Originally published by Shawn Moura Ph.D. on August 3, 2020.

Last week, NAIOP conducted its fourth monthly survey of its U.S. members on the impacts of COVID-19. Since April, the association has examined the pandemic’s effects on conditions in commercial real estate and evaluates how firms have responded. The July survey results reveal that commercial real estate fundamentals are improving, but that the pandemic continues to impact development projects and appears likely to remain a significant challenge for longer than many had initially expected.

The survey was completed by 347 NAIOP members between July 15-20, 2020. Respondents represent a range of professions, including developers, building owners, building managers, brokers, lenders, and investors.

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Originally published in the REBIC Newsletter on July 28th

The City of Concord, with the assistance of Tindale Oliver, has been rewriting the Development Ordinance in an effort to align it with the adopted 2030 Land Use Plan.  The preliminary draft for new townhome regulations is now available for review. This proposed revision replaces Section 7.7.4.E.

https://www.concordnc.gov/CDO-Rewrite

If you are interested, please use the link below to leave comments on the proposed changes.  

 Originally published in the REBIC Newsletter on July 28th

The Town of Harrisburg kicked off its Unified Development Ordinance (UDO) update project on May 20, 2020, with a presentation by Kendig Keast Collaborative, the lead consultant on the project, to a joint Town Council and Planning and Zoning Board meeting. The UDO will contain contemporary zoning and development regulations in a format that is easily understood by Town Council, Town staff, residents, business leaders, and the development community.

The project will last until March 2021, with the majority of the time being spent drafting the update to the existing UDO. This project is a key step in the implementation of the Harrisburg Area Land Use Plan (HALUP) so that the policies of the Plan become a reality as Harrisburg develops and redevelops. The update of the UDO will align regulations to meet the community vision illustrated in the HALUP.

Community feedback is essential so that the drafted new regulations are right for Harrisburg. To aid our consultants in their research and discovery, we need your help. This survey is intended to identify common areas of opportunity and concern and to ensure the updated UDO implements the recommendations of the HALUP in a manner that the community supports.

Originally published by Dustin C. Read, Ph.D./J.D., Associate Professor, Virginia Tech and Sam Kuprianov, undergraduate Real Estate major, Virginia Tech in July  2020

The NAIOP Research Foundation published a timely new research brief titled "Using Capital Improvements to Create Competitive Advantage in the COVID-19 Era," written by Dustin C. Read, Ph.D./J.D., Associate Professor, Virginia Tech and Sam Kuprianov, undergraduate Real Estate major, Virginia Tech.

In addition to disinfecting common areas and promoting social distancing, some owners of office and industrial spaces are investing in capital improvements designed to limit the spread of COVID-19. This research brief evaluates the merits of these capital investments and their potential to create durable competitive advantages.

This is the second in a series of briefs the Foundation plans to publish in response to the COVID-19 pandemic's impact on commercial real estate, following "Navigating a Safe Return to Work: Best Practices for U.S. Office Building Owners and Tenants." 

Originally published in NAIOP's Summer 2020 Issue By Michael Stewart

Many tenants need rent relief, but what are the best ways to go about providing it?

As state and local governments rolled out measures to prevent the spread of the novel coronavirus in March, commercial landlords began getting calls for help from tenants. In an environment where social distancing has taken hold and more customers are staying home, retailers and other consumer-facing businesses are feeling the impact of decreased demand, supply-chain interruptions, and in some cases, mandatory closures.

In light of this rapidly evolving situation, here are five issues landlords should consider before negotiating concessions with commercial tenants.

Loan documents could limit tenant relief. Before agreeing to any reduction in rent or other modifications to a lease, owners should carefully review their project’s loan documents. Many documents include financial covenants that must be maintained during the term of the loan. Owners should ensure that aggregate rent reductions will not reduce net operating income to a point where financial covenant tests are tripped, triggering a default or other lender protections (such as cash management) under the loan documents. Additionally, owners need to confirm whether their loan documents permit the modification or termination of a lease, or acceptance of less rent than stipulated.

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NAIOP Charlotte would like to take a moment to send a special thank you to the companies whose support has allowed us to keep the conversations flowing and our members engaged during these unprecedented times. To learn more about each company, you can click on their logo or company name to visit their website.

