Wisconsin

New Industrial Supply Struggles to Keep Pace With Absorption in Milwaukee

by Kristin Harlow March 16, 2017

Metro Milwaukee’s industrial market continued to be a strong performer in 2016, and this strength should continue for the foreseeable future. We’re now seeing a healthy uptick in new industrial development, and even speculative development in select submarkets. While the demand for industrial space has continued to increase, the new supply has failed to keep pace. Sustained quarterly absorption without a sufficient corresponding increase in new product coming to market continues to keep vacancy rates hovering around 4 percent, near the record lows, according to Xceligent and CoStar. The new industrial construction that is occurring continues to be driven by users expanding, relocating or consolidating their existing facilities and by limited build-to-suit developments undertaking Milwaukee-based firms such as Wangard Partners Inc., Phoenix Investors LLC and Briohn Building Corp. Spec building returns Speculative development is still relatively rare, but developers such as Zilber, HSA Development and Interstate Partners are all venturing into the speculative realm and with favorable results so far. HSA, for example, recently completed a 214,000-square-foot speculative building in Waukesha, and Zilber continues to build and fill buildings in the I-94 South corridor. In late 2016, Zilber unveiled plans for a 163,716-square-foot facility in Franklin and a 72,324-square-foot facility …

March 16, 2017

Market Reports Midwest Midwest Market Reports Office Wisconsin

Developers in Downtown Milwaukee Play With Hot Hand Due to Strong Demand

by Kristin Harlow March 9, 2017

Ben Franklin, one of our nation’s Founding Fathers, famously said, “Well done is better than well said.” Milwaukee has a long history of ideas that are well said. There is no shortage of opinions and sound ideas on how to attract companies to the city, how to improve the public transportation system and how to get more people to live in the city. But these well-intentioned ideas, more often than not, don’t get implemented. Finally, after a decade of virtually no new development, things are happening. In the August 2015 issue of this magazine, I wrote a column focusing on development in downtown Milwaukee titled “Proposed New Arena for Milwaukee Bucks Could Lead to a Development Run.” Indeed, that’s what is happening. After much debate, the arena is finally under construction. It will span 715,000 square feet and hold 17,500 people. Just as impressive is the ancillary development surrounding the arena, including the Froedtert & the Medical College of Wisconsin Sports Science Center that will serve as the new practice and training facility for the Milwaukee Bucks as well as a health center. The new Arena District will also be home to a “live block” comprised of four to five …

March 9, 2017

Midwest Retail Top Stories Wisconsin

Milwaukee Symphony Orchestra Seeks to Buy, Renovate Former Warner Grand Theatre for $80M

by Nellie Day December 14, 2016

MILWAUKEE — The Milwaukee Symphony Orchestra (MSO) is hoping to purchase and restore the former Warner Grand Theatre in downtown Milwaukee in time for its fall 2019 season. An anonymous donor is leading the initiative to purchase the vacant theater, which would be converted into a concert hall. The renovation would include bathroom modernizations and updated seating to fit a capacity of 1,750. The theater’s acquisition and renovations are expected to cost between $70 million and $80 million. The MSO is hoping to acquire the site in fall 2017. The project is part of a $120 million MSO fundraising campaign that would also raise bridge financing and increase the organization’s general endowment. The MSO brought in $17 million in revenue during its 2015-2016 season. The symphony’s 80 full-time musicians perform more than 135 concerts each season. The orchestra currently performs at the Marcus Center for the Performing Arts on North Water Street. The 12-story Warner Grand Theatre is situated on West Wisconsin Avenue. The MSO is the only major orchestra in the nation without control over its own performance venue, according to the MSO’s president and executive director. The Art Deco-style theater was built in 1931 and was last occupied …

