Austin Office Insight & StatisticsOffice Insight Austin’s office environment has remained stable from Q4 2017 into Q1 2018. An additional 156,049 s.f.delivered between MopacCentre
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Austin’s office environment has remained stable from Q1 2018 into Q2 2018. An additional 499,480 s.f. delivered between Westview (CBD – 100,00 s.f.), Springdale General (East – 165,000 s.f.), Upcycle (East – 64,400 s.f.), Westpark Professional I (FNW – 24,080 s.f.), 801 Barton Springs (South - 90,500 s.f.), and Walsh Tarlton Overlook (SW - 55,500 s.f.), bringing the total inventory to 52,268,327 s.f.
Construction activity remains robust around the city, with 4,161,008 s.f. under construction, approximately 52% of which is preleased. However, there is a clear concentration, with CBD, East, and NW making up more than 67% of all active construction. Of the citywide development underway, 1,023,127 s.f. is expected to deliver in the next quarter. Some of these buildings will deliver large chunks of inventory, including Third + Shoal (CBD – 345,000 s.f.), Preserve at 620 (FNW – 245,567 s.f.), and Parmer 3.4 (NE – 116,000 s.f.). In addition, two buildings broke ground in Q2 2018 – Block 71 (CBD – 678,923 s.f.) and Domain 12 (NW – 320,102 s.f.) – for a total of 999,025 s.f.
OutlookOverall, the Austin office market still remains stable over the last several quarters and we continue to have positive absorption and significant square footage under development. Large multi-national companies continue to invest in the city and it’s future, adding credibility to up and coming areas like the East submarket. With this said, rate growth is beginning to level off as Austin nears the peak of the economic cycle although there is no expectation for a downturn in the near future.
Other points to note: first, construction pricing is making the relocation justification a much more expensive endeavor; second, while large blocks tend to drive the market, they don’t always exist in areas where company’s want to be, thus smaller tenants have more optionality than vacancy might suggest.
Austin’s office environment has remained stable from Q4 2017 into Q1 2018. An additional 156,049 s.f. delivered between Mopac Centre (NW – 95,863 s.f.) and The Overlook at Barton Creek (SW – 60,168 s.f.), bringing the total inventory to 51,868,418 s.f.
Construction activity remains robust around the city, with 3,330,927 s.f. under construction, approximately 50% of which is preleased. However, there is a clear concentration, with CBD, East, and NW making up nearly 70% of all active construction. Of the citywide development underway, 800,960 s.f. is expected to deliver in the next quarter. Some of these buildings will deliver large chunks of inventory, including Westview (CBD – 100,000 s.f.), The Summit II at La Frontera (Round Rock – 95,000 s.f.), and 801 Barton Springs (S - 90,500 s.f.). In addition, two buildings broke ground in Q1 2018 – Davenport 360 (SW –33,911 s.f.) and The Foundry (E – 95,000 s.f.) – for a total of 128,911 s.f.
Austin’s absorption levels remained positive for another quarter, coming in at 127,890 s.f. across all submarkets, accounting for 1.4% of the total inventory.
OutlookOverall, the Austin office market has remained stable over the last several quarters and we continue to have positive absorption and significant square footage under development. Large multi-national companies continue to invest in the city and it’s future, adding credibility to up and coming areas like the East submarket. With this said, rate growth is beginning to level off as Austin nears the peak of the economic cycle although there is no expectation for a downturn in the near future.
Other points to note: while large blocks tend to drive the market, they don’t always exist in areas where company’s want to be, thus smaller tenants have more optionality than vacancy might suggest.
After a spike in vacancy earlier this year, thanks in part to several large buildings such as 500 West 2nd Street and Domain 8 delivering, total vacancy has continued last quarter’s trend, falling slightly to 10.8%. Citywide absorption will come in slightly lower than last year’s 1,619,185 s.f., totaling 1,570,567 s.f. in 2017. The average rental rate has gone up 9.2% year-over-year, increasing from $34.08 this time last year to $37.24 presently. The average Class A rate saw an annual increase of 13.9%, reaching $44.23 this quarter from $38.83 in Q4 2016, while Class B rates increased 5.9% from $27.47 to $29.11.
