The Hottest Tenants in 2014
Where will the mojo come from in Charlotte office leasing in 2014 and beyond? Vision Properties is betting on larger corporate users--with some tech thrown in for good measure. (It adds a little flavor.)
"We feel the main drivers of absorption in Charlotte will continue to be Fortune 1000 companies who're looking for large floor plates and high parking ratios for their back office staff," says Vision Properties director of acquisitions Anthony Arena, snapped with VP of asset management Will Bertolero. Anthony also tells us that he's starting to see startup tech firms emerge in Charlotte, and "our hope is over the coming years, a tech cluster will begin to take shape here." (Tech follows tech, like a pack of wolves or teenagers.)
Recently, Vision Properties acquired the 326k SF Carmel Crossing office park in South Charlotte, its latest deal in the city (last year it bought Coliseum Centre and has since sold parts of it). There, Vision wants to appeal to tenants by offering creative lease structures that will grow with those companies as they need more space. The complex will also attract MetLife's service providers who need to be near them and want to be in a park that has similar amenities and highway access, "yet is at a lower price point," he says. (We tried moving so that we could be close to someone... who knew "criminal stalking" was even a real crime?)