Today, San Antonio’s downtown office market gets the most media exposure because new office development was nonexistent since the late 1980s and is recently picking up speed with the Pearl office buildings and Frost Tower. San Antonio’s low cost of doing business and strong population growth should lead to continued expansion in the office market citywide. What isn’t getting the attention is the fact that new development in the suburbs is still holding strong. Many companies expanding or moving here find suburban properties to be attractive options, as these buildings frequently offer larger, more efficient floor plates, which can help investors extend their dollars. Parking availability alone gives the suburbs a major advantage over downtown properties, where parking ratios are considerably lower and premium parking and higher ratios are charged to tenants or their employees. Why the Suburbs? Office investors and users alike are finding the suburbs to be comparable to those in the central business district, but at much lower occupancy costs per employee. Case in point: CBD asking rents for new office space range from $32 to $42 per square foot on a triple-net basis with minimal parking while those in the suburbs range from $24 to $30 …
