Office

Creative Office Space Fuels Growth in the Already Robust Atlanta Market

by John Nelson November 27, 2017

Although so-called “creative office space” is for now a tiny slice of the overall supply in Atlanta, it represents the most significant change in the use of office space in generations. Tenants and landlords have only begun to use creative design principles to push rents past levels previously thought unreachable, while increasing worker productivity and satisfaction. Trends in this sector will define the American workplace for decades. The largest users of creative office space — also commonly referred to as loft office space — today are in the TAMI sector (tech, advertising, media and information), but law practices, engineering firms and others are also embracing the open office concept. In Atlanta, there is 3 million square feet of creative office space, which is only 1.2 percent of the metro area’s total inventory. But the vacancy rate for creative spaces is just 8.3 percent and the gross asking price is $29.90 per square foot, both considerably outperforming the traditional office arena. Since 2013 the asking rate for traditional office space in Atlanta has grown 17.2 percent. For creative space the asking rate has shot up 62.5 percent. The top end asking rate for creative spaces is more than $6.50 higher than …

November 27, 2017

California Office Top Stories Western

DreamWorks Animation’s Headquarters, Studio Campus in Los Angeles Sells for $290M

by Nellie Day November 22, 2017

LOS ANGELES — LA Hana OW LLC has acquired DreamWorks Animation’s headquarters and studio campus, a 460,000-square-foot creative office campus in the Los Angeles submarket of Glendale, for $290 million. The five-building campus is located at 1000 Flower St. The property is fully leased on a triple-net basis to DreamWorks Animation SKG, a wholly owned subsidiary of Comcast Corp., through 2035. The Mediterranean-style campus features landscaped courtyards, a manmade river, library, fitness center and screening room, among other amenities. The campus was built on 15 acres in 1997. LA Hana OW, an entity of Hana Asset Management and OceanWest, plans to hold the property long-term. The buyer represented itself in the transaction, while NKF’s Kevin Shannon, Ken White and Laura Stumm represented the seller, The GC Net Lease Investors LLC. GC Net Lease is an entity of Griffin Capital Co., which acquired the property in July 2015 for $215 million. Comcast acquired DreamWorks in August 2016. DreamWorks Animation SKG is an animation studio that has released such children’s films as the Shrek, Kung Fu Panda and Madagascar series. The studio is a subsidiary of Universal Studios, which is itself a division of NBCUniversal. The studio’s feature films have grossed $14.5 billion …

November 22, 2017

Office Oregon Top Stories Western

Starwood Capital Group Buys Wells Fargo Center in Portland

by Nellie Day November 15, 2017

PORTLAND, ORE. — Starwood Capital Group has purchased the 40-story Wells Fargo Center in downtown Portland. The transaction includes an adjacent five-story former data processing building. The price was not disclosed, though county tax records put the value of the tower at $163 million and the adjacent property at $33 million, according to The Oregonian. In June, Wells Fargo announced plans to sell the buildings and relocate some of the 900 employees working there to other local offices, added The Oregonian. The two structures total 725,000 square feet. The asset is located at 1300 SW 5th Ave. The Class A creative office space is the tallest building in Oregon. It offers views of Mt. Hood, the Willamette River, Mount St. Helens, downtown Portland and the West Hills. Starwood plans to reposition the property into a premier Class A asset. The lobbies and entries will undergo major renovations. The investment firm will also add new tenant amenities, including conference facilities, a tenant lounge, reimagined retail areas, fitness center and bike hub. “We are confident that our ambitious renovation plans will restore this building to its former status as one of the most iconic Class A office towers not just in Portland, …

