Guest Columns

From one professional to another, our guest columnists offer their opinions and their take on the latest trends and issues facing the commercial real estate sector.

Remediation is now everyone’s business

Throughout the state, New Jersey is cleaning contaminated sites and turning them into productive, attractive new uses that are safe for the population and the environment. The state’s LSRPs are proud to be part of this success.

BCONE: Vision, team approach turned Perth Amboy development to gold

In the brownfield redevelopment universe, industrial projects have no equal thanks to the compound-complex nature of these mega-efforts, which are marked by X factors and uncertainty at every turn. Think of a conductor tasked with guiding a multi-chair symphony orchestra through intricate movements of a complex score — compared to a more simplistic coordination helming a small chamber ensemble. There’s a compelling difference, and thus welcome to the world of the industrial brownfield redevelopment, where multiple stakeholders are tasked with a multitude of boxes to check before any ribbon cutting can commence.

Health care sector as a major driver in the real estate market

Raritan Bay Medical Center in Old Bridge — Courtesy: NK Architects By Ben P. Lee, AIA Since the great recession of 2008, the health care sector has emerged as a reliable investment for real estate developers and the capital market.…

Long-term issues need long-term solutions

When the drafters of the federal and New Jersey constitutions established the length of terms for elected leaders from two to six years, they probably thought those were the right lengths to enable those leaders to focus on both short- and long-term issues. Unfortunately, most of the focus has been on the short term with little planning for the longer-term issues. Long-term has come to mean getting past the next election.

The rebirth of the suburbs: The impact of aging millennials and driverless car technology

This multiyear transformation of our downtown areas has led to speculation that the single-family, suburban model of development is dead. In this article, I will make a different prediction. Today, I predict that the next great housing boom will be in the suburbs. The millennials will move out of the city and into the suburbs and will commute farther distances, by car, than previous generations.

The suburbs need to adapt: A roadmap for towns to reinvent themselves

By Peter S. Reinhart We all get older until we don’t. During our lifetime, our bodies age and we do our best to slow down the process of aging, but inevitably the end arrives. The use of our land is…

The federal housing policy mess: Dispelling myths about mortgage subsidies

By Morris A. Davis Since the 1930s, the federal government has actively promoted homeownership as a policy goal. Despite good intentions, our public policy in place after 80-plus years of rules and regulations is not well thought out and poorly…

A new era for commercial real estate: In the built environment, health and wellness is now more important than ever

Designed by NK Architects, the New York Blood Center demonstrates how bringing natural daylight into an interior can enhance the workplace environment. — Courtesy: NK Architects By Ben P. Lee Understanding market trends is a key of successful real estate…

Don’t rule out negative interest rates just yet: Here’s why — and what it would mean for you

Even after accounting for the fact that interest rates and expected inflation jumped after Donald Trump’s election, I would guess there is a 20 percent possibility that short-term interest rates become negative in the next two years.

A tale of two suburbs: Matching tenants, landlords in N.J.

New Jersey’s commercial real estate and business communities are paying significant attention to the repositioning of New Jersey’s aging suburban office campuses as highly amenitized live/work/play environments. And equal focus is being placed on the hyper-customization of interior spaces — especially for headquarters operations — with open layouts and design elements that speak to an organization’s distinct corporate culture.