Comments Off on Did you know…Triple Net (NNN) leases can provide steady, hassle-free income for property owners
Did you know Triple Net (NNN) leases can provide steady, hassle-free income for property owners?
A triple net lease, or NNN, is a common type of lease agreement in commercial real estate. With a triple net lease, the tenant pays all expenses, like building insurance, real estate taxes, and maintenance, in addition to rent and utilities (Chen, 2024).
With tenants responsible for expenses, investors benefit by limiting expenses and realizing nearly all the revenue (minus income taxes and debt payments). Triple net lease investment properties can provide reliable income for an investor without the burden of property management.
Below is a list of Black Diamond Realty NNN Properties:
Office/Retail/Restaurant 5000 NASA Blvd: Office | 1,622 – 15,000+ SQ FT Available | 9 Suites View Marketing flyer
50 Middletown Loop, Suite 200: Office/Retail | 6,200 SQ FT | 1 Suite View Marketing Flyer
1000 Technology Drive: Office | 1,090 – 4,888 SQ FT Available | 9 Suites View Marketing Flyer
430 Drummond Street: Office | 2,100 – 6,000 SQ FT Available | 2 Suites View Marketing Flyer
1111 Van Voorhis Road: Office Building | 7,000 SQ FT | 1 Suite View Marketing Flyer
699 Burroughs Street: Office Building | 5,800 SQ FT | Two-story office building View Marketing Flyer
1451 Earl L. Core Road, Suite 2: Office/Retail | 5,320 SQ FT | 1 Suite View Marketing Flyer
45 Professional Place: Office | 3,114 SQ FT | 1 Suite View Marketing Flyer
311 Medical Court: Office | 1,010 – 1,300 SQ FT | 2 Units View Marketing Flyer
1189 Pineview Drive: Office: 3,050 SQ FT | 1 Suite (spread across 3 floors) View Marketing Flyer
635 Pittsburgh Street: Office/Retail | 6,880 SQ FT View Marketing Flyer
2 Highland Park Drive: Office | 3,400 SQ FT | 1 Suite View Marketing Flyer
223 Everhart Drive: Office Building | 7,200 SQ FT | Three floor office building View Marketing Flyer
1370 University Avenue: Office/Retail/Restaurant: 1,536 SQ FT (restaurant space), 9,011 SQ FT (retail/office space) View Marketing Flyer
215 Don Knotts Blvd: Restaurant Space | 4,625 SQ FT View Marketing Flyer
4922 Williamsport Pike: Retail/Restaurant: 7,000 SQ FT | building sectioned into three parts View Marketing Flyer
Industrial/Flex/Warehouse 209 Venture Drive: Retail/Flex/Warehouse | 2,400 SQ FT View Marketing Flyer
56 Distributor Drive: Industrial Warehouse/Office Building | (total) 28,450 SQ FT View Marketing Flyer
255 South Plant Street: Flex Industrial Building | 21,800 SQ FT View Marketing Flyer
1700 Grafton Road: Industrial Building | (individual bay size) 2,400 SQ FT | 5 bays View Marketing Flyer
13, 15, 17 Excavation Lane: Industrial | (total) 7,500 SQ FT | can be divided into three spaces View Marketing Flyer
624 Armory Road: Industrial | 72,000 SQ FT View Marketing Flyer
5671 Benedum Drive: Flex/Industrial/Land | 26,240 SQ FT View Marketing Flyer
123 Turkey Run: Industrial | 2,200 – 5,600 SQ FT | Two buildings. View Marketing Flyer
452 Industrial Park Road: Industrial | 7,626 SQ FT View Marketing Flyer
300 Technology Way: Industrial/Mixed-Use | 11,000 SQ FT | two floors with ability to be subdivided View 300 Technology Way
We are the experts in commercial real estate, to speak to a specialized Associate, call 304.413.4350. Click HERE to visit us online.
References
Chen, J. (2024, July 30). Triple Net Lease (NNN): What It Means and How It’s Used. Investopedia. https://www.investopedia.com/terms/t/triple-net-lease-nnn.asp
Comments Off on Did you know…The Commercial Real Estate Market has Four Cycles
Did you know understanding market cycles is crucial to commercial real estate?
The commercial real estate market cycle has four phases: recovery, expansion, hyper supply and recession. Understanding these market cycle phases can help guide decision making when it comes to commercial real estate investing.
