— By Vanessa Herzog, SIOR, CCIM, Principal, Lee & Associates | Seattle — Industrial markets in the Pacific NW are adjusting to new parameters but remaining steady. Vacancy rates are hovering around 7% in the 6-county region along the I-5 corridor (Arlington to Vancouver, WA). Leasing activity slowed in the first quarter but started picking up as we progress through the second quarter. New construction is active with permitted projects, but the regional project pipeline is diminishing, not due to demand, but due to high land price expectation, stabilized rental rates and continued high costs of new construction. We think this trend will continue well into 2025 leaving Developers and Land Sellers frustrated. Regionally, large land parcels are difficult to find or assemble, leaving Developers looking at infill assemblages, land use changes or full site redevelopment. IOS specialized properties are slowing in demand from Tenants. Finally, we are seeing the small owner user facilities for sale or lease, and the demand from this user group level off. Here are some statistics: Total Inventory at 398M SF, Current Vacancy rate 7% (27.8M SF), Market Asking Rates $1.12/SF/Mo., Sublease Space 20% of total vacancy (5.6 M/SF): New Construction underway 9.9M SF. Demand …
Market Reports
By Will Mathews and Mike Kidd of Colliers What is the reason behind Atlanta’s explosive growth over the last 20 to 30 years? Simply put, it’s been the exponential increase in population driven by an influx of new residents from the Northeast, Midwest and Mid-Atlantic. Atlanta is home to 17 Fortune 500 companies (the third-largest market in the nation), numerous high-paying jobs, a culturally diverse population and multiple prestigious universities, laying a strong foundation for incredible net migration. Multifamily investors are drawn to Atlanta, evidenced by the region’s high volume of multifamily transactions. According to MSCI Real Capital Analytics, Atlanta is currently ranked No. 4 in the country behind New York City, Dallas and Los Angeles in transactions. Despite challenges related to new supply and systematic traffic problems, the future of Atlanta’s multifamily market is very bright for a number of reasons. 7.9 Million by 2050 According to the Atlanta Regional Commission, the population of Atlanta will grow to 7.9 million, or an increase of 1.8 million people from 2020 to 2050. One of the direct beneficiaries of population growth is multifamily rent growth. Reflecting recent population trends, rent growth is forecasted to peak in the suburban counties east of …
By Taylor Williams If you build it, they will come — assuming “it” is equipped with the all the facilities, necessities and conveniences of 21st-century living. As residents and consumers, it is remarkably easy to overlook the critical pieces of infrastructure that enable these necessities and conveniences. From the perspective of end users, these facilities and systems are not instrumental to the success of commercial and residential developments because they are taken for granted as minimal requirements for occupancy. Further, in many cases, the infrastructure is not visible to the naked eye. Yet for developers, particularly those in high-growth regions like North Texas, infrastructure is anything but an afterthought. “In the eyes of developers, infrastructure is a primary aspect of any project,” says Jack Turnage, development manager at Wildcatter Realty Partners, the developer behind The Greenbelt, a 325-acre mixed-use project in Hunt County. “Without that, the only way to navigate our site is on horseback.” Located in Greenville on the northeastern outskirts of Dallas, The Greenbelt is one of numerous large-scale mixed-use projects sprouting up in the region. Plans call for close to 1,000 single-family and multifamily units; several hundred thousand square feet of commercial space; numerous restaurant pad sites; …
— By Mark Lewkowitz, Executive Vice President, Colliers — The current interest rate environment has seemingly slowed the investment sales volume down, but strength remains with user sales. Over the last two years, users were more frequently being outbid for industrial properties (partially stabilized and vacant). Now, with the investment herd very thin, it has allowed users and buyers to take a crack at the opportunities. The users face the same hurdles where the cost of capital is not cheap, but it is more palatable when their business pays the mortgage or rent. I anticipate vacancies ticking up through Q4 2024, but beginning in Q1 2025, I feel confident we will see transaction frequency rise. In turn, the vacancy rate will lead to a softening of rental rates and increased concessions, but the fundamentals are strong for the industrial market, and it will turn on a dime in Q1 2025. Majestic Sunroad continues progressing significantly with the Landmark at Otay projects, delivering roughly 845,000 square feet by Q4 2024. Their projects are significant because they are among the first with 36’ clearance heights and trailer parking, something the market has not seen. Phelan Development has also introduced some incredibly functional 32’ warehouse …
— By Travis Marc, vice president, and Landes Magliarditi, first vice president, CBRE — The post-pandemic world has reshaped office space needs, and Southern Nevada is no exception. Economic uncertainty and evolving return-to-work policies are driving a market transformation that will define 2024 activity. Fueled by flexible work schedules, the digital age has fundamentally transformed how office tenants work and remain efficient. This shift in work styles is impacting the office market, and we are closely monitoring these trends to determine if pandemic-era changes will remain the future of office, or if new shifts arise to further define the future of office space. Nevada’s Enduring Strengths, Challenges Nevada’s strong economy continues to attract businesses, with sports and entertainment options fueling the growth. Live-work-play office concepts attract high-quality tenants as they, in turn, look to recruit high-quality talent. This development philosophy in Southern Nevada aims to create vibrant communities with seamless transitions between work, life and leisure activities, resulting in record rental rates. At the same time, rising interest rates and construction costs are slowing the overall development of new office. As a result, tenants have limited options to secure quality office space in newly constructed buildings. Well-located, second-generation suburban office space …
