Last week, the U.S. Senate passed the Inflation Reduction Act of 2022, a $740 billion budget reconciliation measure with provisions to address climate change and energy security, extend federal healthcare subsidies, and allow Medicare to negotiate prescription drug prices. As we informed you last week, the bill, which had been negotiated by Senate Majority Leader Charles Schumer (D-NY) and Senator Joe Manchin (D-WV), contained a proposal changing the taxation of carried interests that would have harmed the commercial real estate industry and real estate entrepreneurs.

When the Schumer-Manchin agreement was announced, NAIOP and NAIOP Arizona, along with our national real estate allies, mobilized to support Senator Kyrsten Sinema (D-AZ) in her efforts to oppose the proposed changes to carried interest. In order to ensure her vote, the proposal was dropped from the bill before the legislation was brought up for floor debate.

We are gratified that the concerns of NAIOP and the real estate industry were considered on this very important issue. For more than a decade, NAIOP has successfully opposed various proposals to alter the tax treatment of carried interests, or “promotes” as they are known in real estate. While characterized in the media as affecting Wall Street hedge fund managers, these tax increases would have had a much broader economic impact, impacting real estate partnerships, the venture capital industry and others. We have been engaged with policymakers long before this latest proposal was introduced, and our members’ support has been extremely helpful.

Senator Sinema promised to continue working with Senator Mark Warner (D-VA) to develop legislation reforming carried interest taxation. I want to assure every NAIOP member that, on this and the other important issues affecting commercial real estate, we and our NAIOP chapters will continue our strong advocacy on behalf of you and our industry.

Last week, NAIOP members met with City Council Candidates Dimple Ajmera and Marjorie Molina to discuss important issues impacting Charlotte’s CRE industry.

The Lunch with a Leader series provides NAIOP Charlotte members an exclusive opportunity to meet and interact with key leaders in our community. Look for upcoming NAIOP Charlotte fall events here.

REBIC's Rob Nenfelt and his team put together this week's Two For Tuesday and UDO takes center stage early next week.

UDO - Public Hearing Scheduled for Monday

The Charlotte City Council has scheduled a public hearing on the proposed Unified Development Ordinance (UDO) for Monday, July 11. The Council Action Review begins at 5:00 pm followed by the Public Forum/Business meeting at 6:30 pm. An agenda should be available here by Friday afternoon. Click here to sign up to speak. 

Also, Planning Staff has just released responses to public comments submitted prior to last Thursday's deadline. Additional changes will be reflected in the next and likely final draft when it is released which will occur prior to the expected vote on adoption in late August. Here's a link to the page containing the Second Draft Public Comments - With Staff Responses.

For additional UDO resources, please visit Charlotte's Unified Development Ordinance (UDO) - (charlotteudo.org).

Vacant Storefronts Can be Repurposed into Retail Incubators

They can provide an immediate boost in shopping districts and grow future businesses into long-term tenants.

• Written by Ilana Preuss, Development Magazine

The COVID-19 pandemic has left America’s retail districts pockmarked with empty storefronts, but there is a creative solution. These vacant spaces, which often can be purchased or rented at reduced prices, are prime targets for conversion into retail incubators.

Retail incubators, like business incubators, nurture new or small-scale entrepreneurs during the startup phase. They mitigate some of the challenges of opening a business by providing financial and technical assistance, such as the basics of marketing and business plans. Tenants typically share space, ideas and operating expenses in locations that they could not otherwise afford. Many spaces have flexible or temporary lease terms. Some allow for small-scale manufacturing and hold community events, such as product demonstrations, fashion shows and art openings.

According to the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, new business applications in the United States set an all-time record of 5.1 million in 2021. At the same time, the pandemic has led to consolidation of space and locations by major retail brands, which reduced the prospect of attracting businesses. The challenge for small businesses is they can’t immediately fill the footprints of major store closings. However, they can make temporary use of retail space to establish their businesses, and occupying formerly abandoned stores can help energize struggling downtowns.

originally pusblished by KATHRYN HAMILTON, CAE  for NAIOP National with permission to share:

originally published by SHAWN MOURA, PH.D. for NAIOP National

Low cap rates and rapidly rising rents reflect industrial real estate’s status as the leading sector in commercial real estate development. Record levels of capital are flowing to industrial real estate while tenants are willing to pay higher rents to secure additional inventory and shorten delivery timelines.

originally published by LUCIAN ALIXANDRESCU for NAIOP National

After the initial shock of the pandemic, industrial real estate emerged as one of the asset classes least affected by the ensuing economic downturn. While the causes are multifaceted, the sudden spike in demand for products ordered and curbside pick-up meant that retailers — both online and brick-and-mortar — scrambled to secure the space they needed to fulfill the influx of new orders.

