Andy Knapp with Waterbarriers provided some real estate data to the Midtown meeting with news that the seven-year expansion in the office market has slowed, according to the Wall Street Journal. Tenants occupied 5M SF more at the end of the first quarter than at the beginning of the year, compared with an average of 9.4M SF per quarter in 2016. Warehouse construction continues to be strong and accounted for 28% of commercial construction in 2016.

Locally, McWhirter Realty’s Peyton McWhirter reports he is seeing interest in obsolete warehouses with clients looking at Fulton Industrial which is now full. He expressed concern that retail/industrial is overheating with prices going high so that they may not be sustainable and meanwhile owners are concerned about future retail tenants.