Market Reports

By Richard Meder, Colliers While office markets across the country have experienced a slow climb back to normalcy following COVID-19-related restrictions, the Dayton office market has found its strength in the Wright-Patterson Air Force Base (WPAFB). Though the Dayton office market around WPAFB experienced similar ebbs and flows as that of the rest of the country during the pandemic, business never stopped. For some in other markets, the lasting effects of this disruption to the office market remain unknown. Business leaders must decide whether to implement a remote work lifestyle into their employee regimen or make a push to get back to normal office life — for some companies it is considered a hybrid approach. For the tenants in the WPAFB submarket, however, there was never question. While many office tenants vacated their spaces out of uncertainty, defense contractors cautiously occupying office spaces at the WPAFB submarket almost singlehandedly helped Dayton remain upright during the pandemic. With the submarket almost entirely consisting of defense contractors, this type of defense contracting work was not allowed to stop with the rest of the world.  Having to adhere to both local and federal guidelines, decision-making among defense contractors certainly slowed, but it never …

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By Jake Snyder, director of preconstruction, Hoar Construction Thanks to its rich culture, technology-friendly atmosphere and eclectic music scene, Austin has blossomed over the past decade into a hotspot for businesses and residents alike that are seeking to ride the wave of the city’s phenomenal growth story. Just last year, the U.S. Census Bureau reported that Austin is the fastest-growing major metro area in the country, posting a 3 percent increase in population between 2020 and 2021. Pair that recent growth with a global pandemic, and you have an urgent need for increased healthcare development to accommodate the number of people moving into the city. However, as with most other facets of commercial real estate, construction took a proverbial uppercut blow from COVID-19. Project delays, price hikes and material shortages have made every aspect of the construction life cycle more difficult, but not impossible. According to Associated Builders and Contractors, nearly 650,000 additional workers are currently needed to meet the demand for labor on construction sites, while an estimated 1.2 million will leave their jobs this year to work in other industries. A recent report from labor market research firm JobsEQ also found that the Austin area could be short …

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By Adam Schmitt, First Vice President, CBRE | Multifamily Investment Properties The multifamily construction pipeline in Las Vegas has ramped up in recent years and continues to be robust. Apartment developers have long capitalized on the growth of the Las Vegas market, and with the vast potential remaining in the city, multifamily builders are continuing to place their bets in Vegas. Our team at CBRE tracked a total of 4,317 multifamily units constructed in 2021, and are projecting more than 8,000 in 2022, with at least 16,000 in 2023 and beyond. For reference, over the past 10 years, the Las Vegas multifamily market has delivered about 3,700 annual units on average.  The projects being built in Las Vegas are predominately luxury, Class A developments that tend to cater to the lifestyle renter or renter-by-choice demographic. The locations of these developments are mostly concentrated in the Southwest and Henderson submarkets, comprising 62 percent of the construction pipeline. Developers have historically flocked to these submarkets because of the areas’ respective demographics, perpetual growth and strong multifamily fundamentals. More recently, multifamily developers have found opportunities in the Northwest and North Las Vegas submarkets as those regions have seen years of high rent growth, and the rent …

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In a constantly evolving and unprecedented era, Charlotte is an extremely well-positioned industrial market experiencing significant rent growth, an influx of new capital and development in new frontiers. As of first-quarter 2022, Charlotte was nearing an all-time low vacancy rate and rental rate growth reached more than 12 percent year-over-year. Needless to say, Charlotte has become a prime target for industrial investors, developers and tenants. Staggeringly low vacancy, strong tenant demand and rapid rent growth are trends the industrial real estate sector is experiencing around the county. While these trends are not necessarily unique to Charlotte, they are having a particularly large impact on how Charlotte is growing. These strong underlying leasing fundamentals accompanied by land scarcity left Charlotte under-supplied with developers on the hunt for land. A recent announcement by the Silverman Group is a great example. After closing on a 200-acre site just 30 minutes northeast of Charlotte in Rowan County, the Silverman Group announced a speculative industrial development capable of up to 1.9 million square feet and quickly signed a lease with Macy’s for an e-commerce distribution center spanning 1.4 million square feet. On the west side of Charlotte in Gaston County, NorthPoint Development has seen similar …

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By Brian Katz (CEO), Amy Staats (vice president), Jonathan Greenberg (director), Adam Caplan (director) and Hugh Scullin (vice president) of Katz & Associates The Northern New Jersey retail real estate market has been flourishing in the post-COVID-19 era. Inventory continues to shrink across the board, with exceptional demand for drive-thru locations and mid-size boxes. Furthermore, the modern, well-anchored neighborhood and power centers seldom have more than one or two small shop vacancies. Some categories in high demand include discount apparel, grocery, food, health and beauty, fitness and medical. Northern New Jersey specifically benefits from its critical mass and its ease of access to main roads and points of entry. Tenants that have been able to refocus and adapt have thrived in a market that already has a lot going for it. Simply put, the post-COVID bounce has been better than we could have imagined, and from a company standpoint, the pipeline of deals that are in the works or have closed has been among the strongest in our history. Leasing Activity Leasing activity is up. Market adjustments aside, leasing activity has pretty much returned to pre-pandemic levels. In some instances, it’s even easier to get deals across the finish line …