Construction activity remains robust around the city, with two more projects breaking ground this quarter. 1400 Lavaca (CBD – 145,000 s.f.) and the Music Lane project (South – 32,872 s.f.) both began construction, bringing the construction pipeline to over 2.9 million s.f. Current product under construction sits at 36% preleased with an average rental rate of $42.78 full service.
The fourth quarter of 2017 experienced a significant dip in the amount of vacant sublet space on the market. The 707,496 s.f. of vacant space during the fourth quarter is 14.6% lower than the third quarter, which measured at 828,672 s.f. There were four large blocks of sublet space greater than 20,000 s.f. that were leased during the fourth quarter. These large blocks were located at Rollingwood Center (Southwest - 27,000 s.f.), University Park (Central - 25,000 s.f.), Domain 3 (Northwest - 20,000 s.f.) and Riata Corporate Park (Northwest -21,000 s.f.).
OutlookOutlookOutlookOutlookLooking ahead to 2018, Austin is expected to introduce another half-million square feet across 6 buildings in the city’s more popular submarkets: CBD, Northwest, South and East.
After a spike in vacancy earlier this year, thanks in part to several large buildings such as 500 West 2nd Street and Domain 8 delivering, total vacancy has started to go back down reaching 10.9% this quarter. Citywide absorption is on track to reach a similar level as last year, surpassing one million square feet this quarter. The average rental rate has gone up 10.1% year-over-year increasing from $34.05 this time last year to $37.49 presently. The average Class A rate saw an annual increase of 11.2% reaching $43.88 this quarter from $39.46 in Q3 2016, while Class B rates went up 6.2% from $27.75 to $29.48.
Construction in Austin isn’t slowing down anytime soon. This quarter alone, more than one and a half million square feet of new office developments broke ground bringing the total amount of construction activity to over 3.3 million square feet. These buildings are 1400 Lavaca (CBD – 145,000 s.f.), Plaza Saltillo (East – 140,000 s.f.), 6th & Chicon (East – 135,000 s.f.), The Foundry (East – 75,369 s.f.), Preserve at 620 renovation (Far Northwest – 245,267 s.f.), Four Points Center 3 (Far Northwest – 167,667 s.f.), Domain 11 (Northwest – 315,000 s.f.), The Summit II @ La Frontera (Round Rock – 95,000 s.f.), 2010 South Lamar (South –78,005 s.f.), MetCenter 14 (Southeast – 57,600 s.f.), MetCenter 15 (Southeast –57,600 s.f.). The East submarket, currently the smallest out of Austin’s 11 submarkets, will nearly double in size by the time the 726,000 square feet under construction delivers. In addition to what is currently being built, there is still an additional 500,000 square feet planned to break ground on the East side, eventually making it the sixth largest submarket in Austin. Pre-leasing for new construction projects around Austin continues to be very active and the new buildings that broke ground this quarter are no exception. Between these 11 new projects, 42% of the space was already spoken for by the time construction commenced.
OutlookLooking ahead to closing out 2017, Austin can expect another temporary spike in vacancy similar to what we saw at the beginning of the year as 1.1 million square feet is planned to deliver in Q4 between 13 projects.
Uber and Lyft made their triumphant return, a major acquisition of Austin-based Whole Foods was announced and the city approved its first economic incentive agreement in years for Merck to build an IT facility. All in all, Austin had a good second quarter and it doesn’t stop at the news headlines. More than 275,000 square feet delivered this quarter, all of which are on the south side of the market. These buildings are Yeti’s build to suit project Lantana Ridge I & II (175,000 s.f. – Southwest), Galleria Oaks II (74,532 s.f. – Southwest) and 2301 E Riverside (29,205 s.f. – Southeast). There is still almost 1.9 million square feet under construction around the market, 32 percent of which has already been pre-leased.
