Maryland

Construction Begins on $750M Mixed-Use Development in Metro Baltimore

by Haisten Willis May 18, 2016

WHITE MARSH, MD. — Construction has begun on Greenleigh at Crossroads, a $750 million component of Baltimore Crossroads, a 1,000-acre mixed-use development in White Marsh in the eastern section of Baltimore County. The completed Greenleigh at Crossroads will contain 1,000 single-family homes and townhomes, 500 multifamily units, three mid-rise Class A office buildings spanning 300,000 square feet, 128,000 square feet of single-story office space, 116,000 square feet of retail and a 120-room SpringHill Suites by Marriott. The development team consists of St. John Properties, Somerset Construction Co. and Elm Street Development. “The integrated design of Greenleigh at Crossroads reflects and responds to the new urbanism trend that is sweeping the country, while also complementing the existing product mix that exists at Baltimore Crossroads,” says Edward St. John, chairman of St. John Properties. St. John Properties has broken ground on one of the office buildings, and should begin construction on the hotel in late 2016. Elm Street Development will soon begin building the single-family homes and townhomes, with models expected to open in spring 2017. Somerset Construction will begin work this fall on The Berkleigh, a luxury apartment community featuring 317 units. Located along Maryland Route 43 near I-95, Baltimore Crossroads is …

May 18, 2016

Industrial Market Reports Maryland Southeast Southeast Market Reports

Baltimore Absorbs 3 Million Square Feet of Industrial Space in 2015

by John Nelson May 16, 2016

For the fifth straight year, the Baltimore industrial market ended the year with a positive net absorption, with improvements continuing in both rental rate growth and overall fundamentals. While not overly robust compared to other areas of the country, such as Ontario, Calif., Atlanta, New Jersey and Central Pennsylvania, the Baltimore market absorbed almost 3 million square feet of industrial space in 2015. This sustained growth trend is attributed to a steady, albeit choppy, stream of demand, sustained levels of new construction activity and falling availability and vacancy markers. Looking at the overall conditions of the market, several factors contribute to the improving fundamentals, the most significant of which is the ongoing, high demand for Class A industrial property, which continues to outpace available supply. The Baltimore market is located in the heart of the I-95 Corridor and can access 34 percent of the U.S. population within a single day’s drive. Additionally, given its location within the Washington/Baltimore metropolis, major retailers have selected Baltimore as a logical location for e-commerce and omni-channel fulfillment centers to distribute to homes. These centers will allow retailers same-day access to the 9 million people in the Baltimore-Washington region. On average, those residing in this …

May 16, 2016

Marriott International Agrees to Buy Starwood Hotels & Resorts for $12.2B

by Nellie Day November 16, 2015

BETHESDA, MD. AND STAMFORD, CONN. — Marriott International (NASDAQ: MAR) has agreed to buy Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide (NYSE: HOT) for $12.2 billion. The acquisition will create the world’s largest hotel company with 30 brands under its belt. The combined company will tout 1.1 million rooms in more than 5,500 hotels throughout more than 100 countries. The fee revenue for the 12 months that ended Sept. 30 totaled more than $2.7 billion across both companies. Efficiency, savings and growth are the three main goals behind the merger, according to Marriott. The company expects to deliver at least $200 million in annual cost savings in the second full year after the transaction has closed. It is attempting to accomplish this by leveraging operating and general and administrative (G&A) efficiencies. Marriott also plans to accelerate Starwood’s growth by leveraging its worldwide development organization, as well as its owner and franchisee relationships. “The driving force behind this transaction is growth,” says Arne Sorenson, Marriott’s president and CEO. “This is an opportunity to create value by combining the distribution and strengths of Marriott and Starwood, enhancing our competitiveness in a quickly evolving marketplace.” Per the agreement, Starwood shareholders will receive 0.92 shares of …

