BLOG

Outlook for Election Year 2020: Positive … But With Slower Growth

Originally published on January 15, 2020.

In their own words, our industry’s collective wisdom believes it will be more difficult to compete for deals and talent in 2020 resulting in slower growth. The outlook for 2020 is overwhelmingly positive, but the legacy from the Global Financial Crisis remains, and our industry continues to run lean, preventing the surges in hiring expected in a market this hot. In 2020 this is exacerbated by “too much capital”. Too much capital chasing deals. And, starting in late 2019, for the first time in years, capital chasing talent, adding to the difficulty to compete in this hiring environment. The rise of New Growth Cities, where deals are traditionally done at a slower pace, also factors into the positive prediction for growth, but slower growth. Retail generated the most negative responses, but others believed it is the forefront of evolutionary and historical time in retail with new blood entering the marketplace. A new issue arose: As lawlessness and runaway crime continues not to be enforced, it destroys markets. Another concern: As a finance executive, I am a bit concerned with some of the assumptions driving transitional loans and the significant amount of capital raised for this strategy (especially late in the cycle).

Click here to read more.

Chasing the Unicorn: Why Industrial Developers Seek Out Elusive Urban Infill Sites

Originally published on February 12, 2020. 

I.CON: Industrial Real Estate

Bisnow interviewed Leslie Lanne, managing director at JLL and speaker at the upcoming I.CON Spring 2020, April 2-3 in Huntington Beach, California. See an excerpt of the article below, and register online for the biggest conference in industrial real estate.

What makes urban infill desirable? For infill properties to be attractive, cities need two factors: population density and vehicle congestion, JLL Managing Director Leslie Lanne told Bisnow in a recent interview. This combination provides a large group of consumers plus enough traffic to make it prohibitively expensive or time-consuming to deliver goods from larger suburban facilities.

Click here to read more.

Economic Impacts of Commercial Real Estate, 2020 U.S. Edition

Development and construction of new commercial real estate in the United States – office, industrial, warehouse and retail – generates significant economic growth at the state and national levels. This annual study, “The Economic Impacts of Commercial Real Estate, 2020 U.S. Edition,” published by the NAIOP Research Foundation, measures the contribution to GDP, salaries and wages generated and jobs supported from the development and operations of commercial real estate.

Click Here to Read More.

NEW: Real Estate as a Service On-demand Course

Release Date: January 2020

This course will provide real estate professionals with an understanding of the latest trends and best practices for the real estate as a service model. Students will hear tips from experts in the real estate as a service world, have opportunities to respond to realistic scenarios, read case studies on successful real estate as a service spaces, and create an action plan for next steps in establishing their own real estate as a service space. Course modules focus on some of the most important aspects of real estate as a service, including the real estate as a service mindset, creating community, effective marketing, building design, recruiting a team and understanding finances and documents. Upon completion of the course, students will have a comprehensive understanding of the unique real estate as a service model, and gain critical knowledge to help them to succeed in establishing a real estate as a service space.  

Click here to read more. 

Stormwater Pollution Control Ordinance Changes Proposed by City of Charlotte

The City of Charlotte is considering several changes to the Stormwater Pollution Control Ordinance (SWPCO). They include the following:

  • Makes “Improper Storage, Handling, and Processing of Materials” a new and separate enforceable violation in cases where this can cause stormwater pollution; 
  • Makes “Failure to Comply” with requirements and directives set forth by the Director in an enforcement remedy a new and separate enforceable violation;
  • Makes “Violation of Non-Municipal NPDES Discharge Permit Limitation(s)” a new and separate enforceable violation in cases where a permittee’s discharge violates a permitted numeric discharge effluent limitation;
  • Makes the use, distribution, and sale of “Coal Tar” and “High PAH” pavement sealants a new and separate enforceable violation;
  • Increases the maximum potential civil penalty for each violation from $5,000 to $10,000;
  • Authorizes the City to place a lien on real or personal property owned by a violator for unpaid civil penalties, administrative costs, and/or abatement costs associated with an enforcement remedy.
  • Formally authorizes the Director of the department over the City’s NPDES MS4 stormwater permit to administer the SWPCO and defines responsibilities, delegates authority, and requires the development of administrative policies and procedures; and
  • Makes several minor wording changes to better define the meaning of terms and phrases
Click here to read more.