Professor Glenn Mueller of the University of Denver’s Burns School of Real Estate is considered the authority on market cycle phases. He describes the phases as:
Recovery – This is the first phase (normally following a recession), it is characterized by low demand for commercial real estate and minimal new construction products.
Expansion – This phase is characterized by balanced supply and demand levels and a stabilized GDP.
Hyper Supply – During the hyper supply phase, supply begins to outpace demands and construction slows.
Recession – The recession phase is an extreme continuation of hyper supply with supply outpacing demand. This phase is characterized by falling prices and a declining market; this is when commercial real estate prices hit their lowest.
(The Commercial Real Estate Cycle & CRE Investment Strategies, 2023)
What CRE sector is popular right now? According to a recent Moody’s report, because of the popularity of ecommerce, industrial properties like warehouses and distribution centers are in demand (LaSalvia, 2024). Industrial properties with efficient, flexible designs that can be used as warehouses and distribution centers will be the go-to choices to fill ecommerce needs.
Check out some of Black Diamond Realty’s versatile industrial properties:
13, 15, 17 Excavation Lane – This industrial warehouse in Morgantown has versatile features to meet your business needs. The 7,500 (+/-) square foot property boasts four overhead doors, is available for sale or lease and can be divided into three separate spaces if desired. Learn more about 13, 15, 17, Excavation Lane.
1700 Grafton Road – 1700 Grafton Road is a newly built industrial building available for lease in Morgantown. The 12,000 (+/-) square foot building sits on 2.5 (+/-) acres. Features like five overhead doors, a storage yard and 20’ ceilings add to the efficiency of this property. Learn more about 1700 Grafton Road.
56 Distributor Drive – This industrial warehouse/office building is comprised of 28,480 (+/-) square feet and located in Morgantown. The building is equipped with five overhead doors, full drive-through capability, two loading docks, a security system and ample signage opportunity. 56 Distributor Drive can provide the efficiency and functionality your business needs! Learn more about 56 Distributor Drive.
452 Industrial Park Road – This for lease warehouse building in Jane Lew offers versatility in a convenient location. The property is 7,626 (+/-) square feet on 3.36 (+/-) acres with easy access to I-79, Exit 105. 452 Industrial Park Road features two overhead doors, office space and a large industrial area that would make it a great option for stocking and inventory uses. Learn more about 452 Industrial Park Raod
123 Turkey Run – 123 Turkey Run Road is a 5.5 (+/-) acre industrial property located in Salem, WV. It consists of two buildings totaling 7,800 (+/-) square feet, two flat, fenced areas for outdoor storage, two covered storage buildings and around 2.5 acres of additional land that could be developed. Learn more about 123 Turkey Run.
164 Eyster Road – This offering is a Jefferson County mill that has been in continuous operation since 1869! 164 Eyster Road in Halltown is comprised of 201,380 (+/-) gross square foot industrial manufacturing facility. Learn more about 164 Eyster Road.
We are the experts in commercial real estate, to speak to a specialized Associate, call 304.413.4350. Click HERE to visit us online.
Comments Off on Tax Incentives on Opportunity Zones Sunset in 2026, But There Is Still Time to Invest
Qualified Opportunity Zones (QOZs) were created by Congress in the 2017 Tax Cuts and Jobs Act to spur investment into distressed communities around the country. Investors are allowed to place capital gains from the sale of stocks, real estate or businesses into OZ funds without having to pay taxes on those capital gains. This is an investment strategy similar to 1031 exchanges except OZs allow the elimination of tax obligation whereas 1031s only defer tax obligations.
If the investment is held for five years, a 10% exclusion of the deferred gain is realized; after 7 years that exclusion increases to 15%. After holding the investment in the fund for 10 or more years, the investor can realize a benefit of paying no taxes on the investment.
Seven years into the 2017 Act, what do investors, future investors and potential land holders in QOZ areas need to know now, and is it still a wise investment?
While one of the bigger benefits of investing in OZ funds expired at the end of 2021 (the ability to qualify for a 10 percent step-up in investment), the opportunity provided in the 2017 Tax Cuts and Jobs Act is still beneficial. The tax cut incentive has gained traction slowly, but 2022 marked the strongest year for OZ investment since its inception. Through 2026, investors can still access OZ incentives with no capital gains taxation if they hold the investment for at least a decade. The 2017 Tax Cuts and Jobs Act was designed with a 10-year lifespan and will sunset on December 31, 2026. Investing in Opportunity Zones is a generational opportunity to improve your community and reap tax incentives, and, with the Act sunsetting in 2026, investors have a limited time to take advantage. How to get started:
To invest in an OZ, the investor must either:
Create a Qualified Opportunity Zone Fund or
Invest directly into a QOZ fund where at least 90% of the holdings are invested into businesses located within a QOZ.
