Maryland

National headlines report Amazon, arguably the largest warehouse user in the country, curtailing demand and, in some cases returning space back to landlords. This is sandwiched by stories detailing rising interest rates and land prices, stricter entitlement guidelines and NIMBYs working to apply the brakes on new developments.  But, in “The Land of Pleasant Living,” (a Baltimore nickname made popular by the smart advertising of a local beer), the industrial revolution continues. And, for good reason.    More than 2.3 million square feet of industrial/warehouse space was leased in the greater Baltimore metropolitan region in fourth-quarter 2022, with a net absorption of more than 1.2 million square feet of space, contributing to an overall vacancy rate of 4.5 percent. Additionally, more than 13 million square feet of space is currently under construction and rents have soared more than 50 percent over the past two years, with an average rent of just under $8 per square foot in late 2022.  Significant leases signed in fourth-quarter 2022 included Baltimore International Warehousing & Transportation’s 244,304-square-foot lease at 5250-5330 Holabird Ave.; Amazon’s 241,962-square-foot lease at 1713 E. Patapsco Ave. and the 168,655-square-foot lease executed by Transdev at 1610 Wicomico St. Baltimore is contained within …

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Retail is not dead. In fact, coming out of COVID-19, retail is arguably the strongest that it’s been in many years. According to S&P Global Market Intelligence data, in 2022 we saw a 13-year low in retail companies filing for bankruptcy.  Here in Baltimore, we’re seeing extremely low vacancy rates and steady demand, which in turn, is cultivating a competitive environment. However, despite the challenges that retail has faced over the past several years, its resilience is where we continue to find plenty of reasons to be optimistic.  A look back In March 2020, the phones stopped ringing and businesses shuttered for what was anticipated to be a few short weeks. We soon came to find that was not the case. Retail did struggle, significantly in some cases. Restaurants, service-based businesses, soft goods, fitness, entertainment and experiential concepts amongst many others, whether large corporate-owned or mom-and-pop users, struggled to stay afloat. And many did fail.  Space came back on the market and concepts dwindled at an uncanny pace. But the so-called “retail apocalypse” — a common phrase that was originally coined because of the increased popularity of e-commerce — was, again, proved to be hyperbole.  Retailers sought ways to enhance …

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Unprecedented development is underway across the Baltimore metro area with more than $6.6 billion of infrastructure and major development projects in the pipeline, and office-using employment remains strong. More than 574,000 people are employed in a diverse set of employment sectors that require offices, including professional and business services, government, financial services and tech and information.  The past year, unemployment fell in each Maryland submarket, with Baltimore dropping 140 basis points, which is similar to the national unemployment rate that decreased 150 basis points.  In the second half of last year, several public sector agencies relocated into the Central Business District (CBD) from Midtown and Mount Vernon locations, pushing net absorption positive and vacancy negative. This helped state and local government tenants lead all sectors in leasing activity in the fourth quarter of 2022, accounting for 56 percent of all leases signed.  The Maryland Department of Health signed the largest lease of the quarter with its new 463,000-square-foot lease at 300 N. Greene St. Other State of Maryland relocations include Department of Labor, Office of the Comptroller, Department of Budget & Management, Department of Planning and Department of Aging. Combined, these state government tenants leased 761,000 square feet in the …

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RANDALLSTOWN, MD. — Klein Enterprises has sold Deer Park Center, a 170,000-square-foot flex office park located at 9631-9637 Liberty Road in Randallstown. Fernau LeBlanc Investment Partners (FLB), a commercial real estate owner and operator based in Bethesda, Md., purchased the four-building campus for an undisclosed price. Bill Prutting, Jay Wellschlager and Craig Childs of JLL represented Klein Enterprises, which has owned the property since 2010, in the transaction. Situated about five miles from I-695 and I-795, Deer Park Center’s tenant roster includes Island Quizine, N’Ferno Performing Arts Center, Center for Social Change Inc. and Greater Baltimore Insurance Agency.

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FREDERICK, MD. — Diamond Point Development and The Ardent Cos. have opened a 100,000-square-foot self-storage facility located at 1845 Brookfield Court in Frederick. Formerly the Frederick Indoor Sports Center, the two-story facility comprises 700 climate-controlled units across 74,000 rentable square feet. The property is also fully solar powered, marking the first environmentally friendly self-storage facility in the city, according to the developers. Buffalo, N.Y.-based Life Storage operates the property.

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ELLICOTT CITY, MD. — Giant Food has partnered with Maryland-based Nalley Fresh to open a restaurant within the grocer’s Ellicott City store, roughly 13 miles outside Baltimore. Offering customizable salads, wraps and bowls and the ability to fulfill third-party delivery orders, the restaurant marks the 10th location for Nalley Fresh and the first in-store fast-casual restaurant for Giant Food, which currently operates 165 grocery stores.

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CALIFORNIA, MD. — A joint venture between AmCap Inc. and Encore Enterprises has acquired First Colony Center, a 98,179-square-foot shopping center in the Washington, D.C., suburb of California. The grocery-anchored center is leased to tenants including Giant, Michaels and Advance Auto Parts. Shadow anchors include Target, Lowe’s Home Improvement and BJ’s Wholesale Club. The seller and sales price of First Colony Center were not disclosed. The center represents the third joint venture acquisition between AmCap and Encore.

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GAITHERSBURG, MD. — KLNB’s new multifamily team has arranged the sale of Governor Square Apartments, a 238-unit community located in Gaithersburg, approximately 26 miles northwest of Washington, D.C. The property features units in one-, two- and three-bedroom layouts, ranging in size from 720 to 1,290 square feet. Rawles Wilcox, Jared Emery and Dutch Seitz, part of a group of 18 brokers who joined KLNB through the firm’s acquisition of Edge Commercial Real Estate, represented the buyer, Acento Real Estate Partners, in the transaction. The seller and sales price were not disclosed.

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BALTIMORE — Harbor Stone Advisors has brokered the $5 million sale of Astor Court, a mixed-use property located at 2440 St. Paul St. in Baltimore’s Old Goucher neighborhood. Built in 1930 and renovated in 2006, the property features 26 one-bedroom apartments, 10 two-bedroom units and four commercial spaces on the ground level leased to Subway, State of the Art Hair Studio, Maryland Healthcare Clinics and Charles Village Community Benefits District. Community amenities include controlled building access, an elevator, 24-hour fitness center, community multipurpose room with kitchen, shared workspace, private courtyard, bicycle storage and a laundry facility. A small parking lot adjacent to Astor Court was included in the sale. Justin Verner, Brooks Healy and Tom Wohlgemuth of Harbor Stone represented the seller, an entity doing business as Astor Court LLC that is led by investor Michael Rock, in the transaction. The buyer was not disclosed.

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WALDORF, MD. — First National Realty Partners (FNRP) has purchased Waldorf Marketplace, a 359,484-square-foot, grocery-anchored shopping center in Waldorf, about 28 miles south of Washington, D.C. The seller and sales price were not disclosed. The center is anchored by a 58,092-square-foot Safeway grocery store, which has been a tenant at Waldorf Marketplace since 2005. Other tenants include Hobby Lobby, Jared, Petco, Starbucks Coffee, Wells Fargo, Red Robin, TGI Fridays, Bath & Body Works and Famous Dave’s. FNRP’s other acquisitions in the Mid-Atlantic region include Brandywine Crossing in Maryland and Haymarket Village Center and Promenade at Manassas in Virginia.

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