Retail is looking up in Richmond. Following a recession characterized by a dearth of new retail development, the Richmond retail market is once again poised for growth. Decreases in the overall vacancy rate, positive employment growth, increases in retail rents and an upswing in overall retail construction suggest that the market is amidst a retail recovery. Historically, these economic factors have driven robust expansions. While “robust” might be a bit dramatic for 2013, several retail projects are in the pre-development and development phases, coupled with a number of significant retail transactions. Those are encouraging signs that point to recovery. Several noteworthy retail developments fill the pipeline. Walmart recently acquired a 10-acre site at Reynolds Crossing, a 90-acre, mixed-use development in Richmond’s established “near west end” suburb, with plans to build a 90,000-square-foot store with a garden center. Expected to open in spring 2014, Walmart is set to anchor the development that includes small shop and restaurant space in addition to outparcels. Likewise, Kroger is under construction with its third Kroger Marketplace in the Richmond MSA. This 124,000-square-foot grocery concept anchors Staples Mill Marketplace, which will also include outparcels and small shop and restaurant space. After 10 years of planning, Gumenick …
Southeast Market Reports
In just one generation, the Orlando market and its surrounding area became one of the premier vacation destinations in the United States and the world. With a room inventory second only to Las Vegas, this tourist hot spot strongly felt the financial market meltdown of 2008. However, the last two years have seen the hotel market undergo a strong recovery. In fact, the rate of recovery in the region’s hotel segment is stronger than for hotels nationwide. This trend and the lean operations many hotels adopted during the downturn should produce excellent operating returns for hotels in the region for the foreseeable future, assuming no overbuilding. Improving Vital Signs With a 2008 total room inventory in the metro Orlando region of 111,551 rooms and 437 properties, hoteliers could demand an average daily rate of $106.25. According to STR, in 2009 that daily rate dropped a very painful 11.8 percent to $93.70. This corresponded to a drop in occupancy from 65.2 percent to 60 percent. Between 2008 and 2012, the total inventory of both rooms and properties increased. This growth saw the number of properties rise to 456 and total room inventory to 117,396 in 2012. The permanent and temporary closing …
At the mid-year mark, CoStar reported industrial occupancy in Richmond was approaching 90 percent for industrial product of all sizes, excluding flex space. Buyers looking to purchase single-user Class A facilities of 40,000 square foot or greater are experiencing an acute shortage of said product. These larger free-standing, single-occupant facilities are now in shorter supply in the suburban areas of all four quadrants, though multiple opportunities remain in the city of Richmond, both north and south of the river, generally class B/C type product, but functional and reasonably priced. There are also several free-standing purchase opportunities under 40,000 square feet available in the suburban sector of the northwest quadrant. The second quarter ended with four large facilities (two in the city of Richmond and two in Henrico County) going under contract to users, which further impacted the availability of freestanding facilities for owner/users looking to relocate into facilities with a minimum of 40,000 square feet. Local expansion has comprised approximately 78 percent of large industrial sales since the third quarter of 2012, with 14 of the last 18 major transfers (totaling approximately 1 million square feet). The majority of these acquisitions involved end users purchasing Class B facilities for manufacturing/warehousing …
If you subscribe to the notion that “a rising tide floats all boats,” then all of South Florida is benefiting from the renewed interest by out-of-market and international investors in all of the region’s commercial property sectors. In addition to regular South Florida investors from America’s Northeast and affluent Latin Americans, Florida has experienced a significant number of property acquisitions by Canadians in the last 18 months. While much of the international investment has focused on Miami/Dade County, one of the largest Broward County investments this year has come from Miami-based Fifteen Group, which recently acquired the Sawgrass Technology Park for $52 million in Sunrise, Fla. The Class B office and industrial buildings were formerly occupied by Racal Milgo and the seller had planned to redevelop the campus but never did. While industrial, multifamily and retail are garnering the most attention, the pricing structure for office properties is improving. The current cap rate for well-located, stabilized assets is on average 7.5 to 8.5 percent and falling as the market recovers. Much foreign investment is tied to capital flight and is less concerned with achieving the highest yield. As such, pricing is less important to those investors. In terms of sales …
When it comes to national economic cycles, Baltimore has always led a charmed existence. Its proximity to our nation’s capital, sustained strong consumer demographics and the presence of diversified industries have contributed to Baltimore entering recessionary times late and emerging early. New Centers Underway Five significant retail sites are either recently opened, under construction or nearing approval to initiate development. McHenry Row, positioned adjacent to the headquarters of the rapidly expanding Under Armour, is open and features a Harris Teeter grocery store. Baltimore City will also welcome a premier power center in 2013, as well as Canton Crossing, a 320,000-square-foot Harris Teeter- and Target-anchored center. This project is located east of the Inner Harbor on Boston Street and will be home to fast-casual restaurants and soft good retailers such as DSW, Michaels, Loft, Five Below, Ulta, Red Robin, Jimmy John’s and Chick-fil-A. In 2015, Baltimoreans on the north side of the city will begin shopping in the redeveloped Rotunda; D.C.-based Mom’s Organic Market is rumored to be the lead anchor. This renovation was spurred by the relocation of Giant Food to a larger footprint in the former Super Fresh at Green Spring Tower Square. Whole Foods is making whispers about …