OZ funds can invest in either real estate development or start-up/spin-off businesses whose primary office/place of business is located inside the boundaries of the OZ.
In West Virginia, 55 areas have been designated as Opportunity Zones over 30 counties. Regionally, parts of Morgantown, Fairmont, Clarksburg, and Grafton have been designated as OZs. Click here for a map of OZs.
In commercial real estate, there are a couple ways to invest into a QOZ. The goal of the program is to spur development into distressed communities; therefore, one cannot purchase land under the QOZ program and just sit and hold the property. A developer can purchase raw land and make improvements to the land by developing a site where a working business entity is to be located. A developer can also purchase property with existing structures but must make investment into the property to ‘significantly’ increase the value of the property; significant is defined as at least doubling the value of the property.
A popular new trend in Opportunity Zone investing is the chance to take advantage of the Act’s class of land identified as “the energy sector”. The energy sector includes fossil fuels and many designated QOZs are in areas renowned for energy production, like the Marcellus Formation in Pennsylvania.
The details of the OZ fund program are fairly extensive. Please contact us at Black Diamond Realty or call your accountant or financial planner/advisor to further discuss the benefits of the OZ program.
The properties below are Black Diamond Realty offerings that are available and located with an Opportunity Zone. Click on the addresses below to learn more about each offering.
Important Dates June 28, 2025 – Eligible capital gains recognized in 2024 must be invested by this date.
June 28, 2026 – Eligible capital gains recognized in 2025 must be invested by this date.
December 31, 2026 – Capital gains deferral benefit on Opportunity Zones expires.
December 31, 2047 – The program is scheduled to fully sunset; after this date QOZ zones designations become inactive.
Comments Off on Did you know…Building amenities enhance the appeal of commercial properties
Did you know building amenities like gyms, cafes and communal spaces enhance the appeal of commercial properties, attract high-quality tenants and instill a sense of community among users. A 2023 survey of the most in demand amenities by office users included coffee shops, air-purification systems, access to outdoor space and quiet lounges. Here are a few of our offerings using sought-after amenities to add value to their property.
5000 NASA, also located in the I-79 Technology Park in Fairmont, offers office suites for lease with equally enviable amenities. Some of the shared amenities businesses and their employees can enjoy at 5000 NASA include: a kitchenette/breakroom with panoramic views, storage space, multipurpose rooms, a library, workrooms and balcony access. Learn more about the available spaces at 5000 NASA.
45 Professional Place in Bridgeport offers office suites located in White Oaks Business Park, a modern, green business park with a campus style feel, designed to provide an inviting atmosphere to all users. Other property highlights of 45 Professional Place include private offices, a reception area and large parking lot. Learn more about the office suites at 45 Professional Place.
Also located in Bridgeport, Cambridge Place Office Park offers a quaint, picturesque office setting perfect for commuters or business travelers. The Class A office space is strategically positioned one mile off I-79, Exit 119 (Route 50) in an area at the heart of the Marcellus Shale industry. Cambridge Place Office Park boasts convenient parking, manicured landscaping and on-site management. Learn more about Cambridge Place Office Park.
215 Don Knotts Blvd is a for lease restaurant space in Morgantown. Well-positioned on a major road and just a mile from downtown Morgantown, the 4,625 square foot space provides an excellent signage opportunity and prime visibility for its future tenant. The space was previously used as a restaurant and could easily be transitioned to that use again with features that include a walk-in freezer, multiple entrances/exits, multiple dining areas, two private dining areas, a custom bar and more. Learn more about this ideal restaurant/retail space.
We are the experts in commercial real estate, to speak to a specialized Associate, call 304.413.4350. Click HERE to visit us online.
Comments Off on Did you know…The industrial sector is in high demand.
Did you know the industrial sector is in high demand. The popularity of ecommerce has driven the demand for warehouses and distribution centers – and that’s good news for industrial real estate. The industrial real estate sector of commercial real estate is on the rise and properties with modern upgrades that can efficiently meet the quick shipping demands of retailers will continue to be in demand.