Tenants in the market are still extremely active, with more than 12 million square feet of active requirements throughout the city. While a majority of this demand continues to focus on the CBD, Northwest and Southwest submarkets, many tenants have set their sights on smaller, secondary submarkets such as the East, South and North. These submarkets offer discounted asking rates and less competition for space while still being within close proximity to the urban core. Technology-related tenants are the most active, accounting for nearly one third of all active tenants in the market.
OutlookConstruction activity slowed slightly this quarter following a robust start during the first few months, but things are projected to pick back up during the second half of the year. There is nearly 1.5 million square feet between 10 projects that is planned to break ground by year end while more than 1.1 million square feet is projected to deliver throughout the remainder of this year. Though overall vacancy has increased since 2016, nearly 1 million square feet of pre-leased new construction is expected to be absorbed over the course of the next few quarters. This paired with high demand from tenants should keep the overall vacancy rate stable for the foreseeable future.
As we kick off the new year, it seems there is no stopping Austin’s recent momentum. Over 900,000 square feet delivered during the first quarter as five buildings completed construction and two new projects broke ground, bringing the total number of square feet under construction to nearly 2.1 million. Average asking rents continue to creep up, reaching $37.61 at the start of 2017, an 11.5 percent year-over-year increase. Class A rents saw a 12.8 percent increase since last year from $38.36 to $43.25, while Class B went from $27.04 to $29.63, a 9.6 percent increase year-over-year. Overall vacancy ticked up to 11 percent due to this quarter’s large construction delivery but should level out over the next few months since 80 percent of those construction deliveries have already been preleased. The submarkets with the lowest vacancy rates are Northeast (5.3 percent), Central (5.3 percent) and North (7.3 percent). Several large tenants moved into office space this quarter, such as Home Depot , which moving into their call center space Northeast (185,400 square feet), Centene filling in the remainder of their 220,000-square-foot space Southeast (109,712 square feet) and Samsung expanding their current space Southwest (101,596 square feet), which helped with this quarter’s positive net absorption of over 500,000 square feet. Investment sales were a little slower to take off this year but there has still been three notable buildings that have changed hands totaling almost $280 million in office sales so far.
OutlookThis quarter finally broke Austin’s dropping vacancy streak, largely due to the 900,000 square feet of new construction that delivered vacant. As tenants begin move in to the new construction space, vacancy could dip back down again but the remaining 1.3 million square feet of new construction projected to deliver throughout the remainder of the year is only 37 percent preleased at this time.
Central B 1,708,855 527 29,059 1.7% 6.1% 6.3% $26.97 0 0East B 677,282 -230 1,049 0.2% 29.9% 29.9% $23.60 0 22,760Far Northwest B 1,203,028 863 3,531 0.3% 1.9% 1.9% $28.16 0 0North B 1,273,917 -9,281 48,404 3.8% 7.4% 7.6% $23.35 0 0Northeast B 1,475,502 -6,475 12,487 0.8% 8.4% 8.5% $19.71 0 0Northwest B 6,157,216 -88,170 -122,554 -2.0% 10.5% 11.3% $29.15 0 0Round Rock B 989,620 16,164 24,197 2.4% 18.3% 22.0% $27.87 123,941 95,000South B 881,846 2,434 21,554 2.4% 4.0% 4.0% $26.83 0 0Southeast B 1,815,181 -6,400 1,323 0.1% 27.1% 27.1% $22.02 0 0Southwest B 2,933,949 -7,639 4,036 0.1% 7.0% 7.5% $29.86 0 21,072Suburbs B 19,116,396 -98,207 23,086 0.1% 11.0% 11.6% $25.94 123,941 138,832Austin B 21,272,597 -127,847 -21,826 -0.1% 10.6% 11.2% $26.86 123,941 138,832
1703 West Sixth, Suite 850, Austin, TX 78746 tel +1 512 225 2700 [email protected]
2016 Jones Lang LaSalle IP, Inc. All rights reserved.
Travis Rogers Research Analyst
Investment opportunities by submarket
Citywide projected construction deliveries and preleasing
Class A rental rate increase Y-O-Y (Base Rent vs OpEx)
Large portfolios coming to market allow for investors to be choosyTraditionally, investors looking to acquire office product in Austin have had relatively few investment opportunities and faced fierce bidding competition. A few large portfolio owners are now bringing their properties to market, creating an array of investment options. While buyers still face intense competition, this increase in overall investment opportunities allows buyers to be more discerning in their next acquisition. There are currently over 3.2 million square feet, representing 6.5 percent of inventory, up for grabs in the Austin market.
