Note: This article was originally published by the Central Penn Business Journal. Click here to read the original version.
2015 has brought a boost in office space construction to Central Pennsylvania and there is even more space to come! While this may be exciting news for businesses looking to expand into the local market, we need to watch this trend closely and cautiously because the potential impact may not be so favorable for landlords and sellers of commercial office space.
The good news is we have four projects under construction that will deliver more than 400,000 square-feet to the market within the coming year, with a majority of this space already preleased. However, this promising news for the market is tempered by the fact that many tenants will vacate other office space nearby to occupy these newly constructed office buildings.
Once delivered, this square footage will most certainly impact net absorption and vacancy rates in the Central Pennsylvania submarket. What can we do to prepare and attempt to reduce any negative impact? Let’s first take a look at what’s going on in the market and then analyze what will likely result from these trends.