Over the past decade, Baltimore City has seen a gradual shift in office market activity. Demand for office space has become increasingly focused on the waterfront properties of the Pratt Street Corridor and Harbor East. Many older buildings in the traditional Central Business District (CBD) with smaller footprints have become less attractive for office use. The CBD has also experienced a surge in both population and apartment demand that has pushed the residential supply to its occupancy limit. This balance between vacant office space and demand for residential space in the CBD has created a prime opportunity for redevelopment. The CBD has struggled to recover from the economic recession, when office vacancy rates spiked to almost 23 percent. It has, however, experienced small amounts of positive absorption over the past few years. Demand for space has been focused on Class A inventory as a “flight to quality” trend has emerged in the CBD. Net absorption for Class A inventory in the CBD has increased each year since 2008 and has been a primary factor in stabilizing the overall Baltimore City vacancy rate. Mid-year 2013 numbers suggest that this trend of increasing demand for Class A office space will continue for …
While out national and local news outlets inundate us with what is going on in Washington, D.C., these days, word may not be on the street yet that the industrial real estate market just north of D.C. has begun to see significant improvement, something that has been slow in the making. This market has always been on the radar of the top real estate investors and remains a sought-after destination for industrial investment. The Baltimore-Washington (BW) Corridor industrial real estate market, historically one of the strongest in the country, received a gut punch in 2008 much like the rest of the real estate markets throughout the country. Defined as mostly Howard and Anne Arundel counties, this 46 million-square-foot market is essentially the area between the Baltimore Beltway and the Washington Beltway, a distance of 25 miles along Interstate 95. This market acts as the “last mile” of distribution to the affluent suburbs of the Capital Region. Prior to the fourth quarter of 2012, most leasing activity in this market consisted of tenants downsizing or shopping their renewals to anxious owners looking to fill recent holes in their portfolios. The results were lower rental rates, more concessions and generally lower investment …
Columbia is is considered a tertiary market by definition, with more than 47 million square feet of industrial space. In the past few years, national and international companies have recognized Columbia as having a strategic position in the Southeast. While most markets struggled in the downturn, Columbia’s steady industrial announcements demonstrated stability. Today, the city’s industrial vacancy rate is hovering at 10 percent. The Columbia market has remained attractive due to its low cost of doing business, non-union affiliation and quality of life. The city’s employment base is diverse, ranging from traditional sectors such as agriculture and manufacturing to emerging sectors such as health services, insurance and financial markets. The region is home to the state government, Fort Jackson and the University of South Carolina. Rental rates for Class A industrial space have decreased significantly since 2008. Today, we have a 184,000-square-foot LEED-certified building with a quoted rate of $3.95 per square foot. At delivery, this building had a published rate of $4.75 per square foot. Another competing Class A property in the market is the former Lamson Sessions building, a 350,000-square-foot, cross-docked facility listed at $3.35 per square foot. The reduction in rates has been necessary to stay competitive …
Baltimore's government- and defense-driven neighbor, Washington, D.C, has historically overshadowed the city’s apartment market. Yet setbacks caused by sequestration and concerns of oversupply across the Washington metropolitan area have recently unveiled a new light on Baltimore. After six decades of continuous population decline, the city has finally turned the corner, registering positive growth for the first time since the city’s peak in 1950. Strong market fundamentals driven by improving economic trends and favorable demographic shifts have begun to attract a new cast of institutional investors and top-level developers, establishing Baltimore as a top-tier investment market. The city’s new attraction has resulted in a significant increase in both ground-up apartment developments and residential conversion projects that continue to reshape the character of the downtown area. Predominantly driven by education and life sciences, the Baltimore economy maintains a significant employment base of 1.3 million payroll jobs. Following a loss of 100,000 jobs during the downturn, the metro has rebounded to pre-recession levels registering positive year-over-year employment growth for the past 37 consecutive months. Additionally, the region is expected to add 70,000 new jobs by year-end 2015, according to Moody’s Analytics, helping to further decrease the current unemployment rate of 6.7 percent. The …
From farmland in the early 1970s to a major economic center in Georgia and the Southeast today, Central Perimeter has evolved into the dominant office submarket in metro Atlanta and an employment center larger than the downtowns of Nashville, Charlotte or Jacksonville. A corporate hub, Central Perimeter contains the headquarters of nearly 50 companies, including four that are Fortune 500s. During 2012, Central Perimeter also was the most active submarket in metro Atlanta, accounting for more than half of the region’s total office space absorption at 1.7 million square feet. The largest lease transaction in metro Atlanta in 2012 was in Perimeter. State Farm opened a new customer service center in nearly 500,000 square feet of space in two buildings in Dunwoody, which created 500 jobs. Metro Atlanta’s largest office sale in 2012 was the $300 million purchase of the 2.1 million-square-foot Concourse Corporate Center that includes the landmark King and Queen buildings. Additionally, Cox Enterprises added two buildings totaling 600,000 square feet to its Perimeter campus, delivering the largest office construction project last year. Central Perimeter is maintaining this strong activity in 2013, with State Farm leasing nearly 200,000 square feet of additional office space, adding 800 jobs. Also, …