Market Reports

Birmingham’s Newest Multifamily Product Will Act as a Litmus Test for the Market

by John Nelson May 4, 2015

Spring has come to Birmingham, and with it the sound of multifamily developers breaking ground. Their success in finding tenants for these properties — numbering more than 1,000 units — will be a litmus test for the future of the Birmingham market. Right now, the market activity leads one to be cautiously optimistic. Work on the $66 million renovation of the historic Pizitz Building in downtown commenced in March, which will add 143 apartments to the market in fall 2016, and the newly dubbed 20 Midtown project is finally underway. This mixed-use project, featuring a Publix and a Starbucks, will have at least 122 apartments when completed. Construction has also started on the $22 million renovation of the Thomas Jefferson Tower, another mixed-use project that will yield 96 apartments. These projects join the 236-unit Venue at the Ballpark, which broke ground last year and promises views over the outfield fence into Regions Field. The cranes are also busy east of the expressway in Lakeview. Work there has started on the 67-unit Iron City Lofts and is slated to begin later this spring on the 260-unit Metropolitan Apartments. Testing the Millennial Market Taken together, these developments highlight a number of facts …

May 4, 2015

Market Reports Multifamily Retail Texas Texas Market Reports

Rapid Growth Makes Fort Worth Attractive for Business, Consumers

by Haisten Willis May 1, 2015

Fort Worth, which makes up the core of the western side of the Dallas/ Fort Worth Metroplex, has seen expansive growth both economically and in its resident base, making it an attractive destination for businesses and consumers alike. The population of the Fort Worth- Arlington Metropolitan Division has grown by more than 35 percent since 2000, according to estimates from Moody’s Analytics. Forecast data from Moody’s indicates a continuation of this trend, with projections through 2030 anticipating a total population of over 3.1 million, which is the current size of Iowa. Personal income is another demographic that has experienced a strong growth rate in recent years. Moody’s Analytics forecasts the fourth quarter to have been the strongest quarter of year-over-year growth in 2014, with 8.7 percent growth for personal disposable income and 7.9 percent growth for total personal income. This may be a telling sign that the impact of lower oil prices has accelerated consumer spending at the onset of the oil price decline in June 2014. Furthermore, retail sales growth steadily increased throughout 2014 in the Fort Worth metropolitan division, with the most recent figure for Fort Worth (4.9 percent) outpacing the national rate (4.1 percent) at the close …

May 1, 2015

Market Reports Midwest Midwest Market Reports Multifamily Nebraska

Why The Performance of Omaha’s Apartment Market Continues to Excel

by Danielle Everson April 30, 2015

Just like Omaha’s diverse and strong economy — a 3.2 percent unemployment rate as of December 2014 — the local apartment market continues to shine. Occupancy remains high, rents are up significantly over the past year as additional charges continue to be passed through to tenants, and new construction has not yet overtaken demand. In short, 2014 was another golden year for apartments. We expect more of the same in 2015 because the market has not yet peaked. The latest estimate by the Institute of Real Estate Management (IREM) is that there are now 95,128 apartment units in the Omaha metro area, with an overall occupancy level of nearly 96 percent as of fall 2014. This strong occupancy level is virtually unchanged from the fall of 2013 when it stood at 96.17 percent. From a historical perspective, the occupancy level for Omaha’s market over the past decade has remained strong, ranging from a low of 92 percent to a high of 96 percent. We expect Omaha’s occupancy rate in 2015 to remain strong, likely in the 95 to 96 percent range. Rents on the Rise Not surprisingly, the higher occupancy gives landlords greater pricing power. Historically we have observed about …

