Market Reports

Industrial Developers Shift into High Gear in Metro Kansas City

by Christina Cannon July 6, 2016

Kansas City’s industrial market is experiencing an incredible construction boom that is both market-driven and not limited to just one area or particular deal. In the past two years, multiple, diverse industries and tenant categories have shown interest in a variety of options around the area. The buildings going up and the tenants filling them cannot be pigeonholed into any single, narrow category. It’s encouraging that the entire market is doing well, not just one particular segment or submarket. The success of the market is widespread across the region. New buildings have gone up in Johnson County, Jackson County and Wyandotte County in the past few years. Projects also are moving forward in Platte County, up by Kansas City International Airport, and also in Executive and Northland Park. Additionally, Kansas City is providing options to companies of all sizes, from giant, bulk users to smaller users seeking the features associated with new development. New buildings such as Westlink Industrial Park in Johnson County and Kaw Point in Wyandotte County have offered tenants looking for 50,000 to 100,000 square feet the opportunity to access the amenities and features of modern construction that are associated with new bulk development. Both of those …

July 6, 2016

Alabama Market Reports Retail Southeast Southeast Market Reports

New Publix, Apartment Projects in Downtown Birmingham Spur on Retail Growth

by John Nelson July 4, 2016

The real estate market in downtown Birmingham has followed the “chicken and egg” trend. Over the last few years, over a dozen multifamily projects have been announced, but the major hurdle is proving the demand as people moving downtown have wanted a downtown grocer. While some multifamily developers decided to proceed with construction, others waited on the sidelines hoping a grocer would announce a new downtown location. On the other hand, major grocers put off locating in downtown Birmingham due to the lack of people living in the general area. Problem solved when construction started last year on a new 30,000-square-foot Publix with a full-service pharmacy in downtown Birmingham. Developers Scott Bryant and Dick Schmalz announced that the Publix will anchor a new multi-story, mixed-used development. Publix considered a store in downtown Birmingham in 2007 and again in 2009 before finally deciding to bring a store downtown now. The development of the Parkside District with Railroad Park and Regions Field, along with existing and planned apartment projects in the area, contributed to the timing. With the addition of Publix, several other multifamily projects are well underway or completed, such as the 228-unit LIV Parkside, 332 total units next to Regions …

July 4, 2016

Market Reports Midwest Midwest Market Reports Missouri Office Uncategorized

New Headquarters Construction Drives Office Growth Along Highway 40

by Christina Cannon June 30, 2016

The office market in Chesterfield, a suburb of St. Louis, has undergone tremendous growth in the past two years. In particular, the I-64/Highway 40 corridor within the West St. Louis County submarket has experienced a flurry of activity highlighted by the construction of several corporate headquarters as well as expansions. The corridor, which stretches from Clayton to Chesterfield, boasts a highly visible central location, proximity to high-end housing that appeals to corporate executives, newer buildings that bode well for future resale or leasing, and convenient interstate access. With a Class A vacancy rate of only 7.6 percent, the West St. Louis County submarket is experiencing a shortage of available blocks of office space of 50,000 square feet or more. Corporations desiring to locate along the prestigious corridor are relocating from older Class B space to existing or build-to-suit Class A properties. In fact, new construction during the last two years added 774,000 square feet of office space to this submarket, of which all but 50,000 square feet was already committed upon delivery. Less than 50,000 square feet was considered speculative. Magnet for headquarters RaboAgrifinance will relocate its corporate headquarters from Creve Coeur Pointe to the new Delmar Gardens III at …