December 14, 2016

Market Reports Midwest Midwest Market Reports Office Uncategorized Wisconsin

Late to the Economic Recovery, Madison’s Office Sector is Now in a Growth Mode

by Christina Cannon August 18, 2016

The Madison office market finally emerged from its post-recession stupor in 2015 and chalked up its best performance since the early 2000s. The 430,000 square feet of positive net absorption recorded last year exceeded the combined total of the previous three years. This strong trend continues in 2016. Nearly 150,000 square feet of office space was leased during the first quarter, driving the vacancy rate down to 10.2 percent. The Madison office market was slow to recover from the Great Recession. As recently as 2014, office vacancies increased, and only 67,000 square feet of net positive absorption was tallied that year. As the state capital and home to the University of Wisconsin, the local economy depends on government and education as base industries — sectors where employment and spending had been retreating until recently. Insurance, financial services, medical services, research, information technology and software development are also important and growing sectors in Madison, accounting for a lot of new office leasing activity. Who’s taking space? Among the large lease deals in recent months: Arrowhead Research inked a deal to occupy 68,000 square feet in University Research Park; M3 Insurance completed and moved into its building at 828 John Nolen Drive; …

August 18, 2016

Market Reports Midwest Midwest Market Reports Retail Wisconsin

From Brews to J. Crew: Retailers Tap Revamped Milwaukee-Area Warehouses

by Christina Cannon May 26, 2016

In real estate, where some see an eyesore, others can sometimes find opportunity. Such was the case with The Mayfair Collection, a new regional shopping center in Wauwatosa, Wis., located approximately 10 miles west of downtown Milwaukee. Just a few years ago, the 69-acre site was filled with old, obsolete industrial buildings that were mostly unoccupied, but the City of Wauwatosa and our firm, Chicago-based HSA Commercial, shared the vision of transforming the vacant industrial park into a vibrant mixed-use community. The project initially involved adaptively repurposing 1 million square feet of warehouse space into a contemporary retail destination that has brought national retailers like Nordstrom Rack and Saks Fifth Avenue OFF 5TH to Wisconsin. The development also has helped launch new national brands such as J. Crew Mercantile and Off/Aisle by Kohl’s. The once-empty industrial structures are now completely transformed into lively shops and restaurants that are drawing customers from all over southeast Wisconsin. Phase I: Find the right mix What historically made the site attractive for industrial use — its highly accessible location, at the interchange with U.S. Highway 45 and Burleigh Street, less than five miles north of Interstate 94 — also made it ideal for retail, …

May 26, 2016

Market Reports Midwest Midwest Market Reports Multifamily Wisconsin

Milwaukee Apartment Market on Track to Post Another Strong Year in 2016

by Christina Cannon March 24, 2016

We can expect to see a combination of new and familiar trends in the Milwaukee apartment sector in 2016 that will continue to attract investors to the local apartment market. What makes the start of 2016 different from 2015 is progress toward the normalization of monetary policy. In December, the Federal Reserve Board decided to raise the federal funds rate by a quarter percentage point, the first such increase in nearly a decade. The Federal Reserve Board’s widening may have an impact on the short-term rates, but the long-term interest rates that impact real estate values the most are influenced by the yields on the long-term U.S. Treasury bonds. We expect the long-term interest rates to stay low for the foreseeable future. When there is high demand for the Treasury bonds, the price of the bonds increase and the yields decrease, keeping long-term lending rates low. The two factors responsible for driving rates down in early 2016 are the high levels of volatility in stock markets around the globe and the drastic drop in oil prices. The volatility in the stock markets drives global capital to flow into the safe haven of bonds, and specifically the U.S. Treasury bonds, as …

March 24, 2016

Industrial Market Reports Midwest Midwest Market Reports Wisconsin

Milwaukee Industrial Market Is Primed for New Round of Development

by Christina Cannon February 25, 2016

Metropolitan Milwaukee has experienced a robust industrial real estate market for the past several years. This strength should continue in 2016 and for the foreseeable future. Like many other metro areas, Milwaukee’s industrial sector experienced slow but steady economic growth as it emerged from the Great Recession. However, unlike many other metro areas, Milwaukee has not yet exhibited a strong uptick in new industrial development. Minimal speculative construction has occurred during the past few years. Consequently, while demand for industrial space has continued to increase, supply has remained fairly flat. This phenomenon of increased absorption without a corresponding increase in new product coming to market has driven down the overall vacancy rate to slightly under 5 percent, near a record low, according to Xceligent. Moreover, the new industrial development that has occurred has been primarily driven by users expanding, relocating or consolidating existing facilities, or by new build-to-suit or speculative developments undertaken by Milwaukee-based firms such as Zilber Property Group, Luterbach Properties, Briohn Building and Wangard Partners. Larger regional and national industrial developers such as Centerpoint Properties and First Industrial Realty Trust, which once drove industrial development in Milwaukee, ceased construction in Milwaukee during the Great Recession and have not …

