Las Vegas’ retail market is now clearly showing the strain of the recession. Decreased consumer spending has directly impacted local retailers, as unemployment climbs and shoppers find themselves with less discretionary income. Holiday season revenues were the weakest on record, and luxury stores, apparel chains and department stores all reported declining sales. Meanwhile, developers continue to experience difficulties securing financing for planned projects. As a result, several planned projects are on hold, and few of the currently planned and under construction projects should open in 2009 and 2010. Underperformance, the liquidity crunch and tighter credit terms with vendors, combined with the recession, made it impossible for many large box retailers to remain in business, thus bringing on the vast amount of power center vacancies. Small local retailers relied on SBA loans and equity from residential properties and saw both of these sources vanish, thus preventing many from opening new stores and leaving many strip centers with higher vacancies. Retailers that are performing well are very cautious regarding expansion. With already close to 3 million square feet of vacant large box retail space in the Las Vegas market, expect to see vacancies continue to rise this year. However, increased vacancies provide …
Nevada
The northern Nevada office market remained weak in 2008 with all four quarters recording increased vacancy and negative net absorption, a continuation of a trend that began in 2007 when three out of four quarters finished with negative net absorption. Last year finished with negative 116,000 square feet of leased office space and vacancy exceeding 20 percent. Directly related to the drastic downturn in the residential real estate market, Reno’s office performance had been fueled by the national homebuilders, mortgage companies and title companies, who saw their requirements for office space drop as quickly as the demand for their products and services. The area’s office sector quickly changed from growth and high demand to nearly non-existent demand and increasing vacancy, thus leaving investors and developers scrambling for tenants. With rising vacancy and demand declining, many office property owners are willing to slash effective lease rates to secure tenants. The average asking rate for Class A properties at year-end 2008 was $22.08 per square foot, a $1.56 less than a year earlier, and Class B was down to $16.68 per square foot. During the highs of late 2006, the effective rates for class A product exceeded $27 per square foot. With …
What area is your expertise? Reno/Sparks, Nevada What trends do you see presently in retail development in your area? We are seeing an increase in vacancy rates in both anchor spaces and in-line shops, as some existing tenants are vacating. What type of retail product is doing well in your area? As in most areas, Costco, Sam’s, Wal-Marts, and Dollar Stores are seeing increased sales. Sales have shifted to retailers with perceived value. Subway’s has also reported increased sales with their $5 sub sandwich promotion. What retailers are new to your area? Dillard’s, Cabella’s, Scheel’s and RC Willey. Who are the active retail developers in your area? Lewis Operating, Red Development and Bayer Properties. Please name one or two significant retail developments in your area. What impact will these projects have on the market? Damonte Ranch Town Center developed by Lewis Operating. The center is anchored by The Home Depot, Office Depot and RC Willey. The center has additional anchor space available. It is located in south Reno east of U.S. 395 at Steamboat and Damonte Ranch Parkway. This center is located in the middle of a master-planned community that will have over 15,000 homes in the immediate area when …
What area is your expertise? Industrial leasing and sales in the Northern Nevada area, including Reno, Sparks, Fernley, and Carson City. What trends do you see presently in industrial development in your area? Abatement of planned buildings while developers wait for speculative big-box construction to absorb. What type of industrial product is doing well in your area? Industrial condos have seen an increase in sales due to some aggressive owners acknowledge current market conditions and dropping prices. Concerning leasing, the 20,000 to 40,000-square-foot sector has been relatively active in big-box industrial spaces. Who are the active industrial developers in your area? Prologis, Panattoni, DP Partners, McShane, Tarragon, UPC, and Development Arts. Please name one or two significant industrial developments in your area. What impact will these projects have on the market? The addition of several new developers building speculative big-box construction has created a new dynamic in the Northern Nevada industrial market. The short-term impact has created a significant increase in overall vacancy. The long-term outcome remains to be seen, but optimistically may create healthy competition among developers luring new prospects to Northern Nevada. The disposition of the Panattoni Industrial Portfolio, a 2.02 million-square-foot portfolio consisting of seven buildings in …
What area is your expertise? We primarily focus on office properties located in the Reno/Tahoe region of Northern Nevada, as well as some outlying areas. The Northern Nevada office market is defined as Reno/Sparks as far north as Spanish Springs and as far south as Mt. Rose Highway, HW 431. Our expertise mainly lies within the seven submarkets in the Reno/Sparks market: South Meadows (89521), Meadowood (89511), Central Reno (89509), Airport (89502), and Downtown Reno (89501). We also track West Reno (89523) and Sparks (89431, 89436) What trends do you see presently in office development in your area? We have seen a tremendous slowdown in new office development over the past 2 years. The booming economy of yesteryear produced an abundance of office space that has outpaced the economic demands of the market. Direct results of this overbuilding are the inflated vacancy rates and a standstill for new development. Most of the office development occurring comes in the form of existing building redevelopment and renovation. Much of this activity is occurring in Downtown Reno where the downtown Reno redevelopment district provides incentives for redevelopment through flexible zoning and tax incentives, therefore allowing developers to achieve a highest and best use …
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