With the U.S. economy poised to accelerate in 2018, many expect that New Jersey will once again be left out of the party. Yet New Jersey’s economy should surprise many this year and generate its strongest growth rate since 2000.
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High hopes for life sciences
For all the time we’ve spent highlighting New Jersey’s glut of sprawling, vacant corporate campuses, it’s easy to lose sight of just how many of them have been rescued in recent years by some of the state’s boldest and most inventive developers. Those success stories are worth telling, which is why we often do at Real Estate NJ. But there are underlying trends or nuances in some of those projects that don’t get as much attention on a day-to-day basis. Like how a crop of innovative, lesser-known biotech and pharmaceutical firms are backfilling space at the former research campuses of Sanofi and Hoffmann-LaRoche, helping to stabilize those sites as their new owners pursue larger redevelopment plans.
Continued strength for multifamily
The tax reform package is widely seen as a boost to the already thriving apartment sector. At the very least, experts say the changes could delay an existing renter’s decision to transition to homeownership, although many stopped short of saying that it would have dire effects on the for-sale market.
A rebound for investment activity
When it came to commercial real estate, many investors had likely felt that property values had peaked in 2016, that the bull run was ending and the economy was due for a pullback. Those are among the reasons that Jeff Otteau feels overall investment sales in New Jersey fell last year to $6.5 billion, from $8.3 billion in 2016, while activity also slowed in New York City. Yet that trend could be in store for a reversal as a result of the newly amended tax code, which has preserved and added to the benefits given to real estate investors.
Labor constraints driving investment decisions
The shortage of labor with the right skillset and talent is being felt across all sectors and is much more pronounced in some parts of our state. Building owners, businesses, communities and government officials — all of whom are in the real estate business, need to take steps to attract the younger generations who are today’s and tomorrow’s consumers and workforce.
For Bijou, building neighborhoods is a top priority
Building neighborhoods has been a common thread as Bijou has made its mark on the lesser-known northern and western ends of Hoboken, not only with successful residential projects, but with new retail spaces that can draw foot traffic and activity beyond those who live in the area. In doing so, the firm has helped open new frontiers in its home city, which remains as popular as ever.
