The industrial market had a notable year in 2014. Vacancy declined 270 basis points from the first quarter of 2014 where nearly 1 million square feet of space was absorbed. It has been more than seven years since absorption has registered similar figures. The primary factor driving last year’s success was a handful of large deals with more than 50,000 square feet. The supply of larger, quality spaces was steadily leased up throughout the year. These accounted for 54 percent, or 522,000 square feet, of absorbed space. Market velocity slowed down during the fourth quarter, driven by a lack of quality inventory. Absorption registered a positive 103,000 square feet, and was the lowest quarterly level of 2014. The centrally located North I-25 submarket outshined all other submarkets. In the biggest deal of the quarter, Flagship Foods occupied nearly 79,000 square feet of space in the North I-25 submarket. There were also nine other spaces occupied in this submarket that contributed another 60,000 square feet of absorption. A developing concern for 2015 is the significant amount of new available space being brought to market. Although still occupied, a total of 244,000 square feet of new space was added to the inventory …
The real estate capital markets are a funny thing — one minute you’re up and the next you’re down. The debt market starts making investors bring more equity to the table, reserves tied to energy-related tenancy are mandated, the four-letter word “recourse” is thrown around and more scrutiny is placed on every detail. No one wants to be laughed out of a committee meeting for trying to push through a multi-million dollar loan on an office building in the Energy Capital of the World. The same holds true in the equity market. Return requirements that fluctuate along the risk/return spectrum haven’t changed, but underwriting scrutiny has. Market rent growth has been scaled back or even gone negative, energy-related tenancy is being given a lower retention ratio or being downsized, downstream tenancy is more favorable than upstream tenancy, mark-to-market value-add strategies have been replaced with income preservation strategies, etc. Individually, these various reactions in the debt and equity market don’t have a huge impact on values. Combined, they have a material impact. You would think that this environment would bring about great opportunities for investors with a long-term, bullish view on Houston’s office market. Instead, most owners will be patient, electing …
The Colorado Springs industrial real estate market continues to rebound with a decrease in vacancy to 8.1 percent, an increase in the average asking rate to $6.19 per square foot (NNN) and a net positive absorption of 199,101 square feet. Along with these improvements, there has been a healthy number of owner/user acquisitions in the industrial market that has created a more competitive market for both tenants and owner/user buyers over the past year. Colorado Springs will also soon benefit from Sierra Nevada Corporation’s recent decision to construct its new $88-million hangar facility at the Colorado Springs Airport, a development that will significantly aid the city’s struggling southeast submarket. Designed as a 90,000-square-foot facility, construction is slated to begin in early 2016. The company estimates it will create about 2,100 new jobs. The city will further benefit from the formation of a new 225,200-square-foot FedEx distribution facility currently scheduled to open in 2016 These new developments reflect the abundance of opportunities and land options near the airport in the southeast submarkets, with available sites ranging from small sites of less than an acre to sites larger than 50 acres. The southeast area also offers a wide range of office/warehouse flex …
Texas has been a beacon of light during our country’s recent bout of recession. No doubt, this has to do with our business-friendly regulations and the physical space and capacity for business growth. Our economy is growing stronger every day. This past March, the United States Bureau of Labor and Statistics (BLS) released the latest employment numbers, and Regional Commissioner Stanley W. Suchman pointed out that the Dallas/Fort Worth (DFW) area ranked first in the rate of job growth and third in the number of jobs added among the country’s largest metropolitan areas. DFW’s largest growth last year was in the professional and business services sector, as 33,000 jobs were added. Other growth sectors included trade, transportation and utilities (30,500 jobs), education and health services (19,200 jobs), and leisure and hospitality (17,300 jobs). It is hard to open the business section of the morning paper anymore without seeing news of a company relocating to the DFW Metroplex, bringing along the promise of thousands of jobs. As a result, commercial real estate is booming in north Texas. Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport is an important force behind Texas’ growth and a contributor to one of the nation’s most prosperous and vital economies. …
Statistically speaking, retail real estate market conditions have remained relatively stable in St. Louis throughout 2014 and early 2015. Close to 88,000 square feet of new retail space was delivered in the first quarter of this year, resulting in a slight uptick in vacancies. At the end of the first quarter, the overall vacancy rate stood at 7.3 percent, up 10 basis points from the prior quarter, according to CoStar Group. The pace of new development is expected to escalate this year, with several new projects on the drawing board: • Pace Properties is under contract in Midtown — across from the IKEA that will soon open — to develop Midtown Station. The project will include 150,000 square feet of retail space. • Summit Development Group is under contract in Richmond Heights to develop a mixed-use project totaling 120,000 square feet that will feature a combination of restaurant and retail space — possibly even a grocer — and a hotel. The project will be known as The Crossings at Richmond Heights. • The city of Kirkwood has approved plans to redevelop the southeast and southwest corners of Lindbergh Boulevard and Manchester Road to make way for a Fresh Thyme Farmers …
