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LOWER MANHATTAN REAL ESTATE MARKET REVIEW
Q3 2019
Small and Mid-Size Leasing Drives Strong Third Quarter in Lower Manhattan Deals for spaces less than 100,000 sq. ft. in Lower Manhattan in the third quarter accounted for approximately 70% of leasing activity. Small-lease deals (less than 25,000 sq. ft.) represented 30% of all new activity. Large deals (100,000+ sq. ft.) at 3 World Trade Center and 55 Water Street were among the top three leases signed, but only accounted for 30% of leasing activity. Activity among TAMI tenants, retail trade and flexible space providers continued to diversify the district beyond financial services and government.
Lower Manhattan Year to Date Leasing Activity, 2015 - 2019 Source: CBRE
Strong leasing momentum in Lower Manhattan continued into the third quarter with 1.81 million sq. ft. of new office deals inked. Bolstered by relocations into the market, leasing activity was 38% above the five-year quarterly average. With 5.61 million sq. ft. leased so far this year, this is the highest year-to-date leasing total since 2000, according to CBRE. Leasing during the past three quarters has already surpassed 2018’s year-end total. Relocations represented 37% of quarterly leasing activity in Lower Manhattan. Of those relocations, more than half were TAMI (Technology, Advertising, Media and Information) tenants. The two largest relocations were from Midtown, while the remaining will migrate from Midtown South as that market sees record-setting rents and lack of quality space. Midtown Manhattan saw below-average leasing with activity 32% behind the five-year quarterly average — the third consecutive quarter in which the submarket trailed this benchmark. In addition to slow leasing, 12 blocks of space larger than 100,000 sq. ft. became available in the Midtown market. Activity is expected to pick up as several large leases for nearly 3 million sq. ft. are anticipated to close in the coming quarters. Midtown South surged to its highest quarterly total on record, eclipsing the five-year quarterly average by 81%. The resurgence was driven by Google’s 1.3 million sq. ft. lease at 550 Washington Street, which will be part of its $1 billion new Hudson Square campus.
Strong Leasing Continues at World Trade Center The World Trade Center campus continues to drive Lower Manhattan’s leasing success. The new, high-quality office space is particularly attractive to growing companies that are either priced out of other submarkets or in need of modern infrastructure. Three of the top five leases signed during the third quarter were at 3 and 4 World Trade Center (WTC), while another five were signed across One, 3 and 7 WTC.
Lower Manhattan Real Estate Market Overview| Q3 2019
5.61 Million Square Feet highest year-to-date leasing total since 2000
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