April 30, 2015

Industrial Market Reports New Jersey Northeast Northeast Market Reports

New Jersey: Balancing the Demand and Supply Equation for Industrial Investors and Users

by Jaime Lackey April 29, 2015

The New Jersey industrial market is experiencing a renaissance of sorts with robust leasing activity in both Northern and Central regions of the state, increasing asking rents and more than 4.5 million square feet of industrial space delivered in 2014. All of these factors point to an even stronger 2015 as developers take advantage of improving market conditions. As we continue to see users and investors competing for the same properties, which in turn creates bidding contests resulting in higher sale prices, we pause and ask, “Can users compete with investors in this environment? And furthermore, should they?” To answer these questions, we need to look back at how we arrived at the current conditions. Towards the fourth quarter of 2013, asking rents and vacancy rates seemed to reach equilibrium. For each quarter after, asking rents steadily increased and vacancy dropped as demand rose. In the fourth quarter of 2014, vacancy in Central New Jersey fell to 7.2 percent, and asking rents rose from $5.35 to $5.42 per square foot with increasing demand along the New Jersey Turnpike corridor. Throughout the year, positive absorption totaled more than 2 million square feet in this region, making it the sixth year in …

April 29, 2015

Market Reports Retail Utah Western Western Market Reports

Grocery Tenants Drive SLC’s Retail Market

by Nellie Day April 28, 2015

The retail market in Utah continues to build steam and has expanded over the past 12 months. With these gains, tenants are in abundance and new construction is on the rise. Vacancy continued to improve through 2014, as the overall vacancy rate declined by 0.7 percentage points on a year-over-year basis to end at 6.2 percent. This represents the lowest vacancy rate of the past decade. With supply constrained and demand improving, average asking lease rates jumped by 9 percent on a year-over-year basis, to $18.98 per square foot. New construction continued across the valley, with 548,577 square feet of space added to the market. The local housing market drives retail development in Utah. About 18,573 building permits have been issued throughout the state in the past two years, including multifamily projects. This construction pushed many retailers into expansion mode, looking to take up shop in locations that cut off the competition. This is particularly true in one segment of the market that now stands supreme in the Utah retail ecosystem: grocery. Grocers have expanded at a breakneck rate. Sprout’s Farmers Market opened new stores in Holladay and South Jordan. A Smith’s Marketplace opened its doors in West Jordan at …

April 28, 2015

Industrial Market Reports South Carolina Southeast Southeast Market Reports

Roughly 3 Million Square Feet of Industrial Space is in Greenville’s Pipeline in 2015

by John Nelson April 27, 2015

Manufacturing was instrumental in driving the United States economy out of the recession. With Greenville-Spartanburg having a high ratio of manufacturing to warehouse space, the region’s industrial market has been ahead of the national market in terms of growth. Greenville-Spartanburg is first and foremost an industrial market with approximately 160 million square feet of manufacturing, warehouse and flex space. This is larger than the industrial markets in Columbia and Charleston combined. For five consecutive years vacancy has declined and absorption has been consistently positive. Vacancy currently sits at a record 7.3 percent and has been there for several quarters, not moving down further mostly due to lack of product. Annual net absorption topped 4.3 million square feet in 2012 and 2013, and dropped down to 2.5 million in 2014. Space that does not exist cannot be absorbed. Developers are aggressively responding to this lack of product with more than 3 million square feet of space expected to be built in 2015. Over 1.3 million square feet of that space is considered speculative, meaning construction started before occupancy was achieved. Both numbers represent the highest amounts of construction since CBRE began tracking the Greenville-Spartanburg industrial market in 2001. Absorption in 2015 …

April 27, 2015

Market Reports Retail Texas Texas Market Reports

Tourism, Medical Center Drive El Paso Economy

by Haisten Willis April 24, 2015

In 2014, El Paso, along with the rest of the country, enjoyed a vibrant, active and growing economy, and we anticipate El Paso will continue its solid growth in 2015 and beyond. Similar to the rest of the country, El Paso continued to add jobs across all sectors, resulting in reduced unemployment and increased household income. In addition, a number of factors unique to the region have made El Paso a wonderful place to do business. Fort Bliss, always vital to the El Paso economy, continues its growth. A new 1 million-square-foot medical center, which will employ approximately 4,000 people, will open in 2016. El Paso has experienced substantial additions to its medical sector. Tenet Healthcare Corp. has added a new wing to its Eastside Hospital and recently announced a new hospital to be constructed on the northwest side in conjunction with Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center El Paso. In addition, both Tenet and Hospital Corp. of America (HCA) continue their rapid placement of urgent care, emergency care and other satellite facilities around the city. As many people know, El Paso benefits from economic growth outside its city limits as well. Union Pacific is making huge investments in Santa …