By Chris Mergenthaler, DarwinPW Realty/CORFAC International The Windy City, as Chicago is often dubbed, has long been a vital hub of commerce and industry. Boasting 19 intermodal facilities operated by six Class I railroads, a top 15 worldwide cargo airport, and sitting at the confluence of seven interstate highways that allow goods to reach 25 to 30 percent of the U.S. population within one day’s drive, Chicago’s central location makes it a key logistics and transportation hub. The robust labor force of over 4.7 million nonfarm employees, according to a first-quarter 2024 U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics report, coupled with Chicago’s location and infrastructure, lay the foundation for a fundamentally strong industrial market. While the long-term outlook of the Chicago industrial market remains positive, the Windy City is facing some headwinds as the market progresses through 2024. Uncertainty, whether positive or negative, has been a common theme of the Chicago industrial market since early 2023 as the market reacts to changing macroeconomic and geopolitical factors. Uncertainty in the global supply chain, trade relations with other countries, as well as one of the longest freight market recessions in recent history, have led to an increase in direct and sublet space on …
— By Kelly Reenders — The California coastal city of Dana Point sought to redevelop its underutilized Town Center, with the goal being to create a pedestrian-friendly live-work-play neighborhood that encouraged further reinvestment and development. Now called the Lantern District, the four-block downtown is anchored by Prado West, a three-building mixed-use complex with 109 apartments and nearly 30,000 square feet of ground-floor restaurants, shops and public outdoor space. Though the endeavor is now something the city and residents can be proud of, the project had its share of challenges. These included gaining community support for proposed changes, in addition to overcoming a leasing timeline that included a pandemic shutdown. Embracing the Local Community For Dana Point and Prado West’s developer, Raintree Partners, the solution was to embrace local entrepreneurs. Raintree recognized the value of encouraging other owners to reinvest in their properties early on as the downtown plan took shape. This caught the attention of Max Fisher, owner of the Shwack Beach Grill, which sits across the street from Prado West. Soon enough, Fisher and his partners agreed to open HomeSlice, an Italian- and pizza-focused restaurant, in Prado West across from their existing grill. As local owners, the partners felt the …
Badiee Development has logistics and industrial projects throughout the Western U.S., but its current focus is the region’s three S’s: San Diego, Sacramento, Calif., and Salt Lake City. “Badiee Development is prioritizing leasing at our existing projects in San Diego and Sacramento, and entitling future projects in San Diego, Sacramento and Salt Lake City,” says Ben Badiee, the firm’s founder and CEO. “Our company holds a ‘land bank’ with plans to develop more than 2 million square feet across four distinct projects in three markets.” San Diego Badiee’s headquarters is ripe with industrial ventures for the firm. These include the two-building, 242,969-square-foot Sanyo Logistics Center and the 38-acre Britannia Airway Logistics Center, both of which are being built near the Mexican border in Otay Mesa. Britannia Airway has also been entitled for an interim use of industrial outdoor storage (IOS), allowing the project to accommodate about 1,000 trucks and trailers. “Being in our ‘backyard,’ Otay Mesa has proven to be a highly successful market for the firm,” Badiee says. “It is at the forefront of the onshoring/nearshoring trend for the U.S. and Mexico, and land availabilities are scarce.” Sacramento Land scarcity has also been a driver for Badiee in Sacramento …
By Dougal Jeppe, Colliers Over the past few years, we have been inundated with less than positive industry news. While it’s true we are at a historic moment in commercial real estate, and users are facing complex, never-before-seen questions about how to use their space, there remain many positives as we head toward the second half of 2024. So, let’s take a look at the good news from the Chicago office market. For now, downtown Chicago remains a tenant’s market, a trend expected to persist throughout 2024. With over 47.2 million square feet of office space available, tenants have a plethora of high-quality options to choose from, making it an opportune time for businesses seeking favorable lease terms to secure space. And companies are doing just that. There has been a recent uptick in large space renewals by long-term office tenants including some consolidations reflecting the commitments many Fortune 500 companies, such as Mesirow and PNC Bank, have made to the City of Chicago. Notably, JPMorgan Chase announced plans to reinvest in Chicago by renovating its namesake tower and keeping its 7,200 employees in the city. Similarly, Google has committed to the Central Loop, and plans to move about 1,000 …
By Taylor Williams Industry professionals who hail from and work in San Antonio often describe the city’s economy and real estate scene as steady and healthy in a sort of unspectacular way. Rarely does any commercial sector in San Antonio achieve the high highs and low lows of gateway coastal markets. Further, the market’s quiet consistency has come to stand out as its neighbor up the road, Austin, has exploded as a tech hub in the past decade, bringing with it fervent building booms that still can’t put a dent in the skyrocketing cost of living. Yet this same quality that in years past caused major retailers and restaurants — and investors — to pass on San Antonio is now a primary force that attracts them to the Alamo City, at least according to some local industry experts. Some of these individuals elaborated on the trend at the inaugural InterFace San Antonio retail conference, which took place on April 4 at the Hilton Palacio Del Rio hotel. Bethany Babcock, principal and co-owner of full-service firm Foresite Commercial Real Estate, was the first industry expert who addressed the market’s evolution in the post-COVID era. “We noticed at the last couple trade …