What boomed in 3Q 2014? Austin office market

AUSTIN – The Central Texas office market posted a strong showing in third quarter 2014, as the region’s job growth continued to drive demand for space, according to Cushman & Wakefield / Oxford Commerical.

Top-tier office space was 91 percent occupied for 3Q 2014, up from 88 percent in 3Q 2013, according to Austin-based Cushman & Wakefield / Oxford Commercial, which tracks the market. Rents for the top-tier space hit $32.95 in 3Q 2014, up 2.4 percent from 3Q 2013.

Austin employers added 32,100 jobs in the past four quarters, a year-over-year increase of 3.7 percent, according to Marcus & Millichap’s 3Q 2014 office market report. The metro’s thriving high-tech sector continues to drive demand for office space.

The downtown office market had one of its best quarters ever, according to Katie Ekstrom, a vice president in Austin with CBRE. Tenants leased more than 255,400 sf of net new space, Cushman & Wakefield / Oxford Commercial reported.

Two new downtown towers — Colorado Tower and IBC Bank Plaza, which combined will add more than 500,000 sf of office space — are both almost fully leased, local brokers say, and are setting the stage for additional new construction.

Austin is building new office space at one of the highest rates in the country, according to Marcus & Millichap. About 530,000 sf of space were completed during the last four quarters, including the first phase of Apple Inc.’s new campus in Northwest Austin.

In all, developers have nearly 2.6 million sf of space under construction in the Austin metro, 1.5 million of which is due to wrap up by the end of 2014. Another 2.4 million sf of space is in the planning pipeline.

Ekstrom said that tenant prospects are currently scouring the market for more than 4 million sf of space, and buildings under construction across the city are seeing strong leasing activity.

For more stats and info on office and other sectors, check out Austin Market Data Sources.