June 30, 2016

Market Reports New Jersey Northeast Northeast Market Reports Office

Pharmaceutical Sector Dominates Suburban New Jersey Relocation Activity

by Jaime Lackey June 29, 2016

By many measures, 2015 was Northern New Jersey’s best year for its office market in quite some time. Tenants leased 11.7 million square feet, the strongest annual activity since 2003. Business confidence improved and companies showed a growing willingness to invest in their workforce and workplace. The number of larger leases dropped off a bit in 2015, though, as many of the largest space searches were fulfilled and fewer quality space options remained in some of the most sought after areas. Tenants have no shortage of options in much of Morris County and Newark, but steady leasing in Metropark and Jersey City’s waterfront has pushed availability below 15 percent. Smaller and mid-sized tenants can still find space in these locations, but there are far fewer big blocks of quality space remaining. There were fewer larger leases in 2015, but tenants were very mobile: relocations outnumbered renewals by two to one with 12 firms opting to move and six renewing. An analysis of larger leases (deals over 40,000 square feet) signed since 2009 shows that larger tenants renewed slightly less than 50 percent of the time (81 firms moved and 75 renewed). From a supply perspective, market conditions have been ideal …

June 29, 2016

Alabama Market Reports Office Southeast Southeast Market Reports

Sizable Transactions Set the Tone for Birmingham’s Office Market

by John Nelson June 27, 2016

Pick up any Birmingham newspaper and the headlines will likely reveal plans for a historic building renovation, a new mixed-use development or a prominent Birmingham company expanding into the Central Business District (CBD). Birmingham has enjoyed a surge of development over the last few years, with nationally recognized projects such as Railroad Park and Regions Field, the renovations of prominent downtown buildings and the emergence of new districts throughout the city. With all the development going on, it’s no wonder that the Birmingham office market is thriving with investors taking an interest in many of the city’s best Class A properties. The years 2014 and 2015 marked a record number of Class A properties trading to prominent national investors, and the trend seems to be continuing into 2016. Over the past year, Hertz Investment Group expanded its Birmingham footprint to include Inverness Center (four buildings), the Wells Fargo Tower and the BB&T Bank Building, a total of more than 1 million square feet. The Matrix Group purchased the four-building portfolio Meadow Brook North, totaling more than 500,000 square feet. 2016 is off to a promising start with the sale of one of the Southern submarket’s most prominent buildings, the 211,335-square-foot …

June 27, 2016

Illinois Market Reports Midwest Midwest Market Reports Retail Uncategorized

Why Specialty Fitness Centers Are Enjoying a Healthy Run in Chicago

by Christina Cannon June 23, 2016

Today we have a choice in virtually every retail segment, and choosing a place for your favorite workout is no different. Specialty health clubs are a growing trend in Chicago, ranging from cycling at Flywheel or SoulCycle to high-impact cardio and weights at Shred415, Orange Theory or Barry’s Boot Camp. You can take ballet-inspired classes at Pure Barre, The Bar Method, Daily Method or The Barre Code, or yoga at Core Power Yoga, Yoga Six or Yoga By Degrees. You can even take rowing classes at GO Row or practice wake boarding with ChicagoSUP. But classes are not cheap, ranging from $20 to $30 per visit to unlimited yearlong memberships for $1,900. Despite the high price tag, these types of workouts are increasingly popular. While a full-service health club offers much more than just one type of workout, specialty fitness does just that — it specializes. Unique features These fitness classes focus on just one exercise, making the classes more challenging and better with teachers who are experts. They also provide different levels of classes compared with a gym, which may only offer one yoga, weight or spin class. Specialty fitness spaces are smaller than a full-service health club, but …

June 23, 2016

Market Reports New York Northeast Northeast Market Reports Retail

In NYC, High Retail Rents Still an Issue, but e-Commerce May Loom Larger

by Jaime Lackey June 22, 2016

Although it would appear that retail landlords in New York City are reaping the benefit of high rents — and many are, if they bought at the right time — demand has declined and leasing velocity has slowed, mostly due to inflated landlord expectations, tenant hesitancy and increased supply from tenant defaults. Yes, the Manhattan retail leasing market has softened, but not enough to significantly reduce historically high asking rents. For example, the fourth quarter of 2015 saw ground-floor average asking rent decreasing in the majority of the major corridors over the second quarter 2015. Fifth Avenue, from 49th to 59th, saw an 8 percent decrease; Madison, from 57th to 72nd, saw a 5 percent decrease; West 34th Street, from Fifth to Seventh avenues, saw a 16 percent decrease; and Broadway, from Houston to Broome, saw a 15 percent decrease. The corridors which saw rent increases were modest compared to the rises we saw in early 2015 and 2014. While this is in part due to increasing supply, an adjustment in landlord expectations is having the greatest impact. High rates of default and eviction have plagued New York City for years, mostly due to inexperienced tenants relying on unrealistic revenue …

