NEW YORK CITY-Office tenants who get priced out of class A space in the near-future may find themselves in a difficult and lengthy hunt for alternative digs, as both class B and class C space is poised to become increasingly scarce. That was among the findings of just released research by the NYC Economic Development Corp., which states that high-growth industries and a lack of developer incentive to develop such space will create a supply-and-demand gap within the next four years.

Since 2000, New York City's supply of B and C office stock has decreased by 1.6 million square feet, the EDC reports. The outer boroughs actually realized a net gain of 4.7 million square feet of office stock from 2000 to 2012 due to the decay of Class A stock and the adaptive reuse of non-office assets.

In Manhattan though, class B and C office stock decreased by 6.2 million square feet, due mostly to the conversion of office stock into residential and hospitality uses. Going forward, Class B and C office stock in New York City is projected by the EDC to decrease further by 7.8 million square feet from now until 2025. This reduction is due to the conversion of existing space into residential, the high cost to develop commercial space, and incongruities between the required leasing terms of tenants and owners. Class B and C office space is likely to continue to be converted to residential product due to the higher potential return.