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"Adaptive Reuse"

Cranes Inhabit Nashville Skies as Office Market Booms With New Projects

by John Nelson October 22, 2019

With more than 30 cranes in Nashville’s skies, it’s safe to say the Music City commercial real estate market is humming along. In fact, Davidson County approved $4.2 billion of commercial and residential construction permits in the 2018-2019 fiscal year, according to the Nashville Business Journal. Over the last three fiscal years, the county approved $11.4 billion in permits. While that’s an outstanding level of capital investment in a county with under 900,000 residents, it should be noted that Nashville’s MSA comprises 1.9 million residents encompassing 13 counties — all of which are experiencing record levels of construction permits. New companies coming to the city are driving the office market and construction demand, with several large announcements in the last year including Amazon, AllianceBernstein and Mitsubishi, and the city is continues to rapidly attract companies in the financial services, tech and healthcare industries. With a limited number of buildings available for adaptive reuse, most development taking place in the market is new construction. In fact, more than 460,000 square feet of Class A space was delivered in the third quarter of 2019. The majority of that figure was in Midtown and the Cool Springs/Franklin submarkets, with Aetna and Ramsey Solution’s …

October 22, 2019

Features Retail

CCIM: ‘Culprit’ for Retail Bankruptcies Is Being Overleveraged, Over-Retailed

by Kristin Harlow October 1, 2019

Over the weekend, fast fashion retailer Forever 21 was the latest to file for bankruptcy protection. The low-price, teen-focused apparel retailer plans to close 350 stores worldwide, including up to 178 in the Unites States, according to The Wall Street Journal. Overleverage and retailers being “over-retailed” — not changes in consumer spending — are to blame for retail bankruptcies, according to K.C. Conway, CCIM Institute chief economist. Conway, in partnership with the Alabama Center for Real Estate at the University of Alabama, recently released a report that debunks retail myths and makes predictions for the future of the property sector. Besides overexpansion, one of Forever 21’s struggles was its large store footprints in malls. Conway predicts that retail space will contract by more than 50 percent by 2022. One in four malls nationwide is expected to close. Trends to keep an eye on Despite the proliferation of e-commerce, the CCIM report finds that online apparel retail is actually less profitable than brick-and-mortar stores. This is partly because last-mile fulfillment isn’t cost effective. That said, online retail sales are predicted to double by 2025, largely due to online grocery sales. In the United States, online grocery sales are expected to make …

October 1, 2019

California Market Reports Office Western Western Market Reports

San Diego’s Office Market Shows Strong Fundamentals, Continued Creativity

by Taylor Williams September 27, 2019

The outlook for San Diego’s office market is sunny and bright. Often considered a less costly option for office users as compared to other Southern California markets, San Diego holds consistent appeal for tenants seeking a coastal address where the weather is mild and the vibe is entrepreneurial and business friendly. The market is following the national trend of stronger occupancy rates and robust absorption, buoyed by a healthy economy. At 10.2 percent in the second quarter — the lowest level in nearly 14 years — San Diego’s office vacancy rate beats the national office vacancy rate of 12 percent — the lowest level in 18 years, despite construction. These fundamentals are demonstrating increased tenant demand. We’re continuing to see growth and expansion of office in submarkets throughout San Diego County. Sorrento Valley is one of the stronger office submarkets due to its centralized location and accessibility to major freeways. Other submarkets with heightened demand are Del Mar Heights, which is close to the ocean and suburban areas that house corporate executives, and Kearny Mesa, another major business center for the county. Carlsbad and Oceanside in North County and Chula Vista in South County are also popular choices. Oceanside and …

September 27, 2019

Affordable Housing Development Loans Multifamily Western

WNC Closes $210M in Institutional LIHTC Funds to Develop, Renovate More Than 1,900 Affordable Housing Units

by Amy Works September 6, 2019

IRVINE, CALIF. — WNC, a provider of investment, asset management and development services in the affordable housing industry, has closed two institutional Low-Income Housing Tax Credit (LIHTC) funds. WNC Institutional Tax Credit Fund 47 (WNC Corp. 47) and WNC Institutional Tax Credit Fund 10 California Series 17 (CA 17) total approximately $210 million in equity. Together, the equity from the funds will be used to develop and renovate more than 1,900 affordable housing units in the United States. WNC Corp. 47 raised $134.6 million in equity, and CA 17 raised $75.5 million. The closure of the funds brings Irvine-based WNC’s total equity raised since inception to approximately $5.2 billion. The properties that will be funded are located in Arkansas, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Louisiana, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Mississippi, Montana, Virginia and Wyoming. The assets will include multifamily and seniors housing projects in urban, suburban and rural areas. One project of note is Mason Square Apartments II in Springfield, Mass., which is an adaptive reuse of two historic buildings — the former Indian Motorcycle manufacturing mill complex constructed in 1890 and the Masson Square Fire House, originally constructed in 1920. Another notable project is Park West Estates in Los Angeles County, Calif. …

September 6, 2019

Development Michigan Midwest Mixed-Use

Bedrock Selects ODA as Architect for Book Tower Rehabilitation in Detroit

by Kristin Harlow September 5, 2019

DETROIT — Bedrock has selected ODA as the design architect for the Book Tower, an adaptive reuse project in Detroit. The project includes a mix of residential, hospitality, retail and office space. The 486,760-square-foot office tower was originally designed by Louis Kemper in 1916 in an Italian Renaissance style. Bedrock acquired the 38-story tower in 2015 and recently completed an extensive exterior restoration, including the replacement of 2,483 windows. ODA plans to add a variety of public amenities, including retail, galleries, restaurants and a café. The project team also includes construction manager Brinker/Christman, civil engineer Giffels Webster, structural engineer Buro Happold, as well as Kraemer Design Group for historic preservation and ARUP for acoustics and security. The building was named after the famous Book Brothers of Detroit. The last tenant, Bookie’s Tavern, closed in early 2009 leaving the entire building vacant.

