Despite the headwinds facing retail real estate, including the continued rise of ecommerce, the Orange County retail market remains resilient. Statistics are favorable. Vacancy is low at 3.7 percent and average market rent is $32.29 per square foot, up 1.15 percent from last year. Cap rates remain nearly 200 basis points below the national average, signaling buyer sentiment that OC retail is a relatively safe haven. Ground-up development is slow and selective, shoring up demand and keeping rates up for the foreseeable future. The interesting thing is that the market trends are pervasive. Let’s identify a few. Drive-thru restaurants are on fire. Tenants like Chick Fil-A, Raising Cane’s, Starbucks, In-N-Out, Panera and others are performing much higher in SoCal as compared to the rest of the country. Good sites are commanding competition, driving ground rents and drive-thru build-to-suit rents higher each of the past three years. Fitness, grocery, discount and entertainment uses are the most active players in the box category. It’s amazing to think the 1.5 million square feet of big boxes that were dumped on the market in 2017 and 2018 are now mostly accounted for thanks to these new users. EOS Fitness, Planet Fitness, ALDI, Burlington, At …
Elevated consumer spending tied to a strong job market in the greater Houston area is driving retail investment and tenant demand in suburban and urban submarkets alike. As a result, it’s one of the nation’s top MSAs for retail development, with more than 3 million-plus square feet under construction market-wide. From an investment perspective, single-tenant and ground-leased assets remain favorable with investors. E-commerce-resistant tenants like fitness, restaurants, automotive service centers, car washes/detailing and dialysis facilities command the most attention with cap rates between the mid-5 to mid-6 percent range. Cap rates tend to be 25 to 50 basis points lower for ground leases because there is no landlord responsibility. Credit, guarantee, location, lease term and landlord responsibility are the biggest factors affecting value. Following Grand Parkway In greater Houston, the majority of retail development recently has been in high-growth submarkets along the 180-mile Grand Parkway/TX 99, which loops through seven counties. National brands like Target, Ross Dress for Less, T.J. Maxx, Burlington, Ulta Beauty and Five Below are continually scouting sites in high-density suburban markets along the Grand Parkway. The exponential growth in the entertainment, fitness, dining and medical/healthcare sectors is an equally strong catalyst for retail and mixed-use development …
BRATTLEBORO, VT. — The Brattleboro Museum & Art Center (BMAC) and M&S Development have revealed development plans for a proposed $30 million art gallery and museum in Brattleboro, located in southern Vermont. The 55,000-square-foot building will feature art galleries, classrooms, a café and 24 apartment units. Boston-based Schwartz/Silver Architects is designing the project in collaboration with local architect Stevens & Associates. BMAC is currently raising funds for the project, and the timeline of construction was undisclosed.
EL PASO, TEXAS — Retail Solutions has arranged the sale of Crosspointe Shopping Center, a 42,084-square-foot retail property located at 4717 Hondo Pass Drive in El Paso. According to LoopNet Inc., the property was built in 1987 and is situated on 2.5 acres. Chris Duncan of Retail Solutions represented the seller in the transaction. Patrick Gordon of Vista Star Realty represented the buyer. Both parties requested anonymity.
NEWTON, MASS. — Austin Street Partners, a joint venture between Oaktree Development and Dinosaur Capital Partners, has completed 28 Austin, a 68-unit multifamily development with 5,000 square feet of ground-floor retail space in Newton, a western suburb of Boston. Resident amenities include a fitness room, dog park, resident lounge and rooftop seating with a fire pit. Residents have already moved in. Caffé Nero, a bakery and café, is expected to open in early 2020.
LAGUNA BEACH, CALIF. — LaSalle Investment Management has completed the disposition of Aliso Creek Shopping Center, a retail asset located at 30814-30936 Pacific Coast Highway in Laguna Beach. Although the sale price was not released, it marked the highest price-per-square-foot sold for an anchored shopping center in Orange County, according to JLL, which brokered the deal. Situated on 4.2 acres, Aliso Creek Shopping Center features 49,149 square feet of retail space and was fully leased at the time of sale. Tenants include CVS/pharmacy, as anchor, Yoga Works, Starfish Laguna, Fantastic Sam’s, Pure Pilates, Chase Bank, Hand & Stone, Aliso Beach Animal Clinic and Z-Pizza. Gleb Lvovich, Bryan Ley and Daniel Tyner of JLL Capital Markets represented the seller in the transaction. The name of the buyer was not released.
CHICAGO — Starbucks Coffee Co. has opened its Reserve Roastery in downtown Chicago. The 35,000-square-foot, five-story roastery opened to the public on Friday, Nov. 15 and is the largest Starbucks location. The store is located on the Magnificent Mile in a space formerly occupied by Crate & Barrel. All of the coffee beans roasted at the facility are served and sold on site. There are three coffee bars at the roastery. Baristas make classic espresso beverages at the coffee bar on the main floor. An experiential bar can be found on the third floor where customers can learn more about the art and science of coffee. A barrel-aged coffee bar can be found on the fourth floor where guests can enjoy cocktail-inspired coffee creations exclusive to the Chicago roastery. In addition to beverages, visitors can purchase food at Princi, a boutique bakery and café. The Chicago roastery joins locations in Seattle, Shanghai, Milan, New York and Tokyo.
GRAND RAPIDS, MICH. — PF Michigan Group, a Planet Fitness franchisee, has leased a 24,797-square-foot space at 234 Market St. in Grand Rapids. Planet Fitness will serve as the anchor tenant of the approximately 31,000 square feet of commercial space at the property. Maplegrove Property Management LLC is the landlord. PF Michigan Group currently owns and operates 47 Planet Fitness locations throughout Michigan and northwest Ohio. Todd Leinberger, Mary Anne Wisinski-Rosely and Jason Makowski of NAI Wisinski of West Michigan represented the landlord while Lars Anderson of NorthStar Commercial represented the tenant in the lease transaction. The gym is expected to open in late spring 2020.
ATLANTA — The future of food and beverage retail is…sports? To hear from “The Future of Restaurants & Entertainment” panel at the ICSC Southeast Conference & Deal Making event, sports-centric concepts are a solid bet for retail real estate owners to pursue going forward. Produced by the International Council of Shopping Centers (ICSC), the event was held Nov. 13-15 at the newly renovated Georgia World Congress Center in downtown Atlanta. Justin Amick, president of Painted Hospitality, spoke during the panel about his two venues in Atlanta, The Painted Pin and The Painted Duck. Both locations have an industrial motif and offer an expanded dinner menu, craft beer and cocktails and classic parlor games such as shuffleboard and horseshoes. The differentiator, though, is the boutique bowling alley. Amick said the idea is to attract patrons with the games and provide an experience while making money via food and beverage. “Painted wasn’t the first to invent the high-end bowling concept — the first to do so was probably Lucky Strike — but with our model of gaming, food and beverage, dancing and sports all under one roof, we do it well,” said Amick. His company recently announced a second location of The Painted …
DORAL, FLA. — Miami-based real estate developer Terra has signed several new retailers for Doral Square, a 150,000-square-foot retail center in Doral, about 17 miles west of Miami. The new development will include anchors 24 Hour Fitness and Marshalls and will be built on the southeast corner of Doral Boulevard and 87th Avenue, near Carnival Cruise Lines’ offices and Trump National Doral Resort. Doral Square is over 42 percent preleased, including restaurant tenants World of Beer and Panda Express. The project is scheduled to break ground by the end of this year, with delivery expected in 2021. Terra’s other projects in Doral include the nearby Doral Commons retail center and in-progress retail developments Atrium Doral and District 79.