cambridge office & lab market report · quickly backfilled the former microsoft space at 255...
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CAMBRIDGE OFFICE & LAB MARKET REPORT
FIRST QUARTER 2018
MUST HAVE LOCATION & INNOVATION HUBAs Greater Boston’s gateway market, Cambridge is a magnet for intellectual capital, innovative minds and technological advancements. The Cambridge market has experienced plunging off ice & lab vacancy rates and rapidly rising rents which make it one of the world’s premier locations despite the signif icant barriers to entry.
Tenant demand is largely coming from the expansion of existing tenants, the inward migration from out-of-market users and the explosive growth of the life science & biotech sectors. Cambridge’s current economy consists of 232 life science & high tech companies and 692 star t-ups many of which are supported by massive amounts of VC and NIH funding.
Looking forward, Cambridge’s future remains extremely bright with a deep concentration of intellectual and investment capital keeping the market fueled and extreme land constraints limiting future development.
3.5%FEBRUARY
MASSACHUSETTS UNEMPLOYMENT
4.1%FEBRUARY NATIONAL
UNEMPLOYMENT
# 3.3%MA QUARTERLY GDP GROWTH
2ND
HIGHEST GDP PER CAPITA NATIONALLY
MARKET TRENDS
GLOBAL DESTINATIONWorld leader in medical innovation and
technology advancement
TECHNOLOGY & INNOVATION HUB
Fortune 500 leaders and 1,900 homegrown startups
MARKET RATES KEEP RISING
Demand continued out-pacing supply, contemporary space only
COWORKING SPACE DISRUPTING MARKET
Tenants like flexibility and shorter term commitments
LIFE SCIENCE SECTION SURGES
Now represents over 70% of R&D demand
WHERE IS THE RELIEF?Small and medium size users face
historic competition
INVESTMENT SALES ARE HOT
New landlords are paying record pricing
$24.00
$30.00
$36.00
$42.00
$48.00
$54.00
$60.00
$66.00
$72.00
$78.00
Average Asking Rate
YTD20182017201620152014201320122011201020092008200720060%
3%
6%
9%
12%
15%
18%
21%
24%
27%
Direct Vacancy (%)
$18.00
$23.00
$28.00
$33.00
$38.00
$43.00
$48.00
$53.00
$58.00
$63.00
Average Asking Rate
YTD20182017201620152014201320122011201020092008200720060%
2%
4%
6%
8%
10%
12%
14%
16%
18%
Direct Vacancy (%)
OFFICE CLASS AASKING RATE VS. DIRECT VACANCY
OFFICE CLASS BASKING RATE VS. DIRECT VACANCY
DIRECT VACANCY RATE BY SUBMARKET
0.0% 1.0% 2.0% 3.0% 4.0% 5.0% 6.0%
East - Lab
Mid - Lab
East - O�ce
Mid - O�ce
West - Lab
West - O�ce
none
VACANCY
2.2%
CAMBRIDGE OFFICE STATS AT A GLANCE
SUBLEASE
5.2%ABSORPTION
19,950 sf
ASKING RATE
$69.76/sf
WEST CAMBRIDGE
Office $46.43/SF
Lab $58.55/SF NNN
MID CAMBRIDGE
Office $63.76/SF
Lab $76.89/SF NNN
EAST CAMBRIDGE
Office $81.34/SF
Lab $76.81/SF NNN
AVAILABILITY
9.3%CONSTRUCTION
2,400,000 sf
CLASS A & B OFFICE
2.2% DIRECT VACANCY
#5.2% SUBLEASE AVAILABILITY
#9.3% TOTAL AVAILABILITY
#19,950 SF QUARTERLY ABSORPTION
#$69.76/SF AVERAGE ASKING RATE
• The most notable and largest transaction this quarter occurred at the newly re-branded Cambridge Crossing where Philips disclosed they will relocate their North American research headquarters into 243,000 square feet at the under construction 250 North Street. The commitment from Philips marked the development’s first major commercial tenant and will hopefully kick-start leasing momentum at the sprawling 5.5 million square foot mixed-use East Cambridge project which has been long anticipated.
• Within East Cambridge and Kendall Square, Boston Properties quickly backfilled the former Microsoft space at 255 Main Street when Cambridge Innovation Center leased 90,000 square feet. Market rumors suggest that the vacancy was hotly contested between CIC and WeWork, however the homegrown co-working incubator ultimately secured the space. WeWork remains on the hunt for space within Cambridge with their eyes now reportedly set on 121 First Street. Not surprisingly, they are not the only tenant circling the 58,000 square foot new development. CarGurus, currently located in 55 Cambridge Parkway and Two Canal Park is also actively in discussions for the new building.