Read the Full Article Here!

originally published by COMMERCIALEDGE TEAM for NAIOP National

The Delta variant of COVID-19 has continued to delay the return-to-work plans of many companies. Still, rising vaccination rates and declining case numbers have provided hope for many companies. Anyone worried about the future of office work can look at the continual investment of big tech into the industry to feel confident that offices are far from a thing of the past.

Read the Full Article Here!

originally published by JEFF ZBAR for NAIOP National

While some assets in the real estate market have been jolted by pandemic-related fallout, some investors, managers, and property owners will look back on the COVID-19 era as the “golden era” of real estate investment.

While some sectors have struggled, like office and retail, certain sectors have seen tremendous growth. Managers with operational expertise with the right property type have found success.

Read the Full Article Here

originally published by Trey Barrineau for NAIOP National

In the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, supply chain problems have become pervasive. In fact, things are getting so bad that many fear they could imperil the all-important holiday shopping season this year.

Michael Landsburg, chief development officer with NFI Real Estate, said there are currently 70 cargo ships anchored off the ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach, California. A month ago, there were about 40.

Read the Full Article Here!

originally published by BRIELLE SCOTT for NAIOP National

The post-pandemic construction boom has taken many forms. E-commerce and big box retailers are developing across the country, while at the same time, construction projects that were postponed during the pandemic have resumed. However, the lack of workforce at manufacturing facilities last year combined with the high demand for materials have led to price increases and lead-time delays.

In a session at CRE.Converge this week, a panel of experts led by Bill Finfrock, president, FINFROCK, shared some of the strategies used in construction to keep projects moving forward despite these challenges.

Read the Full Article!

Originally published by Rob Naso for NAIOP Development Magazine Summer 2021 Issue

A new framework for mitigating disease in the office focuses on air quality, changing behaviors and building occupant trust.

The COVID-19 pandemic has redefined the role that office landlords play in creating safe, healthy work environments. While most office workers packed up their laptops and headed home to ride out the pandemic, building owners and property managers had to pivot quickly to elevate safety measures for the essential workers who remained, in an environment with fast-changing public health guidelines. Now, they face the next stage of recovery — ensuring tenants feel comfortable returning to the workplace as vaccination rates increase.

The landlords that return their buildings to thriving, active communities will be those that expand the definition of their role to also become socially-minded strategists charged with creating safe and healthy environments, setting the stage for tenants to safely return to the workplace. Positioned at the forefront of containing future outbreaks while enabling businesses to resume activity, the responsible asset manager has become the tenants’ partner in their return-to-workplace strategy.

Read More

Originally published  by Scott Murdoch for the Summer 2021 Issue of NAIOP Development Magazine.

The pandemic forced the industry to adapt quickly to meet soaring demand.

While grocery e-commerce was growing prior to the pandemic, the sector saw staggering market penetration over the course of 2020 and beyond. Concerned about safely accessing food, consumers across all demographics turned to online grocery shopping as a convenient, safe option.

A survey by LEK indicated that food e-commerce made up 3%-4% of total grocery retail sales before the pandemic and that overall penetration would reach 15%-20% by 2025. But in its February 2021 Online Grocery Report, Business Insider projected online grocery adoption will reach 55% in the U.S. by the end of 2024. Consumers have clearly grown accustomed to the convenience and safety of grocery e-commerce. 

Read More

Originally published on July 27, 2021, by Ester Fung for the Wall Street Journal.

U.S. commercial real-estate sales this year have rebounded to pre-pandemic levels, fueled by historically low-interest rates and the belief of many investors that the worst of Covid-19 is over.

But the commercial-property sales landscape looks a lot different than it did before the health crisis hit in early 2020. Cities including New York and San Francisco have fallen in favor as have property types such as downtown office buildings and convention hotels.

Meanwhile, Sunbelt cities posted record sales and investors flocked to property types that performed well during the pandemic, including amenity-packed apartment buildings, warehouses and office buildings that cater to pharmaceutical and biotechnology industries. “There is a move to both new property types and new markets,” said a report recently released by data and research firm Real Capital Analytics.

Read More