Portland Retail Market Vacancy Increases During First Quarter, But Some Positive Signs

The Portland area’s overall retail vacancy rose about half a percentage point to 8.0%, with negative 293,920 sf of absorption. Central City saw the greatest increase of 1.5% for a total vacancy of 11.7%, the highest of any submarket. Nearly 15,000 sf is currently available at One Main Place, and Pioneer Place has about 50,000 sf available. Vacancy also rose nearly a percentage point in the Southeast/East Clackamas and Eastside submarkets. Vancouver vacancy stayed steady at 10.5%, though 59,573 sf was absorbed at Columbia Square. The 93,000 sf Bowyer Marketplace WinCo store, at the corner of NE 119th Street and 117th Avenue, delivered this quarter.

Construction remains slow, with 24,499 sf under construction throughout the Metro area. 17,000 sf of this is a freestanding building at 13233 SE McLoughlin in the Southeast/East Clackamas submarket.

Noteworthy News
The national retail market is showing signs of a slow recovery. Consumer spending rose for the fifth straight month in February, by 0.3%, according to the Commerce Department. And the International Council of Shopping Centers (ICSC) expects retailers to close fewer stores in 2010 than in 2009. But many retailers continue to face challenges, and Saks Fifth Avenue announced that it would close its two downtown Portland stores. It is rumored that Swedish retailer H&M will take over the 23,000 sf men’s store, and Saks will vacate the 60,000 sf main store by the end of July. Area officials are working to find a quality tenant for this space. In one bit of good news, Saks may open an Off Fifth store, which offers discounted designer clothing and accessories, at Bridgeport Village.

Though restaurants have been challenged during the recession, Portland’s restaurant scene has remained solid. Affordable, casual restaurants have generally fared better during the recession than their higher-priced counterparts, so many are focusing on this market. For instance, Foster Burger opened late last year in Southeast, and Little Big Burger is expected to open in Northwest this spring. Some of Portland’s popular food carts are even opening storefronts – Korean taco truck Koi Fusion, has opened a restaurant on NW Lovejoy. Some higher-end restaurants are also in the works – Lucier is expected to reopen in South Waterfront, and a group from San Francisco plans on opening a restaurant in the former Bay 13 space in the Pearl.

Specialty grocery stores have continued to do relatively well. The Whole Foods Market on NE 43rd and NE Sandy in Hollywood opened in January, and work has begun on the New Seasons Market on SE 40th and Hawthorne, which has long been delayed but is expected to open this fall.

Featured Deal: John’s Incredible Pizza Lease
John’s Incredible Pizza, a family entertainment restaurant with ten locations in California, is opening its 11th location in Portland. John’s leased 46,212 sf at the former Circuit City at Washington Green Shopping Center, 9180 SW Hall Boulevard, Tigard. John’s features a pizza, salad, soup, pasta and dessert buffet, as well as themed dining rooms and carnival-style rides and video and ticket-dispensing games. It’s expected to open in First Quarter 2011. NAI NBS Real Estate Broker J.J. Unger and NAI Capital Senior Vice President Irwin Hyman of Encino, California, represented the tenant.

Three NAI NBS Brokers Earn CCIM Designation

NAI NBS' Neville Bassett (Portland), Doug Bartocci (Vancouver), and Garret Harper (Vancouver) have obtained the Certified Commercial Investment Member (CCIM) designation.

A CCIM is an invaluable resource to the commercial real estate owner, investor, and user, and is among an elite group of more than 9,000 professionals across North America and in 30 countries abroad. Only 6 percent of the estimated 150,000 commercial real estate practitioners nationwide hold the CCIM designation, an indication of one of the most coveted and respected designations in the industry.

To attain the CCIM designation, each broker completed four core courses, an ethics course and three elective credits, prepared a portfolio and passed a comprehensive exam.

PDX Industrial Market Looking Up in First Quarter

Industrial vacancy decreased slightly to 14.56%, with 118,458 sf absorbed. Vacancy in North/Northeast remained stable at 17.58%. Some large leases were signed in this submarket, including Owens Corning leasing 123,120 sf at Bybee Lake Logistics Center – Phase II. Ferrotec USA and Archive Systems also signed leases at Birtcher Center @ Townsend Way totaling 81,850 sf. Vacancy in Vancouver decreased about 1.5 percentage points, as 82,800 sf was leased up at Hart Industrial Center, bringing that property to 100% occupancy, and 40,267 sf was leased at Westside Business Center.

