DENVER — WG Enterprises LLC has acquired two industrial buildings in Denver for $3.1 million. The buildings are located at 8100-8300, 8130 and 8131 East 40th Ave. They total 18,158 square feet. WG Enterprises was represented by Greg Knott and Brad Gilpin of Unique Properties. The seller, the Duff Estate, was represented by Alec Rhodes, Tyler Smith and Aaron Valdez of Cassidy Turley.
Colorado
LAKEWOOD, COLO. — Brown and Caldwell has leased 32,925 square feet of office space in Lakewood. The space is located at 1527 Cole Blvd. The engineering firm was represented by Joe Sigdestad and Ted Harris of Cassidy Turley. The landlord, Denver West Office Leasing Company, was represented by CBRE’s Blake Harris.
Construction of apartment buildings is leading the Denver metro area’s building boom, with more than 19,000 units starting construction in 2012 and 2013 that are expected to be delivered this year. This is the most apartments this market has added in such a short period of time in more than 40 years. This construction boom follows a stretch where we saw little multifamily development, which created a short-term need to catch up with current population growth demands. Some perceive this level of development as overbuilding, though recent population growth statistics may indicate otherwise. The Downtown Denver area is particularly hot for apartment developers, with about 4,000 units under construction. The majority of this work is being done around the Denver Union Station transit station. The activity is being fueled by the region’s population growth, which averaged 1.7 percent per year between 2007 and 2012, maintaining a stable expansion rate through most of the recent recession and recovery, according to the Metro Denver Economic Development Corp. The organization projects population growth — mostly attributed to strong net migration — will moderate slightly to 1.6 percent this year, which is more robust than the projected U.S. growth rate of less than 1 …
Despite the continuing economic uncertainty, the Denver market is maintaining its status as a major thriving city with respect to all aspects of growth from commercial real estate sectors. This growth is clearly apparent by all the cranes in operation as you drive down Interstate 25—the main arterial highway that runs north and south bound through the entire state. Though 1.2 million square feet of retail was built in 2013 – and 197,000 square feet was delivered in the first quarter of 2014 – most of the current cranes are working on medical, office and multifamily developments. With all the national retailers setting their sights on the Denver market, there is a definite lack of A-grade retail centers that have availability. B-grade product is now being thoroughly analyzed as the next best option. Several of the national and regional tenants are in bidding wars against each other for the remaining A- and B-grade sites. The challenge of the development process is the growing cost of land and construction, which ultimately drives the rates up, thus limiting a huge pool of potential tenants. The Denver retail market in the first quarter of 2014 experienced a positive net absorption of 820,357 square …
Fueled by an increase in population and job growth, Denver’s robust housing market and the constant influx of young professionals to the region has attracted some attention. Both new and existing retailers and investors are now looking to either penetrate or expand within this ever-growing market. Metro Denver added a total of 37,300 jobs last year. This was an increase of 2.7 percent from 2011, according to the Metro Denver Economic Development Corp. The region’s growth rate has consistently outpaced the national rate in every decade since the 1930s. By 2020, the region’s population is expected to increase from 2.9 million today to more than 3.2 million. Retailers are definitely taking note. Cabela’s, a Nebraska-based outfitter of hunting, fishing and outdoor gear, has two stores under construction that should be completed in the third quarter of this year. These will represented Cabela’s second and third Colorado locations. The chain already has a Grand Junction outpost. THF Realty also recently completed the 147,806-square-foot Walmart in the Lakeside Shopping Center redevelopment area. Metro Denver has seen quite a few Walmart Neighborhood Markets pop up throughout the region recently. Also new to the Denver market is Trader Joe’s. The California-based specialty grocer plans …
After emerging from the downturn, Denver’s industrial market is well and truly back on its feet. As options for large, Class A industrial users of more than 200,000 square feet dwindle, build-to-suit projects are popping up at levels last seen in 2006 and 2007. This is a great sign for the overall health and recovery of the state’s industrial real estate market. Polystrand has almost completed a 120,000-square-foot manufacturing facility in southeast Denver; Interline Distribution is underway with a more than 200,000-square-foot warehouse project along the I-70 corridor scheduled for delivery in August 2012; and U.S. Foods recently purchased land in Eastgate Park where it plans to build a 400,000- to 500,000-square-foot building. There are several other users that have either made similar land purchases or are in the market for large portions of land. In fact, there is a healthy inventory of well-located development sites available, which can be purchased at prices that make sense for users choosing the build-to-suit route. Although large blocks of quality Class A space are sparse in the Denver region, rental rates have not yet risen to a level that would compel developers to start speculative development. Also, there is little guarantee that their …
