Jason Wolf, founder and managing principal of WCRE EVESHAM TOWNSHIP, NJ AND PHILADELPHIA, PA— Wolf Commercial Real Estate's WCRE Jason Wolf WCRE

  • Overall vacancy in the market is now approximately 11.85%.
  • Average rents for class A and B product continue to show strong support in the range of $10-$14 per square foot on a triple-net basis, or $20-$24 gross for the deals completed during the quarter. This is essentially unchanged from the previous two quarters.
  • All of the major private owners and REITS showed moderate leasing and prospect activity for the quarter – with Burlington County vacancies tightening up, many larger vacancy opportunities are also shifting towards Camden County, which is not controlled by these ownership entities.
  • New Jersey's unemployment rate moved higher for the first time in more than a year, coming in at 4.9 percent. Like the national economic recovery, the New Jersey recovery appears to be experiencing a slight pause.

WCRE

  • Although not as pronounced as other “gateway markets”, the Philadelphia CBD office market is attracting attention from international institutional investors. Notable investments include the Korean Investment Fund's acquisition of Cira Square at 2970 Market Street for $354 million from Brandywine Realty Trust and 1700 Market Street from Shorenstein Properties for $195 million. Other transactions in progress are commanding all-time-low capitalization rates from some Middle East equity investors.
  • Beyond the CBD, the suburban market has been extremely active, including Saint Gobain's headquarters facility, which sold for $123 million at a sub-6 percent capitalization rate. Additionally, Liberty Property Trust announced a master-planned redevelopment in Camden, involving 1.75 million SF of office, parking garages, hotel, and apartments.
  • There has been a flurry of favorable retail activity in the regional market in 2016. Some major projects include PREIT's sale of three core CBD retail properties to Post Brothers for $45 million at a sub-4 percent capitalization rate, RIOCan REIT's planned sale of 49 retail properties located throughout the Northeast, with many in the Philadelphia region, for $1.9 billion. In addition to these core assets, there is significant development of net leased properties, including Wawa/Sheetz/Royal Farms convenience stores, as well as a variety of other retailers. Finally, retail is filling in many of the ground floor spaces of multi-use properties and commanding some of the all-time highest rental rates seen thus far.
  • The industrial market is still experiencing strong activity, with increases in pricing and rental rates. One of the most significant transactions of the second quarter was the Target E-Commerce Distribution Center in York, PA, which fetched $60 million or $76 per square foot. While the appetite for core class A assets continues to be strong, pricing for multi-tenanted flex assets is demonstrating great appeal and marketability.

WCRE

  • Overall retail sales and spending dropped during the second quarter, after an already underwhelming performance in the first quarter.
  • Retail vacancy in Camden County stood at 10.5 percent, with average rents in the range of $11.89 per square foot, triple-net.
  • Retail vacancy in Burlington County stood at 14.8 percent, with average rents in the range of $12.21 per square foot, triple-net.
  • Retail vacancy in Gloucester County stood at 6.4 percent, with average rents in the range of $12.00 per square foot, triple-net.

Jason Wolf, founder and managing principal of WCRE EVESHAM TOWNSHIP, NJ AND PHILADELPHIA, PA— Wolf Commercial Real Estate's WCRE Jason Wolf WCRE

  • Overall vacancy in the market is now approximately 11.85%.
  • Average rents for class A and B product continue to show strong support in the range of $10-$14 per square foot on a triple-net basis, or $20-$24 gross for the deals completed during the quarter. This is essentially unchanged from the previous two quarters.
  • All of the major private owners and REITS showed moderate leasing and prospect activity for the quarter – with Burlington County vacancies tightening up, many larger vacancy opportunities are also shifting towards Camden County, which is not controlled by these ownership entities.
  • New Jersey's unemployment rate moved higher for the first time in more than a year, coming in at 4.9 percent. Like the national economic recovery, the New Jersey recovery appears to be experiencing a slight pause.

