Overall the Rhode Island office market exited 2015 with positive momentum, which resulted in a strong first quarter 2016. While much of the activity is intrastate, it is a sign that local businesses have regained confidence in the overall economy outside of Rhode Island. In Providence, office building conversions to residential apartments continues to drive much of the urban office building demand. The largest of the recent residential conversions include the sale of 95 Chestnut Street (57,000 square feet) and 170 Westminster Street (62,000 square feet), which has resulted in contraction of the Class B Providence office market. In addition, The Rhode Island School of Design’s (RISD) recent expansion/purchase of a 12,000-square-foot office condominium at 123 Dyer Street has also spurred downtown demand. The Providence office market has also been affected by corporate consolidation. Citizens Bank, Bank of America, Textron and Blue Cross have all reduced the size of their footprints in Providence over the past 18 months. As a result, the Providence office market experienced a slight uptick in vacancy rates ending 2015, at about 16.5 percent. In the Jewelry District, three construction projects are well underway. The South Street Landing project is a $220 million dollar renovation of …
In real estate, where some see an eyesore, others can sometimes find opportunity. Such was the case with The Mayfair Collection, a new regional shopping center in Wauwatosa, Wis., located approximately 10 miles west of downtown Milwaukee. Just a few years ago, the 69-acre site was filled with old, obsolete industrial buildings that were mostly unoccupied, but the City of Wauwatosa and our firm, Chicago-based HSA Commercial, shared the vision of transforming the vacant industrial park into a vibrant mixed-use community. The project initially involved adaptively repurposing 1 million square feet of warehouse space into a contemporary retail destination that has brought national retailers like Nordstrom Rack and Saks Fifth Avenue OFF 5TH to Wisconsin. The development also has helped launch new national brands such as J. Crew Mercantile and Off/Aisle by Kohl’s. The once-empty industrial structures are now completely transformed into lively shops and restaurants that are drawing customers from all over southeast Wisconsin. Phase I: Find the right mix What historically made the site attractive for industrial use — its highly accessible location, at the interchange with U.S. Highway 45 and Burleigh Street, less than five miles north of Interstate 94 — also made it ideal for retail, …
Houston will be among the nation’s leaders in retail property deliveries in 2016 as nearly 3 million square feet of space is scheduled for completion this year. The new construction will increase retail property supply by 1 percent, the fifth-largest rate of growth for retail space for major markets in the nation. Historically, Houston has had several growth spurts — and some economic recessions — related to the energy industry. The Houston metro area, known as a world capital in the oil and gas industry, has some obstacles to overcome as the upstream oil sector is losing a significant number of jobs. Yet other area employers have gained momentum, keeping job growth positive. Since the Great Recession, Houston’s annual job growth of 2.9 percent has outpaced the national rate of expansion by approximately 130 basis points. However, energy-related layoffs have caused the market to trail national employment growth by the same spread in the last year. Similar to 2015, between 15,000 to 20,000 jobs are forecast to be created this year, maintaining the metro’s positive job outlook. Growth in other sectors of the Houston area’s economy, like health care and downstream oil-and-gas operations, is positively influencing the market and keeping …
Detroit has become a five-sport town: The Pistons, Red Wings, Lions and Tigers have been joined by Dan Gilbert’s Bedrock Real Estate Services LLC, the entity that has made a sport out of assembling a downtown Detroit portfolio of commercial buildings. In the process, Gilbert is becoming the city’s biggest advocate. Talking about Detroit’s office market without including Gilbert’s latest investment is akin to discussing Detroit’s economy and excluding the automotive industry. The Quicken Loans founder and principal shareholder of the Cleveland Cavaliers put himself on the region’s real estate game board when the recession ended and he started buying up properties. To date, Gilbert and his team have amassed a portfolio of more than 85 properties in and around the downtown comprised of more than 13 million square feet and valued in excess of $2.2 billion. The March 2015 acquisition of the 43-story One Detroit Center at 500 Woodward Ave. — which has since been renamed Ally Detroit Center — and attached 2,070-space parking deck for well over $100 million was his biggest deal during the acquisition spree. Ally Financial is completing its relocation to the building this spring from the nearby Renaissance Center, as well as bringing employees …
For the fifth straight year, the Baltimore industrial market ended the year with a positive net absorption, with improvements continuing in both rental rate growth and overall fundamentals. While not overly robust compared to other areas of the country, such as Ontario, Calif., Atlanta, New Jersey and Central Pennsylvania, the Baltimore market absorbed almost 3 million square feet of industrial space in 2015. This sustained growth trend is attributed to a steady, albeit choppy, stream of demand, sustained levels of new construction activity and falling availability and vacancy markers. Looking at the overall conditions of the market, several factors contribute to the improving fundamentals, the most significant of which is the ongoing, high demand for Class A industrial property, which continues to outpace available supply. The Baltimore market is located in the heart of the I-95 Corridor and can access 34 percent of the U.S. population within a single day’s drive. Additionally, given its location within the Washington/Baltimore metropolis, major retailers have selected Baltimore as a logical location for e-commerce and omni-channel fulfillment centers to distribute to homes. These centers will allow retailers same-day access to the 9 million people in the Baltimore-Washington region. On average, those residing in this …