June 22, 2016

Alabama Market Reports Multifamily Southeast Southeast Market Reports

Birmingham’s Apartment Market Feeds Off Downtown’s Renaissance

by John Nelson June 20, 2016

Birmingham’s renaissance has been underway for several years now, but it has taken some time for the rest of the world to find out. This year they started paying attention. The opening of Railroad Park, Regions Field, the Iron City event venue and now the recently restored Lyric Theatre have made it clear that there are intriguing things going on in downtown Birmingham. Lonely Planet, the respected travel information source, included Birmingham in its “2016 Best in the U.S.” list, asking, “Could Birmingham be the coolest city in the South?” Food media giant Zagat named Birmingham “America’s No. 1 Next Hot Food City” and the Travel Channel chose Birmingham to its list of “11 Next Great Destinations.” Foodies and fashionistas are not the only groups showing interest in Birmingham. Multifamily investors have been building new developments and acquiring and repositioning existing properties over the past few years. This activity reflects national trends — investors looking for alternatives to top-tier markets and Millennials gravitating to an affordable urban core. Nonetheless, with its burgeoning downtown food and arts scene, Birmingham has earned a second look. Strong Year for Downtown Developers liked what they saw and acted accordingly. In 2014 and 2015, plans …

June 20, 2016

Illinois Market Reports Midwest Midwest Market Reports Office Uncategorized

Market Conditions Ripe for Office Acquisitions by Single-Tenant Users

by Christina Cannon June 16, 2016

Across the country, and specifically in the Chicago corridor that leads to the northwestern suburbs, a wide range of businesses are debunking the commonly held notion that urban migration is diminishing the suburban marketplace. The evidence is indisputable. While Fortune 500 firms are leasing hundreds of thousands of square feet in Chicago’s suburbs, small to midsize firms are facilitating the expansion of their businesses by acquiring single-tenant facilities in the burbs as well. Since 2014, 20 businesses in Chicago’s northwest suburbs have acquired buildings totaling more than 1.3 million square feet of space, according to Colliers International. The cumulative purchase price of these assets exceeds $97.1 million. This level of activity compares favorably to statistics for the entire suburban marketplace that show 63 buildings totaling approximately 4.7 million square feet and valued in excess of $307.7 million were sold during that time (see table). Four driving factors This healthy level of activity can be attributed to a variety of factors, four of which we highlight in this piece. • Access to capital — Banks are lending again and exhibiting greater levels of caution after years of retreating to the sidelines. Additionally, the cost of capital is very reasonable, in spite …

June 16, 2016

Market Reports Northeast Northeast Market Reports Office

NYC Sees Rising Office Rents, Development Activity Picks Up Across Boroughs

by Jaime Lackey June 15, 2016

In New York City, sizable tenants are renewing their office leases and expanding work space. Citywide, office space searches are being driven by new businesses that need to establish presence. These dynamics have the office market operating as powerfully and effectively as possible. New York City organizations are slated to create 80,000 new jobs this year, expanding total employment by 1.9 percent. Major companies like Google, Facebook and Amazon have recently committed to large blocks of space, which are becoming notably rare as office vacancy levels in the Big Apple continue to tighten. Vacancy will slip 10 basis points to 9.6 percent this year as firms absorb more than 3.8 million square feet. As a result of office vacancies continuing to tighten, builders have started to add to the pipeline, which New York City will see come to fruition this year with the opening of 10 Hudson Yards, Related Cos.’ long-awaited office building project in Manhattan’s West Side. Overall, developers will complete 3.6 million square feet of office space this year, with nearly half at 10 Hudson Yards. Located near Hell’s Kitchen, Chelsea and the Penn Station area, the building is part of the Hudson Yards urban renewal project. Manhattan …

June 15, 2016

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