Market Reports

Retail, Restaurant Activity in The Woodlands is Robust and Continues to Grow

by Haisten Willis March 18, 2016

Retail and restaurant activity is strong in Houston. The Woodlands, an award-winning master planned community located 27 miles north of downtown Houston, has defied the negative impact of the oil and gas market by staying extremely solid with high occupancy and strong rents. Both retail and restaurants have seen robust growth. “Despite reports of Houston’s economic slowdown, the retail market isn’t fazed by the dropping oil prices,” says CBRE’s Houston retail research report for third quarter 2015. “In fact, construction has increased, national retailers are bullish on the Bayou City and five years of the strongest population gains in the nation are driving healthy retail growth.” Retail occupancy in the Far North sector, including The Woodlands, remains at approximately 94 percent for the third quarter of 2015, according to CBRE. Suburban Expansion While traffic in the Houston area continues to become congested, suburban cities such as The Woodlands offer shoppers and diners almost all of their retail needs within the walls of the community. Residents are finding no reason to leave. Retail in Houston and The Woodlands is limited by supply. As quickly as construction begins on new retail sites, preleasing occurs. “Fortunately, there is currently 2.6 million square feet …

March 18, 2016

Market Reports Massachusetts Northeast Northeast Market Reports Office

It’s a Game of Musical Chairs for Boston’s Corporate Tenants

by Jaime Lackey March 16, 2016

The last five years have seen a lot of shuffling around for Boston’s mainstay industries, with professional service firms moving to the Seaport and tech companies moving to Kendall Square. Although we’ve seen more new residential and commercial development than ever, there will always be space limitations in Boston, which means there will always be more user demand than there is space on the market. The space left behind from tenants on the move will be easily filled by the next wave of tenants — and the cycle continues. Oxford Properties’ latest announcement of its acquisition of 222 Berkeley St. and 500 Boylston St. in the Back Bay is perhaps the best example of the trajectory model in Boston. And similar to the media and finance switcheroo that Manhattan is experiencing (the media mecca is now downtown and FiDi is now midtown), media companies in Boston are now moving into the financial district and finance firms are moving to the Seaport. Boston Globe Media Partners is close to leasing 75,000 square feet of space at 53 State Street. The publishing company will take some of Goodwin Procter’s block that will be vacated once the company relocates to the Seaport District. …

March 16, 2016

Market Reports Retail Southeast Southeast Market Reports Virginia

Hampton Roads Gains Attention From National Upscale Retailers

by John Nelson March 14, 2016

Millennials are the largest and fastest-growing retail consumer segment in the nation. In Hampton Roads, this demographic represents 30 percent of a total population in excess of 1.7 million people. This tech-savvy and largely transient group spends approximately $3.4 billion on retail and dining every year in the local economy. It is widely acknowledged that Millennials are changing the retail industry. Developers and retailers alike, faced with rapidly changing spending patterns, more than ever must focus on the shopping, living and working trends of these consumers in order to ensure that future developments meet the needs and expectations of this demographic. The well-established, nationwide trend of shoppers migrating to walkable, mixed-use environments has led to the proliferation of multi-faceted, pedestrian-friendly developments that feature specialty retail as an integral part of a live/work/play theme in a more or less urban setting. Hampton Roads is no exception to this movement. This explains the growth of lifestyle centers in Hampton Roads, as well as the successful repositioning of some traditional malls in the region. The combination of these upscale projects and the purchasing power of the large population base has finally caught the attention of many upscale national retailers that heretofore had considered …