Landscape Architecture Can Help Reboot the Suburban Office Park

Published by James Heroux in the Winter 2019/2020 Issue

Activated outdoor spaces boost employee engagement and well-being.

Expensive housing in urban areas is sending millennials back to the suburbs, and they’re bringing refined expectations and lifestyles with them. At the same time, employers are questioning the rising costs of their own downtown office spaces, and they’re seeking more affordable locations.

As a result of the movement back to the suburbs, office parks are making a comeback, but this time with a modernity embraced by former city dwellers who prioritize lifestyle and community. (See related article.) Landscape architecture can play a vital role in the new suburban office park.

Click here to read more.

Developer of the Year: NAIOP’s Highest Honor

Presented annually since 1979, the Developer of the Year Award is given annually to one developer that best exemplifies leadership and innovation in the commercial real estate industry.

Nominations for 2020 are now open!

Nominate your company for NAIOP's highest honor using our online nomination tool. Nominations close on Friday, February 28.

Click here to read the criteria

Reverse Logistics: Stress in an Era of Free Returns Webinar

The Advantage Series is an exclusive member benefit, delivering expert insights into the latest research to help you make informed business decisions.

Retail sales, especially e-commerce, are growing each year and this means more items are returned and pushed back into the already stressed supply chain. Why is reverse logistics so complicated and more costly compared with forward logistics? How do real estate requirements for reverse logistics differ from forward logistics?  How can the commercial real estate industry prepare for better efficiency gains? Joe Dunlap, Managing Director, CBRE and Matthew Walaszek, Associate Director, Industrial & Logistics Research, CBRE will answer these questions and more.

Click Here to read more

Watch What NAIOP is Doing for You: Vision 2020 (video)

NAIOP and its 20,000 members are working together to advance the commercial real estate industry. With both our association and the industry experiencing record growth and unprecedented opportunities, the year 2020 is expected to be one that is exciting and successful.

Throughout it all, NAIOP will be hard at work to deliver our members with the connections, advocacy, and knowledge that boost their careers, promote the industry and ensure that their businesses stay ahead of the competition.

Watch our annual report video to learn about our recent accomplishments and what's ahead for 2020.

Click Here to Watch Video

Reverse Logistics Are a Growing Challenge for Retailers. But Here’s How They Benefit Industrial Property Owners

Posted on January 15, 2020 by Patricia Kirk

With online retail sales rising by 10 percent annually, the volume of returns is also growing. According to research from market data firm Statista, returns for online sales tend to be two to three times more frequent than returns for in-store sales, with 15 to 30 percent of online purchases returned, compared to 8 to 9 percent of merchandise bought in-store. UPS estimates that nearly $42 billion of the total $138 billion in products sold online during the 2019 holiday season in the U.S. will be returned, which is up from $37 billion the previous year.

The longer it takes for items to be returned and processed, the greater the depreciation on the merchandise, especially for fashion apparel and seasonal products, notes David Egan, CBRE head of industrial & logistics research, Americas & Global. Reverse logistics software provider Optoro estimates that the value of apparel depreciates by 20 to 50 percent within eight to 16 weeks, and electronics lose 4 to 8  percent of their value per month. The challenge for retailers, according to Egan, is to get returned items back into inventory for resale quickly.

Click here to read more

What's on the Horizon for Commercial Real Estate?

Posted in the Winter 2019/2020 Issue by Shawn Moura, Ph.D.

In October, the NAIOP Research Foundation’s National Research Directors Meeting brought together NAIOP Distinguished Fellows and research directors from national real estate brokerage, data and investment firms at CRE. Converge 2019 in Los Angeles. Attendees discussed current Foundation research and trends in industrial and office development.

Market Tiers and Rankings: Clear as Mud?

Maria Sicola and Charles Warren of CityStream Solutions presented the initial findings of a white paper sponsored by the NAIOP Research Foundation that describes how the commercial real estate industry currently sorts metropolitan markets into tiers or rankings. Sicola and Warren-based their findings on interviews with industry researchers, consultants, and academics, plus published reports that utilize or examine market tiers and rankings.