September 5, 2019

Iowa Market Reports Midwest Midwest Market Reports Mixed-Use

Flood of Development Activity Continues in Cedar Rapids

by Kristin Harlow August 22, 2019

As I have enjoyed writing in six previous August articles since 2013, we have seen Cedar Rapids, the 2014 “All-America City,” go from flood recovery in 2008 and 2016 to record levels of development. The city set a record for building permits in fiscal year 2018 of $375 million, which was $133 million over the previous year and $29 million more than the 2012 record by $29 million. Activity in fiscal year 2019 is estimated to be a very impressive $320 million. Flood protection system reached another milestone on Nov. 22, 2018, when the city and Army Corps of Engineers officially signed the agreement for $117 million of federal funds to allow the entire east side of the river flood protection system to be completed within five years. The west side is being funded through a state sales tax rebate program and 10 years of flood bonds to allow the entire $750 million flood protection system to be completed in the next decade. This year there are already four sections under construction with several additional portions being bid over the next several months. The flood protection system will not be just berms or walls that will block the view of …

August 22, 2019

Features Heartland Feature Archive

Subcontractors Grow More Selective as Labor Market Continues to Tighten

by Kristin Harlow August 13, 2019

Rising materials costs and the shortage of skilled workers continue to pose a challenge for general contractors. In turn, these conditions have enabled subcontractors to be highly selective about the projects they are willing to accept. “For the first time in many years, we have found ourselves encountering subcontractors who have passed up on project opportunities because the reality is that resources within qualified subcontracting firmsare finite as well,” says Anthony Johnson, executive vice president and industrial business unit leader with Chicago-based Clayco. Given this reality, contractors are relying on existing relationships with subcontractors and spending more time on pre-construction phases with developers in order to manage costs. “The most important thing we can do in this landscape is communicate with clients and manage expectations,” says Chuck Taylor, director of operations with Lemont, Illinois-based Englewood Construction. “For example, we make it clear how important timing is and that pricing could change from what we originally estimate if there’s a significant delay in a project due to design revisions or financing.” Englewood specializes in the construction of retail and restaurant properties. Most subcontractors that the firm works with are currently charging what Taylor describes as high rates and are operating at …

August 13, 2019

Development Hospitality Texas

NewcrestImage Completes 195-Room AC Hotel by Marriott in Downtown Houston

by Taylor Williams August 2, 2019

HOUSTON — NewcrestImage, a Dallas-based hospitality development firm, has completed the 195-room AC Hotel by Marriott Houston Downtown. The 10-story hotel represents an adaptive reuse of the historic, former Gulf Oil headquarters building that was originally constructed in 1914. The hotel houses a restaurant, bar and lounge, as well as a fitness center, business center, a media salon, Starbucks Coffee and a 3,600-square-foot event space. Mitchell Carlson Stone served as the project architect, and Arch-Con served as the general contractor.

August 2, 2019

Market Reports Multifamily Northeast Northeast Market Reports Pennsylvania

All of a Sudden, Pittsburgh Multifamily Trades Increase in Velocity

by Taylor Williams July 3, 2019

After a brief increase in the overall vacancy rate in the Pittsburgh region in 2017, the market has rebounded nicely and is back in the 4 to 5 percent range. But what has been more eye-opening is the increased velocity in the acquisition market that has investors from outside of Pittsburgh more focused on the Western Pennsylvania market than ever before. Multifamily Sales Market Multifamily sales in the Pittsburgh region over the last 10 years have been rather anemic. Sales velocity was slow due to various factors, including the reluctance of long-time local ownership groups to sell a property in a market where few options existed for a 1031 tax-deferred exchange transaction. There was also very little new construction to attract outside capital. In general, not much attention was paid to the Pittsburgh metro. However, developers recently had an epiphany and noticed that there was much old multifamily product scattered throughout the region, and that the time was right to break ground on new projects. Now that a significant amount of new construction projects have been delivered over the last six or so years, Pittsburgh has become a target for many investment firms from outside Western Pennsylvania. Some of the …

July 3, 2019

Market Reports Northeast Northeast Market Reports Office Pennsylvania

Rent Growth in Pittsburgh Office Market Leads to Development Wave

by Taylor Williams June 19, 2019

The Pittsburgh office market has experienced significant new development over the last five years, particularly in the urban and downtown fringe submarkets. This is expected to continue in the coming years, with several new developments that are currently in planning or under construction. Historically, urban office supply in Pittsburgh has been constrained due to the economic hurdles of new development. With limited sites for new projects, land costs at a premium and significant site work required, Pittsburgh’s nominal rent growth did not allow for economically viable projects. However, rent growth in recent years has led to a new wave of development, which has accommodated companies moving to Pittsburgh along with existing businesses growing and/or relocating within the market. Most of the new office development has taken place in urban submarkets surrounding downtown, including the Strip District, Oakland, East Liberty and the North Shore. These submarkets have attracted more development than the CBD due to greater availability of development sites, as well as lower construction costs. Development Pockets Total development costs of Class A office buildings on the fringe of the CBD are generally $250 to $300 per square foot. For this project cost, gross rents in the range of $30 …

June 19, 2019

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