Interested in a modern warehouse space? Black Diamond Realty has a variety of offerings – let our expert Associates help you find the one that meets your needs. Here are just a few of our industrial real estate offerings:
164 Eyster Road is a unique offering in Halltown, WV that could fit a business’s manufacturing needs. Zoned for industrial and commercial use, this former paper mill sits on 46.57 expansive acres. View the detailed marketing flyer for 164 Eyster Road
5671 Benedum Drive in Shinnston is a 26,240 (+/-) square foot building that offers manufacturing and warehouse space, mezzanine space and office space, with prime visibility along I-79. View the detailed marketing flyer 5671 Benedum Drive.
945 King Street is a warehouse property in Fairmont with three separate spaces available to rent. The property boasts quick interstate access and off-street parking in a developing area of Marion County already home to various commercial businesses. View the detailed marketing flyer for 945 King Street.
We are the experts in commercial real estate, to speak to a specialized Associate, call 304.413.4350. Click HERE to view all of Black Diamond Realty’s industrial properties.
Comments Off on State Adds $70 Million Bridge to its Morgantown Industrial Park Connectivity Plans
Due to the complexities of the federal regulatory process, the state of West Virginia is worried it can’t make good on its promise to deliver improved interstate access to Mountaintop Beverage via a new I-79 Harmony Grove interchange in a timely fashion.
To remedy that, the West Virginia Division of Highways now says it’s going to build a $70 million bridge over the Monongahela River by the end of 2025 in addition to building the nearby Harmony Grove exit, currently estimated at $41 million.
The key phrase there is “in addition to.”
“It’s not a give and take. It’s a give and give situation,” Morgantown Monongalia Metropolitan Planning Organization Executive Director Bill Austin said. “They are committed, from everything they’ve told us, to Harmony Grove and to this bridge idea.”
Local officials have been digesting this information for about a week. It was made public on Wednesday.
But it’s been brewing in Charleston at least since May.
That, according to Austin, is when he heard secondhand that the DOH had hired a consultant under the auspices of the Harmony Grove project to conduct a feasibility study.
On July 18, an advertisement ran in the Charleston Gazette-Mail seeking a firm to produce right-of-way plans and construction contract plans for a bridge connecting U.S. 119 to the industrial park.
On July 19, the DOH showed up with the preliminary design study in hand to inform local officials of its intentions and task the MPO Policy Board with selecting a location for the new bridge.
When it meets in August, the MPO Policy Board will select from:
A bridge crossing the river south of the Morgantown Lock and north of the BFS gas station on Don Knotts Boulevard. This option would include a more basic bridge but require a complete reconstruction of River Road. A portion of the existing River Road would remain to provide access to homes and businesses.
A crossing that would meet U.S. 119 north of Scott Avenue and include an intersection with Smithtown Road. This option would require a more expensive bridge but connect directly to the southern end of the industrial park’s street network.
Due to topographical challenges, a third option crossing the river at Green Bag Road was eliminated.
According to data provided Wednesday, all options were estimated to fall between $64 million and $71 million.
Ultimately, Wednesday’s announcement begs a question – will the state actually build two projects currently estimated north of $110 million to better connect the industrial park?
Both Austin and Morgantown Area Partnership President and CEO Russ Rogerson say they believe it will.
One, Rogerson said, the state has committed to doing so. Two, he continued, the Harmony Grove project will be primarily financed locally through the new Morgantown Industrial Park TIF district.
“At some point you have to say ‘We trust you’ or ‘we don’t trust you.’ If the option is not allowing the state to meet the commitment they made to Mountaintop – if we say no – then we’re automatically saying Mountaintop is not going to expand and we’re not going to have anything for the industrial park. At that point we might as well fold up shop,” Austin said. “Everybody is taking it at face value. I understand the skepticism. I was skeptical.”
In May, Mountaintop Beverage CEO Jeffrey Sokal told The Dominion Post the 330,000 square-foot bottling facility wouldn’t be in West Virginia without infrastructure commitments from the state — specifically the new Harmony Grove interchange.
On Wednesday, he said he believes the state will honor that commitment, allowing both Mountaintop Beverage and the surrounding park to grow.
