Market Reports

Mixed-Use Settings Permeate Houston Retail Market, Drive New Development

by Taylor Williams July 16, 2019

With higher costs of land and construction, increased demand for walkable environments and more acceptance of structured parking, mixed-use is finally becoming the norm rather than the exception as the backdrop for new retail development in metro Houston. Developers of all types recognize that quality retail enhances the value of all surrounding real estate. Apartment and office developers are utilizing retail areas as additional amenities to differentiate themselves from their competition. Selecting the appropriate retailers for highly visible spaces in these developments is extremely important, as those users become strongly representative of the overall project. Project Examples Regent Square, a 24-acre development from GID, spans four blocks, with Allen Parkway, West Dallas and Dunlavy defining the perimeter of the project. GID is currently building apartments on one of these blocks to include 50,000 square feet of retail on the first floor and three large freestanding restaurant pads. JLL has been hired to handle leasing of the project. MetroNational has gained control of the 200,000-square-foot former Sears building at Memorial City Mall and 13,620-square-foot adjoining garage. Trademark has been hired to assist in the redevelopment of the property. Zadok Jewelers announced a new mixed-use development on 1.6 acres at 1801 Post …

July 16, 2019

Georgia Market Reports Office Southeast Southeast Market Reports

From Perimeter to Peachtree, Atlanta’s Office Market is Gaining Momentum

by Alex Tostado July 15, 2019

8West. Star Metals. Coda. These are the some of the names of Atlanta’s biggest office developments and the city’s largest undertakings. Measuring more than 1 million square feet of Class A office space between them, Midtown Atlanta’s skyscraper scene is about to be drastically altered. The gravity of these major mixed-use properties, along with the allure of top talent at nearby universities like Georgia Tech, gives the Midtown submarket an increase in both developer activity and price-per-square-foot rates. The Midtown/Perishing Point Class A office space average is $35 per square foot, higher than the Atlanta-area average of $29.79 per square foot. However, buildings like Star Metals and Coda are not designed with just any tenant in mind. Speculative developments in the Atlanta market have come to a standing halt as most offices in the region are now built to fit a specific company’s needs, rather than spaces built with the hope the right tenant will come along. Most larger new developments are either a build-to-suit for a specific tenant or are anchored by a tenant that is taking up the majority of the space. Additionally, with lower required returns from REITs and the private sector, finding capital is not nearly …

July 15, 2019

California Market Reports Office Western Western Market Reports

Los Angeles’ Office Craving Shows No Sign of Satiation

by Taylor Williams July 13, 2019

The Los Angeles office market ended the first quarter with the average asking rent steady over the prior quarter. However, at $3.20 per square foot, the average asking rent remains the highest level on record, up 4.2 percent over the first quarter of 2018 and 15 percent above the prior peak reached in 2008. While the vacancy rate this quarter increased 30 basis points over the prior quarter, it is down 10 basis points from Q1 2018 at 10.6 percent. This is about where it was pre-recession in 2004. This rise in vacancy was the result of several large move-outs, including about 200,000 square feet in the South Bay and 50,000 square feet in the Central office markets. Leasing volume fell to 5.8 million square feet, down 19.6 percent from the prior quarter and 7.9 percent from Q1 2018. The rate of job growth is having some impact on the office market. Los Angeles County remains near full employment with the unemployment rate at 4.6 percent, one of the lowest rates on record. The Los Angeles County Economic Development Corporation (LAEDC) notes the county added 59,000 jobs in 2018. The latest LAEDC jobs forecast points to a strong and steady …

