In an effort to evaluate the labor-market and general economic health for all the states and the District of Columbia, the Business Insider recently analyzed states' unemployment rate, job growth, per-capita GDP, GDP growth, average weekly wages, and wage growth.
The Shopko on 17th Street in Idaho Falls officially closed its doors last month. The former big-box retailer vacated over 90,000 square feet, driving up overall retail vacancy to 8.76%, the highest it’s been in 12 months.
Retail construction in the Treasure Valley has been minimal this year with the only active sector being single-tenant pad buildings. As construction costs continue to increase, many developers have found that single-tenant buildings (with a tenant in-tow) present far less risks than spec construction.
New single-tenant pads include O’Reilly off of Idaho Center Blvd., Del Taco in Caldwell, and PIVOT Lifestyle + Fitness Center at Ten Mile Crossing.
Idaho Falls brokerage services specialist, Brent Wilson was recently interviewed by the Post Register on the future of vacant retail space in the Eastern Idaho commercial real estate market. In the article, Brent mentions that there is interest in Idaho Falls’ vacant retail space. However, he expects the buildings to be reused in new ways.
“It’s what we call adaptive reuse,” Wilson said. “The businesses are going to be the experiential/entertainment-type of uses, golf simulation for one example. There’s also going to be multiple vocational schools occupying big box buildings.”
The food processing industry continues to grow in the Magic Valley. McCain Foods, the world's largest manufacturer of frozen potato products, recently celebrated the grand opening of their new 259,000 square foot facility in Burley, Idaho. The project began construction in February 2018 and is a roughly a $200 million investment.
Downtown Boise’s overall retail vacancy ended May at 3.7% - the lowest rate on record. Currently, the submarket sits with less than 34,000 SF of vacant space – smaller than the size of one big-box space.
Check out the retailers moving to Downtown Boise:
The Meridian submarket leads the way for the Treasure Valley’s retail market transactions. Net absorption is the strongest at 21,000 SF with 21 deals occurring YTD.
Projected supply is 15 months, which is within the 6-18 month healthy range. The largest deal YTD occurred when Steelz purchased 2150 Fairview Avenue, occupying 13,200 SF of the building.
Boise is yet again the subject of a national article making the rounds. This time for a slightly different reason. ‘Growing Cities that Work for All’ by the Brookings Institute takes a look at Boise’s growth and mentions areas where change may need to be made if we keep on our current pace. Education, wage growth, and industry diversification top the list of areas Brookings noted.
Idaho Falls, the 4th largest city in Idaho, is finally welcoming Costco. Thornton Oliver Keller’s own Brent Wilson is representing the big-box retailer, who plans on building a 150,000 square foot store at the intersection of Lincoln and Hitt Roads. The facility will also include a 15-30 pump fueling station.
What drives foot traffic, offers landlords an attractive option for anchoring their buildings and is considered by some to be the ultimate amenity that a mixed-use project can offer? In this blog post, Holly Chetwood explores the answer to this question - Food halls.
