There are 71.5 million sf of vacant office space in the Washington D.C. region. The national real estate brokerage Marcus and Millichap expects one-fifth of metro D.C.’s total office space to be empty by the end of this year. And another 1 million sq of office space could come onto this market over the next several years as businesses vacate older buildings once their leases expire.
The D.C. suburbs are fast becoming the latest American ghost towns, according to the Washington Post, as work styles have changed, preferences have shifted toward walkable commutes, and government—the area’s biggest employer—has shrunk.
The corporate campus is far from dead—just ask Google, Facebook, and other Silicon Valley companies that are building massive new headquarters and reinventing this concept to be transit-oriented and Millennial-friendly.
The D.C. suburbs are fast becoming the latest American ghost towns, as work styles have changed, preferences have shifted toward walkable commutes, and government—the area’s biggest employer—has shrunk.
The U.S. Bureau of the Census’ latest estimate for the value of private office construction put in place was up, year-to-year, 24.6% in May to $55.4 billion. Spending on public office construction in May rose 26.9% to $46.6 billion.
But in certain states, there have been mass evacuations of office spaces. In New Jersey, pharmaceutical firms that once operated sprawling suburban campuses have left millions of square feet of office space, warehouses, and labs deserted.
Empty office buildings have been a fact of life in D.C. and its suburbs for a while. By mid-2014, 11 Montgomery County, Md., office buildings totaling 2.25 million sf stood almost or totally vacant, and another nine, totaling 1.4 million sf, were “almost totally available”.
A portion of vacancies is attributable to federal government cutbacks. The Post reports that government agencies have been evacuating office and warehouse spaces in droves. They vacated 7,315 buildings with 47 million sf of office space in 2014 alone, reports Federal News Radio.
Still, office construction continues in D.C., and some developers and AEC firms view this market’s office space surfeit as an opportunity, although most of the recent activity is occurring within the city’s limits.
Skanska disclosed last week that it is investing $116 million in a new office building in D.C. The giant contractor will develop and build a new 11-story, Class-A office building with ground floor retail and four below-grade parking levels in Washington’s Capitol Riverfront submarket. The total leasable space will be about 22,000 sm (237,000 sf). Construction is scheduled to begin later this summer.
Tishman Speyer recently paid $30.5 million to acquire 2020 M Street N.W., the longtime D.C. bureau of CBS News, which it will redevelop into a modern office, newsroom and studio space for the media giant.
On July 21, Carr Properties, a local owner/operator/developer, acquired Columbia Center, a 393,815-sf, 12-story Class A office building in Washington D.C., for an undisclosed amount. In May, the Post reported that Carr Properties had raised $300 million from Alony Htez Properties and Investments, one of Israel’s largest real estate investment companies, to invest in local office buildings and development projects.
Related Stories
| Mar 14, 2012
Plans for San Francisco's tallest building revamped
The glassy white high-rise would be 60 stories and 1,070 feet tall with an entrance at First and Mission streets.
| Mar 13, 2012
China's high-speed building boom
A 30-story hotel in Changsha went up in two weeks. Some question the safety in that, but the builder defends its methods.
| Mar 13, 2012
Worker office space to drop below 100-sf in five years
The average for all companies for square feet per worker in 2017 will be 151 sf, compared to 176 sf, and 225 sf in 2010.
| Mar 12, 2012
Improving the performance of existing commercial buildings: the chemistry of sustainable construction
Retrofitting our existing commercial buildings is one of the key steps to overcoming the economic and environmental challenges we face.
| Mar 7, 2012
Firestone iPad app offers touch technology
Free app provides a preview of Firestone’s Roots to Rooftop Building Envelope Solution with an overview of all the products from ground and stormwater management solutions, to complete wall panel and commercial roofing system applications.
| Mar 6, 2012
Gensler and Skender complete new corporate headquarters for JMC Steel in Chicago
Construction was completed by Skender in just 12 weeks.
| Mar 1, 2012
Reconstruction Awards: Reinvesting in a neighborhood’s future
The reconstruction of a near-century-old derelict public works facility in Minneapolis earns LEED Platinum—and the hearts and minds of the neighboring community.
| Mar 1, 2012
Aragon Construction completes 67,000-sf build-out in NYC
Aragon constructed the space in partnership with Milo Kleinberg Design Associates, (MKDA) and the Craven Corp. as the owner’s representative.
| Feb 27, 2012
Research Institute at Texas Children’s Hospital building receives LEED Gold
Innovative and sustainable design reflects best environmental building practices.
| Feb 22, 2012
Siemens earns LEED certification for Maryland office
The Beltsville facility, which also earned the ENERGY STAR Label for energy performance, implemented a range of energy efficiency, water conservation and sustainable operations measures as part of the certification process.