Sperry Van Ness International Corporation’s (SVNIC) 2015 Market Update Reports assess the current state of the national commercial real estate market, and identify micro-trends within specific geographic regions and industries for 2015. Today we are delving into the 2015 Top Industrial Markets to Watch. Not the largest or the most actively contested markets, the 2015 Industrial Markets to Watch are each at an important juncture that presents unique opportunities for investment. Together, they reflect the diversity of trends that is driving the economy and commercial real estate performance in markets across the country.

Top Industrial Market to Watch: Northern New Jersey

Following more than a year of sluggish rent gains and relatively weak absorption, Northern New Jersey’s industrial market appears poised for growth. That sentiment may be shared across the wide range investors who ranked North Jersey fifth in the nation for industrial investment prospects. In the Urban Land Institute’s 2015 Emerging Trends Report, nearly two-thirds of respondents assigned a buy rating to the North Jersey industrial market. Only 7% gave a sell rating.

Major projects underway will bolster the competitiveness of the area’s industrial assets, including interchange and bridge infrastructure projects. The Port Authority of New York and New Jersey is investing in massive infrastructure improvements to the Port Newark Container Terminal. Those efforts will increase capacity and processing time per truck. Additionally, the Bayonne Bridge is being raised more than 60 feet at a cost of more than $1.3 billion in order to accommodate the post-Panamax ships that are expected to pass through the Panama Canal once widening is complete in 2016.

Among new sources of demand for space, tighter markets in New York City are generating spillovers into the Garden State. As gentrification marches through the Outer Boroughs, some of the city’s industrial tenants may look to the Meadowlands and other Northern New Jersey markets for cheaper alternatives and larger floor plates. With little in the way of new construction, the market’s tighter occupancy outlook should support more consistent rent and property income growth.

To read more on Northern New Jersey and other top industrial markets, download the full version of the 2015 Industrial Market Update report here.

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