November 15, 2017

Loans New York Northeast Office Top Stories

Cove Property Group Obtains $479M in Construction Financing for 25-Story Office Tower in Manhattan

by Nellie Day November 8, 2017

NEW YORK CITY — Cove Property Group and an institutional partner have received $479 million in construction financing for Hudson Commons, a 701,364-square-foot trophy office building in the Hudson Yards/Penn Plaza submarket of Manhattan. The 25-story building is located at 441 Ninth Ave. between 34th and 35th streets. Hudson Commons will comprise a 17-story structure atop an existing eight-story building. The development will feature 14 private terraces and balconies and onsite basement parking for up to 140 vehicles. The design will incorporate varied floor plans with high ceilings, as well as sustainable elements, such as terraces and green roofs. Kohn Pedersen Fox is designing Hudson Commons. The new building will be equidistant between Penn Station and the new 7 Train extension that services Hudson Yards. It will also feature access to the Port Authority and Lincoln Tunnel. Cove Property Group purchased the asset in December 2016 for $330 million. EmblemHealth had owned the existing 423,000-square-foot building since 1994. The structure was originally built as a warehouse in 1962 before it was converted to office space in 1983. Loan proceeds will reposition and redevelop the asset into a Class A office tower with full-block frontage along Ninth Avenue. The project is …

November 8, 2017

Market Reports Massachusetts Northeast Northeast Market Reports Office

The Boston Office Market is Still Extremely Active

by Taylor Williams November 8, 2017

The Financial District, Back Bay, and Seaport continue to experience strong tenant demand with a vacancy of 10.3 percent and continued rent appreciation. The Seaport, which has experienced tremendous growth for the last four years, received national attention with GE committing to move its corporate headquarters to the market and continues to make headlines with Amazon committing to 150,000 square feet. In addition, 121 Seaport Boulevard just leased to PTC (250,000 square feet) and Alexion (150,000 square feet). One of the biggest trends throughout Boston continues to be the popularity of the Class B buildings. Most people think of Cambridge as one of the premier lab markets in the world. Cambridge has the lowest office vacancy of all the submarkets in Greater Boston at 4.2 percent, making it one of the strongest office markets in the country. Even pre-leasing is strong, with Alexandria Real Estate receiving commitments for all 431,000 square feet at 100 Binney Street, signing Facebook and Bristol-Meyers Squibb as the lead tenants. Space is so tight that, even when you include sublet space, a tenant looking for more than 50,000 square feet only has four options in the submarket. Top Class A product is now achieving rents …

November 8, 2017

Market Reports Office Texas Texas Market Reports

How Will XTO’s Move Impact Fort Worth’s Office Market?

by Taylor Williams October 27, 2017

The recent announcement that XTO Energy Inc., a division of energy giant ExxonMobil, will be moving 1,600 jobs to Houston was not the best news for Fort Worth. The move, which will occur in waves between 2018 and 2020, will reduce downtown’s private workforce by 3 percent over the next few years and lead to several of the company’s CBD properties hitting the market for sale. Broader economic implications notwithstanding, many tenants, landlords and city officials are wondering what impact XTO’s move will have, not only on the office market, but also on the downtown area’s commercial real estate market. However, any worries that the move would drastically upset the downtown market’s equilibrium appear to be misplaced. Most office sectors, especially the CBD’s Class A market and the suburban market that includes the West 7th and West/Southwest Fort Worth areas — should see minimal impact. It is even possible that most of the Class B market in the CBD will remain unaffected, as demand for re-development or from existing office users may consume much of XTO’s spaces. To understand how this move could affect downtown Fort Worth, it helps to look at the bigger picture. The current CBD office inventory …

October 27, 2017

Market Reports New Jersey Northeast Northeast Market Reports Office

Northern New Jersey Shows Strength in Office Construction and Redevelopment

by Taylor Williams October 25, 2017

Despite a slow start to the year, the Northern New Jersey office market decreased vacancy to 20.2 percent as we moved from fourth quarter 2016 into 2017. More than 750,000 square feet of office space is expected to be absorbed in the market to drop the vacancy rate 20 basis points. New deliveries in Morris and Essex Counties, including a 200,000-square-foot office for UPS in Parsippany, are leading the way. Moreover, landlords and investors alike are upgrading and investing in larger redevelopment projects throughout the state which has increased leasing activity. In response to healthier market conditions, owners have also increased rents for office space, which caused higher vacancy rates at the beginning of the year. The average asking rent is anticipated to climb to $27.59 per square foot this year, outpacing the 2 percent rise in office rents posted in 2016. In first quarter, the Hudson Waterfront saw an increase of 3.6 percent per square foot. Hudson Waterfront The main trends in Jersey City and Hoboken are driven by the large populations of millennials in and around surrounding areas. Millennials account for 27.2 percent of the population in Hudson County. In the last 12 months, investors — particularly New …