The Denver office market ended the first quarter of 2012 with an overall vacancy rate that fell to 13.1 percent. According to CoStar, the vacancy rate was down from the previous quarter of 13.2 percent. Net absorption was more than 1.6 million square feet, which included 900,000 square feet in the central business district (CBD), and 700,000 square feet in the suburban markets. Sublease vacancies also declined from 950,000 square feet to 900,000 square feet. Overall rental rates averaged $19.98 per square foot for full-service buildings. Class A properties averaged $23.81 per square foot for full service, while Class B averaged $17.73 per square foot. Both these rental rates were both up slightly, while Class C buildings remained flat at $13.50 per square foot. Leasing activity will continue to improve in 2012, with net absorption remaining positive throughout the entire market. The majority of submarkets are slowly shifting from markets that favor tenants to neutral markets with rental rate stability and decreased tenant concessions, including less free rent. As you can see, the outlook continues to be positive. There are several major indicators that market fundamentals are strengthening activity with limited new supply on the horizon. Additions/development projects that are …
Borrowing a Charles Dickens title, Colorado is “A Tale of Two Cities,” or more accurately, two markets. High density infill markets show strong leasing activity in terms of absorption, rental rates and down time, while lower density rural areas still lag in recovery. Urban markets such as Denver, Boulder and Englewood are returning to earlier days where spaces are quick to fill with an average down time of six months, a waiting list of prospects and increasing rents. For example, a recent side shop vacancy at King Soopers-anchored Belleview Square in Englewood was backfilled with a waiting list of five tenants before the retailer had even closed their doors. On the other hand, secondary and tertiary markets such as Falcon, Colorado Springs and Greeley are slower to lease up with an average down time of 12-15 months and little rent growth. Acquisition activity has not yet recovered, and very few Class A properties are on the market. However, development activity is picking up. Active retail categories include quick service restaurants, health and dental, discounters and mattress stores. One of the interesting trends is the boutique pet store concept occupying less than 4,500 square feet, which seems to be harvesting an …
The Denver industrial real estate market stopped its 2008 free-fall and stabilized in the second half of 2009. A recipe of back-to-back quarters of positive absorption and no new speculative construction caused the vacancy rate to hold steady at 8.6 percent. Tenants are still vacating blocks of space as leases expire, and the weak economy continues to take its toll, but statistically this has been somewhat offset by the lack of new product coming to market and a handful of tenants relocating or expanding. The renewable energy sector had a dramatic impact on the Denver industrial market in 2009 as solar-panel and wind-turbine manufacturers continued to make large investments in the Front Range. As a result, the area is experiencing a ripple effect as smaller tenants are entering the market to fulfill the raw-material requirements and installation needs of these manufacturers. In addition, the U.S. Department of Energy recently awarded more than $75 million in advanced energy manufacturing funds through the Recovery Act to six Colorado clean-tech companies. Hopefully these tax credits will be the foundation for continued job creation and reinforce the Colorado manufacturing industry in 2010-2011. The major development projects currently underway are two buildings totaling 660,000 square …
There's no doubt that the Mile High City has been reeling lately from the country’s current economic downturn. At a time when other cities have experienced a significant decline, Denver has held on to a majority of its retail due in large part to business sectors, such as renewable energy and governmental agencies, choosing Denver for their headquarters and the unemployment rate remaining at around 7 percent, which is below the national average. While vacancy rates also remain below national averages, hovering around 10 to 12 percent, supply for retail space remains higher than demand. Although construction projects are happening downtown and in areas with high residential populations, developments have slowed greatly. Most projects currently under construction started either before the downturn with tenants already committed or were put on hold. One such project in the final stage of completion is the redevelopment of SouthGlenn Mall in Centennial. The entire mall—except for anchor stores Sears and Macy’s—was demolished in 2006 and completely rebuilt as a mixed-use center called The Streets at SouthGlenn. With nearly 1 million square feet of retail space, 140,000 square feet of office space and 200 luxury residences, the first phase of The Streets at SouthGlenn opened …