• In Mid Cambridge just beyond Central Square, Morning Bright Investments signed a 66,000 square foot lease at 1000 Massachusetts Avenue. The Chinese economic development firm will occupy nearly two thirds of the building and it will house incubator space for Chinese startups looking to create or expand their American presence. Across the street at 955 Massachusetts Avenue, X4 Pharmaceuticals recently expanded and extended their presence into approximately 12,600 square feet. The Association for International Research (AIR) relocated from 1100 Massachusetts Avenue into 19,200 square feet at 675 Massachusetts Avenue.
• Despite few investment sales opportunities hitting the market over the past six months, investor appetite remains as strong as ever before. Asset pricing is exceeding historic peaks well above $1,000 per square foot on many occasions and stabilized cap rates are in the 4.0% to 5.0% range.
ADDRESS SUBMARKET TENANT SF
250 North Street East Cambridge Philips North America 243,000
255 Main Street East Cambridge Cambridge Innovation Center 90,000
1000 Massachusetts Avenue Mid Cambridge Morning Bright Investments 66,000
675 Massachusetts Avenue Mid Cambridge Association for Int’l Research 19,200
55 Cambridge Parkway East Cambridge Beigene 15,000
955 Massachusetts Avenue Mid Cambridge X4 Pharmaceuticals 12,600
625 Massachusetts Avenue Mid Cambridge Helbling Precision Engineering 5,500
NOTABLE RECENT LEASES
CLASS A & B OFFICE
$24.00
$30.00
$36.00
$42.00
$48.00
$54.00
$60.00
$66.00
$72.00
$78.00
$84.00
YTD2018201720162015201420132012201120102009200820070.0%
2.0%
4.0%
6.0%
8.0%
10.0%
12.0%
14.0%
16.0%
18.0%
20.0%
YTD201820172016201520142013201220112010200920082007
AVERAGE DIRECT VACANCY BY SUBMARKET
AVERAGE ASKING RATE BY SUBMARKET
West Mid East
1,700,000 SFTOTAL COWORKING SPACE IN BOSTON & CAMBRIDGE
775,000 SF
459,450 SF
368,800 SF
63,900 SF
32,200 SF
32,150 SF
30,300 SF
18,900 SF
MAP LABELS LOCATIONS WITH MORE THAN 15,000 SF
EXPLOSIVE GROWTH FROM MOBILE CORPORATE USERS
WHO’S TAKING COWORKING SPACE?*
47% Small Business
25% Mobile Corporate Users
20% Freelancers
8% Other
*AS % OF MEMBERSHIP
IN THE LAST 12 MONTHS
RESEARCH SPOTLIGHT THE COWORKING EFFECT
CLASS A & B LAB
0.3% DIRECT VACANCY
0.6% SUBLEASE AVAILABILITY
1.2% TOTAL AVAILABILITY
#8,400 SF QUARTERLY ABSORPTION
#$76.01/SF AVERAGE ASKING RATE
• The Cambridge lab market is some of the world’s most sought after real estate from both investors and tenants. With a microscopic vacancy rate below 1.0%, market rents and investment sales pricing are pushing historically high. Major life science, biotech and pharmaceutical companies have caused the demand surge while research and academic institutions have strengthened the city’s commercial backbone.
• Over the past three years, approximately 2.1 million square feet of new lab space has been delivered fully leased. Alexandria RE began construction at 399 Binney Street on a speculative basis and has secured a 45,000 square foot commitment from Rubius Therapeutics, leaving only 27,000 square feet available including some lower level space.
• Mass Innovation Labs who recently signed two leases outside of Cambridge at Boston Landing in Brighton and iSQ Seaport, also signed a full building lease at 21 Erie Street (56,000 square feet). The Erie Street location marks the companies third expansion this year within Massachusetts which is part a strong growth plan for the barely four year old start-up.
• Synlogic will expand and relocate its operations from 200 Sidney Street into 41,000 square feet at 301 Binney Street. BioMed was able to move the disease therapeutics company within its 3.1 million square foot local portfolio. The San Diego based lab experts recently disclosed that their New England portfolio is 100% occupied, not surprising given the 0.3% market vacancy rate.
• Looking forward, watch for continued movement within Cambridge as tenants compete for highly desirable and rarely available lab ready space. As the cost of doing business in Cambridge continues rising, many early stage and non venture-backed businesses are being squeezed out into formerly peripheral “office intensive” locations including Brighton, Watertown, Waltham and Lexington. However, over the past few years developers and corporations have invested hundreds of millions of dollars into these markets in order to make them viable long term alternatives to Cambridge.