October 25, 2017

Market Reports Midwest Midwest Market Reports Office Ohio

Downtown Columbus Office Market Devises Solutions to Parking Shortage

by Kristin Harlow October 19, 2017

In today’s world, nearly every company is a technology company. That trend is changing the way we do business and interact with one another. Ted Anglyn, president of the Parking Property Advisors, summarizes how these changes are impacting space utilization, which in turn affects parking needs: The space per square foot per employee in newly leased office space decreased from a range of 300 to 350 square feet per person in 2005 to 150 to 200 square feet in 2010. Some of this space reduction is linked to the recession, but much of it is because of open office design and the predominance of electronic storage, which reduces the need for physical file storage. This change has the potential to increase the typical office parking ratios that range from three to four spaces per 1,000 square feet to five to six spaces per 1,000 square feet. This begs the question of how we, as commercial real estate experts, address this gap. Parking, access and location are not new issues, but they are still major factors in today’s real estate environment. Landlords and economic development directors are all striving to address the needs of business today while also looking to future …

October 19, 2017

Market Reports Office Southeast Southeast Market Reports Virginia

Office Users Gravitate to Richmond CBD Following Surge in Out-of-Market Activity

by John Nelson October 16, 2017

Over the past 12 months, a surge in out-of-market activity has stabilized Richmond’s downtown office market, which had faced a seemingly insurmountable glut of space just last year. For years, Richmond’s Central Business District (CBD) struggled to retain tenants as many sought more affordable locations in the suburbs, while other tenants shed space as they optimized their footprints. However, with a steady flow of high-profile inbound operations into Richmond’s CBD, the momentum has since shifted and the re-urbanization trend, an established facet of many of the nation’s major markets, has now taken hold in Richmond. Out-of-Market Demand Swells After five consecutive quarters of securing a sizable new-to-market operation, the cumulative direct impact of this inflow climbed to over 300,000 square feet. This surge in inbound activity played a pivotal role in stabilizing the CBD, which captured 94 percent of these inbound operations. Much of this activity has been driven by the explosive 14.9 percent growth in Richmond’s millennial population from 2010 to 2015, per a recent study by the Urban Land Institute for Time magazine. According to the study, Richmond is the second fastest growing city for millennials in the country, only behind Hampton Roads. Similarly, Virginia shot up in …

October 16, 2017

New York Northeast Office Top Stories

Columbia Property Trust Buys Two Office Properties in Manhattan for $514M

by Nellie Day October 13, 2017

NEW YORK CITY — Columbia Property Trust Inc. (NYSE: CXP) has purchased two office properties in the Chelsea submarket of New York for $514 million. The acquisition includes two adjoining office buildings that total 281,294 square feet at 245-249 W. 17th St., as well as a 165,670-square-foot office building at 218 W. 18th St. The seller was not disclosed. Twitter’s New York headquarters occupies the majority of the boutique buildings on 17th Street. The adjoining buildings include a six-story western tower and a 12-story eastern tower that serves as a showroom for the high-end modern furniture chain Room & Board. The nearby 12-story building on 18th Street houses the New York City headquarters of beverage and lifestyle company Red Bull, along with several other office tenants. This acquisition has allowed Columbia to increase its New York presence to a total of 2.6 million square feet of Class A office space spread throughout seven assets. This represents 44 percent of the trust’s overall portfolio. “Our acquisition of these prime Midtown South buildings allows us to expand within New York, where we already held the largest concentration in our portfolio, and will further establish Columbia as a significant player in Manhattan’s most dynamic …

October 13, 2017

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