Investors have renewed their interest in office properties in the Washington, D.C. central business district (CBD) based on increasing tenant demand. The market is putting a higher value on the built-in amenities that exist in the CBD, like dining and entertaining options, transportation accessibility and architecturally timeless buildings. We can always tell the center of gravity of a city by where the brokerage shops locate. In D.C., CBRE’s latest move to the CBD from the East End puts all of the agency brokerage shops within feet of each other. With a healthy stock of historically significant, well-built office properties with value-add potential, the CBD is primed to continue its office renaissance. Transportation Infrastructure While the existing public transportation infrastructure in the CBD is an important factor driving businesses back to the submarket, shaving 20 to 30 minutes from commute times — whether by car, bus or train — is decidedly attractive to today’s employers. Combined with the variety of established dining, entertainment and hospitality options in the CBD, transportation is vital to attracting high-profile employers. The city’s law firms in particular have taken note. Over 20 notable practices have relocated their offices to the CBD in the last year alone. …
The Hawaii investment sale market was active in 2018 with an abundance of capital seeking investment opportunities throughout the state and across all product types. Mortgage availability from local banks and non-local financiers remained strong, and there was a steady flow of new interest from debt and equity sources looking for first opportunities in Hawaii. Last year’s transaction volume (including entity level) was up 33 percent from 2017 to $5.5 billion. Institutional and cross-border investment volumes were up from 2017 and performing well above the 10-year average. It was a slower year for private investors and REITs, though institutional capital from Singapore, Zurich, Kuwait, Germany and Japan were the foreign standouts in 2018. Entity-level activity boosted Hawaii’s transaction volume significantly in 2018. We anticipate this story to continue to spill over into Hawaii through 2019 as institutions deploy large amounts of capital to build scale. Brookfield’s acquisition of GGP was the largest entity-level transaction, which included the 2.5 million-square-foot Ala Moana Center with its two office buildings consisting of about 400,000 square feet, the Whalers Village in Maui and the Prince Kuhio Plaza in Hilo. The hospitality sector led the charge for the third year in a row with $2.45 …
From a manufacturing perspective, Oklahoma City has historically been considered a “tertiary market” when stacked against South Central and Midwest power players such as Dallas-Fort Worth (DFW), Houston, Kansas City, San Antonio, Austin and Denver. As large manufacturing users consider multiple markets in the Central United States, Oklahoma City is often included in the initial list but typically fails to make the short list for various reasons. However, as labor costs rise, Oklahoma City may find itself being pushed to the front of the line. Past Misses Oklahoma City’s industrial market totals approximately 108 million square feet, making it a smaller market than DFW, Houston, Kansas City, San Antonio, Austin or Denver. Primarily driven by the oil & gas, aerospace and consumer goods industries, this market’s fundamentals tend to move in lockstep with oil & gas commodity prices. The city has tried to diversify the economy over the past decade and bring in non-oil & gas users. But there is still room for improvement. The metro has seen its share of growth; however, overall industrial construction still pales in comparison to larger markets. Growing Appeal The industrial booms seen in DFW, Houston, Kansas City, San Antonio, Austin and Denver over …
Many of us remember a time when a great new job was measured primarily by the paycheck and the size of the office. How times have changed. And nothing illustrates that better than the favor of mixed-use developments. As the workforce demographic has evolved, so have the amenities that attract top talent. Smart companies know that creating an appealing environment for the best candidates means access to food options, walking distance to shopping and retail choices, and close proximity to housing. Millennials are a big part (but not the only part) of this changing trend, especially as older millennials assume decision-making roles. But employers in general are learning that it makes sense to cater to their workforce by creating a more attractive work environment. From malls to millennials The landscape of American living and working has transformed over the decades. Up until the mid-20th century, mixed-use was everywhere, as many shop owners and employees lived in homes behind their businesses or apartments above their shops. With the rapid growth of the federal interstate system and growing popularity of single-use zoning regulations, however, commercial and residential spaces were largely separated. Not surprisingly, this combination gave rise to the golden age of …
Retail inventory in Southern New Hampshire totaled 29.8 million square feet in 2018, a nominal gain of 42,900 square feet from 2017. Vacancy increased 41,200 square feet, equating to a vacancy rate of 9.3 percent compared to 9.1 percent last year. The higher rate can be mainly attributed to closings by Toys ‘R’ Us (four namesake stores and two Babies ‘R’ Us stores) and Walmart (two Sam’s Clubs). Offsetting these closings were openings that filled several large vacancies. Three vacant Sports Authority stores were occupied by HomeGoods, Sierra Trading Post, Cost Plus World Market, Guitar Center, Party City and DSW. BJ’s Wholesale Club opened in the vacant Sam’s Club in Manchester. A vacant center in Merrimack, now known as Merrimack 360, is under redevelopment. Planet Fitness opened there and an Altitude Trampoline Park is planned. Other announced tenants include Dollar General, Great Clips and The Thirsty Moose Taphouse. As a result of these changes, absorption was flat for the year. The retailer adding the most space in the region was BJ’s Wholesale Club, which opened 108,900 square feet in Manchester. Cardi’s Furniture and NH1 Motorplex Indoor Karting were next, filling space at Seacoast Shopping Center in Seabrook. Sam’s Club, Toys …