March 14, 2016

Market Reports Multifamily Texas Texas Market Reports

Austin’s Multifamily Market Demonstrates That Even Growth is Bigger in Texas

by Haisten Willis March 11, 2016

Steadily rising home prices and a growing population base facilitated strong demand for apartments in Austin last year. A positive employment outlook and favorable demographic trends will continue to augment housing demand and attract investors to the Austin apartment market in 2016. In 2015, Austin employers added 34,600 workers to payrolls, expanding the workforce by 3.7 percent, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. Strong hiring last year contributed to a 40 basis point year-over-year decline in the metro’s unemployment rate, which reached 3.4 percent in the third quarter. The largest gains were in primary office-using sectors, which accounted for nearly 50 percent of additions. Austin will continue to grow this year, with more than 60,000 individuals anticipated to move to the metro, supporting the creation of 23,000 households. Employers are projected to add 37,500 new jobs this year, increasing the workforce by 3.9 percent, according to Marcus & Millichap Research Services. As was the case last year, demand for housing will intensify. Austin’s population and employment boom in 2015 led to surging demand for both single-family and rental housing. Ultimately, the consistent rate of growth for single-family home prices fostered higher demand for apartments as home prices in the …

March 11, 2016

Indiana Industrial Market Reports Midwest Midwest Market Reports Uncategorized

Why E-Commerce Will Drive Growth of Indianapolis Industrial Market

by Christina Cannon March 10, 2016

The greater Indianapolis industrial market has experienced incredible growth over the past three years, and it continues to be one of the most sought-after industrial markets in the country. Supply and demand is the big story in early 2016. Because shovel-ready land is difficult to find, demand for land alternatives is pushing development further and further away from the beltway while simultaneously causing land prices to escalate. Local communities that figure out how to competitively bring shovel-ready land to the market will reap great rewards. There is strong demand for space across the industrial sector, with second-generation and medium-size distribution space outpacing the other industrial product types. Those seeking smaller, single-tenant buildings under 50,000 square feet are realizing how difficult they are to find. Additionally, the supply of available speculative space in the greater Indianapolis market has been on everyone’s radar for the past two years. Demand for spec space is catching up to the supply as evidenced by several new leases signed since the end of 2015. Currently, there is approximately 2.2 million square feet of industrial product under construction, including 1.4 million square feet of speculative development and 800,000 square feet of build-to-suit construction. Game changer The e-commerce …

March 10, 2016

Industrial Market Reports Northeast Northeast Market Reports Pennsylvania

Industrial Demand and Development in the Philadelphia region

by Jaime Lackey March 9, 2016

Metro Philadelphia’s industrial market saw strong demand, developer confidence and declining vacancy rates in 2015. Asking rents averaged $4.43 per square foot for the region, a 4 percent increase from 2014. The overall vacancy has decreased to 7.7 percent as demand kept pace with 5.7 million square feet of completed spec development. The only submarket that is posting greater than 10 percent vacancy is New Castle County, Delaware; however, New Castle’s vacancy rate was trending downward at the end of 2015. We continue to see healthy demand for industrial space in 2016. There could be some impact from global uncertainties, but these will be offset by continued on-shoring of manufacturing requirements and last-mile delivery expansion. Companies seeking between 25,000 to 80,000 square feet have seen limited availability in most submarkets, particularly for purchase. Due to strong demand and reduced availability for modern, net-leased, single-tenant buildings, some investors must consider lesser-quality assets and/or secondary locations. Sale prices and rents have increased. It is not unusual for modern bulk facilities with long-term leases in place to trade in the $90-per-square-foot range. In one recent deal, a private investor paid more than $78 per square foot for the leaseback transaction of an 85-year-old …

March 9, 2016

Market Reports North Carolina Retail Southeast Southeast Market Reports

Grocer Expansions, High-Profile Projects Keep Charlotte’s Retail Market Humming

by John Nelson March 7, 2016

The Charlotte MSA continues to experience a high level of retail activity as we go into the last quarter of 2015. With a regional inventory of 62 million square feet of retail space, the MSA has seen more than 8 million square feet of new development proposed. Vacancy rates are holding steady in the 8 to 9 percent range, and average rents have remained stable. Grocers Setting the Pace Retail development activity in the Charlotte area remains driven by grocery store expansion. Publix has opened units in Ballantyne, Matthews, Southeast Charlotte and, most recently, South End, with several new stores approved and in various stages of development. Some of the Publix activity has resulted from conversions of units it acquired from Bi-Lo, while the Ballantyne, Fort Mill and South End stores were new construction projects. Publix will open five more stores in the market in the coming year, bringing its MSA store count to 16. This will include Publix’s first stores in the Cabarrus County and Gaston County markets. Perennial market leader Harris Teeter remains the dominant traditional grocer in Charlotte with a 20 percent market share, which places it, Walmart and Food Lion in close proximity. Harris Teeter, which …