Flex vacancy rose nearly two percentage points to 18.01%, with 166,559 sf of newly available space coming back on the market. Much of this space can be accounted for by Intel, which vacated more than 100,000 sf at the Amberglen Business Center in moving back to its headquarters, pushing Southwest Sunset’s vacancy up more than two percentage points to 19.71%. Some positive absorption did occur, though. BiAmp Systems leased 50,963 sf at Nimbus Corporate Center in the Southwest 217 submarket, whose vacancy stayed fairly flat at 17.76%.

Market Trends
The industrial market showed continued signs of a slow but steady recovery during First Quarter. Vacancy in the Portland metro area, though still high, appears to have stopped rising, and construction and new deliveries have been so limited of late that the market isn’t burdened by oversupply. National economic indicators were looking up. Factory orders rose 1.7% in January, the largest increase in four months, with heightened demand for commercial aircraft, and industrial production rose 0.1% in February.

Manufacturers continue to invest in the Portland metro area. LaCrosse Footwear is moving production of Danner boots to a new 59,000 sf factory about a mile from its Northeast Portland headquarters, a facility twice the size of its current plant, which it is replacing. Production is expected to begin there in Third Quarter 2010. Boeing is also investing up to $120 million in upgrading its operation in Gresham, which will add 152 jobs in the next three years. It will build a new 60,000 sf facility on its 87-acre campus where it will treat metals used in making commercial aircraft.

NAI NBS Earns CoStar Power Broker Awards for Performance in 2009

NAI Norris, Beggs & Simpson made a strong showing in the 2009 CoStar Power Broker Awards.

For the fifth consecutive year, NAI NBS was named a top leasing and sales firm in the Portland metropolitan market.

CoStar said in an article about the awards:

"Given the extreme economic conditions in 2009, last year was one that many in the commercial real estate would just as soon like to forget. Every commercial real estate broker who managed to secure a lease or arrange a building sale during the year probably deserves an award.

The ones who excelled under those conditions and achieved the highest transaction volume in commercial property sales and leases last year in their respective markets are especially deserving of industry-wide recognition. Which is why CoStar is especially pleased to present the 2009 CoStar Power Broker Awards, singling out those who persevered and earned the right to be called one of the 'best of the best' in commercial real estate brokerage."

A number of NAI NBS brokers earned individual awards:

• Top Office Leasing Brokers: Jennifer Medak and John Medak
• Top Retail Leasing Brokers: Gina Barendrick and J.J. Unger
• Top Industrial Leasing Brokers: Michael Merino and Scott MacLean
• Top Sales Brokers: Chris Johnson, MaryKay West and Robert Black

Visit the Power Broker website for the entire list.

First Quarter 2010: Portland's Central City Office Vacancy Stable, Suburban Still Rising

Central City office vacancy remained stable this quarter at 11.99% (see vacancy comparison chart at right), with 54,312 sf absorbed. Some significant sales and leases occurred, especially in the Central Business District. The General Services Administration (GSA) signed four leases totaling more than 250,000 sf at First & Main, which delivered this quarter, and Alpha Broadcasting leased more than 25,000 sf at Pacwest Center. In one of the largest sales in recent months, KBS REIT II purchased One Main Place for $57 million, or about $180 per sf. American Pacific International Capital Inc. also purchased the office portion of the KOIN Center, reportedly for between $53 million and $60 million. Vacancy in Northwest fell more than a percentage point to 15.69%, as two tenants leased space at Machine Works, including the GSA in 19,431 sf.

Suburban office vacancy rose about a percentage point to 21.93%, with negative 142,240 sf absorbed. The Barbur Boulevard, Beaverton-Hillsdale/Sylvan and North/Northeast submarkets all saw vacancy rise at least two percentage points. Though vacancy in the Kruse Way submarket stayed relatively stable, this area saw some movement, including M & T Bank relocating from Kruse Woods I to about 20,000 sf in 4949 Meadows. A few submarkets had positive absorption, such as I-5 South, where vacancy decreased slightly and Pinnacle Mortgage Bankers leased 16,000 sf at Durham Office Center. Though a number of suburban buildings are totally empty, one will soon be fully occupied. The Oregon Institute of Technology is planning to purchase the 131,000 sf former headquarters of InFocus in Wilsonville, and consolidate its four Portland-area locations there. InFocus moved out of the building last fall to a smaller office in Tigard.

