In the News—Week of January 31, 2022
National
Amazon’s impact on CRE goes well beyond warehouses
Amazon has been leasing and buying industrial space at a frenzied pace, but the e-commerce giant’s impact on commercial real estate extends well beyond warehouses, Wealth Management reports. Amazon is a major player in retail space Whole Foods, Amazon Fresh and Amazon Grab and Go. The company has found itself in a starring role in film production and making an impact on studio space and video production facilities. And of course, Amazon is a tech company, so it increases demand for data centers. And finally, these enterprises don’t just run themselves. Amazon occupies a lot of office space
Energy & Efficiency
Researchers find a way to make carbon fiber without using as much energy
North Carolina State University researchers say they have found a method to make the process of manufacturing carbon fiber, which is lighter than steel, more energy efficient, WRAL Tech Wire reports. Combining glucaric acid and mucic acid, which are found in certain fruits, with a precursor material requires less energy to make for carbon fiber. The findings were published in the Journal of Applied Polymer Science.
Texas
Walmart plans a distribution center in Houston as e-commerce grows
Walmart is developing a 1-million-square-foot distribution center in the southeast Houston area to keep up with the demand for e-commerce, the Houston Chronicle reports. The warehouse space is in Baytown at Cedar Port Trade Center. The facility is expected to cost $22 million, according to initial estimates in the permitting documents. The Arkansas-based retailer has expanded its warehouse capacity nationally as it battles e-commerce rival Amazon. Walmart already has a 4.2-million-square-foot distribution hub in the same industrial park.
Texas
Dallas-Fort Worth ranks second in commercial, multifamily building
Dallas-Fort Worth ranked second only to New York city for the area with the most commercial building and apartment starts last year, The Dallas Morning News reports. Figures from Dodge Data & Analytics started almost $10.7 billion in projects in 2021, an increase of 45% from 2020.
Arizona
Developer plans industrial park near Phoenix-Mesa Gateway Airport
California-based Contour Real Estate has acquired a 112-acre site just north of the Phoenix-Mesa Gateway Airport and is planning to develop a major industrial park, AZ Big Media reports. Contour has been working with the city of Mesa to rezone the parcel. Plans call for eight buildings totaling 1.5 million square feet. “This extremely attractive, large infill site with tremendous freeway visibility will offer tenants of various sizes and uses the ability to be well-located off of Loop 202 and Sossaman Road,” Contour’s president Ted Fentin says.
Mexico
Hotels get government’s attention; Mayan Train won’t run along beach
Government tourism authorities say they will alter the Mayan Train’s route so it will no longer pass through Playa del Carmen, Mexico Business News reports. The original route was to run parallel to the Cancun-Tulum highway and possibly encroach on some hotel properties. After the hotel associations complained, an elevated route was proposed. But that proved too costly and would take too much time. So a new route was designed and adopted.