April 24, 2015

Industrial Market Reports Midwest Midwest Market Reports Nebraska

New Industrial Parks Will Help Ease Tight Market Conditions in Omaha

by Danielle Everson April 23, 2015

For years the Omaha industrial market — approximately 68 million square feet strong — seemed to be slow and steady. When the market tightened, developers were still able to meet demand. Over the past 15 years, companies looking to construct new facilities have historically had an ample number of options in which to relocate along I-80 in the southwest part of the metro area. The Great Recession of the late 2000s seemingly halted speculative construction. During the rebound of the early 2010s, the vacancy rate began to steadily decline. Tenants started to absorb excess space at a healthy clip. All of a sudden, the market has begun to face two overwhelming challenges: virtually full occupancy among rental space and few readily available land options to build new product. Space Users Stay Active Industrial vacancy in Omaha has continued to plummet, ending 2014 at a 3 percent vacancy rate. Both large national companies and local businesses have accounted for the healthy absorption of space. Sergeant’s Pet Care Products (which built 349,680 square feet), Airlite Plastics (71,272 square feet), and Election Systems & Software (40,000 square feet) all increased their footprint in 2014. Additionally, several smaller transactions have occurred this year. Companies …

April 23, 2015

Market Reports Western Market Reports

Industrial Real Estate’s Rebound Continues in Las Vegas

by Nellie Day April 21, 2015

Be careful what you wish for, industrial brokers. After years of recession, brokers have been given a second life. Virtually every broker we talk to can appreciate the boom this time around. The Las Vegas industrial market has seen positive absorption nearing pre-recession highs. With land selling, occupancy rising and major players vying for any asset, the forecast should remain bright for the next 12 to 24 months. Nearly 3,000 acres of industrial, commercial and residential land was sold in 2014, accounting for more than $700 million in sales volume. Las Vegas’ industrial vacancy was around 9 percent in the fourth quarter of 2014, a low since 2008. The fourth quarter also marked the eighth consecutive quarter of positive net absorption in Southern Nevada’s industrial market. All good news. The marketplace is swelling with credibility. Panattoni Development Co. bought a 103,000-square-foot industrial building and is developing another 200,000 square feet in the southwest market. ProLogis is developing several big box developments in North Las Vegas. Dermody Properties is reportedly developing industrial space this year, too . One key component of these new developments is that Las Vegas’ Class A criteria needle is moving upward, with 30- to 32-foot clear big …

April 21, 2015

Louisiana Market Reports Retail Southeast Southeast Market Reports

High-Profile Mixed-Use Projects Help Attract Top-Notch Retailers to Baton Rouge

by John Nelson April 20, 2015

Attention retailers — Baton Rouge is the place to be. For the first time in the area’s history, the Baton Rouge MSA is expected to exceed 400,000 overall jobs in 2015 according to economists Loren Scott and James Richardson. The surge in employment is being fueled by numerous projects including $16 billion in industrial construction projects in the Baton Rouge MSA, along with $1 billion in public construction. Construction is underway downtown on a $55 million office tower and residential complex, which will be the home of the new IBM Technology Center where 800 highly skilled computer savvy individuals will be employed. Construction is also underway on a state-of-the-art water research facility in downtown Baton Rouge. The “Water Campus” situated on 30 acres next to the Mississippi River will initially consist of three buildings totaling $45 million in construction costs. This research park will provide an opportunity for academics and private-sector scientists and engineers to collaborate in producing the best available science on water management and coastal issues. For a state heavily weighted in the energy and petrochemical sectors, this will be a catalyst for economic diversification. Newsworthy Projects Juban Crossing: The most significant new mixed-use project to come on …

April 20, 2015

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