New construction preleasing gaining momentum at deliveryFour properties, representing over 340,000 square feet, delivered in Q1 2016 across three submarkets. The largest deliveries include Research Park Plaza V (173,000 square feet) and Domain 1 (125,000 square feet). Collectively, these two properties delivered 38.9 percent leased with a rumored 100,000 square feet at leases. The majority of leasing activity occurred within a few months of each delivery, representing a recent trend with speculative developments across all submarkets. The most anticipated deliveries during Q2 2016 are 5th & Colorado (180,000 square feet - CBD), The Arnold (95,000 square feet - East), Domain 5 (75,000 square feet - NW) and The Lakes at Techridge (40,000 square feet - NE). Collectively, these properties are over 60 percent preleased.
Think base rent is driving rent growth? Think againCitywide Class A rents experienced a surge of growth during the first quarter. Contributions to this growth stem from both base rent and operating expenses. Year-over-year, Class A operating expenses downtown increased an average of $2.13 per square foot (12.9 percent) while the suburban market experienced a more subtle increase of $0.69 per square foot (5.5 percent). The real estate tax portion of operating expenses is the main contributor to the increase. As properties trade, their value is reassessed by the local taxing authority to reflect the trade value. When properties trade higher than their assessed value, real estate taxes increase to reflect a higher property valuation.
Central B 1,708,855 28,532 28,532 1.7% 6.2% 6.3% $26.34 0 0East B 677,282 1,279 1,279 0.2% 29.8% 29.8% $27.20 0 22,760Far Northwest B 1,203,028 2,668 2,668 0.2% 2.0% 2.0% $29.42 0 0North B 1,416,327 57,685 57,685 4.1% 6.2% 6.2% $24.87 0 0Northeast B 1,505,502 18,962 18,962 1.3% 7.8% 7.9% $19.71 0 0Northwest B 6,012,398 -34,384 -34,384 -0.6% 9.4% 10.1% $28.80 0 0Round Rock B 891,679 8,033 8,033 0.9% 14.6% 15.2% $27.30 26,000 100,000South B 881,846 19,110 19,110 2.2% 4.3% 4.3% $26.39 0 0Southeast B 1,815,181 7,723 7,723 0.4% 26.8% 26.8% $22.16 0 0Southwest B 2,933,949 11,168 11,675 0.4% 6.6% 7.3% $30.10 0 21,072Suburbs B 19,046,047 120,776 121,283 0.6% 10.2% 10.6% $26.11 26,000 143,832Austin B 21,202,248 105,504 106,011 0.5% 9.9% 10.2% $27.04 26,000 143,832
2705 Bee Cave Rd Suite 325 Austin, TX 78746 tel +1 512 225 2700 [email protected]
2015 Jones Lang LaSalle IP, Inc. All rights reserved.
Travis Rogers Research Analyst
Office Outlook
Austin | Q3 2015
Q3Stats, Insights & Activity
Austin Submarket MapSan Antonio Submarket Map
Austin | Q3 2015
Submarket Map
Far Northwest
Northwest
Round Rock
NorthNortheast
East
Central
Southwest
South
Southeast
CBD
Lake Travis
Citywide absorption as a percent of inventory (%)
Source: JLL Research
Citywide projected construction deliveries by quarter (s.f.)
Source: JLL Research
Citywide tenants in the market by size (s.f.)
