To most people, the word Baltimore conjures up images of the city’s vibrant downtown and historic areas, including Fells Point, the Inner Harbor, Federal Hill and Canton. In recent years, a number of significant multifamily developments have contributed to the rejuvenation of these trademark neighborhoods, bringing new households to areas previously dominated by daytime office workers and tourists. Recently completed multifamily projects in Baltimore include The Eden, Elm Street Development’s 270-unit project in Fells Point and The Zenith, Legacy Harrison’s 191-unit tower near Camden Yards. These properties have all leased briskly since opening in mid-2007. Across the Inner Harbor, Mark Sapperstein’s 250-unit project at the McHenry Row mixed-use development promises to be a major catalyst for the Locust Point neighborhood. Baltimore has experienced an unprecedented amount of development activity during the last 5 years, as nearly 3,000 new multifamily units were recently delivered inside the city’s boundaries. The Baltimore region is also home to the Baltimore-Washington Corridor, which runs along Interstate 95 in Howard and Anne Arundel counties, another hot spot that stands to see an even greater volume of construction and investment during the next 20 years. Among the major catalysts for the Baltimore-Washington Corridor’s rapid growth during the …
Market Reports
What area is your expertise? Multifamily Investments — Greater Seattle Area What trends do you see presently in multifamily development in your area? With vacancy rates below 5 percent in the greater Seattle area, we see continued rental rate growth, and continued demand for apartment rental units. In general, the number of apartment units is down, and more units in development for 2009 – 2011 will increase the unit count in the downtown areas. Who are the active multifamily developers in your area? Avalon, Lorig, SRM Development and SP Real Estate are some of the active multifamily developers with new projects underway. Please name one or two significant multifamily developments in your area. What impact will these projects have on the market? Avalon’s new Avalon at Meydenbauer recently opened in downtown Bellevue adding over 350 units within walking distance to Bellevue Square and the new Lincoln Center. SRM Development is underway with 130 units being developed in Seattle in South Lake Union nearby Vulcan’s new developments, Amazon’s new Headquarters and the new Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation. Where is the majority of development taking place? Why is this area doing well? The majority of new development is occurring in and …
What area is your expertise? I specialize in the sale and lease of industrial buildings and land in the Denver Metropolitan area. What trends do you see presently in industrial development in your area? Speculative construction is still ongoing in the industrial sector. The demand for functional office/warehouse, distribution and condominium warehouse buildings remains stable which has prompted several local and national developers to bring new product to the market this year. YTD deliveries and anticipated third quarter completion of speculative construction include: East I-7-/Montbello industrial submarket Whirlpool Building — 410,000 square feet (Panattoni Development Co.) Mile High Business Center — with a 337,000-square-foot building and a 90,000-square-foot building (Panattoni Development Co.) Airways Business Center — with an 83,225-square-foot building, a 79,650-square-foot building and a 57,630-square-foot building Majestic Commerce Center — with a 215,000-square-foot building (Majestic Realty Co.) Enterprise Park at Stapleton — with a 153,035-square-foot, a 148,90-square-foot, and 139,695-square-foot building (Etkin Johnson) Northeast industrial submarket OmniCenter — with two 38,240-square-foot buildings (Landmark Properties Group) Southeast industrial submarket Compark Commerce Center — with a 62,000-square-foot building (Urban Construction, Inc.) Corporate Park at Stonegate — with a 44,700-square-foot and a 37,580-square-foot building (Ascendant Development) Twenty Mile Commerce Center — with a …
What area is your expertise? West Michigan — Traverse City to Benton Harbor. What type of retail product is doing well in your area? Grocery and gas. What retailers are new to your area? Sonic and Johnny’s Lunch. Who are the active retail developers in your area? Several wish they were active, however, the lack of retailers coupled with the lack of financing has prevented several deals from moving forward. Please name one or two significant retail developments in your area. What impact will these projects have on the market? The Corner Shops, southeast corner of East Beltline and 28th Street SE, Jared’s and other inline retailers. Minimal impact on the market in general. Evergreen Properties proposed Lifestyle Center at the NE corner of Knapp and East Beltline avenues. They’ve secured D&W Grocery Store and have tentative agreements with several other retailers. It will be interesting to see what happens with the Aikens proposed development, which is less than one mile north of this site. Acquisition of the former Rogers Department store by Israel’s fine furniture on 28th Street SE will clearly have a dramatic impact on the southwest section of 28th Street. Where is the majority of development taking …
What area is your expertise? Reno/Sparks, Nevada What trends do you see presently in retail development in your area? We are seeing an increase in vacancy rates in both anchor spaces and in-line shops, as some existing tenants are vacating. What type of retail product is doing well in your area? As in most areas, Costco, Sam’s, Wal-Marts, and Dollar Stores are seeing increased sales. Sales have shifted to retailers with perceived value. Subway’s has also reported increased sales with their $5 sub sandwich promotion. What retailers are new to your area? Dillard’s, Cabella’s, Scheel’s and RC Willey. Who are the active retail developers in your area? Lewis Operating, Red Development and Bayer Properties. Please name one or two significant retail developments in your area. What impact will these projects have on the market? Damonte Ranch Town Center developed by Lewis Operating. The center is anchored by The Home Depot, Office Depot and RC Willey. The center has additional anchor space available. It is located in south Reno east of U.S. 395 at Steamboat and Damonte Ranch Parkway. This center is located in the middle of a master-planned community that will have over 15,000 homes in the immediate area when …
