Market Reports

Local Architect Uses Texas Civic Project to Exemplify Sustainability of Design

by Taylor Williams January 31, 2020

Tony Schmitz, vice president and senior project manager at Dallas-based Hoefer Wysocki, has been leading the architecture and design firm’s sustainability initiatives across all sectors. With an academic foundation in environmental design, Schmitz has most recently taken his green building and design expertise to Collin College, in McKinney, Texas. Sustainability features of the up-and-coming campus include improvements in the areas of water conservation, design strategies and efficient technologies. At Collin College, Schmitz has made strides in the area of resource use reduction, primarily for water. As our most precious natural resource, water usage has recently come under scrutiny in the city of Dallas, where the city council unanimously passed the 2019 Water Conservation Plan. All of Schmitz’s projects have achieved or surpassed their goal of 40 percent water reduction for the last five years. This figure has become a standard for Schmitz, with a goal to increase to 50 percent water reduction and 100 percent for non-potable water reduction. Schmitz, spoke to Texas Real Estate Business about the process of integrating sustainability into all facets of the building industry, as well as the larger role design plays in the construction of highly adaptable and efficient facilities. His edited responses are …

January 31, 2020

Market Reports Midwest Midwest Market Reports Missouri Office

Office Occupiers in Kansas City Face the Short-Term Cost Versus Long-Term Benefit Dilemma

by Kristin Harlow January 30, 2020

With Kansas City unemployment hovering at cyclical lows around 3.5 percent and the war for talent at an all-time high, companies must leverage their real estate to attract and retain top talent. At the height of the corporate office boom in the late 1990s and early 2000s, the average space per employee ranged from approximately 275 to more than 325 square feet. Today, that number has shrunk to 175 square feet per employee and some predictions see that number moving even closer to 100 square feet. These changes are driven by a recognition that companies are adopting better workplace strategies. These newer, more efficient spaces deliver a more engaging experience for employees and provide a stronger return on real estate costs for companies. There is no denying that these new spaces cost more on a per-square-foot basis. Cushman & Wakefield research reported that the weighted average asking rate for Class A space in the Kansas City market was $25.04 per square foot on a full-service basis in the third quarter of 2019. Yet the net asking rates for the buildings with this new class of product range anywhere from the high $20s to the high $30s. Occupancy costs for new …

January 30, 2020

Market Reports New Jersey Northeast Northeast Market Reports Retail

American Dream Ushers in Retail, Entertainment Growth in Northern New Jersey

by Taylor Williams January 29, 2020

Across the Hudson River, retailers and residents in Northern New Jersey benefit from lower rents and lower sales prices relative to Manhattan. In addition, mass transit lines that cross the river enable mixed-use destinations that offer dining and entertainment experiences, including the new American Dream project, to function as day-trip destinations for residents and tourists. “Northern New Jersey is still a strong tenant’s market,” says John Azarian, co-founder and CEO of New Jersey-based brokerage firm The Azarian Group. “Tenants are commanding and receiving substantial build-out and tenant improvement accommodations, with the strongest retail tenants being in the service, fitness and dining industries.” The retail vacancy rate in Northern New Jersey in the third quarter stood at 4.2 percent, unchanged from a year ago. During the same period, the asking rent rose 2.1 percent to $26.47 per square foot, according to Marcus & Millichap. The firm projects that 3.1 million square feet of new retail space will be delivered in Northern New Jersey by the end of 2019. Most of that new product will be housed at the American Dream entertainment and retail development in East Rutherford. In late October, Triple Five Group opened the first phase of its approximately $5 …