Source: JLL Research
Austin takes on Silicon ValleyAustin is going head-to-head with Silicon Valley in the battle of absorption. Austin has absorbed a whopping 1.5 million square feet of office space year-to-date, or 3.2 percent of inventory. This is the highest amount of absorption Austin has experienced in the last nine (9) years. Silicon Valley is putting up a fight and has absorbed over 2.1 million square feet or 3.2 percent of inventory, tieing-up the two tech-friendly heavyweights at the close of Q3. Absorption in Austin is projected to increase again during the fourth quarter, but will it be enough to beat Silicon Valley?
Construction deliveries will dip in 2016In 2016, construction deliveries will slow significantly, with only 640,000 (s.f.) projected to deliver between eight (8) projects. To put that number into perspective, seven (7) projects totaling 695,000 (s.f.) delivered during Q3 2015 alone. These projects include Paloma Ridge A & B (212,000 s.f.), Encino Trace I (162,000 s.f.), Rollingwood I & II (215,000 s.f.), Hill Country Galleria B (54,000 s.f.) and 1303 San Antonio (52,000 s.f.). Of this newly delivered inventory, 65% has been preleased. The next wave in construction deliveries will occur Q1 2017 with 500 West 2nd (500,000 s.f.), Shoal Creek Walk (218,000 s.f.) and Domain 8 (291,000 s.f.). Subsequent deliveries have not yet broken ground and are subject to many variables.
10,000-20,000 square foot requirements are kingIn such a competitive market, it helps to know the size distribution of tenants actively searching for space. Of approximately 180 surveying tenants, 73% are looking for between 5,000 and 30,000 (s.f). The most popular tenant size requirement falls in the 10,000 to 20,000 (s.f.) range, composing 28.7% of the market. Tenants searching for contiguous blocks greater than 50,000 (s.f.) or 13.2% of the market, will face the largest challenges. There are currently only 17 options citywide for that can accommodate a tenant of that size.
Silicon Hills goes head-to-head with Silicon Valley
Source: JLL Research jllcampaigns.com/skyline/city/austin
New construction deliveries are few and far between There are four (4) projects under construction downtown. These projects are NorthShore (24,000 s.f.), 5th & Colorado (180,000 s.f.), 500 W. 2nd (500,000 s.f.) and as of this quarter, Shoal Creek Walk (218,000 s.f.). In total, these four (4) developments are approximately 36% preleased. The only delivery this quarter downtown was 1303 San Antonio (52,000 s.f.) with approximately 50% preleased to St. David’s. During 2016, we should see three (3) straight quarters of no deliveries. The next wave of deliveries downtown will occur Q1 2017 with 500 W. 2nd (41% preleased to Google) and Shoal Creek Walk (39% preleased to Cirrus Logic).
The largest industry looking for space downtown is not techAustin is known nationwide as a tech-hub because of large companies like Google, Oracle, Ebay and AMD that lease some of Austin’s largest blocks of space. Contrary to common belief, the largest industry of tenants surveying for space during the third quarter are companies related to accounting, consulting, research and strategy at approximately 30%. Of the 47 tenants currently surveying for space downtown, tech companies compose approximately 27.7%. Of these 47 tenants, 50.0 percent have a requirement below 15,000 (s.f.).
Introducing the new JLL digital SkylineJLL has an exciting new tool that allows clients and prospects that typically lease in Skyline buildings to review availability in competing properties — then drill down into building-level data such as floor plate sizes and average asking rents. The Skyline can also show how the highest-quality buildings are performing across the market — including vacancy rates and average asking rents — to other high-quality properties. To access the Skyline, select the image on the right or search jllcampaigns.com/skyline/city/austin.
Northwest projected construction deliveries and current available space
Source: JLL Research
Northwest tenants in the market by size (s.f.)
Source: JLL Research
Vacant available blocks greater than 25,000 s.f. market-wide
Source: JLL Research
If you build it, will they come?There are five (5) projects under construction northwest. These projects are Research Park Plaza V (173,000 s.f.), Quarry Oaks III (138,000 s.f.), Domain 1 (125,000 s.f.), Domain 5 (75,000 s.f.), and most recently, Domain 8 (291,000 s.f.). In total, these developments are approximately 17% preleased. The only lease signed for the approximately 801,000 s.f. under construction is BazaarVoice, who signed a lease for the entirety of Quarry Oaks III. Research Park Plaza V, Quarry Oaks III and Domain 1 are expected to deliver during the fourth quarter. While these projects have no preleasing, they each are in advanced lease negotiations.
