Friday, January 17, 2025
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Market ReportsMidwestMidwest Market ReportsOhioRetail

Columbus Retail Development Keeps Pace With Rising Population

by Kristin Harlow

Columbus is a city on the rise. While that’s not exactly a new development, the fact that the arc of commercial development continues to bend up in Ohio’s capital city is noteworthy — and the pace of growth is impressive, to say the least. Columbus is the gateway market for the state of Ohio, with an impressive civic and economic resume. The counties making up the greater Columbus region have not only added approximately 160,000 jobs since 2010, they have brought in more than $8 billion in capital investments during that time. Columbus is home to The Ohio State University (OSU), one of the largest and most influential public universities in the nation; a long and expanding list of headquarters of national brands and businesses; and Columbus boasts a combination of arts, culture and commercial creativity that has led some to refer to it as the “Austin of the Midwest.” Downtown’s Arena District, home to the city’s professional hockey team the Columbus Blue Jackets, is the standard bearer for large-scale urban infill projects. The new Grandview Yard development brought additional mixed-use horsepower to the city. Retail expansions Easton Town Center is the major retail destination in Columbus, located in the …

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The-Domain-Austin-Texas
Market ReportsRetailTexasTexas Market Reports

Same Drivers Move Austin, San Antonio Retail Markets at Different Pace

by Taylor Williams

A mere 80 miles separates Austin and San Antonio, the anchors of the growing Interstate 35 corridor. The two cities have some fundamental cultural differences but share certain economic drivers that have produced healthy retail real estate markets in both metros, albeit with varied results. The most basic economic drivers common to both metro areas are population and employment growth. Like other Texas cities, the Austin and San Antonio metro areas continue to experience a steady stream of new residents and jobs. Although San Antonio often takes a backseat to Austin in various rankings, the Alamo City topped this year’s national list for largest raw numeric growth in population among all U.S. cities of 50,000 or more, according to the U.S. Census Bureau. Austin landed at No. 12 in this category. However, Forbes ranks Austin second among America’s Best Cities for Jobs while San Antonio lags at No. 13. Joined at the Hip Because both cities and the small towns that surround them are growing at phenomenal paces, central Texas is starting to be identified in terms of Austin and San Antonio, not Austin vs. San Antonio. And although this concept has been talked about for years, retail development along …

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Market ReportsMarylandRetailSoutheastSoutheast Market Reports

Long-Awaited Retail Projects are Springing to Life All Around Baltimore

by John Nelson

A number of high-profile retail and mixed-use developments throughout the greater Baltimore metropolitan area have been stuck in neutral over the past few years, with issues rang-ing from changes to the local real estate environment, construction issues, leasing challenges related to store closings and consolidations, corporate reevaluations and the constantly shifting tastes and shopping habits of the Baltimore consumer. Successful retail projects must en-joy a string of positive outcomes (as well as luck), including support from retailers, the capital markets and the local community. Below is a rundown of local retail or mixed-use developments that have recently sprung to life, as well as some that still remain on the starting block. Mill Station in Owings Mills Owings Mills Mall opened to sig-nificant fanfare in 1986 and stood face-to-face with a wrecking ball in 2016. Numerous ownership groups, design iterations and new retail projects emerging within close proximity kept pushing its reincarnation back further. Finally, the renderings of the “de-malled” project were unveiled to the public last fall, along with announcement of several leasing successes. This summer, construction remains in full bore leading up to an expected fall opening of Costco, followed by Lowe’s Home Improvement, Home-sense, Burlington and Five Below, …

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Market ReportsMidwestMidwest Market ReportsMissouriRetail

Grocery Stores, Restaurants Dominate Retail Development in Kansas City Market

by Kristin Harlow

As most that pay attention to commercial real estate know, the retail real estate market is constantly evolving. That said, with change comes opportunity, and we are both recognizing and capitalizing on that opportunity in the Kansas City market. As has been the case for the last few years, we continue to see a significant amount of “right-sizing” from big box and junior box retailers. Although e-commerce remains a prevalent means of purchasing for consumers, retail closures are not as abundant as many have predicted. Rather, many retailers are tweaking their square footage needs in search of the perfect footprint to optimize in-store sales in conjunction with e-commerce. While e-commerce continues to gain market share, it still accounts for less than 10 percent of retail sales nationwide, as of last year. The need for brick-and-mortar stores remains imperative to the success of most retailers. In the Kansas City metro area, retail vacancy rates remain low at 5.6 percent as of the second quarter. While that is a slight increase over 5.5 percent in the first quarter, it is a significant improvement over last year’s second-quarter figure of 6.3 percent. A few major 2018 transactions contributing to the positive net absorption …

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Market ReportsNew YorkNortheastNortheast Market ReportsRetail

New York City Retail Opportunity Never Better, Nor as Challenging

by David Cohen

2018 is a compelling time to be in retail real estate, especially in New York. Sure, rents are probably still too high, but the vacancy rate keeps pressure on landlords and developers. There is no doubt Amazon will continue to disrupt and dominate, but reports of retail’s demise have been greatly exaggerated. The lower rents and vacancies are creating opportunity for retailers who can adapt to the factors driving consumers’ shopping habits. Perhaps more importantly, many of the city’s most desirable retail corridors such as Fifth Avenue and SoHo were historically difficult to come by, regardless of a tenant’s ability to pay. Now, opportunity beckons. The latest census data indicates New York City is growing and that the trend will continue as people seek urban environments to live, work and play. Futurists predict urban population growth to continue throughout the century. But it isn’t just residents and workers flocking to the Big Apple. More than 60 million tourists visited the city in 2017 and even more are projected to visit in 2018.  Recent technological advancements have changed many aspects of human behavior, from the way we interact with one another to how we get around and how we purchase products.  …