January 29, 2020

Market Reports North Carolina Retail Southeast Southeast Market Reports

New Wegmans, Drive Shack Headline Raleigh-Durham’s Attractive Retail Market

by Alex Tostado January 27, 2020

In Raleigh-Durham, there is approximately 58 million square feet of retail space with year-end vacancy at 4 percent. The consistently low vacancy has helped drive rental rates up to an average of $22 per square foot. The Raleigh area had approximately 460,000 square feet of retail space constructed in 2019 that was more than 80 percent preleased. The largest projects included the completion of Midtown East in the Wake Forest/Falls of Neuse Road submarket, which heralded the arrival of North Carolina’s first Wegmans store. This also marks Wegmans’ 100th U.S. store and set an opening day record with more than 30,000 shoppers. Wegmans expects to open five additional stores in the Triangle, including locations in Holly Springs, Wake Forest, Chapel Hill and two stores in Cary. Another large project was the new Publix supermarket that opened recently at Leesville Market near Interstate 540. And according to some sources, Hobby Lobby will be moving into the space formerly occupied by Toys ‘R’ Us in the Cary Crossroads Plaza. In Durham, Chapel Hill-based developer Beacon Properties Group is building a project called Oakridge directly off US 15-501. Tentative plans for the 108-acre property include a walkable mixed-use village with residential units, office …

January 27, 2020

California Industrial Market Reports Western Western Market Reports

Orange County’s Industrial Market Stays Healthy Going Into 2020

by Taylor Williams January 25, 2020

Demand for Orange County industrial space remained healthy in 2019 as vacancy rates ended another year in record-low territory at 2.9 percent, fueled by a strong second-half net absorption. The movement in the second half of 2019 was largely a result of the Fed’s decision to keep interest rates low, which provided assurance for buyers that had been on the fence. The attractive interest rates have led to steady price increases, however, adaptation has been slow. The average time on the market has increased by roughly 30 to 60 days from 2018. Many buyers also struggled with post-close deferred maintenance. With the typical industrial building in Orange County being construction in 1985, buyers are often challenged with renovation costs adding to their bottom lines. Meanwhile, landlords in 2019 became more conservative in rent demands as average gains in asking full-service rents fell to 4.2 percent countywide, compared to 4.9 percent in 2018. Leasing activity remained steady with an average asking rate across Orange County of about $1 per square foot, triple net. A handful of notable new construction projects advanced in 2019. In the fourth quarter, 10 buildings totaling nearly 1.2 million square feet were completed in North Orange County, …

January 25, 2020

California Market Reports Retail Western Western Market Reports

Orange County’s Retail Transaction Volume, Consistency Will Continue in 2020

by Taylor Williams January 24, 2020

Retail transaction volume was strong in January as the shorter 2019 holiday season created a tight window for year-end closings, residual transactions pushed into the New Year and gave 2020 an early jump on what should be another great year. Total transactions in 2020 should continue to build from the big start. The massive transaction volume from the second half of 2019 — more specifically, a glut of fourth-quarter sellers — has produced a wave of investors needing to complete 1031 exchange purchases in the second and third quarters of 2020. By comparison, 2019 featured a slower than typical start due to a combination of elevated interest rates and residual investor hangover from the equity markets debacle of the fourth quarter of 2018. Our sense is that 2020 will benefit from enormous velocity, driven by private investor demand and seller willingness to meet market expectations in favor of quicker transactions as fears of the late cycle, election turmoil and international unrest grow. Further evidence of seller’s alignment with market expectations, trailing available data has shown the asking price to sale ratio narrowed from nearly 12 percent in first-quarter 2019 to 3 percent in fourth-quarter 2019. This brought the bid/ask more …

January 24, 2020

Market Reports Midwest Midwest Market Reports Missouri Multifamily

Capital Continues to Flow to the City of Fountains

by Kristin Harlow January 23, 2020

Private capital delivered several new investors to Kansas City in 2019 and the new year will undoubtedly see plenty of competitive bidding and elevated pricing. Overall, the investment market continues to be supported by Kansas City’s diversified economy, with job growth weighted on the Kansas side at 2.7 percent over Missouri’s 1.1 percent (as of August 2019). Targeting talent Kansas City’s low cost of living, educated workforce and business-friendly environment attracted several coastal employers to the Heartland. This trend will likely continue in 2020. The U.S. Department of Agriculture announced the relocation of two research agencies from Washington, D.C., representing a landmark win with 525 total jobs. Other wins in 2019 included Honeywell’s centralization of its operational offices from Seattle to Kansas City; Niagara Bottling moving 50 jobs from California; Hostess Brands relocating a distribution center from Illinois; and CarMax announcing 300 jobs for its Customer Experience Center after completing a nationwide search. Annual employment growth (as of August 2019) delivered nearly 20,000 jobs with additions in healthcare, biotech and business services, substantiating the selling point of a diversified economy capable of weathering future storms. Employers have found their fit, but more importantly, their talent is seeing reasons they can …

