With the increasing push to return to the office, employers and developers are tasked with sweetening the deal for current and future employees in the office and industrial markets. Promises of increased collaboration with the return to in-person work aren’t enough of an incentive. Now, workers across industries expect more when physically in the office.
What was once 36 acres of warehouses (including a former cold storage warehouse where Amazon beta-tested their Amazon Fresh home grocery delivery service) and surface parking has been transformed into the newest urban neighborhood in Bellevue, Washington: the Spring District.
The slow recovery of the U.S. economy continues to have an impact on the office market in Seattle as well as across the county. Despite steady job growth and moderate economic recovery gains during the first half of 2023, the Puget Sound regional economy is still struggling and will face continued headwinds during the near term, bringing an enduring sense of uncertainty and concern.
August has arrived, which for Capitol Hill means that Congress is in recess until sometime in September. However, Congress left town last Friday with little agreement on a path forward for must-pass appropriations bills to keep the federal government operating past the start of the new fiscal year on Oct. 1.
In the post-pandemic office market, the “flight to quality” trend among tenants has been growing alongside increased demands for sustainability. Consequently, demonstrating to clients that a property is equipped with the latest in energy-saving technologies and smart materials is the new standard. And, increasingly, clients are looking beyond their office windows to take a more holistic approach to sustainability, considering factors such as the city’s commitment to reducing carbon dioxide emissions, plans to build electric vehicle infrastructure or the stringency of local building policies.
In a recent NAIOP webinar, Gensler Principal Steven Paynter, OAA, ARB, explored the firm’s data-driven process for analyzing underused office spaces and determining how to transform them into vibrant and livable residential buildings.
The sluggish return to the office, financing and liquidity, and new ways of approaching the office sector were the predominant themes of an elite gathering of C-suite office owners, investors and developers. The conversation, spearheaded by NAIOP and hosted last week in New York City, explored the challenges and opportunities facing the sector.
The NAIOP Research Foundation, as part of its Industry Trends meeting, recently hosted a panel discussion on what’s next for the office sector. The panelists agreed that the sector will undergo a shakeout that will include transformation, streamlining, new approaches to work and holistic solutions.
NAIOP National Forums members attending last week’s annual Symposium had the opportunity to tour several projects in the office and life science markets in East Cambridge, Somerville and the greater Boston market.
Members of NAIOP’s National Forums toured two components of the Boston seaport during their annual Symposium, hearing from the developers, investors and advisors shaping the site today.
