And The Trophy Goes To … Trophy Buildings

March 26, 2025 / no comments

If there was going to be a winner crowned in the slow recovery of the office market by building type, the trophy would go to its namesake. 
Trophy buildings average 13% vacancy nationally compared to 17.9% for Class-A buildings, Newmark said in a report released Tuesday. 
In the six strongest, most mature U.S. submarkets — LA’s Century City, Uptown Dallas, Chicago’s West Loop, D.C.’s central business district, Manhattan’s Park Avenue and Boston’s Back Bay — the divide is even steeper. Trophy buildings in those areas average 10.5% office vacancy vs. 16.5% for Class-A buildings. 
That vacancy has also held stable since before the pandemic. It is…

States Hungry To Lure Federal HQs From D.C. But Rushed Site Selection Process Has Some Concerned

March 26, 2025 / no comments

Federal agencies face an April 14 deadline to submit proposals for moving their office spaces out of Washington, D.C., as part of the broader push billed as a move to cut costs and decentralize the federal government.
While D.C.-area landlords and brokers lament the potential loss of major tenants, economic development and CRE professionals elsewhere in the U.S. are energized by the possibilities. But the realities and logistics of moving massive agencies and their employees are complex, and such an operation is unprecedented. 
“This is a new arena in economic development,” said John Boyd, principal at The Boyd Co., a site selection…

Historic Buildings On Boston’s Long Wharf Land $34M Refinancing After Renovation

March 25, 2025 / no comments

A pair of office and retail properties on Boston’s Long Wharf, one of which dates back to before the Revolutionary War, has obtained new debt after undergoing a renovation. 
Capital Properties, the owner of the Custom House Block and Gardiner Building at Long Wharf, secured a $34.3M refinancing loan, broker Colliers tells Bisnow. The financing was provided by Grant Street Funding.
The Custom House Block was built in 1848 and the Gardiner House in 1760.
The Gardiner House was once home to John Hancock’s Counting House and served as storage for cargo. Now, the building is home to Chart House, a seafood restaurant. The Custom Block House was leased to the federal…

Japan’s Nomura And L&G Target 1,000 Homes With New BTR Partnership

March 25, 2025 / no comments

L&G has formed a new partnership with Japan’s Nomura Real Estate Development to deliver more than 1,000 rental homes following the acquisition of their first site in Herne Hill, Lambeth.
The initial development will deliver more than 200 residential homes, with 35% designated as affordable housing. The development will also feature a range of amenities, including landscaped communal gardens, coworking spaces and a gym.
The partnership will initially target sites in central London, focusing on brownfield and underutilised land to “help regenerate communities and maximise the delivery of sustainable, high-quality homes,” the partners said at the announcement.
Over the next five years, the partnership aims to…

Schneider Electric Plans To Invest $700M In U.S. Grid Amid AI Boom

March 25, 2025 / no comments

Newfound power demand created by the artificial intelligence boom has led to a mammoth investment in energy infrastructure across the U.S.
Schneider Electric announced Tuesday that it plans to spend $700M in the sector through 2027. The money will be used for “smart factory transformations” at eight facilities across North Carolina, Texas, Massachusetts, Tennessee, Ohio and Missouri.

Texas Bond Tool Could Solve A Massive Problem For MPC Developers: Financing Infrastructure

March 25, 2025 / no comments

With demand for new homes at a fever pitch across Texas, developers of master-planned communities can spend tens of millions of dollars to lay out roads, water and sewer lines, treatment plants and the like. 
Now, a new tool is helping to accelerate the repayment of funds shelled out for infrastructure improvements. And with almost $700K in financing under its belt, Launch Development Finance Advisors’ forward-funding bond program is already spawning other Lone Star State imitators.