By Tim With, Senior Vice President, Colliers The amount of empty space in New Mexico’s industrial market has shrunk to unforeseen levels. Albuquerque, the state’s largest MSA, reported a total of 41.5 million square feet of industrial space and only a 2.4 percent vacancy rate at the end of 2020. Absorption levels have increased through the first quarter of 2021, and available inventory is becoming difficult to find as the vacancy is down to 1.9 percent. Albuquerque has been on the brink of new construction for some time, with the need for new Class A space far outweighing the current availability. The nationwide industrial supply posted record deliveries in 2020 that totaled more than 300 million square feet. This represents about a 2 percent year-over-year increase in total inventory. In comparison, Albuquerque’s inventory grew by less than 1 percent over the past five years, while vacancy rates decreased by almost 550 basis points. Most new construction has been build-to-suit activity. Tenants, meanwhile, are challenged with a lack of choice as a considerable amount of the existing vacant space is functionally obsolete. The average overall asking lease rates for existing warehouse/distribution space was $6.58 per square foot, triple net, at the end of …