“On a long-term basis, [Morgantown Industrial Park] access to both 68 via the bridge and 79 via Harmony Grove makes this industrial site and the 100 or so acres of undeveloped property extremely attractive to companies like Mountaintop,” Sokal said. “The governor, the DOH and local representatives like Senator Mike Oliverio and Delegate Joe Statler should be commended for making this happen.”
Monongalia County Commission President Tom Bloom said he too is hopeful everything the DOH has promised will come to fruition.
“They have continued to state that this administration is in support of moving ahead on both projects,” he said. “We have requested to get that in writing, and we have gotten as much assurance as we can get without getting it in writing.”
Original Article by Ben Conley on dominionpost.com
Comments Off on Mountaintop Beverage Begins Production in Morgantown Industrial Park
Got milk? Mountaintop Beverage does.
Got a 330,000 square-foot state-of-the-art automated aseptic bottling facility capable of processing staggering amounts of raw dairy into an array of products with up to a one-year shelf life?
Mountaintop has that too.
And it’s just getting started.
On Friday, the first trucks carrying shelf-stable milk from the Mountaintop Beverage facility rolled away from the Morgantown Industrial Park to locations across the country.
Not bad when you consider the site where the massive factory stands was literally a mountaintop in August of 2021.
Since then, 1.7 million cubic yards of dirt was relocated, 50,000 tons of concrete was set in place and a dizzying tangle of stainless-steel piping — eight miles worth — was pieced together to form the plant’s circulatory system.
“This is quite a place,” Mountaintop Beverage CEO Jeffrey Sokal said.
And it’s got quite a mission.
“The goal we have is to help rebuild the farming infrastructure and to rebuild dairy. Dairy production in the state of West Virginia is down roughly by half over the last 10 years,” Sokal said. “The state has very strong FFA and 4-H programs. So, for folks who want to farm, this factory is going to be here for decades.”
That’s why recruiting Sokal and his team from western New York to West Virginia became a priority for Commissioner of Agriculture Kent Leonhardt and West Virginia Dairy Association Deputy Commissioner Joe Hatton.
Sokal credits both men primarily for bringing Mountaintop Beverage to the Mountain State and notes hundreds of individuals, from the governor’s office to the county commission, have gone the extra mile to help make it happen.
“We’ve felt welcome right from the start and made to feel like this project is important to the state and the community. So many people have gone out of their way to push this project,” he said.
“And we want to be here. There are industrial parks with shovel-ready sites all over Ohio, Pennsylvania and New York, but we wanted to be here because of what this facility can do for this state, the community, the ag community and the dairy industry. We went to a lot of trouble to clear this site. So, anybody who questions why we came here, we came here to make a difference.”
Today, about one-third of the 330,000 square-foot factory built as Phase I of the overall project is in production. It currently has a workforce of 150 people. Sokal anticipates the entire facility will be operational by year’s end, with more than 200 employees producing shelf-stable milk, coffee products, protein shakes and plant-based beverages.
A big emphasis for the company will be school milk.
The last year saw the closure of several large production facilities, creating shortages of school milk all over the country, and particularly in the southeast.
Sokal explained the school milk production capacity coming online at Mountaintop Beverage is the largest in the United States by a factor of three.
And that will represent just one of the facility’s three production lines.
Currently, the plant is receiving its milk from Somerset County, Pa.
Even in its limited startup capacity, the plant already has a demand nearly twice what West Virginia farms can provide.
Further, there’s already a dairy processor in the state, United Dairy.
“If I’m taking all the milk from local farms, then I’m taking milk away from their business. If I’m bidding the schools, which are typically supplied by United, then I’m taking business and jobs away from Wheeling, Charleston and Uniontown, where they operate. That doesn’t do the area any good. We’re just shuffling deck chairs,” he said.
“What we want to do is rebuild. Initially, we’re getting our milk from Somerset Valley and over time as we rebuild the dairy infrastructure and help build up dairy farming in and around the state, then we can do that cooperatively with them.”
And while Sokal and his team are figuratively building the state’s dairy industry, they’ll be physically building more production capacity.
Sokal anticipates construction on an additional 170,000 square feet of production space, or Phase II, could begin as early as this summer and come online in 2025. After that, Phase III.
“We designed a 750,000 square-foot factory. We just haven’t built it all yet,” he said.
Playing a critical role in those expansion plans is the question of interstate access, meaning the construction of the new Harmony Grove interchange connecting I-79 to the industrial park.