Capstone

Archstone

Balfour Beatty
Batson-Cook Construction
Bohler
Choate Construction Company
Crescent Communities
ColeJenest & Stone
ECS Southeast, LLP
InterCon Building Corp.
Northwood Development LLC
Rodgers Builders, Inc

Foundation

Asana Partners
Barnhill Contracting
Beacon Partners
Childress Klein
Clancy & Theys Construction Company
Elliott Davis
GreerWalker
KDC Real Estate Development & Investments
LandDesign
Lincoln Harris
MCI
McIntosh Law Firm
NOVA Engineering
SteelFab
Trinity Capital Advisors
Truliant Federal Credit Union

Virtual Panel – Are Lenders Lending?
Monday, August 3, 2020 | 12:00 – 1:00pm | Zoom Meeting

Virtual Panel – Are Lenders Lending?
Monday, July 27, 2020 | 12:00 – 1:00pm | Zoom Meeting

Registration Fees Increase Tomorrow!

Originally published on July 6, 2020 by NAIOP.

The NAIOP Research Foundation announces the appointment of three new Governors to join the Foundation’s 66 Governors. Individuals who demonstrate their commitment to the Foundation’s mission by making a substantial contribution to its endowment fund are invited to accept this lifetime distinction. The new Governors will be inducted at NAIOP’s CRE.Converge conference in October.

The Research Foundation Governor inductees are:

Lewis Agnew, CCIM President, Charles Hawkins Co., Nashville, Tennessee, NAIOP Nashville.

Lex Rickenbaker Executive Director – Investments, USAA Real Estate Company, Atlanta, Georgia, NAIOP Georgia

Colleen Wevodau Partner, Baker Tilly Virchow Krause, LLP, Vienna, Virginia, NAIOP Northern Virginia.

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Originally published in NAIOP's Summer 2020 Issue by Ed Kimek, AIA, NCARB

The e-commerce giant understands how to connect products and consumers.

Commerce was changing before the outbreak of COVID-19, from the exponential trajectory of e-commerce, to the growth in consumer demand for more immediate goods, to the rise of urban industrial development to fulfill last-mile needs.

The unknowns of this novel virus have accelerated that change to a tipping point. The structures of commerce, and the development that supports it, may be altered for good. This crisis is proving the necessity of a resilient supply chain.

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Join us on Monday, July 27th as we hear a panel of experts discuss the present state of lending from different lenders’ perspectives on the present commercial lending environment. Submit questions for the panel in advance here.

Panelists

• • Scott Cook, Commercial RE Market Manager, TD Bank 
  • Anthony Fertita, Senior Managing Director, JLL 
  • Welch Liles, Director – Development, Asana Partners (Moderator) 
  • Brad Smith, Commercial Real Estate Banking Market Executive, Bank of America 

Registration

Registration for members will be free and $15 for non-members through July 22. Beginning July 23, the registration fee will increase to $10 for members and $20 for non-members. Prior registration is required.

The National Forums program brings together industry professionals in select groups to share industry knowledge, develop successful business strategies and build strong relationships in a confidential and non-competitive setting. Learn more about this unique opportunity and apply for appointment today. 

The Forums provide a unique opportunity for members to openly discuss project challenges, business opportunities and lessons-learned in a confidential and non-competitive setting. Over time, fellow members become a trusted circle of advisors.

The National Forums are an excellent way to become involved, stay in touch and develop new connections with key industry leaders.

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House lawmakers last week passed the INVEST in America Act (H.R. 2), a $1.5 trillion infrastructure bill that has been a key priority for Democrats since 2018. However, the bill advanced on a mostly party-line vote – with only a handful of members on either side breaking ranks – suggesting its prospects in the Republican-controlled Senate are likely dim. 

The chamber’s Majority Leader, Sen. Mitch McConnell (R-KY), later confirmed that sentiment, saying: “This so-called infrastructure bill would siphon billions in funding from actual infrastructure to funnel into climate change policies… It will just join the list of absurd House proposals that were only drawn up to show fealty to the radical left.” 