ADDRESS SUBMARKET TENANT SF
88 Sidney Street East Cambridge Agios Pharmaceuticals 146,000
21 Erie Street East Cambridge Mass Innovation Labs 56,000
399 Binney Street East Cambridge Rubius Therapeutics 45,000
200 Sidney Street East Cambridge AbbVie 42,000
301 Binney Street East Cambridge Synlogic 41,000
64 Sidney Street East Cambridge Agios Pharmaceuticals 27,000
One Kendall Square East Cambridge Catabasis 18,900
1030 Massachusetts Avenue Mid Cambridge Astellas Pharmaceuticals 10,000
NOTABLE RECENT LEASES
CLASS A & B LAB
0.0%
2.0%
4.0%
6.0%
8.0%
10.0%
12.0%
14.0%
16.0%
18.0%
20.0%
YTD20182017201620152014201320122011201020092008
AVERAGE DIRECT VACANCY BY SUBMARKET
AVERAGE ASKING RATE BY SUBMARKET
West Mid East
$28.00
$33.00
$38.00
$43.00
$48.00
$53.00
$58.00
$63.00
$68.00
$73.00
$78.00
YTD20182017201620152014201320122011201020092008
OFFICE & LAB DEVELOPMENT PIPELINE
145 BROADWAY Office & Lab
VOLPE CENTER Office & Lab
314 MAIN STREET Office
250 NORTH STREET Office & Lab
399 BINNEY Lab
121 FIRST STREET Office
40 THORNDIKE Office
238 MAIN STREET Lab
OFFICE & LAB REPORT STATS
Office Total Inventory (SF)
Direct Vacancy
Sublease Availability
Total Availability
QuarterlyAbsorption (SF)
12 MonthAbsorption (SF)
Average Asking Rate
TOTAL A & B
Cambridge 10,809,850 2.2% 5.2% 9.3% 19,950 (5,700) $69.76
East Cambridge 5,668,350 1.2% 5.2% 8.4% 64,050 46,950 $81.34
Mid Cambridge 3,135,700 1.9% 0.4% 2.4% (24,650) (16,650) $63.76
West Cambridge 2,005,800 5.3% 12.9% 22.4% (19,350) (36,000) $46.43
CLASS A
Cambridge 6,977,500 2.1% 7.1% 9.9% 43,750 (2,650) $75.62
East Cambridge 4,649,500 0.5% 6.2% 7.5% 64,650 43,850 $83.59
Mid Cambridge 1,224,500 3.1% 0.3% 4.0% (13,800) (21,050) $67.92
West Cambridge 1,103,450 7.5% 18.2% 26.5% (7,100) (25,450) $50.56
CLASS B
Cambridge 3,832,400 2.4% 1.8% 8.1% (23,800) (3,050) $59.10
East Cambridge 1,018,850 4.6% 0.4% 12.4% (1,000) 3,150 $71.06
Mid Cambridge 1,911,200 1.1% 0.4% 1.5% (10,900) 4,400 $61.10
West Cambridge 902,350 2.7% 6.4% 17.4% (12,250) (10,550) $41.38
Lab Total Inventory (SF)
Direct Vacancy
Sublease Availability
Total Availability
QuarterlyAbsorption (SF)
12 MonthAbsorption (SF)
Average Asking Rate
TOTAL A & B
Cambridge 14,614,500 0.3% 0.6% 1.2% 8,350 2,050 $76.01
East Cambridge 9,612,700 0.0% 0.2% 0.3% 14,750 (1,050) $76.81
Mid Cambridge 4,336,800 0.2% 1.2% 2.6% 13,400 65,450 $76.89
West Cambridge 665,050 3.7% 2.0% 5.7% (19,800) (62,300) $58.55
CLASS A
Cambridge 12,126,450 0.1% 0.3% 0.7% 4,750 (7,050) $77.39
East Cambridge 8,957,750 0.0% 0.2% 0.3% 10,750 (1,050) $77.31
Mid Cambridge 3,039,550 0.2% 0.6% 2.0% (5,950) (5,950) $78.13
West Cambridge 129,100 0.0% 0.0% 0.0% - - $65.00
CLASS B
Cambridge 2,488,150 1.2% 1.9% 3.6% 3,600 46,650 $69.29
East Cambridge 654,950 0.0% 0.0% 0.0% 4,000 - $70.00
Mid Cambridge 1,297,250 0.3% 2.5% 3.9% 19,400 71,450 $74.00
West Cambridge 535,900 4.6% 2.5% 7.1% (19,800) (24,800) $57.00
Lincoln Property Company | 53 State Street, 8th Floor, Boston, MA | 617.951.4100 | LPCBoston.com
Lincoln Property Company’s Boston Office Report is produced by the Boston Office’s research team in collaboration with our Cambridge Brokerage Group. If you have any questions regarding market conditions and the information found in this report, please contact Ethan Robert.
ETHAN ROBERTDirector of Research 617.951.4160 [email protected]
MARY PATALITAAssociate 617.951.4119 [email protected]