Almost half of tenant requirements are between 10,000 and 20,000 (s.f.)There are approximately 47 tenants surveying for space northwest. Of these 47 tenants, 70% have a requirement between 5,000 and 20,000 (s.f.). While the 10,000 to 20,000 (s.f.) requirement is the most common throughout the market, this requirement is especially pronounced northwest. When we compare tenants searching in all submarkets to the tenants searching solely northwest, we find a 56% increase within this range. Tenants searching for contiguous blocks greater than 25,000 (s.f.) will face the most challenges northwest, as there are only seven (7) vacant blocks currently available.
Northwest comes in second for largest blocks of vacant available spaceThere are only seven (7) contiguous blocks greater than 25,000 (s.f.) available now. These blocks are located at Riata Corporate Park 4 (65,000 s.f.), Park Centre III (42,000 s.f.), Echelon I (52,000 s.f.), Lakewood Center (48,000 s.f.), Domain 7 (38,000 s.f.), Research Park V (39,000 s.f.) and HighFLEX (27,000 s.f.).
Southwest projected construction deliveries and current available space
Source: JLL Research
Construction deliveries and current available space
Source: JLL Research
Vacant available blocks greater than 25,000 s.f. market-wide
Source: JLL Research
No deliveries beyond Q2 2016There are two (2) projects under construction southwest. These projects are Encino Trace II (158,000 s.f.) and Preserve at Bee Cave (21,000 s.f.). Preserve at Bee Cave is a build to suit for SecureLink that broke ground during the third quarter. These developments are approximately 25% preleased. This quarter, four (4) projects delivered approximately 98% preleased. These projects are Encino Trace I (162,000 s.f.), Rollingwood Center I-II (215,000 s.f.) and Hill Country Galleria B (54,000 s.f.). The next projects likely to break ground are 5301 Southwest Parkway Phase II (125,000 s.f.), Lantana Ridge I & II (175,000 s.f.) and The Backyard (335,000 s.f.)
New deliveries cause vacancy to riseCapital Ridge and 3700 San Clemente delivered during the second quarter. Both of these deliveries pushed class A inventory southwest up 7.2% quarter-over-quarter, resulting in vacancy rising from 8.2 to 11.4% for the first time since 2008 when vacancy rose from 8.0 to 13%. During the third quarter, Hill Country Galleria B (54,000 s.f.), Rollingwood Center I-II (215,000 s.f.) and Encino Trace I delivered. While these deliveries are 98% preleased, most tenants will not occupy for a couple quarters, causing vacancy to rise. EZ Corp has also put (3) of the four floors they leased at Rollingwood Center I on the sublease market.
Southwest sees rise in vacant available large contiguous blocksTraditionally, the northwest had the largest amount of vacant available blocks due to sheer size of inventory. Tides have turned during the third quarter with new construction deliveries partly responsible. There are eight (8) contiguous blocks greater than 25,000 (s.f.) available now. These blocks are located at 3700 San Clemente (51,000 s.f.), Rollingwood Center I (75,000 s.f.), The Park on Barton Creek I (43,000 s.f.), The Park on Barton Creek II (39,000 s.f.), Wild Basin II (29,000 s.f.), Summit at Lantana III (52,000 s.f.), Terrace 7 (45,000 s.f.) and Rialto II (38,000 s.f.).