Click here to read more

Trump Administration Finalizes WOTUS Rule

Posted on January 28, 2020

Last week, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the Department of the Army released the final version of the Navigable Waters Protection Rule. This regulation defines the “waters of the United States” (WOTUS) for purposes of determining the application of the federal Clean Water Act.

 NAIOP has strongly supported WOTUS reform that would provide greater clarity on the application of federal jurisdiction over domestic water bodies, and which would increase the predictability and consistency of government environmental permitting decisions.  NAIOP provided a comment letter to the EPA in 2019 with suggested revisions to the existing rule.

For developers and property owners, perhaps the most notable change concerns jurisdiction over ephemeral streams, which only flow intermittently, typically after rainfall. Regulation of these dry channels has been a contentious issue for years. This is especially true in more arid Western states, where they can account for the vast majority of streams, and may not see any water flow for long periods of time.

Click here to read more

NAIOP Developer of the Year: Nominations Are Open for 2020

Nominations are now being accepted for the 2020 Developer of the Year – NAIOP's highest honor.

This annual award recognizes a developer demonstrating exceptional leadership and innovation in commercial real estate. Nominees must be a Principal member in good standing and will be judged by a panel of industry peers using the following criteria:

  1. Outstanding quality of projects and services. Detail your portfolio’s innovation through the incorporation of sustainability, technology, building wellness and resiliency as they apply to the development and building operations. Judges take into consideration the size and diversity of a nominee’s portfolio.
  2. Financial consistency and stability. Detail your company’s strategies for return on investment, economic sustainability and success.
  3. Ability to adapt to market conditions. Detail your company’s adaptability and success navigating economic, community impact, demographic and environmental conditions.
  4. Active support of the industry through NAIOP. Detail how your company and your employees are involved in NAIOP through the number of active NAIOP members, your chapter participation, your support of NAIOP Corporate programs, and your employees’ participation in chapter and Corporate Boards of Directors.
  5. Support of the local community. Detail your company’s charitable and philanthropic activities within your market.

Nominations close Friday, February 28, 2020.

Click here for nominations

NAIOP Statement on Final WOTUS Rule

Posted on January 23, 2020.

Today, the United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the Army Corps of Engineers announced a final Waters of the United States rule. 

Thomas J. Bisacquino, president and CEO of NAIOP, the Commercial Real Estate Development Association, issued the following statement upon the announcement of the regulation:

"For years, the lack of a clear definition regarding the scope of federal regulation of our nation's waters has been a costly source of confusion, delays and compliance challenges for the commercial real estate industry. The Navigable Waters Protection Rule is a critical step forward and represents a reasonable approach to federal oversight that balances environmental protection with economic realities. NAIOP appreciates and commends the work of EPA and Army Corps of Engineers for addressing many of these concerns, and for developing a rule that implements commonsense streamlining measures, as well as appropriate jurisdictional definitions, among other changes."

Read More

Washington Policymakers Turn to 2020

Posted on January 29, 2020

Lawmakers return to Washington with a possible presidential impeachment trial in the Senate on their minds. But as that process plays out, policymakers are discussing other issues that are important to commercial real estate.

Just before Christmas, officials at the Treasury Department released the final round of regulations governing opportunity zones, the economic development tool designed to spur job creation and economic development in distressed or developing communities. Opportunity zones were created as part of the 2017 Tax Cuts and Jobs Act that NAIOP supported.

The final rules address questions such as:

  • What types of gains may be invested and when?
  • When may gains be excluded from tax after an investment is held for a 10-year period?
  • How can large C Corporations invest in opportunity zones?
Click here to read more

Change Accelerates in Supply Chains and Industrial Real Estate

Posted on January 27, 2020

By Aaron Ahlburn

How advancements in transportation, technology, and construction continue to converge.

Global economic uncertainty, rapid technological advances, and pressure from e-commerce are forcing radical innovation in supply chains. With transportation and the movement of goods and materials making up a significant portion of total logistics operating costs, these innovations are altering the logistics landscape. They allow supply chain and transportation managers to focus on cost efficiency, profitability, and service to clients.

However, changes in individual sectors of logistics are not progressing at the same pace. Some are being deployed. Others may not live up to expectations. As trends such as faster e-commerce fulfillment, more urban deliveries, and autonomous trucking and robotics continue to converge, what will be the impact on industrial real estate?