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Las-Vegas-Raiders-Stadium
Market ReportsNevadaRetailWesternWestern Market Reports

Vegas’ Retail Market Supports Economy Beyond Gaming, Hospitality

by Taylor Williams

There is a lot of buzz in the Las Vegas market a full 10 years after the Great Recession. Much of this buzz surrounds sports with the new Golden Knights hockey team; the Las Vegas Lights professional United Soccer League team; Las Vegas Aces WNBA team; and the NFL Raiders team. The new Raiders stadium is under construction now and is widely considered the most talked-about major development happening in Vegas. In a city that offers unmatched access to world-class gaming, shopping, tradeshows and conventions, the NFL coming to town creates yet another reason for people to visit Las Vegas. As you can imagine, many retailers and investors are trying to position themselves to take advantage of this entry. The overall vacancy rate for retail in the Las Vegas metro area was 8.7 percent. Rents for new developments range from $2.50 per square foot, triple-net to $4 per square foot, triple-net. Existing neighborhood centers, power centers and strip centers average $1.75 per square foot to $2.25 per square foot. Anchor and mid-box leases average $0.75 per square foot to $1.25 per square foot for both gross and triple-net-structured leases. Ground lease and build-to-suit are averaging $120,000 to $225,000 in annual …

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Market ReportsRetailTexasTexas Market Reports

Out-of-State Investors Eye Surging Dallas Retail Market

by Taylor Williams

The Dallas retail market has been on a historic run over the last five years. Dallas is attracting significant attention from foreign and domestic retail investors alike for several reasons. Cap rates continue to compress, big box spaces are experiencing steady absorption, occupancy is at an all-time high of 94.6 percent, unemployment is at a historic low of 3.7 percent, population growth is holding steady and residential development remains robust. The Dallas-Fort Worth (DFW) MSA recently ranked second in the Americas for real estate investor interest, according to a recent poll conducted by CBRE. In particular, there has been a strong increase in demand for retail properties from California buyers. Many of these investors are used to paying 4 to 5 percent cap rates. So when these California buyers have the opportunity to invest in a market showing stronger signs of growth than their local regions, they jump at the chance. According to CoStar Group, over the last 18 months, the average cap rate for a Dallas retail asset purchased by a California buyer was 6.1 percent. In contrast, the average for a Texas-based buyer was 7 percent. This statistic clearly shows that private retail investors based in California are …

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Market ReportsNew MexicoRetailWesternWestern Market Reports

New Mexico’s Retail Market Gives Steady Performance

by Taylor Williams

The New Mexico commercial real estate market continues to be a safe play for owners and developers in the Southwest. Albuquerque, which contains 50 percent of the state’s population, continues to drive the market with more than 80 percent of the commercial real estate transactions. A moderate supply-demand imbalance currently exists. This imbalance will allow vacant real estate to be matched up with occupier requirements relatively quickly, taking the vacancy rate lower or continuing to place upward pressure on the need for new construction. The New Mexico market, like many others, has experienced little to no development on the periphery of the city. Instead, owners and occupiers remain focused on the core areas of the market where density can be increased for a more efficient use of retail or office space. Albuquerque’s tech sector is also picking up momentum through the organic growth of existing companies and a large push from the University of New Mexico in partnership with the business community. New Mexico has one of the highest per capita concentrations of doctorate degrees in the U.S. The vacancy rate for retail space sits at 12.5 percent as of the first quarter of 2018. The outlook will be trending …

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ColoradoMarket ReportsRetailWesternWestern Market Reports

Investors Continue to Pay a Premium for STNL Retail Properties in Colorado

by Taylor Williams

Single-tenant, net leased (STNL) retail properties continue to be among the most highly sought-after real estate investments. This is particularly true in Colorado and California where supply and demand constraints have created sales with significant premiums. Investors are accustomed to paying low cap rates for single-tenant assets within California as these properties have historically traded for a significant premium in comparison to the rest of the nation. However, the premium associated with Colorado STNL retail properties is a fairly new phenomenon. This Colorado premium can be attributed to a considerable supply and demand imbalance. There are very few available STNL properties within Colorado, and substantial capital actively chases this product type. California-based 1031 exchange investors seeking higher yields and Colorado-based 1031 exchange investors selling multifamily properties at historic pricing (due to significant appreciation in rents and historically low cap rates) are spurring the increased demand. Colorado’s strong economy and recent population growth has also led to a lot of new development. This has impacted the quality of available properties, many of which are new construction with long-term leases. The median sold cap rate for a STNL retail property in Colorado was 6.02 percent in 2017. This represented a 38 basis …

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Market ReportsMississippiProperty TypeRetailSoutheastSoutheast Market Reports

Jackson’s Retail Market on Cruise Control as It Drives Into Expansion Phase

by John Nelson

It’s safe to say that the Jackson MSA, as a whole, responds slower to national trends than the vast majority of markets in the United States. In regards to the economic recovery, Jackson is about two years behind the national economy post-recession. The retail market is just now moving from the recovery phase and into the expansion phase of its growth cycle, which is evidenced by decreasing vacancy rates and stabilizing lease rates. A limited amount of new construction has been a main driver for absorption in this area. There is approximately 35 million square feet of retail inventory in the Jackson MSA, with a moderate amount of new construction scheduled to deliver in the next 12 months. The first phase of expansion for the retail market is beginning to occur and is expected to gain in strength over the next 12 to 18 months. From an investment sales standpoint, Jackson has seen continued interest and stable transaction velocity from local and national retail investors in the last 12 to 24 months. As cap rates have compressed nationally, investors have continued to look to tertiary markets like Jackson in search of higher yields. The current going-in cap rate for acquisitions …

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