Editors’ Weekly News Roundup April 7 – April 11
The past week’s most-read stories on Connect CRE ran the gamut of commercial property types. In first place was a story about a property type that has bounced back from the pandemic era (retail) but more specifically about a subcategory that continues to raise questions about its long-term viability (regional malls).
Although mall-related stories on this site have often focused on redevelopment programs, 1.3M-SF Tucson Mall Up for Sale is pretty straightforwardly an announcement that a large retail property is on the market. Its 91 acres are home to 170 stores including several anchor tenants, with only a former Sears space suggesting any kind of large-scale vacancy. CBRE National Retail Partners Desert Southeast has the listing.
The past week’s second most-read story moved into the industrial sector by way of one of the world’s largest retailers. Amazon Seeks Partners for $15B Warehouse Expansion Program reported that the e-commerce giant (which also does brick-and-mortar stores) is considering an expansion plan that would add nearly 80 new logistics facilities in U.S. cities and rural areas.
Although the company is calling for capital partners in this potential expansion, Amazon may fund some of the sites directly. It’s willing to commit to long-term leases—up to 25 years.
In third place was another story related to leasing, this time in the office sector. Pharmaceutical company Boehringer Ingelheim is relocating within the Atlanta metro area. As reported in Pharma Company Moves HQ to Johns Creek, the company will occupy 73,000 square feet at Medley, the redevelopment of a former corporate campus for State Farm.
Boehringer Ingelheim moved to Duluth, GA in 2016 and has since deepened its presence in the Peachtree State. It operates an R&D facility in Athens and manufacturing operations in Gainesville.
The National Investment Center for Seniors Housing & Care reported last week that occupancy rates ticked upward in the first quarter of 2025. We reported in NIC: Senior Housing Demand Reaches All-Time High; New Supply Lags that Q1 saw occupancy reach nearly 621,000 units across the U.S., a new record.
The pace of move-ins is at risk of exceeding supply, NIC warned. “The industry needs to ramp up development for supply to catch up with demand, but we don’t foresee any meaningful movement here in 2025 given current market conditions,” said Lisa McCracken, NIC’s head of research and analytics. The story was our fourth most-read for the past week.
In some key apartment markets, a surfeit of supply, rather than a lack of it, is keeping rent growth in negative territory, according to Yardi Matrix. Even so, we reported in U.S. Multifamily Rents Post Modest Monthly and Annual Gains in March that both single-family rentals and apartments managed increases on a nationwide basis.
However, our fifth most-read story for the week cited some potential headwinds for the sector as the year unfolds. These include tariffs, rising layoffs and falling consumer confidence. Furthermore, Moody’s is predicting the smallest annual increase for U.S. population in decades, aside from the pandemic year of 2020.