What area is your expertise? St. Louis County, Missouri — specifically the Chesterfield submarket. What trends do you see presently in office development in your area? In this submarket, vacancy is declining and new buildings are under construction with more being planned. Who are the active office developers in your area? MPD Development, Duke Realty, OPUS and Sachs Properties. Please name one or two significant office developments in your area. What impact will these projects have on the market? Valley Trails Center at 17401 North Outer 40 Drive, Chesterfield, MO 63005. Three 66,000-square-foot office/medical buildings (planned for near future). Located on Interstate 64/Highway 40 with great access from Boone’s Crossing interchange. Buildings will include balconies and have excellent visibility from the interstate. Adjoins a 26 mile trail system. Developer is MPD Development. Where is the majority of development taking place? Why is this area doing well? West St. Louis County due to access and strong demographics. What area do you expect to be the next big development market? Why? Development will continue in West St. Louis County/ Western Chesterfield area due to available land. What areas are doing well in terms of office leasing? Which areas are struggling with office …
What area is your expertise? Phoenix Metropolitan Area What trends do you see presently in multifamily development in your area? As construction on the first phase of the Phoenix light rail system wraps up, we’re seeing a major trend towards mixed-use projects with multifamily housing with commercial space along the line’s route from Central Phoenix to Tempe and Mesa. Developers are also targeting the renters-by-choice market by building upscale apartments that offer high-end amenities and finishes. Who are the active multifamily developers in your area? Alliance Residential, Embrey, Fairfield Residential, Trammell Crow Residential, Gray Development, Mark-Taylor, Greystone, Trillium Residential, and the Zaremba Group. Please name one or two significant multifamily developments in your area. What impact will these projects have on the market? CityScape — RED Development and CDK Partners are building this $900 million, 2.5 million-square-foot project in downtown Phoenix. CityScape will feature 1,200 multifamily units, along with a 600,000-square-foot office tower, shops, restaurants, and a 250-room hotel operated by San Francisco-based Kimpton Hotels & Restaurants. Office tenants already committed to the project include Wachovia (regional headquarters) and Squire, Sanders & Dempsey LLP (global law firm). This project is currently supporting more than 3,000 construction jobs, and on-site employment …
What area is your expertise? For the purpose of this report I will be discussing the office market in and around Akron. What trends do you see presently in office development in your area? Akron has historically been a fairly conservative and stable office development market. Fortunately, this has meant that our area has not fallen in the trap of being over developed like a lot of cities experience in a market downturn. However, as we’ve experienced in the past down markets, those tenants that are making moves are expecting and getting rental concessions, increased tenant improvement allowances and very attractive rental rates. We’ve also experience a substantial increase in locally owned businesses opting to either build or buy their own office space which is due to the attractive mortgage rates and sale prices. Who are the active office developers in your area? In the 35-plus years that I’ve been in the office/industrial real estate business, I have not seen as many major expansion projects announced as I’ve seen in the past 18 months in our area. These projects will undoubtedly help bolster the Akron economy and help spur additional growth, or a trickledown effect as some would choose to …
What area is your expertise? Our team’s expertise is the industrial real estate market primarily in Western Washington along the Interstate 5 corridor. We also work nationally for clients who are expanding into other areas either for site/space acquisitions or investment opportunities. What trends do you see presently in industrial development in your area? Currently there is no speculative development occurring in our area. Sites of interest would be infill sites in mature markets and rail-served sites. Risk is being priced back into the market with a significant pricing spread being evident between Class A and Class B properties — something we did not see during the high point of this past real state cycle. What type of industrial product is doing well in your area? Business parks accommodating the smaller to medium size users are doing relatively well. In addition, properties located near or in Seattle are doing well. The Kent Valley, due to its close proximity to Seattle and being composed or primarily business parks, is experiencing a decline in vacancy rates. In addition, rail served sites are a desirable commodity. Who are the active industrial developers in your area? Active national developers include: Panattoni, First Industrial, Opus, …
What area is your expertise? Industrial leasing and sales in the Northern Nevada area, including Reno, Sparks, Fernley, and Carson City. What trends do you see presently in industrial development in your area? Abatement of planned buildings while developers wait for speculative big-box construction to absorb. What type of industrial product is doing well in your area? Industrial condos have seen an increase in sales due to some aggressive owners acknowledge current market conditions and dropping prices. Concerning leasing, the 20,000 to 40,000-square-foot sector has been relatively active in big-box industrial spaces. Who are the active industrial developers in your area? Prologis, Panattoni, DP Partners, McShane, Tarragon, UPC, and Development Arts. Please name one or two significant industrial developments in your area. What impact will these projects have on the market? The addition of several new developers building speculative big-box construction has created a new dynamic in the Northern Nevada industrial market. The short-term impact has created a significant increase in overall vacancy. The long-term outcome remains to be seen, but optimistically may create healthy competition among developers luring new prospects to Northern Nevada. The disposition of the Panattoni Industrial Portfolio, a 2.02 million-square-foot portfolio consisting of seven buildings in …