November 16, 2015

Market Reports Maryland Retail Southeast Southeast Market Reports

Baltimore City’s Retail Market Remains Hot, But Watch Out for the Suburbs

by John Nelson October 12, 2015

An apartment building boom is encouraging a consistent march of new residents to select sections of Baltimore City, and the construction of new retail venues to support this emerging audience has followed in lockstep. The last several years has seen the opening of stylish shopping centers featuring national anchor tenants such as Harris Teeter and Target, including The Shops at Canton Crossing, a 330,000-square-foot retail shopping center situated within the city’s east side, as well as McHenry Row, located in the Locust Point section of the city (next to Under Armour’s headquarters). Other notable retail developments underway in Baltimore City are the capital improvement and re-invention program at Harborplace; The Stadium Square, a $250 million mixed-use project situated near M&T Bank Stadium; the $25 million facelift being given to Lexington Market, a collection of 100 food vendors; the ongoing retail build-out of Harbor East (the recognized “place to be and be seen” spot of the city); and the initiation of construction on Harbor Point, the site of the new Exelon Corp. headquarters (the company merging with Constellation Energy). Baltimore County is Booming Owings Mills, Towson and White Marsh are the sites of four significant projects, several of which have been …

October 12, 2015

Market Reports Maryland Office Southeast Southeast Market Reports

Shifting Blocks of Space, Apartment Conversions Help Shape Baltimore’s Office Market

by John Nelson October 5, 2015

Three major storylines are playing out in Baltimore, the northern part of the one-two city punch that combines for more than 9 million people and forms the fourth-largest metropolitan region of the country. These three sub-plots each contribute to the larger vernacular of the Charm City story. The activity in the office sector is occurring against the backdrop of a robust warehouse/industrial market, as national companies are recognizing the attractiveness of the Port of Baltimore and access to the Eastern Seaboard. Baltimore is also enjoying the healthiest retail environments seen in years, highlighted by the construction of new large-scale shopping centers to service Millennials and empty-nesters moving downtown. 1. Shifting Blocks of Space Two separate 200,000-square-foot blocks of prime office space are moving to the now-under-construction Harbor Point overlooking Baltimore’s Inner Harbor, the development centerpiece of the Constellation Energy Group merger with Exelon Corp. Upon completion, the former industrial brownfield site will feature more than 1.6 million square feet of commercial office space. Add in a separate 200,000-square-foot move by the Baltimore headquarters of M&T Bank from 25 S. Charles St. (with sources indicating the company may back-fill the space themselves) and you have pretty large shoes to fill in …

October 5, 2015

Market Reports Maryland Multifamily Southeast Southeast Market Reports

Baltimore’s Resurgence as a City Supports Burgeoning Apartment Market

by John Nelson September 28, 2015

The transformation of downtown Baltimore into a contemporary world-class city began nearly two decades ago, but over the past few years it has irrefutably evolved into a true 24/7 city and a top-tier housing market that is nationally recognized by the investment community. An influx of commercial investment drove job growth, which inevitably boosted downtown Baltimore’s daytime population. But what is remarkable is how many of these individuals also decided to become city residents. The number of degree-holding young people living in downtown Baltimore increased by 92 percent between 2000 and 2010, exceeding the pace of 20-something magnet cities like New York and Boston. Whether it was the chicken or the egg, this new group of residents favored a rental urban lifestyle, and downtown Baltimore delivered nearly 4,700 new apartments between 2000 and 2010. Ambitious developers John Paterakis and Michael S. Beatty paved the way in the late 1990s with the development of Harbor East, which congregates upscale retailers, Class A office space and luxury rental apartments. Its immediate success filled a niche in the market and spurred growth in other communities around the Inner Harbor, including the Ritz-Carlton. As this wave of development continued throughout the 2000s, slowly but …

September 28, 2015

Summit Hotel Properties Buys Two Residence Inn by Marriott Hotels for $56.8M

by Nellie Day July 27, 2015

BALTIMORE, M.D. AND BRANCHBURG, N.J. — Summit Hotel Properties (NYSE: INN) has acquired two Residence Inn by Marriott hotels for a total of $56.8 million. The acquisition includes the 141-guestroom Residence Inn in Hunt Valley, just outside Baltimore, and the 141-guestroom Residence Inn in Branchburg, N.J. “We are very happy to announce the addition of these Residence Inn hotels to our portfolio,” says Daniel Hansen, president and CEO of Austin, Texas-based Summit Hotel Properties, a publicly traded REIT. “We remain very positive on the current state of the lodging cycle and see these two acquisitions as solid contributors to our long-term growth plan. Both of these acquisitions are located in strong markets that fit well with our growth strategy and portfolio of premium select-service assets.” Summit plans to spend about $1.5 million on capital improvements at the Hunt Valley property, which is situated just 18 miles outside of downtown Baltimore. Notable employers in the area include PayPal, eBay, McCormick Spice Co., Men’s Warehouse and Johns Hopkins University. The company will spend an additional $1.1 million on capital improvements at the Branchburg property, which is located about an hour outside of New York City. Notable employers in the area include Johnson …