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By Mark Volkman and Brian Leonard, JLL It’s no secret the industrial market has seen a monumental surge throughout the nation as a result of changing consumer behaviors.  How developers in each city are combatting the demand, though, is a different story. The success of the industrial market in Cincinnati, in particular, stems from its affordable cost of living, strong labor pool and impressive accessibility. With the city being only an eight-hour drive away from half of the country, it’s become a viable option for tenants with a large footprint that want a lower-cost facility compared with the price of those in major cities like Chicago, New York City or San Francisco. Like other cities throughout the U.S., Cincinnati’s successes have come with both challenges and a variety of emerging trends. Learn about some of the most prominent ones below. 1. The emergence of the Cincinnati-Dayton metroplex With the heightened demand for industrial space comes the need for developers to find land not only in the city, but in its suburbs, as well.  Dayton, a city about one hour north of Cincinnati via Interstate 75, has surfaced as a strong option for developers. Proctor & Gamble’s 1.8 million-square-foot distribution center, …

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After seeing its population grow by 97,000 between July 2020 and 2021, the Dallas-Fort Worth (DFW) metroplex is now home to nearly 8 million people, according to data from the U.S. Census Bureau. And it’s getting increasingly harder to adequately and affordably house the growing population.   The problem isn’t new, just exacerbated, and it’s hardly unique to DFW. But when a market experiences the rate of population growth that the metroplex has over the last decade, the question of how much housing inventory exists that’s financially feasible for the average resident to rent or own gets thrust under the microscope.  Of course, there’s a major difference between housing that’s affordable and affordable housing. The former is something of an arbitrary concept, whereas the latter carries a precise legal and regulatory definition. But the socioeconomic issue embodied within the two is largely the same.  General Barriers A recent report from the National Low Income Housing Coalition ranked Texas — once heralded as the land of infinite land — as the sixth-worst state in terms of availability of rental housing for low-income households. This finding runs counter to Texas’ longstanding reputation as a state with an affordable cost of living, but …

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As Charlotte continues to expand its economy and population, its multifamily market is reporting unprecedented levels of activity. The market has experienced a tremendous rebound from the artificial pandemic performance in terms of investor demand, in-migration and rent growth. The market recorded double-digit rent growth in 2021, extremely tight vacancies across submarkets, record lease-up velocity and a modest supply of new deliveries. All these signs clearly point to a landlord’s market, and investors have taken notice. This year looks to be another solid one for Charlotte’s multifamily investment market, coming off a record-setting 2021 with nearly $6.4 billion in transactions (compared to $3.5 billion in 2020 and $3.7 billion in 2019). So far in 2022, pricing remains strong and sales are ahead of the pace set at the start of last year ($1 billion in first-quarter 2022 vs. $566 million in first-quarter 2021). Companies and residents are flocking to Charlotte, which is increasingly recognized as a high-growth market. It is business-friendly, offers a great lifestyle and is a talent magnet. Lowes, USAA and Centene are examples of companies expanding their footprints and hiring thousands of employees, all who need a place to live. Moreover, these are high-paying jobs ($100,000-plus), targeting …

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By Joe Aquino, president, JAACRES When Barneys New York department store closed in 2020, we saw a dramatic relocation of luxury retail on Madison Avenue to the south, apparently with a common goal of establishing better proximity to East 57th Street. Prior to that event, many luxury brands enjoyed a shop within a shop at Barneys, plus another store on the corridor, usually further uptown. Prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, this stretch of Madison Avenue was so tight for space that we saw East 59th Street, a major side street, securing tenants like Dior, Bathing Ape and Balmain. During the pandemic’s lockdown phases, retail vacancy rose dramatically, even in the most desirable areas. Now, post-pandemic, we see spaces along Madison Avenue getting filled by new and established luxury retailers ready to make a statement. Here are some of the key transactions that have either been recently completed or are in progress: Givenchy just left its cozy quarters at 749 Madison Ave. at the southeast corner of 65th Street to take the southeast corner at 625 Madison Ave. Versace will open in Givenchy’s place this fall. Wolford, a maker of luxury seamless tights, took the Lalique store at 607 Madison Ave. …

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By Chris Curran and Alexa Strickler, R&R Realty Group It’s no secret that the past couple of years have been dramatically different for us all. We’ve had to adjust to new routines, new practices and new ways of getting work done. Some of these new things will be here to stay while others have already receded into memory. No matter the amount of change though, one thing remains the same. That’s the need for human connections and relationships. And, ultimately, that’s what physical office space provides.  It seems many organizations are starting to understand just how valuable this connection truly is. Across various submarkets within the Des Moines metro area, companies large and small are returning to in-person work. And it’s not just existing customers returning to their spaces. There has been a marked uptick in office leasing activity in locations ranging from downtown to the western suburbs. From advertising agencies to accounting firms and more, the vacancy rate across the entirety of central Iowa is beginning to be chipped away. Why are so many companies across a wide variety of industries heading back to the office? Well, like we mentioned earlier, there’s a sense of connection and an ability …

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