WCRE

  • Although not as pronounced as other “gateway markets”, the Philadelphia CBD office market is attracting attention from international institutional investors. Notable investments include the Korean Investment Fund's acquisition of Cira Square at 2970 Market Street for $354 million from Brandywine Realty Trust and 1700 Market Street from Shorenstein Properties for $195 million. Other transactions in progress are commanding all-time-low capitalization rates from some Middle East equity investors.
  • Beyond the CBD, the suburban market has been extremely active, including Saint Gobain's headquarters facility, which sold for $123 million at a sub-6 percent capitalization rate. Additionally, Liberty Property Trust announced a master-planned redevelopment in Camden, involving 1.75 million SF of office, parking garages, hotel, and apartments.
  • There has been a flurry of favorable retail activity in the regional market in 2016. Some major projects include PREIT's sale of three core CBD retail properties to Post Brothers for $45 million at a sub-4 percent capitalization rate, RIOCan REIT's planned sale of 49 retail properties located throughout the Northeast, with many in the Philadelphia region, for $1.9 billion. In addition to these core assets, there is significant development of net leased properties, including Wawa/Sheetz/Royal Farms convenience stores, as well as a variety of other retailers. Finally, retail is filling in many of the ground floor spaces of multi-use properties and commanding some of the all-time highest rental rates seen thus far.
  • The industrial market is still experiencing strong activity, with increases in pricing and rental rates. One of the most significant transactions of the second quarter was the Target E-Commerce Distribution Center in York, PA, which fetched $60 million or $76 per square foot. While the appetite for core class A assets continues to be strong, pricing for multi-tenanted flex assets is demonstrating great appeal and marketability.

WCRE

  • Overall retail sales and spending dropped during the second quarter, after an already underwhelming performance in the first quarter.
  • Retail vacancy in Camden County stood at 10.5 percent, with average rents in the range of $11.89 per square foot, triple-net.
  • Retail vacancy in Burlington County stood at 14.8 percent, with average rents in the range of $12.21 per square foot, triple-net.
  • Retail vacancy in Gloucester County stood at 6.4 percent, with average rents in the range of $12.00 per square foot, triple-net.

Want to continue reading?
Become a Free ALM Digital Reader.

Once you are an ALM Digital Member, you’ll receive:

  • Breaking commercial real estate news and analysis, on-site and via our newsletters and custom alerts
  • Educational webcasts, white papers, and ebooks from industry thought leaders
  • Critical coverage of the property casualty insurance and financial advisory markets on our other ALM sites, PropertyCasualty360 and ThinkAdvisor
NOT FOR REPRINT

© 2024 ALM Global, LLC, All Rights Reserved. Request academic re-use from www.copyright.com. All other uses, submit a request to [email protected]. For more information visit Asset & Logo Licensing.

Steve Lubetkin

Steve Lubetkin is the New Jersey and Philadelphia editor for GlobeSt.com. He is currently filling in covering Chicago and Midwest markets until a new permanent editor is named. He previously filled in covering Atlanta. Steve’s journalism background includes print and broadcast reporting for NJ news organizations. His audio and video work for GlobeSt.com has been honored by the Garden State Journalists Association, and he has also been recognized for video by the New Jersey Chapter of the Society of Professional Journalists. He has produced audio podcasts on CRE topics for the NAR Commercial Division and the CCIM Institute. Steve has also served (from August 2017 to March 2018) as national broadcast news correspondent for CEOReport.com, a news website focused on practical advice for senior executives in small- and medium-sized companies. Steve also reports on-camera and covers conferences for NJSpotlight.com, a public policy news coverage website focused on New Jersey government and industry; and for clients of StateBroadcastNews.com, a division of The Lubetkin Media Companies LLC. Steve has been the computer columnist for the Jewish Community Voice of Southern New Jersey, since 1996. Steve is co-author, with Toronto-based podcasting pioneer Donna Papacosta, of the book, The Business of Podcasting: How to Take Your Podcasting Passion from the Personal to the Professional. You can email Steve at [email protected].