — efforts that have helped draw hundreds of new businesses and support a growing list of noteworthy developments. The challenges faced and opportunities realized by developers in this part of town reveal some important truths about what it takes to create great civic spaces and successful multifamily developments — not just in this city and this area, but in urban communities around the country. What follows are some best practices, consideration and …

March 30, 2022

Market Reports New York Northeast Northeast Market Reports

New York City Tax Assessments Disregard Reality

by Taylor Williams March 9, 2022

By Joel Marcus of Marcus & Pollack LLP New York City has published three tax-year assessments since COVID-19 swept into our world. The New York City Tax Commission and New York City Law Department have had ample opportunity to reflect and refine their thinking on those assessments. The disease broke out in Wuhan, China, in late 2019 and soon spread around the world. Most of New York City noticed its impact in February and March of 2020 as businesses shut down at an accelerating rate, warranting government mandates and additional closures. So, what did New York City do for the 2020-2021 tax year? It significantly raised tax assessments. The Tax Commission and other review bodies refused to base their valuations upon the devastating catastrophic effects of COVID-19 that had ravished the city. Why do this? The answer is technical. New York City values real estate on a taxable status date, which is Jan. 5 each year. On Jan. 5, 2020, COVID-19 did not exist in assessors’ evaluation process. Nor did it exist in the review of assessments later in the year. Employment restrictions, mask mandates and lockdown requirements made it impossible to operate theaters, hotels, restaurants and many other businesses. …

March 9, 2022

Life Sciences Market Reports Northeast Northeast Market Reports Pennsylvania

Philadelphia’s Emergence as Life Sciences Hub Creates Mad Dash For Lab Space

by Taylor Williams March 2, 2022

By: Jamie Rash, Regional Director, Keystone Development + Investment Talk about a spark. When Spark Therapeutics announced plans at the end of last year to develop a $575 million gene therapy manufacturing plant in Philadelphia, it ignited the city’s evolution into a destination for the largest, most innovative life sciences firms in the world. Over $1 billion in venture capital (VC) investment is pouring into more than 50 Philadelphia life sciences companies that employ some 20,000 people, generating unprecedented demand for lab space. Supply is limited — even with 1 million square feet of lab space in development — and this supply shortage is driving some developers to capitalize on the demand by converting existing building stock. Moving Beyond Meds & Eds Philadelphia is a long-reputed “meds and eds” city, meaning it’s home to anchor institutions of higher learning and world-leading medical facilities that are known for innovation and opportunity. These institutions are major drivers of economic growth throughout the city. Previously, much of the activity in pharmaceuticals and biotechnology occurred in labs in suburban office parks and sprawling corporate campuses. In 2017, the city celebrated two cutting-edge, FDA-approved gene and cell therapies to treat specific types of cancer and …

March 2, 2022

Market Reports Northeast Northeast Market Reports

Northeast Developers, Brokers Express Concerns Over Inflation in Exclusive Forecast Survey

by Taylor Williams February 23, 2022

By Taylor Williams In late October of last year, Raphael Bostic, president of the Federal Reserve Bank of Atlanta, gave a virtual speech in which he carried a glass jar with the word “transitory” labeled on it. Inside the jar were wadded-up dollar bills, deposited by Bostic’s staff members each time they used the word “transitory” to describe the surge in prices of consumer goods and services. The exercise was meant to dispel the notion that the current inflationary environment would be fleeting or short-lived. Based on the results of Northeast Real Estate Business’ annual reader forecast survey, commercial brokers and developers/owners in the region aren’t likely to be contributing to that fund any time soon. Inflation Could Linger When asked to identify the macroeconomic force that was most likely to impact the commercial real estate industry in 2022, roughly a third of broker respondents selected inflationary pressures over supply chain constraints, pandemic restrictions, the $1 trillion infrastructure bill and employment/gross domestic product (GDP) growth. Concerns over pandemic-related restrictions on businesses, which adversely impact demand for space, was a close second among broker respondents. Some brokers elaborated on these views in the free-response section of the survey. “Continued inflation will …