Glenn Adrian, co-owner of the Morgantown Industrial Park as part of Enrout Properties, said he’s hopeful the new interchange will be under construction in 2024 and open in 2025.
Sokal admitted the pace at which this process is moving has been a frustration.
“Bottom line is we wouldn’t have come if we didn’t get that commitment from the state. We’re here. We feel like we’ve held up our end. So it’s certainly taken a little longer than we would have hoped, but I think they’re making material progress now,” he said. “For us, you can’t really overstate how important that is.”
Original Article by Ben Conley on The Dominion Post.com
Do you know Marcellus & Utica? Let us introduce you to Mid-Atlantic’s most popular household names.
Throughout the latter part of the past decade, most people in north central WV and southwestern PA had never heard of Marcellus or Utica. Fast forward ten years, Marcellus and Utica have become household names. How did it all happen? What changes in the energy field have we experienced in the past decade? Where are things heading in the future? What challenges must we overcome in order to maximize natural gas’s potential? This article drills down (pun intended) into Mid-Atlantic’s next energy powerhouse.
During the first wave of oil and gas energy expansion, which started in 2008 and began declining in 2013-2014, drillers were using key geological metrics to “explore” Marcellus and Utica shale plays. In the early years, positive results led to increased drilling activity. Other companies took notice. Before we knew it, north central WV and southwestern PA had a natural gas and oil boom occurring in its backyard. Heavy drilling activity led to many service providers flocking to the area to secure profitable service contracts. Service contract work includes all aspects of servicing a well, from start to finish, such as engineering, excavation, fracking, pressure control, water hauling, valve repair/monitoring, amongst many others. Thousands moved to the area. Many of the workers were brought in from out-of-state because, our local workforce did not have the experience and expertise these companies needed. Many of these workers stayed in local hotels/houses, ate at our restaurants/taverns and shopped in our malls and retail outlets. Some businesses experienced exponential growth during this period. As drilling activity continued to increase, OPEC nations flooded the global energy market. Saturation led to quickly declining commodity pricing. Once the commodity pricing dipped to a level close to or at “break even”, it no longer made economic sense for drillers to drill. Over a period of a couple years, drillers slowed or completely halted drilling plans. Why? Supply outpaced the market. Additionally, infrastructure, via pipelines, was not in place to efficiently transfer the gas to larger markets.
For 24-36 months thereafter, Marcellus and Utica activity slowed dramatically. Market saturation, which lead to depressed commodity pricing, were the primary culprits for the lull in drilling activity. Most O&G drillers capped their wells and halted production. The industry retracted and many companies went out of business or were absorbed. Major producers developed strategies to control growth and mitigate risk. Many out of state service providers, who had moved to the region to capitalize on lucrative contracts, struggled to justify having a location within the Marcellus and Utica. Many witnessed numerous businesses vacate in the middle of the night or file for bankruptcy protection against creditors. In turn, this tailspin left some landlords in precarious positions with a tough decision of whether to “throw good money at bad money” in the way of hiring a real estate attorney to file suit or simply move on by looking for another tenant. At Black Diamond Realty, we saw industrial real estate demand and office demand, albeit to a lesser extent, decrease dramatically.
What has changed? Has there been a resurgence? Many have considered natural gas the cleaner wave of the future. For decades, numerous challenges, which included regulatory, economic and intellectual constraints, existed making extraction and transmission difficult. The story is changing. North central WV and southwestern PA are in the midst of a second wave of oil and gas expansion. Unemployment rates are near record lows and wages are rising. Hotel occupancy and ADR are sharply on the rise. Restaurants are enjoying a resurgence in top line revenue. All of this is the trickle-down effect sparked by a growing energy industry.
There are three major economic drivers which are in various stages of planning, construction and implementation. The first demand driver is natural gas pipelines. Pipelines provide the infrastructure needed to deliver the natural gas to primary and secondary markets. Simply put, northern West Virginia and southwestern PA are collectively sitting on more natural gas than the 250-mile region could ever feasibly consume. Several, large-scale projects are in process which will forever change the landscape and natural gas economics.
