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Speculative development and e-commerce tenant demands are driving forces in Dallas and Houston’s industrial markets. By Brian Lee The biggest developments in the biggest state in the lower 48 are making big news: industrial business parks in Texas’ top markets continue to show strong development and leasing activity. Cushman & Wakefield shared a “very encouraging” industrial outlook on the Dallas-Fort Worth metro area. With slightly less than 24 million square feet of absorption in 2016, market demand continues to outpace supply, which included 22 million square feet of new construction last year. PwC and Urban Land Institute ranked the metro second nationally for real estate prospects in 2017 and fulfillment centers No. 1 in both the development and investment categories, ahead of 23 other property types. “The evolution of the e-commerce sector continues to shape the industrial market as a whole,” says Adam Hammack, senior director of Industrial Agency Leasing in Cushman & Wakefield’s Dallas office. Site selection factors for large e-commerce users comprise fresh building functionality, modern infrastructure and the ability to attract and retain labor, which includes nearby transit and retail options for industrial park personnel, according to Hammack. Focusing on the effects of the energy downturn doesn’t …

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GLEN BURNIE, MD. — Institutional Property Advisors (IPA), a division of Marcus & Millichap, has arranged the $18.4 million sale of Cromwell Field Shopping Center, a 233,486-square-foot retail property located in the Baltimore suburb of Glen Burnie. Tenants at the 88 percent occupied center include Giant Foods, Roses Discount Store, BB&T Bank, Dollar General, McDonald’s, House of Tropicals and Dunkin’ Donuts. Dean Zang and Christopher Burnham of IPA represented the seller, an affiliated partnership of Klein Enterprises, in the transaction. Tim McCann, Alex Staneski and Alex Topchy represented the buyer, an affiliate of Broad Street Realty, in-house.

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OCALA, FLA. — RD Management LLC has signed Earth Fare, a specialty grocer that sells natural and organic products, to a 29,618-square-foot lease at its Shady Oaks Shopping Center located at 2401-2499 S.W. 27th Ave. in Ocala. The grocer is expected open its store at the 260,419-square-foot shopping center in the spring, joining other newcomers such as Tuesday Morning, Mattress One and Pushti Eyebrows. Front Street Commercial Real Estate Group represented RD Management in the lease deal with Earth Fare.

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LOS ANGELES AND SAN FRANCISCO — CBRE Global Investment Partners has acquired a 45 percent stake in a $1.5 billion portfolio of 55 retail assets located on the West Coast. The investment was made on behalf of the company’s flagship Global Alpha Fund and various separate account clients and totals roughly $450 million, according to reports by The Wall Street Journal. San Francisco-based Merlone Geier Partners (MGP) is the majority owner in the portfolio, which totals nearly 7 million square feet, and will maintain its position as operating partner. The properties are largely anchored by grocery and necessity-based retailers, and are concentrated in Southern California, Seattle, Sacramento, the San Francisco Bay Area and Portland. “This joint venture gives us a rare opportunity to access for our clients a large diversified portfolio of high-quality retail centers that would be challenging to acquire in scale,” says Ian Gleeson, CIO for CBRE Global Investment Partners. “We are pleased to partner with Merlone Geier because it is a leading operator that has significant experience in the retail sector.” Eastdil Secured advised MGP in the transaction. MGP is a private real estate investment company focused on the acquisition, development and redevelopment of retail and mixed-use …

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From Cleveland to Cincinnati, speculative Class A office development is on the rise in Ohio for the first time in at least five years. Primarily occurring in the suburbs, 3 to 4 million square feet of spec development is driven by a lack of office space as well as pent-up demand for new space with an urban feel that contains retail and multifamily components. Most spec office development reflects the demands of both Millennials and Baby Boomers. These significant population groups seek to locate in live-work-play neighborhoods that offer cool office and residential spaces, walkability and common green spaces. Because these components are important to Millennials — now the largest share of the American workforce — they have become important for companies in their efforts to recruit the best and the brightest. Quality talent is more of a factor than cost. In competing for talent, these companies must look for and include such office amenities as game rooms, outdoor patios and walking trails. Not only are the retail and residential components to an office project important, but companies are also expressing genuine interest in branding, signage opportunities, naming rights and modern amenities. Cost of financing guides developers in Cleveland  While downtown …