July 27, 2015

Market Reports Maryland Southeast Southeast Market Reports

Baltimore Leading a ‘Charmed' Life With Spate of New Retail Developments

by admin August 4, 2014

The center cores of Baltimore and Washington, D.C., are located approximately 40 miles apart, and talk has renewed about the possibility of connecting the two metropolises by a Maglev rail system. The Baltimore/Washington region is generally considered the fourth largest in the country, boasting nearly 9 million people in the common area. But, when it comes time to rate the demographics, quality of life and overall attributes between the two, Baltimore assumes its secondary status in most comparisons, especially among some professionals in the retail real estate industry. Yet, given the recent successes of retail ventures that have opened in Baltimore City within the past year, prospects for future developments that promise to reinvigorate oft-neglected sections of the city and planned expansions of other mixed-use projects, Baltimore is currently enjoying a “charmed” life. The iconic advertising campaign for National Bohemian beer, which referred to Maryland as “The Land of Pleasant Living,” seems like an appropriate descriptor these days. The project that still has Baltimoreans buzzing is The Shops at Canton Crossing, the 330,000-square-foot retail shopping center situated within the city’s east side that opened last fall, and could easily serve as a national model for successful brownsfield development. Abandoned warehouse …

August 4, 2014

Market Reports Maryland Southeast Southeast Market Reports

Baltimore's Industrial Fundamentals Improve Slowly, Steadily

by admin July 21, 2014

Comprising approximately 155 million square feet of industrial space, the Baltimore industrial market continues to recover, albeit gradually, from the recession. Key drivers for the Baltimore metropolitan area include the Port of Baltimore, proximity to Washington, D.C., and direct accessibility to Interstate 95 and the major population centers along the Eastern seaboard. As of the end of the first quarter, the vacancy rate for the Baltimore industrial market was 9 percent, which is down from 13.3 percent at the depth of the recession. Vacant inventory has been gradually absorbed since the recession and market fundamentals continue to improve. Industrial product continues to be a favored asset class, and Baltimore is deemed to be a “core” market among private and public institutional investors. Rental Rates Warehouse rental rates throughout the Baltimore metropolitan market have increased from 2010 to 2014 as the local and national economy continues its slow recovery. Overall asking rates on a triple-net basis have increased approximately $1 per square foot since 2010 as the average asking rate for bulk industrial product was at $5.22 per square foot as of the first quarter of this year. As the vacancy rate has dropped in recent years, landlords have held firmer …

July 21, 2014

Market Reports Maryland Southeast Southeast Market Reports

Millenials Drive Strong Apartment Growth

by admin April 21, 2014

Baltimore, long known as a city that wore its grit as a badge of honor, is now shining with high-end multifamily developments and new in-town retail destinations. This city of neighborhoods has hit Forbes’ “hipster” list thanks to a vibrant arts scene, established and trendy restaurants, vital retail destinations and world-class attractions and events. These quality amenities make it possible for residents to work, shop, play and stay in the city, appealing to a growing young professional population. Baltimore’s strong economic base of higher education and health, coupled with the unwavering trend for convenient, quality city living, is driving a strong multifamily market. Delta Associates reports that the Baltimore area economy is experiencing above average growth. Despite losses in the state and local government sector, the unemployment rate remained steady at 6.9 percent in October 2013 compared to the national rate at 7.3 percent in the same period. The region is poised to experience long-term growth as a result of growth in sectors based in the Baltimore area, namely cyber-security, education and health. From December 2012 to December 2013, Delta notes that Baltimore’s Class A rents increased an average of 6 percent and stabilized occupancy is at 95 percent. Baltimore …

April 21, 2014

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