January 23, 2020

Market Reports Massachusetts Multifamily Northeast Northeast Market Reports

Selling Affordability is Crucial in Metro Boston

by Taylor Williams January 22, 2020

With a pressing demand for new housing in the Boston area and communities struggling to provide affordable options to mitigate the effect of rising prices, the barriers to providing new affordable multifamily properties remain significant. Here in the Boston region, the scale of the problem is immense. Boston’s Metropolitan Area Planning Council recently declared a need for 185,000 new units of housing over next 10 or so years in the 15 cities and towns that comprise the inner core of the metro area — just to keep up with expected growth. Some of the integral variables and processes associated with multifamily development, like land acquisition and construction costs, can be tangibly quantified. But harder to define is the often unpredictable process of securing public approvals, wherein a development team must navigate the sometimes contentious ground between neighborhood groups and regulatory agencies. Locally Scaled Solutions In 2018, Related Beal completed The Beverly, a 239-unit, income-restricted project in downtown Boston, capturing headlines that heralded this significant model for addressing housing affordability in the region. Landmark projects like The Beverly represent great strides toward addressing the housing affordability crisis and have helped raise the awareness of efforts to develop real solutions to the …

January 22, 2020

Market Reports Retail Texas Texas Market Reports

Texas Malls Receive Facelifts, New Life

by Taylor Williams January 21, 2020

Virtually every American mall that is struggling owes its woes to some combination of e-commerce growth and millennials’ preference for experiential retail. But the simple fact remains that e-commerce still only accounts for about 10 percent of total retail sales, according to the U.S. Department of Commerce. And while store closures are still running rampant, new retailers are rapidly backfilling those shuttered spaces and introducing new concepts to maintain consumer appeal. To that end, projects that convert enclosed malls into open-air destinations that feature local or first-to-market retail concepts, more food and beverage options, open spaces for communal events and distinct entertainment (and other) uses represent paths to salvation. These projects offer developers and landlord opportunities to restore their malls as bastions of shopping, dining and entertainment — and to address unfulfilled needs within the local retail market. While every project is different in terms of how the tenant roster is revamped and how much construction is required, all mall redevelopments share the goal of returning to relevance within the community. In this piece, we highlight four Texas malls that have or are undergoing extensive redevelopments to boost occupancy, sales, foot traffic and prestige in the eyes of consumers. Park …

January 21, 2020

Market Reports North Carolina Office Southeast Southeast Market Reports

Triangle’s Office Vacancy is up Due to New Supply, but Job Growth is in a Good Spot

by Alex Tostado January 20, 2020

The Raleigh-Durham region’s strong job growth is fueling sustained demand from tenants, keeping the office market firmly in favor of landlords despite a notable increase in construction activity in recent months. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the region added 24,200 nonfarm payroll jobs between October 2018 and October 2019 for a growth rate of 2.5 percent. Unemployment rose slightly from 3 percent to just 3.1 percent during this time as nearly 36,000 people entered the local labor force. Raleigh-Durham continued to witness economic development wins in 2019 as well. Major job announcements came from office-using tenants such as Xerox (600 jobs), Q2 Solutions (700 jobs), Parexel (260 jobs), AmeriHealth Caritas (300 jobs) and HZO (500 jobs). In its recently published Emerging Trends in Real Estate report, the Urban Land Institute and PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC) named Raleigh-Durham as the No. 2 market in the United States to watch for overall real estate prospects in 2020. The region’s quality of life, robust population and job growth and highly educated workforce are supporting sustained business expansion and healthy leasing fundamentals across all asset classes. Raleigh-Durham’s office market continues to experience the most landlord-favorable conditions since the dot-com boom in the late 1990s. …

January 20, 2020

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