Grocery stores are always getting a better understanding of the priorities of their core customers. Convenience, value and service are the top reasons people shop where they shop. However, those priorities are expanding. The focus has shifted away from simply providing a “one size fits all” solution toward a customized strategy to attract a cross-section of customers — from the everyday shopper to experienced foodie. By doing so, retail spaces are successfully opening across the state at an elevated rate, addressing growing customer demand while navigating the ever-changing market. Here are five items impacting grocery stores in our state. Educated Customers Customers are becoming more educated about the products they buy. Their expectations are changing. Retailers are finding creative ways to successfully addressing them. To increase revenue and margins, drug stores are getting into the mix, with mixed results. Established chains like Walgreens and CVS/Pharmacy are renovating over 400 locations, with increased emphasis on rebranding their drug stores as health/wellness retailers and expanding the grocery items kept in stock. Big box stores, like Walmart, are also making changes as they try to refine their market strategies. The company announced that approximately 102 of its smaller Walmart Express stores will be …
The dissolution of The Great Atlantic & Pacific Tea Company, better known as A&P, after 156 years in business was not a complete shock — they had, after all, applied for bankruptcy protection once before already this decade. However, the company and its many legacy brands occupied 296 stores in the United States and Canada at the time of liquidation, which meant a seismic shift was bound to occur in those real estate markets. In Northern and Central New Jersey, the resulting repositioning of A&P’s highly-coveted retail properties is proving to be an unexpected positive for a variety of reasons. For one, A&P occupied space in many of their shopping centers for decades, meaning they were paying less than market rent. Landlords are now able to negotiate new deals at higher rents, resulting in an important market correction. This is also an opportunity to reassess the makeup of centers and figure out not only what categories are missing but also what use groups will best drive traffic and stabilize the centers. Owners are able to repurpose the anchor spaces to accommodate smaller users. For example, on Route 35 in Middletown, the former Pathmark has been subdivided into a TJ Maxx …
It’s no longer a secret. Residential housing is one of the biggest stories to hit Cleveland’s central business district in over a quarter century. The only thing more impressive than the long list of residential projects that have been completed over the last five years is an even longer list of residential projects that are either planned or under construction. Despite this prolonged surge in activity, several questions remain, with most centered around the viability and sustainability of this sector. But before we take a look forward, let’s first take a look back. Downtown Cleveland has added approximately 1,700 new rental units over the past five years, with the total residential rental inventory standing at nearly 5,900 units. Last year alone saw 573 new units come on line as the direct result of converting nearly 500,000 square feet of former commercial and office space to residential. But despite this additional inventory, the occupancy rate has increased nearly 2 percent over the last five years, ending 2015 at 97.5 percent. Population surge in CBD The downtown area contains approximately 14,000 residents, a 79 percent increase since 2000, according to a newly released report from the Downtown Cleveland Alliance. The average rent …
Beretta, Nissan, General Motors, Electrolux and Hankook Tire are a few manufacturing giants that call Middle Tennessee home. Expanding the manufacturing presence throughout 2015, 29 advanced manufacturing companies announced relocations or expansions in Middle Tennessee. Of that total, six companies revealed plans to create a combined 710 jobs and occupy more than 1 million square feet during the fourth quarter of 2015 alone. Nashville’s central location, skilled workforce and labor cost advantages continue to make the market a magnet for manufacturing companies. Unsurprisingly, in its Emerging Trends in Real Estate 2016 report, Urban Land Institute named Nashville the “No. 7 U.S. Market to Watch for 2016” and an “18-Hour City.” Additionally, Nashville’s low cost of doing business and consistent job and population growth favor the industrial market, and the pipeline for talent across all multiple industries remains full. Nashville’s industrial market is firing on all cylinders — with record low vacancy rates and historically high rents, which is driving robust speculative warehouse development. Interestingly, a new trend is occurring that is breaking the paradigms of traditional industrial space use — the appearance of the maker economy. These “makers” are modern, small-scale manufacturers that “are emerging as a revitalizing force in …
In 2016, uncertainty in the oil and gas industry has made a major impact on the Fort Worth commercial real estate market. While each submarket is affected differently, the need for relocations and renovations will lead to a rising demand for quality office and retail spaces across the area. Development of Fort Worth real estate is expected to remain strong in 2016, with growing opportunities that create a strong and healthy market. Office Opportunity Downtown Fort Worth has become a hub for major players in the oil and gas industry, such as Holland Services, Forestar Oil & Gas and FTS International. Within the last 180 days, these tenants have put over 125,000 square feet of office space up on the market for sublease. However, the rest of the office sector has been consistently absorbing large blocks of space, proving healthy despite oil and gas concerns. We have seen at least six transactions totaling over 385,000 square feet within the last six months. Transactions included Charles Schwab’s 130,000-square-foot lease at Circle T in Westlake, and Teague Nall & Perkins’ 42,000-square-foot lease of the former Everest College building at the Mercantile Center in Fort Worth. The consistently strong demand for quality office …