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The skies are dotted with cranes — not the type you would find on route west to the Sandhills of Nebraska, but the type synonymous with a robust economy. It is safe to say there have never been so many cranes at work in the history of Sioux City. Several large industrial projects are resulting in further development of retail and multifamily space that has been in demand for some time in Sioux City. Retail, entertainment wave Helping to draw residents and visitors alike out into the streets of Sioux City is the $130 million Hard Rock Hotel & Casino. The Hard Rock replaced the floating Argosy riverboat casino in a first-in-the-state competitive bidding war for a land-based casino. Due to the popularity of the development since it opened in August 2014, the Hard Rock already has plans to add an $8 million casino expansion by the end of the year. Hard Rock has played a vital role in making Sioux City a regional, cultural and entertainment destination. Dallas-based Anthony Properties is planning to deliver 350,000 square feet of retail space by the summer of 2018. The 64-acre site, located at the intersection of Sunnybrook Drive and Sergeant Road, is …

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The Madison office market finally emerged from its post-recession stupor in 2015 and chalked up its best performance since the early 2000s. The 430,000 square feet of positive net absorption recorded last year exceeded the combined total of the previous three years. This strong trend continues in 2016. Nearly 150,000 square feet of office space was leased during the first quarter, driving the vacancy rate down to 10.2 percent. The Madison office market was slow to recover from the Great Recession. As recently as 2014, office vacancies increased, and only 67,000 square feet of net positive absorption was tallied that year. As the state capital and home to the University of Wisconsin, the local economy depends on government and education as base industries — sectors where employment and spending had been retreating until recently. Insurance, financial services, medical services, research, information technology and software development are also important and growing sectors in Madison, accounting for a lot of new office leasing activity. Who’s taking space?  Among the large lease deals in recent months: Arrowhead Research  inked a deal to occupy 68,000 square feet in University Research Park; M3 Insurance completed and moved into its building at 828 John Nolen Drive; …

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Growth in the Indianapolis downtown multifamily market is as dynamic as the city itself. Since 2013, 3,000 units have been delivered and leased up rapidly. The vacancy rate registers 4.5 percent in a submarket that historically has seen vacancy rates of around 8 percent. Demand is healthy and growth continues, with another 283 units scheduled for delivery by the end of this year. A unique contributor to this multifamily construction boom is the downtown campus of Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis (IUPUI), the IU Law School and the IU Medical School. A sudden building spree of more than $100 million of student-focused projects is occurring downtown near IUPUI. With more than 1,000 units currently under construction or in the works, these new deliveries signal a real change for IUPUI from a commuter orientation to that of a residential campus. These off-campus locations will likely appeal to young professionals as well, and savvy developers are making certain to provide conventional units as part of their mix. The largest such development currently under construction is Trinitas Ventures’ 193-unit, 669-bed project at the northeast corner of Michigan Street and Capitol Avenue. Known as Lux On Capitol, the student housing development is due to open …

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Kansas City’s industrial market is experiencing an incredible construction boom that is both market-driven and not limited to just one area or particular deal. In the past two years, multiple, diverse industries and tenant categories have shown interest in a variety of options around the area. The buildings going up and the tenants filling them cannot be pigeonholed into any single, narrow category. It’s encouraging that the entire market is doing well, not just one particular segment or submarket. The success of the market is widespread across the region. New buildings have gone up in Johnson County, Jackson County and Wyandotte County in the past few years. Projects also are moving forward in Platte County, up by Kansas City International Airport, and also in Executive and Northland Park. Additionally, Kansas City is providing options to companies of all sizes, from giant, bulk users to smaller users seeking the features associated with new development. New buildings such as Westlink Industrial Park in Johnson County and Kaw Point in Wyandotte County have offered tenants looking for 50,000 to 100,000 square feet the opportunity to access the amenities and features of modern construction that are associated with new bulk development. Both of those …

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The office market in Chesterfield, a suburb of St. Louis, has undergone tremendous growth in the past two years. In particular, the I-64/Highway 40 corridor within the West St. Louis County submarket has experienced a flurry of activity highlighted by the construction of several corporate headquarters as well as expansions. The corridor, which stretches from Clayton to Chesterfield, boasts a highly visible central location, proximity to high-end housing that appeals to corporate executives, newer buildings that bode well for future resale or leasing, and convenient interstate access. With a Class A vacancy rate of only 7.6 percent, the West St. Louis County submarket is experiencing a shortage of available blocks of office space of 50,000 square feet or more. Corporations desiring to locate along the prestigious corridor are relocating from older Class B space to existing or build-to-suit Class A properties. In fact, new construction during the last two years added 774,000 square feet of office space to this submarket, of which all but 50,000 square feet was already committed upon delivery. Less than 50,000 square feet was considered speculative. Magnet for headquarters  RaboAgrifinance will relocate its corporate headquarters from Creve Coeur Pointe to the new Delmar Gardens III at …

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