March 7, 2016

Industrial Market Reports Texas Texas Market Reports

Pay Your Fair Share (And No More) of Property Taxes in Texas

by Haisten Willis March 4, 2016

The collapse of oil and natural gas prices has reduced the value of commercial, industrial and residential properties across Texas, and threatens to reduce those values even further. This market collapse greatly impacts property tax appraisals and related tax revenue, especially as it relates to upstream, midstream and downstream properties, and to a lesser extent, commercial properties in general. Now more than ever, owners need to ensure they’re paying their share of property taxes — and nothing more. Judicial challenges are becoming increasingly popular due to their effectiveness in reducing appraisals to align with fair market values. The Houston Chronicle reported that there were 2,541 active lawsuits over commercial property valuations for the 2015 tax year in Harris County alone. The owners of 33 of the 34 high-rise commercial properties in downtown Houston have filed a judicial property tax challenge, as reported by the Houston Business Journal, and Exxon Mobil is suing the Harris County Appraisal District for its $1 billion appraisal of Exxon’s newly constructed campus. To file a judicial appeal, an owner must first file an administrative appeal with the Appraisal Review Board (ARB). These protests are common and typically yield a modest reduction in the appraised value. …

March 4, 2016

Delaware Market Reports Northeast Northeast Market Reports Retail

Retail Gains Steam throughout Delaware

by Jaime Lackey March 3, 2016

Recovery is continuing to occur in the Delaware retail market and forecasts show it will continue in the year to come. The retail sector has been strong in Class A locations, while secondary centers have experienced less demand. Land values on major corridors remain high and the limited supply is expected to further this trend. The area around Christiana Mall continues to be a strong draw for national retailers. Recent new retail activity includes the Christiana Fashion Center, which has been approved for buildings totaling in excess of 500,000 square feet. Current tenants include The Container Store, REI, Nordstrom Rack, DSW, Saks OFF Fifth, Ulta Cosmetics and Jared Jewelers. Allied Properties is developing the center. Also in the Christiana area, Kimco is planning to develop the Christiana Promenade which will encompass more than 400,000 square feet. Demolition of an existing structure is underway. The city of Wilmington will see a new $40 million redevelopment of a popular retail and office location on the 2000 block of Pennsylvania Avenue. Mayor Dennis Williams recently announced the project, which will redevelop the existing property into an attractive, high-quality mixed-use and pedestrian-oriented space that incorporates luxury residences above a first floor of quality retail …

March 3, 2016

District of Columbia Market Reports Multifamily Southeast Southeast Market Reports

D.C. Multifamily Market Absorbing Massive Amount of New Supply

by John Nelson February 29, 2016

Over the last year, metropolitan Washington, D.C.’s multifamily market has seen staggering amounts of new construction deliver, with net absorption levels that have surpassed all expectations. This is likely a result of similarly unexpected rates of job growth in the area and the remarkable resiliency of the metro D.C. economy as a whole. Among the major metropolitan markets around the country, metro D.C. — with the sense of permanence lent by the presence of the federal government — has historically been the most stable year to year, making it one of the safest bets for investors. Yet, given the massive amount of supply in the pipeline in recent years, the multifamily market has suffered a degree of hesitancy from investors fearing supply would outpace demand. However, this trend has reversed in the last 12 months, during which a record-setting 13,800 Class A multifamily units were absorbed. That figure jumps to 16,484 with Class B product in the mix. For all investment-grade apartments, stabilized vacancy has dropped 50 basis points to 3.7 percent. Class B units in particular have experienced excellent rent growth, rising 3 percent annually, while Class A maintains a growth rate of between 1 and 2 percent. Although …

February 29, 2016

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