July 13, 2019

Connecticut Market Reports Northeast Northeast Market Reports Retail

Retail Landscape Evolves in Fairfield, Westchester Counties

by Taylor Williams July 12, 2019

Main Street isn’t dead. It’s being refreshed, rebranded and reimagined. Creating a compelling experience in today’s retail environment is a critical element to being successful. Property owners are working hard to make their retail sites attractive and relevant. This includes placing emphasis on curb appeal and redeveloping spaces that may previously have been occupied by big box tenants. Many landlords are turning larger vacancies into multiple spaces to accommodate junior anchors and smaller tenants at as retailers are rightsizing and working to maximize efficiencies. At the same time, landlords are replacing building façades and updating landscaping, parking areas and lighting to enhance visual appeal. Main Street in Westport, Connecticut, represents a prime example of this retail renaissance. This area is in the midst of a complete reboot. Over the past year or so, the talk of the town was that the storefronts along Westport’s commercial corridor are not as lively as they had been in the past. But appearances can be deceiving, and perception isn’t always reality. The truth is that Westport’s retail scene is very much alive and is being revived with new and fresher brands. New Players We’re seeing brands like Sundance, an apparel catalog company created by …

July 12, 2019

California Market Reports Restaurant Retail Western Western Market Reports

Food and Beverage Remain the Stars of LA’s Retail Scene

by Taylor Williams July 12, 2019

One fact is very clear as we assess the retail landscape and take note of the variety of retail activities taking place: food and beverage (F&B) and dining out continue to reshape consumer trends. These trends are heavily influencing retail activities throughout the region, especially in the Downtown Los Angeles submarket. The market continues to show great activity in F&B as landlords look to absorb vacancies with more food uses by creating unique dining experiences and take-out options for today’s consumer. This new demand has been the catalyst for the increase in commissary kitchens and restaurateurs leasing spaces for delivery models that cater to the growing, app-based delivery services. CBRE’s latest report, the Food in Demand Series, highlights the momentum of F&B. This extends to fast-casual dining, prepared dining options offered in grocery stores, and as stand-alone offerings in mixed-use settings, such as residential, creative office and hospitality projects. Per the report, consumer spending in restaurants amongst Millennials, Generation X and Baby Boomers has outpaced spending on grocery items. This is a significant shift for consumers. For this reason, we will likely see landlords maintain a focus on F&B as a means to bring value to their assets and create …

July 12, 2019

Market Reports Michigan Midwest Midwest Market Reports Office

Occupancy, Rental Rates Are on the Rise in Detroit’s CBD Office Market

by Kristin Harlow July 11, 2019

Given the pace at which the Detroit commercial office space market is evolving, updates and projections are changing with extraordinary speed. The market can look very different in just a few short months, and it’s worth checking in to see where things stand relative to the beginning of the year. CBD occupancy is high While growth remains the headline story, the focus has changed somewhat from a high level of leasing activity across the metro area to more of adaptation and evolution as landlords, tenants and brokers all adapt to a downtown market that is reaching capacity. The vacancy rate in Detroit proper is the lowest it has ever been, and office space in Midtown and downtown is getting harder and harder to come by. Deals are still being executed across metro Detroit, but with rents continuing to rise and space at a premium, the incentives landscape looks nothing like it has in recent years. Parking rates have increased dramatically with a major shortage in parking in the central business district (CBD). The monthly cost of parking has increased to approximately $250 per space downtown. Creative solutions Incentives continue and have produced new opportunity for creativity, as owners and operators …

July 11, 2019

Development Market Reports Northeast Northeast Market Reports

Will Your Project Get Built? Working With Communities to Gain Support for Development

by Taylor Williams July 10, 2019

We’ve seen it time and again: Companies go through a painstaking process of identifying suitable locations for developing new projects. They settle on a location and make a deal with the developer that is initially met with much fanfare — only to have the project eventually scuttled as a result of community opposition or governmental roadblocks. One need look no further than Amazon’s announcement of plans to locate half its HQ2 in New York City, representing 25,000 jobs, only to find it necessary to withdraw those plans in the face of challenges posed by so-called “community leaders.” Situations like that arise repeatedly, not only with the Amazons of the world, but also with lesser-known companies working with development partners to build new facilities, whether they be for office, industrial or retail uses. In many jurisdictions, the public approval process can be challenging to navigate. There is often a cacophony of voices from community residents, community organizations and governmental entities with different — sometimes conflicting agendas — that may or may not be economically viable or even in the community’s best interests. Those voices carry weight and are often enough to ground an ambitious project. The lessons we’ve learned as a …

