By Brooke Jacobsen, Colliers The Greater Cincinnati and Northern Kentucky office market is weathering the post-pandemic era with surprising nuance. While national headlines continue to focus on uncertainty and high vacancy, the local market is quietly seeing stable, albeit selective, activity, especially in healthcare and specialized user segments. After a slow winter, leasing activity across the region began to thaw in the second quarter of 2025. Year-to-date net absorption remains slightly negative, but market sentiment is gradually shifting, particularly among small to mid-size tenants. Most of the deal activity is coming from users in the 2,500- to 5,000-square-foot range, with several groups focused on healthcare and logistics services. Cincinnati’s Class B and C office space is seeing an unexpected level of demand, driven by affordability, location flexibility and users with highly specific space needs. Medical office continues to stand out as one of the most active sectors. Demand is strong across both urban and suburban submarkets, with notable traction in Cincinnati submarkets. Much of the recent healthcare-related activity has come from specialty practices, private groups and regional health systems looking to reposition their outpatient services. While Northern Kentucky offers value, many users are choosing to locate on the Cincinnati side …
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Lee & Associates’ Report: Q2 Net Absorption Declines Across All Property Sectors Except Multifamily
Lee & Associates’ 2025 Q2 North America Market Report looks back at shrinking (or negative) net absorption for industrial, office and retail sectors in the last quarter. Meanwhile, multifamily tenant demand beat previous expectations in the same three months, as a feared recession failed to materialize. The mix of factors for absorption varied by property type: industrial and office markets saw increases in vacancy, while competition for retail space remained high, even in the face of high-profile closures. Lee & Associates’ full market report is available to read here (plus detailed vacancy rates, cap rates by city, market rents, square footage information, information on Canadian markets and more). The recaps for industrial, office, retail and multifamily sectors below detail trends and outlooks for each property sector in the remainder of 2025. Industrial Overview: Vacancies Rise, Rent Growth Slows Concern over the impact of tariffs has added to slowing tenant growth in logistics and manufacturing across North America. But the continued easing demand has resulted in more choices and benefits for users that have been subjected to a prolonged stretch of steep rent growth. Vacancies in the United States have risen to 7.4 percent, a decade-long high, while deliveries continued to outpace tenant expansion. Net absorption fell …
KANSAS CITY, MO. — Ace Hardware has opened its new 1.5 million-square-foot retail support center at Hunt Midwest’s KCI 29 Logistics Park in Kansas City. The project marks the first completed development at the 3,300-acre industrial park. The retail support center will support Ace’s growing network of more than 5,000 locally owned retail locations. Measuring a half mile from end to end, the new facility is the largest distribution center in Kansas City by building footprint and is almost twice the size of Ace’s average retail support center, according to Hunt Midwest. Clayco served as general contractor for the build-to-suit facility, and BZI Steel installed the roof. Ace has installed automation and advanced warehouse technology systems to streamline operations and minimize environmental impact. KCI 29 Logistics Park is located in almost the exact center of the continental U.S. on I-29 and is adjacent to the Kansas City International Airport. The industrial park can support up to 17.8 million additional square feet of build-to-suit development.
COLUMBUS, OHIO — O’Connor Capital Partners has acquired full ownership of Polaris Fashion Place, a shopping mall in Columbus. The seller was locally based Washington Prime Group, according to The Columbus Dispatch. As part of the acquisition, O’Connor will assume full operational control of the property, overseeing day-to-day management, leasing and operations. O’Connor has been a longstanding investor in the center for more than a decade. Polaris Fashion Place, which totals nearly 1.3 million square feet and opened in October 2001, is home to more than 160 national and local retail, dining and entertainment tenants. The lifestyle center comprises both enclosed and open-air components.
CHICAGO — The Aspire Center for Workforce Innovation has opened in Chicago’s Austin neighborhood. Lamar Johnson Collaborative (LJC) designed the adaptive reuse project, which involved the repurposing of the former Robert Emmet Elementary School that was built in 1913. Located at 5500 W. Madison St., the center offers workforce training, education, healthcare support and economic development. LJC incorporated a three-story lobby and designed a POPF!t pocket park. The lobby addition features a reception area, flexible open and private gathering zones, and a BMO bank branch. The project also includes a 100-foot mural by artist Shawn Michael Warren. Renovated classrooms now host anchor tenants: Jane Addams Resource Corp., Austin Coming Together, Westside Health Authority and BMO.
GREEN BAY, WIS. — Greysteel has arranged a $14.9 million loan for the refinancing of the Hilton Garden Inn Green Bay, a recently renovated hotel in the heart of the Lambeau Field Stadium District. Developed in 2000 by Beechwood Hotel Group, the select-service property features 125 rooms. Beechwood has owned and operated the asset for more than 20 years. Fox Communities Credit Union provided the floating-rate loan. The refinancing was completed ahead of the property’s CMBS loan maturity.
CHAGRIN FALLS, OHIO — The Cooper Commercial Investment Group has brokered the $8.8 million sale of the Winbury Professional & Medical Center in the Cleveland suburb of Chagrin Falls. The 54,505-square-foot medical office building features landscaped grounds, private entrances and a conference room. Dan Cooper of Cooper Group represented the seller, a local real estate investment group out of Cleveland. The private West Coast-based buying group purchased the asset at 98 percent of the list price and $168 per square foot.
CHICAGO — Canyon Partners Real Estate LLC has provided a $106.3 million senior loan to refinance The Saint Grand, a newly built apartment tower in downtown Chicago’s Streeterville submarket. JLL arranged the loan on behalf of the borrower, a joint venture controlled by Mavrek Development. The 21-story property features 248 market-rate apartment units, a 103-stall parking garage and 46,946 square feet of retail space that is leased to Club Studio Fitness, Wintrust Bank and Tropical Smoothie Café. Amenities include coworking areas, electric vehicle charging stations, bike storage, a concierge, outdoor pet area and rooftop terrace with a fitness center, pool, fire pit and grilling stations.
WHITESTOWN, IND. — SkyREM has purchased a newly constructed warehouse totaling 565,560 square feet within 65 Commerce Park in the Indianapolis suburb of Whitestown. The development offers direct access to I-65 and proximity to the Indianapolis International Airport and CSX railroads. The facility is fully automated with robotics and is fully leased to a global e-commerce platform specializing in fashion. The property features a clear height of 36 feet and 55 dock doors. SkyREM purchased the asset from Strategic Capital Partners, a developer headquartered in Indianapolis.
ST. LOUIS — Inland Real Estate Investment Corp. and Devon Self Storage have completed an 80,217-square-foot self-storage facility with 797 units in St. Louis. The project at 4222 Union Blvd. involved the conversion of a warehouse into a climate-controlled self-storage property. The three-story facility features a 24-hour security system and is situated near I-70. Approximately 75 percent of St. Louis’ self-storage inventory is comprised of converted properties from prior uses, according to Inland, which maintains a self-storage portfolio of more than $1.8 billion in assets under management. Devon currently manages 190 properties across 31 states.