The New Mexico retail market is continuing to change in a positive manner, which bodes well for property owners and businesses. There are new national, regional and local tenants looking at this market, moving in and around the shopping centers of New Mexico. New shopping centers are being built, while existing shopping centers are being redeveloped and traded. Some of the most significant transactions include Columbus Pacific acquiring Sierra Vista Shopping Center in Albuquerque and moving Stein Mart and Hobby Lobby into a former K-Mart space. Pete Daskalos Properties has also purchased Four Hills Village Shopping Center on Central and Tramway in the Southeast Heights submarket. The center now has a new movie cinema, among other changes to its anchors and tenant roster. A K-Mart building at Rio Rancho at Hilltop Plaza Shopping Center was also sold after the store vacated. The new landlord is looking to re-anchor that space as well. These big box vacancies have created redevelopment opportunities for existing shopping centers located in established trade centers while rents are increasing as the larger spaces are subdivided and leased to other tenants. This has created momentum in the market and upward pressure on asking lease rates. Other retailers …
Birmingham’s retail market remained steady in 2014, with approximately 10 percent of the total 24 million square feet available for lease. Birmingham is tracking above national averages relative to new ground-up and rehab projects that are announced or underway. Downward pressure on rents have challenged developers pro-formas, though the very friendly city and state incentives environment has allowed developers to creatively meet tenants conservative occupancy cost requirements. While the Birmingham metro area is challenged by the threat of major closings by retailers like JC Penney, Sears and Kmart, there is a pipeline of first-to-market national retailers eyeing the growth submarkets, including Highway 280, Hoover/ Riverchase and Trussville. New Grocers Enter Market Trader Joe’s recently unveiled plans to open a 12,600-square-foot store at The Summit shopping center in the second half of 2015. Trader Joe’s provides a destination food option for the market. The Summit is leased and managed by Bayer Properties. Arizona-based Sprouts Farmers Market recently announced it would be entering the Birmingham metro as well. Sprouts’ first local offering will be at Brook Highland Plaza on U.S. 280. The 22,457-square-foot store will serve an array of fresh produce and meats. Additionally, GBT Realty is developing a 25,000-square-foot Sprouts location …
This year, Forbes listed Houston as the fastest growing city in America, which is no surprise considering its 4.5 percent year-over-year job growth rate. Having created 667,800 new jobs and counting since 2005, Forbes considers Houston an economic powerhouse. Professionals old and new are drawn to the city not only for its positive economy, but for its diverse demographic and cultural scene. Due to the growing population, there is a demand for multifamily and mixed-use properties, and although the city has current concerns about dynamics and pricing of the oil and gas industry, there are several Houston submarkets that have been more resilient than others and continue to be ripe for development: The Galleria/Uptown Park, Greenway Plaza/Upper Kirby, downtown Houston and the Museum District/Montrose. The Galleria/Uptown Park The Galleria/Uptown Park submarket is home to some of Houston’s most prominent mid- and high-rise multifamily developments, with the highest net effective rent for greater Houston nearing $2.90 per square foot. The area is characterized by its blend of distinguished businesses and residential addresses with some of the area’s finest shopping, hotels, dining and night life. It’s a charismatic, urban community with an average per capita income higher than areas such as Buckhead …
One of the biggest stories in the hotel industry today is the growth of the boutique segment. Independent groups such as Ace Hotels, 21C, Grupo Habita and citizenM registered record growth in the last few years. Meanwhile, all the major brands have incorporated a boutique component. That trend was reinforced last December when IHG purchased Kimpton Hotels & Restaurants. For its part, Hyatt launched Andaz several years ago, and Marriott has rolled out the Autograph Collection, Moxy, EDITION and AC Hotels in the past few years. Even Best Western has unveiled its new urban boutique concept — Vib. I get the following question a lot: “Why should we invest in boutique hotels?” The conventional wisdom among investment funds tasked with finding hotel assets is to look for branded assets in the top five markets that are deemed less risky by pundits. However, some hotel investors don’t realize the substantial RevPAR (revenue per available room) premiums you can get with boutique properties over standard branded hotels. Among boutique properties, we’re seeing RevPAR premiums of 10 to 20 percent — sometimes 50 percent — over traditional hotels (see chart). Boutique hotels have less rigorous brand standards, if any at all, and offer …
It’s no longer a secret that Brooklyn is booming, particularly the borough’s retail scene. Retail rents have climbed continuously over the last five years. Retail density has increased almost exponentially. A recent study by CPEX of Brooklyn’s notable retail corridors (meaning areas with rents averaging more than $35 per square foot) found the number of these corridors has increased 80 percent in just two years. But what’s driving Brooklyn’s record pace of retail growth? Several market factors have created a perfect storm for Brooklyn’s retail resurgence. Development in the borough has peaked over the past two years, with permits for new residential developments up 116 percent in that timespan. Nearly 20,000 new units are in the pipeline, almost twice the number of permits in Manhattan and 149 percent more than the other outer boroughs combined. The office vacancy rate has dropped to 4.2 percent in Brooklyn, the lowest in the United States. Tourism continues to spike thanks to the borough’s noteworthy parks, the year-round arts and cultural events in the Brooklyn Academy of Music (BAM) Cultural District, and the Barclays Center’s sporting and concert events. In the meantime, hotel developments are trying to keep pace with the influx of tourists …