July 10, 2019

Market Reports Texas Texas Market Reports

Commercial Lease Assignments: A Tale of Two Leases and A Landlord’s Right to Recapture

by Taylor Williams July 9, 2019

Commercial leases typically contain standard protections for landlords that may be potential pitfalls for tenants seeking to assign or transfer interests in a lease. A lease recapture provision permits a landlord to terminate a lease and “recapture” the leased premises when the tenant requests landlord’s consent to assign, sublease or transfer the lease. These recapture rights, which are frequently overlooked, can actually have shocking results for tenants. In order to assign a lease, the landlord’s consent is required. The Texas Property Code provides that leases, unlike certain other commercial contracts, are not assignable without a landlord’s prior written consent. Many leases enlarge the obligation to get consent by expressly preventing the tenant from selling or changing ownership interests in the tenant without landlord’s consent. These provisions can frustrate tenants in their efforts to expand, increase capital, perform corporate restructuring or to sell equity or assets of their companies. In some cases, the language is so broad that it could be construed to prevent certain collateral assignments that are ancillary to tenant financing. Negotiating Strategies Savvy commercial tenants carefully negotiate assignment and transfer language to include flexibility for future changes in the company. Brokers will often request that landlords consent to …

July 9, 2019

Georgia Industrial Market Reports Southeast Southeast Market Reports

Atlanta’s Industrial Market Reaches All-Time Low Vacancy, Despite Strong Pipeline

by Alex Tostado July 8, 2019

The industrial market in Atlanta continues to surge, benefitting not only from its role as a key regional distribution hub, but also from the rapid growth in the metropolitan area itself. Atlanta is the economic engine of the Southeast, which also happens to be the fastest growing region in the country. The Atlanta industrial market recorded just over 18 million square feet of net absorption in 2018, the second highest total on record following the 21 million square feet absorbed in 2017. The market has experienced 30 consecutive quarters of positive net absorption resulting in an all-time low vacancy rate of 5.7 percent, even though the market delivered more than 13.4 million square feet in 2018. The first quarter of 2019 recorded net absorption of slightly over 1 million square feet, not as impressive as prior quarters over the last several years. So has the market peaked or demand stopped in Atlanta? Not by a long shot. According to research from JLL, there are 5.7 million square feet of signed deals that have yet to commence and companies have yet to move into their new space. This absorption will be picked up throughout 2019. Further, JLL is tracking an additional …

July 8, 2019

California Industrial Market Reports Western Western Market Reports

LA’s Industrial Basin Heads North

by Taylor Williams July 6, 2019

The Los Angeles County industrial market continues to see record low vacancy rates, which are hovering in the 1 percent range with a conservative forecast calling for rents to increase by 7.5 percent in 2019. Ecommerce companies and third-party logistics providers (3PLs) — many of which support ecommerce operations — will continue to be dominant market players, according to NKF’s Los Angeles industrial market report for Q1 2019. In North Los Angeles, we are seeing multiple submarkets, including those in the San Fernando Valley, Ventura County, Conejo Valley, Kern County, and the Santa Clarita areas, becoming more connected than ever before. These areas and projects are now “connecting the dots” between all the submarkets as the opportunities for industrial space in Los Angeles’ core markets become increasingly more competitive and scarce. For example, occupiers that have been in the 130 million-square-foot San Fernando Valley industrial market for decades are now needing more space. However, the opportunities for larger, modern product are just not there. The majority of industrial product is less than 100,000 square feet with 16- to 24-foot clear heights. This can work for users like cosmetics, entertainment and aerospace, but others need more modern features to streamline operations. …

July 6, 2019

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