Honolulu’s office market has remained relatively unchanged for the past decade, but recent events have led to a dramatic shift in the direction of the Downtown submarket. Office vacancy rates in Downtown Honolulu have increased consistently in recent years, and steady leasing activity has led to declining vacancy. The Downtown office market is currently the tightest it has ever been. The vacancy rate in Downtown Honolulu decreased 70 basis points to 12.1 percent in the third quarter of 2019, which is the lowest vacancy rate for the submarket in more than nine years. The average gross asking rate in Downtown decreased slightly from $2.94 per square foot to $2.90 per square foot in third-quarter 2019. A significant amount of movement within the Downtown office market is driven by government need. The federal government, IRS, and city and county of Honolulu, as well as other engineering firms tied to civil projects, are some of the most active employers when it comes to leasing office space in the area. Non-governmental office-using job growth has stagnated in the past four years, which has hindered more growth in the overall office market. Unemployment statewide was at 2.7 percent for October 2019, according to Hawaii …
Over the past decade, the way we shop has undoubtedly changed. With the evolution of e-commerce, subsequently, so has industrial real estate. Increasing delivery speeds and near-immediate access to goods have become top priorities for consumers, pushing retailers and their supply chains to follow suit. The demand for warehouse space in close proximity to major highways and transit hubs has steadily increased. These locations allow for faster and more efficient deliveries to the end user. Over the past five years, the industrial real estate sector has experienced healthy growth while other sectors have struggled to maintain demand, further showcasing the correlation of growth to the rise in e-commerce. As online retailers continue to competitively decrease their shipping windows — think Amazon’s and Walmart’s one-day shipping policies — demand for last-mile delivery facilities has risen. The last mile refers to the final movement of goods from a warehouse or distribution center to a final destination. The need for modernized, last-mile facilities has increased with the requirement to meet consumer demands and increase shipping speeds. Shifting Expectations Throughout the last few years, when it comes to shipping and delivery time frames, customer expectations have significantly increased. Ten years ago, it was expected …
The Dallas office market has changed drastically over the past 10 years. Though Far North Dallas has gotten its fair share of notoriety during this time (and justifiably so), the fundamentals of North Texas as a great place for business are sparking growth and activity across the market for established companies and those looking to relocate. Consider Las Colinas, which over the last few years has seen several major headquarter relocations, including large healthcare providers that have expanded or consolidated their regional workforces in this area. Currently, Dallas has 5.3 million square feet of Class A office product under construction, 2 million of which is in Las Colinas. In fact, since 2009, Las Colinas has added over 54,000 employees. That’s equivalent to a full Boeing 737 landing in Las Colinas every day for a year, unloading its passengers and everyone staying. Even with this remarkable influx of new jobs and our growing population, the competition for talent in Dallas remains fierce. Jason Savings, an economist with the Federal Reserve Bank of Dallas, recently noted that we’re in the midst of a historically tight labor market, the likes of which haven’t been seen since 1969. The Irving–Las Colinas submarket leads the …
Like so many markets nationally, the Hawaii retail real estate market was firmly in a state of flux in 2019. Despite more new vacancies than new openings — and limited new development — the Hawaii market held its own amidst challenging times. Investment sales demand and fundamentals remained strong, new and prominent retailers entered the market, and existing operators continued to expand and innovate. Last year brought both closings and openings to the Hawaii retail sector. Bucking historic trends, store closures outpaced new store openings. The closings that did occur were all related to corporate downsizing decisions, versus poor store performance by the Hawaii locations. Hawaii stores consistently post strong sales performances when compared to same-store national averages. In most instances, the Hawaii locations were the last to fold, given their consistently strong sales. Sears closed its 128,000-square-foot Windward Mall in Kaneohe, Oahu, in May. Kmart closed its last Hawaii location, a 119,000-square-foot store in Lihue, Kauai, in September. There are currently five vacant Kmart buildings and one vacant Sears location throughout the state. Early 2020 will follow suit, with the anticipated February closure of all seven Pier 1 stores on the islands. Brighter news included the return of Marshalls, …
COLUMBUS, OHIO — Lingerfelt CommonWealth Partners LLC has acquired 100 East Broad Street, a 308,337-square-foot office tower in downtown Columbus. The purchase price was undisclosed. The property, also referred to as Chase Tower after its anchor tenant JP Morgan Chase, is situated in the heart of downtown Columbus across from Capitol Square. It is 60 percent occupied. Lingerfelt CommonWealth plans to immediately implement a multi-million-dollar renovation, consisting of a full elevator modernization, lobby improvements, new HVAC equipment and a new amenity package. Atlantic Real Estate Capital provided acquisition financing.
CHICAGO — Parkside Realty Inc. has topped off Fulton East, a 12-story, 90,000-square-foot office building in Chicago’s Fulton Market district. Clayco is leading the design-build construction along with its in-house architecture firm Lamar Johnson Collaborative. Located at 215 N. Peoria St., the building is slated for occupancy in June 2020. Fulton East features an 8,000-square-foot landscaped rooftop park exclusively for tenant use. Each floor also has its own balcony. On the ground level, 5,000 square feet of retail space is available for lease.
CHICAGO — Law firm Schoenberg Finkel Newman & Rosenberg LLC has signed a full-floor lease at The 300, an office building located at 300 S. Wacker Ave. in downtown Chicago. The law firm will occupy the entire 15th floor for a total of 15,460 square feet. The lease commences in September 2020. Founded in 1946, the firm currently resides at 222 South Riverside. Golub & Co. owns The 300 and completed a renovation of the 536,000-square-foot property last year. Deborah Frank and Sandy Macaluso of Golub & Co. represented the landlord in the lease with the law firm. Tony Karmin and Corby Marx of Colliers International represented the tenant.
PIONEER, OHIO — Industrial Property Brokers (IPB) has negotiated the $4.6 million sale of a 157,000-square-foot steel processing plant in Pioneer in northwest Ohio. Tim Echemann of IPB and Ronald Jurgenson of Reichle Klein Group represented the seller, the Kidtson Family. Toledo Tool and Die purchased the property, which was formerly occupied by ArcelorMittal. Toledo Tool and Die is a supplier to the automotive industry that specializes in stamped parts.
ST. LOUIS — Marcus & Millichap has arranged the sale of a 26,894-square-foot industrial building in St. Louis for an undisclosed price. The property sits on 3.9 acres at 373 Marshall Ave. It was built in 2005 and expanded in 2016. ICL North America Inc., a chemical and fertilizer company, occupies the building. Adam Abushagur and Tyler Sharp of Marcus & Millichap marketed the property on behalf of the seller, a private investor. The duo also secured the private buyer.
SEATTLE AND BELLEVUE, WASH. — KKR, a global investment firm, has closed on two real estate transactions totaling more than $1.2 billion. The firm purchased Summit in downtown Bellevue and F5 Tower in downtown Seattle, both office assets. Located in Bellevue’s central business district, Summit features 915,000 square feet of Class A office space. The complex is 99 percent leased and comprises two existing LEED Platinum office buildings and a third building that is currently under construction, with completion slated for third-quarter 2020. Recently completed, F5 Tower is a 43-story office tower in Seattle’s central business district. The property includes a fully leased, 516,000-square-foot office condominium acquired by KKR alongside a separate 189-room luxury hotel. The building is architecturally significant to the Seattle skyline and home to F5 Networks as its global headquarters. Urban Renaissance Group, a Seattle-based real estate investor, developer and manager of real estate, will operate the properties. The company also assisted with the acquisition. These investments are being funded by accounts co-advised by KKR and KKR’s balance sheet. The names of the sellers were not released.