Vancouver vacancy fell nearly half a percentage point to 18.10%, with 42,644 sf absorbed. Vacancy in Class C space fell five percentage points to 14.57%, as 29,000 sf was leased up at the Former Red Lion Headquarters. Class A and B space also saw some significant absorption; Doug Williams and Associates and Richard James and Associates both signed leases at the Thurston 500 Building, totaling 12,583 sf.

Featured Deal: General Services Administration Leases

The General Services Administration (GSA) leased nearly 260,000 sf at First & Main at the west end of the Hawthorne Bridge. The GSA leases were the first for the building and took the office areas to 76% leased. The tenants were displaced by the redevelopment of the Edith Green-Wendell Wyatt Building and plan on taking occupancy in May. NAI NBS Vice President Jeff Borlaug, Executive Vice President Chris Johnson and Vice President MaryKay West represented First & Main’s owner, Shorenstein Realty Services.

John's Incredible Pizza Coming to Portland

John’s Incredible Pizza, a family entertainment restaurant with ten locations in California, has leased space in the Portland metro area to open its first restaurant in the Pacific Northwest.

John’s leased 46,212 sf at the former Circuit City at Washington Green Shopping Center, 9180 SW Hall Boulevard, Tigard, Oregon. NAI Norris, Beggs & Simpson Real Estate Broker J.J. Unger and NAI Capital Senior Vice President Irwin Hyman represented the tenant. Hyman, out of NAI Capital’s Encino office, represents John’s in California, and through the NAI Global network teamed up with Unger when the company wanted to expand into the Pacfic Northwest.

A multitude of big box spaces have become available in the last two years with the closures of chains like Circuit City, Linens ‘n Things and Joe’s Sports, Outdoors & More.

“Landlords can find interested tenants, but in this market it’s been a challenge putting together a deal that works for both parties, and most importantly, finding a tenant that’s a fit for the merchandising plan of the shopping center,” Unger said. “It is a great win for Portland to gain such a unique new tenant from out of the area.”

The restaurant is expected to open in the First Quarter of 2011 and will create about 110 full- and part-time jobs.

John’s chose Portland to expand because it saw the opportunity to fill a niche that’s traditionally been underserved for entertainment, Unger said. The restaurant also believes it will be a good fit because of the weather – rain or shine, it will give families an indoor entertainment option and be a venue with the capacity to cater to large corporate functions. Though the Portland location is John’s Incredible Pizza’s first foray out of California, it has plans for more.

“We are pleased to bring our family-focused restaurant and entertainment facility to Portland,” said John’s Incredible Pizza Owner and Founder John Parlet. “We have been eager to expand our concept outside of California and found the perfect site in Portland and are excited to become an integral part of the community.”

John’s Incredible Pizza offers an affordably-priced all-you-can-eat buffet. It serves pizza, including classic varieties and signature ones like spicy peanut butter, macaroni and cheese, and cheeseburger pizzas. It also has a full salad bar, soup, pasta, and dessert buffet. It has a number of themed dining rooms, and an array of rides and games, including carnival-style rides and video and ticket-dispensing games. John’s hosts birthday parties, business events, lock-ins and more.

NBS Celebrates 78th Anniversary Today

Today marks Norris, Beggs & Simpson's 78th anniversary. Here's a brief look at NBS' history.

NBS was founded in 1932 in Portland, Oregon, by A.D. Norris and George Beggs, and later joined by David B. Simpson. The company had a small office in the Wilcox Building, which still stands today at the corner of SW 6th Avenue and Washington Street in downtown Portland.

With the country mired in depression, few areas of the economy were left unscathed. Though the real estate industry suffered, Norris, Beggs & Simpson quickly became profitable by specializing in property management and acquiring many prominent families of the Pacific Northwest as clients.

New England Mutual Life Insurance Company of Boston played a key role in the early growth of Norris, Beggs & Simpson, by enlisting the company to manage a series of foreclosed properties in Portland and appointing the company as its mortgage loan correspondent in the area. Commercial and industrial brokerage services were also added to expand the company’s reach, and an emphasis was placed on involvement with major financial institutions.

NBS expanded into a full-service operation, and opened its Vancouver office in 1985 and Bellevue (now Seattle) office in 1988.

Today, NBS is the parent company of four different branches, including NAI NBS, which joined the NAI Global network in 1982. NBS has continued to grow and adapt to the changing times. Early this year, for instance, it joined with Susan Stratton, a local apartment executive, to found NBS Multifamily Management, a new apartment management company.