Manhattan's Midtown South Market Still Hot

10 Jul, 2012, New York

Cushman & Wakefield today released mid-year statistics for the Manhattan commercial real estate market that shows that Midtown South is the only major Manhattan submarket to see average asking rents continue to rise from last quarter. The vacancy rates across the three submarkets have remained steady this year.

The overall Manhattan vacancy rate at the end of June was 9.0 percent, with 5.4 million square feet of new leasing activity. In comparison, at the mid-year point of 2011, the vacancy rate was 9.4 percent and a total of 10.1 million square feet had been leased, which marked the strongest leasing quarter in a decade. Despite the year-over-year decline in quarterly leasing, the 2012 mid-year leasing activity is not far off from the 6.0 million-square-foot 10-year quarterly average.

A total of 11.1 million square feet of new leasing activity closed in the first half of 2012. Renewal activity totaled 6.8 million square feet, which is 1.3 million square feet less than all of the renewal activity recorded in 2011.

The average asking rent for overall Manhattan office space totaled $58.86 per square foot at the end of June, which is an increase of 6.0 percent year-over year. The class-A asking rent is $66.91 per square foot, which is 5.2 percent higher than a year ago.

The Midtown South market, which has a vacancy rate of 6.1 percent, continues to be the tightest market of all the Central Business Districts in the nation and is the only submarket this quarter to see average asking rents rise from last quarter.

"The submarket, also known as 'Silicon Alley' for its desirability among media and technology companies, has an average asking rent of $49.43 per square foot, an increase of nearly 11 percent year-over-year. The class-A asking rent this quarter totaled $66.19 per square foot, an increase of 26 percent year-over-year," said Andrew Peretz, a Cushman & Wakefield Executive Vice President.

According to Ken McCarthy, Cushman & Wakefield Senior Economist and Senior Managing Director, Midtown South has replaced Midtown as the most desirable location for companies to lease space following a downturn.

"Historically, Midtown was the location that companies flocked to for affordable rent following a recession, but that's not the case this time," McCarthy said, "Instead, we've seen companies look for space in the Midtown South submarket and it's so tight there that tenants are looking at neighboring Downtown and lower Midtown, such as the Garment District."

While space in the Midtown South market continues to be highly sought after, large companies in Manhattan have shown an increasing interest in owning their own real estate.

"Today, large corporate users of real estate are looking at ownership in addition to leasing opportunities in Manhattan because real estate capital costs exceed corporate capital costs by a wide margin," said Michael Rotchford, a Cushman & Wakefield Executive Vice President and Head of Corporate Finance & Investment Banking. "For well capitalized corporations, now may be the best time since 2003 to purchase real estate."

With the tightening of the Midtown South Market, tenants are looking for space in the Downtown market. According to Frank Cento, a Cushman & Wakefield Executive Director, "Downtown continues to show improvement and strong market fundamentals, despite large blocks of space looming on the horizon."

The vacancy rate in the Downtown market has continued to drop since the third quarter of 2011, when it was 9.9 percent. At the mid-year point of 2012, the Downtown market has a vacancy rate of 8.9 percent. Asking rents have decreased slightly to $40.06 per square foot from $40.18 per square foot last quarter. The class-A asking rent totaled $45.29 per square foot, up 2.3 percent year-over-year.

Retail in the Downtown market and across Manhattan has seen a number of notable transactions in the first six months of 2012. More and more, eyes will continue to be on Downtown as the World Trade Center is completed and the development of the Fulton Street Transit Center and World Trade Transportation Hub make it easier for tourists and commuters to get around.

Alan Schmerzler, a Cushman & Wakefield Executive Director, said, "Tourism continues to be an important driver of retail activity in urban markets, particularly New York."

The Midtown market closed the quarter with a 9.8 percent vacancy rate, down from 9.9 percent from the first quarter. The average asking rent closed at $66.44 per square foot, up 5 percent year-over-year. The class-A asking rent is $71.67 per square foot, up 4.7 percent year-over-year.

"Despite flat vacancy and a slowdown in new leasing activity, asking rents continue to rise at a moderate pace," said Bill Hartman, a Cushman & Wakefield Executive Vice President.

Comprised of three of the four largest Central Business Districts in the United States, Manhattan continues to be the premier destination for office users, retailers and investors. Glenn Rufrano, Cushman & Wakefield President & CEO commented, "Investment volume for 2012 in New York City is projected to increase ten-fold from the low mark in 2009. In fact, New York City investment volume for all property types approximates between 10 to 12 percent of all activity in the United States each year."

* * *

back to real estate News & Events

Printer Friendly Version