February 25, 2016

Market Reports Midwest Midwest Market Reports Office Uncategorized Wisconsin

Downtown Milwaukee Continues Its Hot Streak, but Will It Cool in 2016?

by Christina Cannon December 17, 2015

The long-held perception of the Milwaukee office market is that it mostly trades tenants between buildings with one landlord winning at the other’s expense, while the overall pie remains the same size. However, with cranes dotting the horizon, large blocks of vacant space quickly leasing up, a number of major new developments waiting to break ground, and the inflow of outside dollars into Milwaukee, the market has recently experienced some amazing deal velocity. This activity is expected to continue as we head into 2016. However, the office market could slow down due to the completion of several projects currently under construction. The greater Milwaukee office vacancy rate stood at 15.5 percent in the third quarter, down slightly from 15.6 percent in the third quarter of 2014. The vacancy rate in the central business district (CBD) dropped from 16.2 percent to 14.9 percent during the same period. Meanwhile, rental rates have increased slightly in both the overall market and the CBD. Cranes in the skies Construction on the Northwestern Mutual Tower and Commons began in late 2014 in downtown Milwaukee and is scheduled for completion in late 2017. A 32-story office tower will adjoin a two-block-long, three-story space known as The Commons. The new development …

December 17, 2015

Market Reports Midwest Midwest Market Reports Retail Wisconsin

Variety of Retail Construction Ramps Up Across Greater Milwaukee

by Christina Cannon October 15, 2015

Milwaukee is in the midst of a new construction boom in the retail sector, with three major projects currently underway and a fourth that was delivered in 2014 for a total of more than 1.1 million square feet of new space in the market. The majority of this space is being delivered fully leased. In many cases, these retailers are brand new tenants to the Milwaukee area. In the second quarter, overall vacancy ticked up 10 basis points to 10.2 percent. However, this was mainly due to store closures and consolidation in the Milwaukee market by retailers such as Office Depot, OfficeMax, Pick ’n Save, Sears and Kmart. But don’t be rattled by the uptick in vacancies. In reality, the market is incredibly active with new tenants entering the region and several expanding. Retailers recognize that there is ample room to compete for market share in Milwaukee and the surrounding area. Many of these new retailers will come on line in large ground-up projects now underway. Here are some of the notable projects: • In Menomonee Falls, a new Costco will open this fall and anchor a 300,000-square-foot development known as White Stone Station from Cobalt Partners LLC. • The …

October 15, 2015

Market Reports Midwest Midwest Market Reports Mixed-Use Wisconsin

Proposed New Arena for Milwaukee Bucks Could Lead to Development Run

by Jeff Shaw August 6, 2015

An article highlighting the fortunes of the Milwaukee Bucks that appeared July 6 on CBSSports.com couldn’t be more accurate. “There’s something powerful and sustainable growing in Milwaukee, rising out of the weeds of small-market irrelevance and into a team you’re going to want to watch next season,” wrote Matt Moore who covers the NBA. Since New York hedge fund investors Wes Edens and Marc Lasry purchased the Bucks last year for $550 million, the team has been on the rise. Founded as an expansion team in 1968, the Bucks went from being the worst team in the league during the 2013-14 season to the sixth seed in the 2014-2015 playoffs. The new owners, along with former owner Herb Kohl, have committed $250 million for the construction of a new $500 million arena as a replacement for the team’s current home, BMO Harris Bradley Center, which opened in 1988. But if the new arena is not built by the 2017 season, Milwaukee could be left without an NBA team. Once complete, the entire development, which would sit on approximately 30 acres in the Park East corridor, could include up to 3 million square feet of office, entertainment, retail, residential and hotel …

August 6, 2015

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