Honolulu’s office market has been stagnant for nearly 20 years with negative supply growth, limited demand, constant reductions in square feet per person and a very tight labor market. However, conversions from office to residential and/or hotel use and a major tenant move could change the market starting in 2019. Multi-tenant inventory has decreased by about 500,000 square feet since 1996 with the conversion of an office building to a hotel in 2015 through 2017; another taken off the market in 2016 for a hotel or residential conversion; and yet another converted to office condominiums in 2004. The market currently has about 11 million square feet in 73 Class A and B multi-tenant buildings. Half the inventory and 65 percent of the vacancy (940,000 square feet) is in the Central Business District (CBD), which is Hawaii’s financial center and sits adjacent to federal, state and municipal centers. New inventory has been limited to owner-users, medical office buildings and small mixed-use buildings. These include Hale Pawaa, a 135,000-square-foot medical office building, the 160,000-square-foot FBI building, the 240,000-square-foot NOAA Regional Center, the 75,000-square-foot Princess Kamamalu State office building and the 26,000-square-foot former Honolulu Advertiser Building for Hawaiian Dredging. Office users are generally …
How many cities can boast a multifamily history that goes back 300 years? New Orleans can, as it is celebrating its Tricentennial. New Orleans is home to the first apartment building in the United States. Historians have noted the “oldest continuously rented” multifamily development in the country is the Pontalba Apartments. Built in 1849 by the wealthy Baroness Michaela Pontalba, the iconic apartment’s crown molding, sconces, iron railings and balconies are now synonymous with New Orleans architecture. The Pontalba Apartments occupies prime real estate at the east and west side of the historic Jackson Square in the French Quarter. And yes, there is a waiting list to lease a unit. Today the city that sits on the bend of the Mississippi River has a limited amount of land, which keeps the equilibrium between supply and demand in sync. Thus new development is confined to urban infill locations, adaptive reuse projects or the few submarkets with available land — primarily located to the north of Lake Pontchartrain. Households that have income levels necessary to support the rents required for new properties are fueling market-rate development. The NOLA metro market has an inventory of approximately 54,000 units situated in nine distinct submarkets. …
As expected and much anticipated, the global rise in oil prices has given the petroleum industry a significant boost and spurred Oklahoma City’s economic recovery. The resurgence, demonstrated in part by a three-year-high in hiring this year, is drawing out-of-state multifamily investors and bringing greater interest from companies looking to relocate or expand. In mid-October, FedEx more than doubled its warehouse space with the opening of a new 270,000-square-foot distribution facility in north Oklahoma City. The expansion came in response to the increase in outbound e-commerce volume, another indication that the local economy has turned a corner. Most of the new jobs created in Oklahoma City through September 2018 were professional and business positions. The sector grew by 4.4 percent year-over-year, easily the widest margin of any employment sector. Overall, the total number of jobs filled during that same period was 13,500, an increase of 2.1 percent. For the complete year, employers anticipate adding about 14,000 new positions. The rebound in hiring has led to the unemployment rate dropping to 3.2 percent, nearly its lowest level in a decade. Supply-Demand Balance The city’s economic recovery is particularly well-timed for multifamily investors, as it coincides with a reduction in the metro’s …
Once referred to by developers as a “well-kept secret,” the Kansas City metro area is quickly developing a global reputation for skilled workforce, strong infrastructure, affordable housing and competitive overhead costs like transportation and utilities. “Kansas City is a region rising. We are dispelling the notion that Kansas City is a well-kept secret,” says Tim Cowden, president and CEO of Kansas City Area Development Council. “There is growing recognition among site locators and corporate executives that the Kansas City region is an excellent option for any number of business types, including financial services, technology centers, animal health, e-commerce or industrial.” I-35 corridor As one of the most populous counties in the metro area, Johnson County, Kansas, appeals particularly to business and industry seeking to locate outside the downtown Kansas City core. The county has added an average of 6,500 residents each year for the past decade, and private development is keeping pace. Residential and retail projects dot the I-35 corridor northeast of Olathe, Kansas, the Johnson County seat. Southwest Johnson County, meanwhile, has become an industrial heavyweight with two parks located just off the interstate. “Johnson County has a formula for success with the quality of the workforce, infrastructure that’s …
A strengthening rental market is drawing more multifamily investors toward the New Haven metro area. Property fundamentals are rapidly improving, aided by greater renter demand and a lack of new supply pressure. Solid apartment performance, an array of multifamily assets well-positioned for upgrades and region-leading yields offer opportunities for investors, contributing to a record level of deal volume for the market in 2018. Apartment properties in New Haven have performed better over the past 24 months than they have at any point in the last 10 years. Positive job growth has renewed renter demand, facilitating vacancy declines and rent gains. Vacancy has fallen 350 basis points since September 2016 to its current rate of 4.1 percent, and as vacancy contracted, rent growth accelerated. Effective rents began rising in 2017. The pace of growth has been trending upward in 2018, reaching a trailing 12-month appreciation rate of 5.9 percent in September, a four-year high. These improvements are just as evident in the surrounding suburbs south along the I-95 Corridor and north along the I-91 Corridor as they are in the city of New Haven. The increase in absorption and the resulting impact on multifamily operations has been positive in part because …