Construction deliveries lead to increase in large contiguous blocks
5-year labor force growth and current unemployment rate
Source: JLL Research
Projected construction deliveries and current available space
Source: JLL Research
Itemized CBD operating expenses by % increase (2007-2015)
Source: JLL Research *Percent increase reflects random CBD sample
Austin retains lowest unemployment even with highest labor force growthOf all metropolitan areas in the U.S. with a population of at least one million, Austin ranks #1 for the lowest unemployment rate at 3.0 percent. While maintaining the lowest unemployment rate, Austin’s labor force has grown more than any other metropolitan area with a comparable unemployment rate. Austin’s labor force has grown at a torrid rate of 13.4 percent from April 2010 to April 2015, followed by Dallas in second at 8.4 percent and San Antonio in third at 7.6 percent. The Urban Institute’s most conservative estimate projects that Austin’s population will increase by 30.5 percent by 2030 but with higher-than-average birth rates and lower-than-average death rates, Austin could see growth as high as 81.7 percent. Low unemployment and high labor force growth spells high office demand.
Construction pre-leasing holds steady with lack of available large blocksNew inventory will continue to deliver in Austin steadily through 2015 and into the second quarter of 2016. Projects that delivered this quarter were 3700 San Clemente, Capital Ridge, Parmer 3.2 and 3100 Alvin Devane. Of the 740,000 square feet delivered, 48.0 percent has been leased. The largest lease year-to-date occurred this quarter with Apple signing the full balance or 217,000 square feet at Capital Ridge. As large tenants like Apple plan for expansion and search for large blocks of space, they find their options are limited. There are currently only three blocks of available space larger than 25,000 square feet downtown and 13 blocks of space larger than 50,000 square feet market-wide. Demand will continue to grow into 2016 resulting in additional speculative developments breaking ground during the third and fourth quarter of 2015.
As valuations of CBD inventory rise, operating expenses follow suit Tenants leasing space downtown have noticed operating expenses increase rapidly in recent years. The main contributor to this increase is a result of the real estate tax portion of operating expenses. As properties trade, their value is reassessed by the local taxing authority to reflect the trade value. When properties trade higher than their assessed value, real estate taxes increase to reflect a higher property valuation. This quarter, Scarbrough, Littlefield and Perry Brooks traded while 501 and 515 Congress are under contract with Invesco. As a result, tenants leasing space in these buildings may see a higher than normal increase in operating expenses come 2016.
Austin continues to grow by leaps and bounds
2,257
44%
13%
44%
16%
86%
51%
Cleaning
Security
Parking Garage
Insurance
RE Taxes
Management Fees
0% 2% 4% 6% 8% 10% 12% 14%
BostonColumbus
DallasMinneapolis
Oklahoma CitySan Antonio
Salt Lake CityAustin
5-Year Labor Force Growth Unemployment Rate
354,594462,499
289,90764,376 207,939
384,903
548,312666,853
284,757
96,000
292,497
0
500,000
1,000,000
Q2 2015 Q3 2015 Q4 2015 Q1 2016 Q2 2016 Q1 2017
Leased Space (s.f.) Available Space (s.f.)
Office Insight
Austin | Q2 2015
47,685,211Total inventory (s.f.)
319,475Q2 2015 net absorption (s.f.)
$32.56Direct average asking rent
2,913,140Total under construction (s.f.)
12.3%Total vacancy
885,221YTD net absorption (s.f.)
6.9%12-month rent growth
35.2% Total preleased
Current conditions – submarket Historical leasing activity (s.f.)
Source: JLL Research Source: JLL Research
Total net absorption (s.f.)
Source: JLL Research
Total vacancy rate (%)
Source: JLL Research
Direct full service average asking rent ($ p.s.f.)
Central B 1,657,506 5,903 16,584 1.0% 6.0% 7.5% $23.58 0 0East B 677,282 1,612 -2,813 -0.4% 30.5% 30.5% $22.39 0 0Far Northwest B 1,203,028 1,300 5,811 0.5% 2.3% 2.3% $26.87 0 0North B 1,416,327 982 -10,257 -0.7% 6.0% 9.2% $22.13 0 0Northeast B 1,505,502 -25,446 -46,986 -3.1% 11.1% 13.2% $18.96 0 0Northwest B 6,012,398 -33,986 58,895 1.0% 7.9% 9.6% $27.66 0 0Round Rock B 858,045 7,392 12,196 1.4% 13.1% 13.4% $25.89 0 26,000South B 881,846 -12,689 -2,610 -0.3% 6.3% 6.4% $29.89 0 0Southeast B 1,815,181 30,526 21,269 1.2% 27.7% 27.7% $21.71 0 0Southwest B 2,878,733 -5,880 23,057 0.8% 7.3% 7.5% $29.69 27,637 0Suburbs B 18,905,848 -30,286 75,146 0.4% 10.3% 11.4% $24.53 27,637 26,000Austin B 21,062,049 -13,680 142,669 0.7% 9.7% 10.7% $25.12 73,337 26,000
