Key Takeaways
- Vacancy rates are down more than 1.5 percentage points year-over-year.
- Construction is increasing, and large deliveries are in the pipeline for 2022.
- Demand remains solid driven by mid-size requirements.
Macroeconomic factors such as high inflation, rising interest rates and falling stock values are impacting the local economy. Given that backdrop, demand has shifted to mid-size requirements as some larger potential distribution tenants are reevaluating their space needs. Despite the potential headwinds, vacancies shrank to 5.1% this quarter.
The industrial pipeline saw new projects added to the more than 15 million square feet underway already. The delivery of the majority of 2022 developments will take place in the second half of the year. Absorption was negative due to a large sublease instance in the Route 495 South Submarket. Despite that, direct space availably was down, and rents remain elevated. The industrial market continues to benefit from supply-side effects of the life science market as underutilized industrial product gets converted.