Read More

Meet Larry Lance, 2020 Chairman

Posted on January 24, 2020

Watch a short video and get to know Larry Lance, 2020 NAIOP Chairman.

As he visits chapters and represents NAIOP throughout the year, Lance says he plans to emphasize the relationships and partnerships that come from NAIOP membership. “NAIOP has always strived to serve our members at every stage of their careers. Over the next year, I’d like to focus on helping our CEOs and Developing Leaders in particular to deepen their engagement with NAIOP and with each other,” he said during comments at CRE. Converge 2019. “My challenge to CEOs is to not wait until retirement to give back, and to get more involved with NAIOP through the Forums program or the Research Foundation.”

Lance is a 33-year NAIOP member, having joined the organization in 1987. Throughout his long membership, he has given his time as a member of the board, where he has led the government affairs committee, served on the Developer of the Year selection committee and Development magazine editorial board, and been a NAIOP-PAC Trustee.

Read More

NAIOP NC Award Nominations Are Open

We are now accepting nominations for the NAIOP NC Project of the Year awards. The Project of the Year Awards are given annually to project teams to recognize outstanding commercial development in North and South Carolina. The award is presented during the NAIOP North Carolina Statewide Meeting in Pinehurst. Nominations are accepted until February 28, 2020 by completing the online formClick here to view past winners.

Winning projects will be invited to be part the lunch panel on March 26, 2020 at the NAIOP NC Conference in Pinehurst.

Award Guidelines

The Project of the Year award is determined by a selection committee of industry peers from each NAIOP Chapter in North Carolinas and three non-NAIOP NC members. Awards will be given for two categories - new ground up or redevelopment. The following criteria are used to evaluate entries:

  • A NAIOP Member in good standing who demonstrates substantial participation in the project.
  •  Must have broken ground or the project must have been completed between January 1, 2019, to December 31, 2019.
  • Submissions can be submitted for project category #1 new ground up and project category #2 re-development / adaptive re-use / re-purpose.
  • The project must have made a unique contribution to the economic growth and vitality of a region or community. (e.g. job creators, a catalyst for surrounding economic development, creation of public infrastructure that would have otherwise not occurred).
  • Demonstrated unique design or innovation (is there a “cool factor”).
  • Ability to overcome design, regulatory issues or other factors that challenged the project at various phases.
  • Provide photos/renderings of the project.
Submit A Project

Repurposing Retail Centers: Profiles in Adaptation, Repositioning and Redevelopment

Posted on January 21, 2020

By Jason Beske, AICP

The declining prospects of North America’s shopping malls have been the subject of significant media attention, industry concern and public interest. Faced with competition from e-commerce and shifting consumer preferences for other retail formats and experiences, hundreds of traditional shopping malls have closed in recent decades, with many more closures expected in the coming years. The NAIOP Research Foundation commissioned this report to examine how developers are transforming struggling or closed malls into properties that fit within current market conditions and serve the needs of their surrounding communities.

Once able to attract consumers by offering a range of retail options in a single location, traditional malls have struggled to compete with other retail formats in recent years. Many anchor stores and smaller mall-based retailers have gone out of business due to competition from online and budget retailers. Although certain upscale malls located in dense and growing metropolitan areas continue to attract customers, Class B and C retail centers have struggled to remain open.

Click here to read more.

Welcome New NAIOP Charlotte Members

Posted on January 21, 2020.

We are proud to introduce our new association members! The following is a list of individuals who have joined NAIOP Charlotte since January 16, 2020:

  • Timothy Boggs, Cenero
  • John Coleman, Northwood Office
  • Cameron Coughlin, The University of North Carolina at Charlotte
  • Jacob Hart, Schneider Electric
  • Scott Hinson, McMillan Pazdan Smith Architecture
  • Chris Kerr, Batson-Cook Construction
  • Sloan Kormelink, EDIFICE
  • Brian Landes, JLL
  • Elizabeth McMillan, Crescent Communities, LLC
  • Jason Munday, SeamonWhiteside
  • Scott Rigsby, IA Interior Architects
  • Rick Schroder, SeamonWhiteside
  • Matthew Vranjes, Civil & Environmental Consultants, Inc