2705 Bee Cave Rd Suite 325 Austin, TX 78746 tel +1 512 225 2700 [email protected]
2015 Jones Lang LaSalle IP, Inc. All rights reserved.
Travis Rogers Research Analyst
Large wave of inventory delivers downtown with next wave southwest
More than 600,000 square feet of new construction delivered downtown in the first quarter, representing a 7.6 percent increase in downtown inventory. Still, tenants are surprised by the lack of vacant available space in the presence of prolific office development. Class A downtown deliveries during the first quarter were over 90.0 percent leased. Other downtown projects continue to take shape, the most noteworthy being the 500,000-square-foot development delivering in the first quarter of 2017 known as 500 W 2nd. Google signed a 200,000-square-foot lease at this Trammell Crow project, taking 42.0 percent of available space. The next wave of construction will deliver approximately 900,000 square feet to the southwest market in the second quarter, representing a 10.0 percent increase in inventory with 50.0 percent of available space already leased.
Citywide construction deliveries by quarter
Source: JLL Research
Rental rates continue to climb citywide driving suburban development
Demand for larger blocks of space has increased, coupled with a limited supply of 50,000-square-foot blocks of contiguous space, has caused rental rates to rise. While operating expenses have risen substantially due to increased appraisal values, the largest contribution to rent growth over the last five years is attributed to increases in base rent. East Austin, having fewer development barriers, lower land values and close proximity to downtown is witnessing a large push in planned Class A construction. 1645 E. 6th At The Arnold, at 95,000 square feet and delivering in Q1 2016, is the first large Class A mixed-use office development to begin construction and is over 50.0 percent leased to C3 Presents. Other large Eastside planned developments include Cityline at MLK Station, 310 Comal and The Waterfront, representing over 800,000 square feet of Class A office space.
Class A downtown rent growth
Source: JLL Research
Large portfolio sales and leases northwest
Approximately 68.0 percent of total sales transactions traded in the northwest submarket in the first quarter. The largest sale, Apple’s four-building purchase at Riata Crossing totaling 357,000 square feet, closed for an undisclosed price. Prominent Point I, II and Stratum Executive Center also sold for a total of $120 million. The second largest lease of the quarter took place northwest with Indeed leasing 198,000 square feet at Champion Office Park, bringing the recently delivered development to 100.0 percent leased. Other notable sales were Lavaca Plaza downtown and Rialto I & II southwest.
Sales Transactions > 50,000 s.f. by submarket
Source: JLL Research
12.7%Total vacancy
567,318Q1 2015 net absorption (s.f.)
7.23%12-month rent growth
3,447,083Total under construction (s.f.)
28.4% Total preleased
Office Insight
Austin | Q1 2015
Rising rates and low vacancy in midst of new inventory
748,835
1,547,529
418,558 625,060
355,500 500,436
0
500,000
1,000,000
1,500,000
2,000,000
Q1 2015 Q2 2015 Q3 2015 Q4 2015 Q1 2016 Q1 2017
New Construction Leased s.f.
$22.85 $24.28 $24.08 $26.36 $27.69
$30.85
$12.86 $13.18 $13.69$14.42
$14.98$15.75
$0
$10
$20
$30
$40
$50
2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 Q1 2015
Full Service Rate
Base Rent Operating Expenses
23%
35%
Rate growth
122,514
822,528
107,648
155,385
CBD Northwest
Southeast Southwest
1,208,075 s.f.in transactions
1,595,850 s.f. leased
Current conditions – market and submarket Historical leasing activity