February 23, 2022

Market Reports Multifamily Northeast Northeast Market Reports

Concept of ‘Home’ Pervades Design of Multifamily Projects in Northeast

by Taylor Williams February 16, 2022

By Clara Wineberg, principal and executive director, SCB Boston As we have all been forced to reexamine how we interact with and live in our homes during two years of a global pandemic, lessons learned for architects, developers and interior designers have been bountiful. In early 2020, those of us in the multifamily industry were wary about how we would make it all work; now, however, we realize the challenges we have faced in the last 24 months have provided immense opportunities to improve design of modern housing communities. In 2022 and beyond, multifamily design will continue to evolve to meet the changing definition of “home,” and how it connects us to our loved ones, communities and even ourselves. Everything From Home While home used to be just a place to hang one’s hat at the end of the day, in 2020, home took on a whole new meaning. It became not only the place we rest, but also our workplace, our children’s classroom, our fitness center and our entertainment venue. Our whole lives were — and to some extent still are — encapsulated within our homes. We expect this trend to continue moving into the future post-pandemic world. The …

February 16, 2022

Development Market Reports Multifamily New Jersey Northeast Northeast Market Reports

Transit-Oriented Multifamily Projects Transform Northern New Jersey

by Taylor Williams February 9, 2022

By Taylor Williams Northern New Jersey is teeming with new multifamily projects, many of them transit-oriented, that mesh suburban locations with urban lifestyles, making the region a desirable alternative to living in New York City. But more housing product is unquestionably needed. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the Garden State’s population grew by 5.7 percent from approximately 8.8 million to 9.3 million in 2020. New Jersey is the 11th-most populous state and the fifth-smallest state by area, and thus has the highest level of population density in the country. The combination of a growing population and a very limited supply of land means that infill development sites that provide direct access to major cities, most notably New York City and Philadelphia, are highly coveted by developers of all property types. But developers that can deliver the right kind of housing on those sites play central roles in helping municipal leaders bring new jobs, retailers and restaurants to their communities. CENTURION Union Center, a mixed-use project which includes nearly 300 new homes and approximately 27,000 square feet of retail space, is just one such project that ties together a basic need for housing with a larger revitalization of the community. …

February 9, 2022

Market Reports New Jersey Northeast Northeast Market Reports Restaurant Retail

Large-Format Retailers Find Turnkey Spaces, Expansion Opportunities in Northern New Jersey

by Taylor Williams December 21, 2021

By Taylor Williams Demand for retail and restaurant space in Northern New Jersey has long been buoyed by spillover tenants that find themselves priced out of premium spaces in New York City. Yet despite the fact that retail rents throughout the city have been depressed for the last 18 months, users have not flocked to Manhattan and Brooklyn at the expense of the fringe markets of Northern New Jersey. In fact, brokers in the latter region see a healthy level of demand from a wide range of users that see opportunity in the current conditions. “The closures of national soft goods retailers that were squeezed by reduced demand and supply chain constraints during the height of COVID-19 left some beautifully built-out spaces,” notes Kevin Pelio, director of leasing at Azarian Group. “This has benefitted local and regional operators who can come into a prominent retail location without the capital-intensive, upfront investment typically required in a normal market.” Pelio adds that the larger trend among brick-and-mortar retailers to reduce initial capital outlays and build-out costs has also led to reductions in landlords’ tenant improvement (TI) allowances. Brian Katz, CEO of Englewood, N.J.-based Katz & Associates, concurs that certain retailers are aggressively …

December 21, 2021

Market Reports New York Northeast Northeast Market Reports Restaurant Retail

Food & Beverage Leads New York City’s Retail Comeback

by Taylor Williams December 16, 2021

By Taylor Williams The fervent desire that many Americans have to make up for lost eating, drinking and socializing time has New York City’s food and beverage (F&B) market roaring back to life, prompting tenants to revisit growth plans, landlords to aggressively market their spaces and the brokers who represent the two sides to sharpen their pencils. In mid-August, New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio announced that residents wishing to eat or drink inside a restaurant or bar would have to show proof of receipt of at least one dose of a COVID-19 vaccine. Yet after two months of seeing this policy enforced, local brokers say the mandate has had a minimally adverse impact on business. Consequently, leasing activity, which began rebounding a year ago, is now accelerating in the F&B space. According to data from CBRE, F&B deals accounted for 30 percent of all new retail leases executed in New York City between March 2020 and August 2021. The company’s research team also identified 65 F&B leases throughout New York City in 2021 alone, representing about 33 percent of the total deal volume. Specifically within Manhattan, there were 24 leases executed for F&B concepts in the third quarter …

December 16, 2021

Newer Posts

Older Posts