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Primary Markets, Gateway Cities, Tier 1 Metros – we’ve all heard of them, and many commercial real estate professionals use them to group cities and markets together. Are these terms simply describing the flow of capital, or directing investment away from opportunities in other cities? How do they differ for commercial, industrial or residential properties? This webinar will share takeaways from a recent report from the NAIOP Research Foundation and discuss conclusions on the definitions, uses, advantages and disadvantages of sorting and ranking markets into tiers.

Speakers: 
Maria Sicola
Co-founding Partner, Citystream Solutions

Charles Warren, Ph.D.
Co-founding Partner, Citystream Solutions

Megan Weiner
Managing and Co-founding Partner, Citystream Solutions

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The City of Charlotte Small business network is more than 10,000 strong.

Add your small business to the Open for Business directory to have your information displayed on the Open for Business website and receive notifications when new access to capital opportunities and resources are available.

The Open for Business platform is a resource for Charlotte small business owners to help them withstand the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic. By providing access to capital and other resources, the program is intended to help businesses survive the recovery phase of the pandemic and help prepare businesses to thrive in a post-pandemic future.

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Originally published on June 29, 2020 by Meredith Hobbs

The COVID-19 pandemic will set a “new normal” for the office workplace as companies adopt and integrate remote work practices deployed during the pandemic, according to a new report from Cushman & Wakefield. Consequently, it will morph from a single location to an “ecosystem of different locations and experiences.”

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Having—for the most part—quickly sheltered in place in March and April, office workers across the U.S. are slowly venturing back to their workplaces, according to a new weekly report from Kastle Systems International.

The Kastle Back to Work Barometer is an average based on millions of aggregated, anonymous daily building access data points from Kastle-secured properties in 10 major metro areas: Austin, Chicago, Dallas, Houston, Los Angeles, New York, Philadelphia, San Francisco, San Jose and Washington. 

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Originally published in Summer 2020 Issue by Shawn Moura, Ph.D., Trey Barrineau

The effects of the coronavirus hit these sectors earlier, faster and more deeply than other areas of commercial real estate.

Fears of contracting the coronavirus, government bans on public gatherings, mandatory closures of nonessential businesses and social distancing measures pose ongoing challenges to the retail and hospitality sectors. Many stores have been forced to temporarily close their doors in response to government mandates or in reaction to sharp declines in foot traffic.

The coronavirus crisis could also hasten the failure of retailers that are heavily indebted or have poor cash flow. The Wall Street Journal noted in March that junk-bond-rated retailers that are particularly reliant on Chinese imports are most vulnerable to the effects of the virus. Healthier retailers may eventually recoup some of their losses after the outbreak when consumers return to stores to satisfy pent-up demand for goods and services.

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The COVID-19 pandemic might not have a massive economic effect on the office sector, but it could spark big new ideas on the use of space.

The office sector appears to be less vulnerable to disruptions associated with the coronavirus pandemic than retail or hospitality, but it’s not entirely immune to an economic downturn — or the acceleration of changes in the ways people have been working  during the crisis.

Mandatory closures and other social distancing measures have taken a toll on firms that are closely tied to the consumer economy, such as the British airline Flybe, which went bankrupt in March after travel bookings plummeted in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic. Businesses that cannot conduct most of their business remotely are also in peril. On the other hand, many companies have learned that they can run their operations without anyone physically in the office, a trend that has the potential to depress demand for traditional office leases.

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Originally published in June 2020 by Shawn Moura, Ph.D., Director of Research, NAIOP

Last week, the Trump administration’s Waters of the U.S. – or “WOTUS” – rule went into effect. The new regulation, which defines the scope of federal jurisdiction over streams, rivers and other bodies of water, largely replaces the broader Obama-era rule. NAIOP weighed in on a draft proposal more than a year ago, and in January complimented the Environmental Protection Agency and Army Corps of Engineers on developing a final rule that appropriately balances conservation and economic development.  

In an effort to block the rule’s implementation, opponents of the legislation have been busy filing lawsuits in many of the nearly 100 federal district courts nationwide. And while a California judge threw out a request to block the rule nationwide, a Colorado court issued a preliminary injunction, putting the rule on hold in the state. A number of lawsuits, filed by environmental groups, states, tribal governments and other entities remain pending. 

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