The Atlantic Coast Pipeline (ACP) project, stretching 600 miles from Bridgeport, WV through Chesapeake, VA and ending in Robeson County, NC, is currently under construction. According to Atlantic Coast Pipeline, “The infrastructure project will generate $377 million a year in energy cost savings, $28 million a year in new local tax revenue, 17,240 new jobs in the construction industry and 2,200 new jobs in manufacturing and other new industries.” Another major pipeline is called the Mountain Valley Pipeline (MVP). The Mountain Valley Pipeline, stretching 303 miles from northwestern West Virginia to southern Virginia, will be up to 42” in diameter and will have a 50 foot easement (post-construction). There will be three compressor stations along the route which include locations in Wetzel, Braxton and Fayette Counties in WV. Both pipeline projects have faced several regulatory hurdles, including federal injunctions to halt construction, but many are optimistic the challenges will be overcome. Many other pipeline projects are in the planning, construction and implementation phases. ACP and MVP are just the tip of the iceberg. According to MarcellusDrilling.com, “There is more than $23 billion in planned pipeline investment to build more than 3,200 miles of pipelines – for the Marcellus/Utica region. If you add these 15 projects together (see chart), they will move another 17 billion cubic feet of Marcellus and Utica natural gas and 345,000 barrels of natural gas liquids (NGL) per day.” Marcellus Drilling has provided a chart showing pipeline projects in various phases of the planning and implementation process. See below. The second demand driver is natural gas fired power plants. Coal provides about one third of the United States’ electricity. Tides are turning with an abundance of gas available within the Marcellus and Utica Shale plays. On November 1, 2018, Sara Welch of Shale Gas Reporter, wrote an outstanding article (View Article Here) which forecasts natural gas powered plant production. A few key takeaways can be found in the following statements, “Over the next several years, 26 combined-cycle gas-tubing power plant projects are planned for Pennsylvania, West Virginia and Ohio. Pennsylvania will house the most with 15 to be built, contributing 14,730 MW of capacity. Ohio will be home to eight projects that would add 7,695 MW of capacity. Lastly, West Virginia is slated for three gas-fired power projects that would add more than 2,000 MW of capacity.” Ms. Welch went on to translate how the electric power generation will translate into natural gas consumption: “The proposed power generation in the Appalachian Basin is expected to come on line by 2020, adding about 1.16 Bcf/d of gas demand.”
The third demand driver, which also poses the greatest downstream opportunity, is cracker plants. Why? Think chemistry. Cracker plants have sophisticated equipment in which the “cracker” takes ethane, a component of natural gas and breaks it down into ethylene. Extreme heat is used during the process to break apart the molecular bonds holding it together. Ethylene is the root chemical for plastics, resins, adhesives and synthetic products used in every aspect of modern life. Our society depends on this natural gas extraction process in order to enjoy many of the end products and daily conveniences, such as plastic containers, shirts, and plastic bags. Cracker plants and large industrial facilities are necessary to make this happen. One is already in the construction phase. According to MarcellusDrilling.com, “Shell Chemical Appalachia LLC broke ground in 2017 on the $6 billion complex in Monaca, PA, about 30 miles northwest of Pittsburgh. It is Shell’s first petrochemical plant built outside the Gulf Coast in decades.” Two additional cracker plants are in various planning stages. The two other potential cracker plant locations are Belmont County, OH and Wood County, WV.
To fully capitalize on the O&G boom and recognize significant downstream economic opportunities, this region needs to overcome three primary challenges.The challenges listed below can be overcome via collaboration and cooperation amongst various public and private sectors.
Black Diamond Realty continues to work to resolve some of the commercial real estate challenges. John Denver wrote a popular song, Country Roads, in which “mountain mama” is an internationally recognizable phrase. Our landscaping is picturesque. Our mountains are breathtaking. Both also create challenging topography. Moving dirt and expanding utilities requires significant capital which ultimately drives up land costs. Many Marcellus & Utica end-users (drillers, service providers) need large tracts of land for laydown yards, industrial buildings and eventually, as a downstream opportunity, manufacturing operations such as the plastics industry. Industrial land is typically on the lower end of the commercial real estate value spectrum. Industrial acreage in north central WV, on average, ranges in value from $75,000/acre to $225,000/acre. Our mountain-filled region provides us with natural beauty and scenic enjoyment, but it also creates a reality in which there are few opportunities to secure large tracts of land at reasonable pricing.
We would like to explore two cases that include many stakeholders, mixed with private investment, that resulted in positive outcomes for the community and business. Both assets are currently being marketed by Black Diamond Realty. Please spend a few minutes reviewing our detailed marketing flyer.
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In 1910, Michael J. Owens opened Owens Bottle Works on a 40 acre site in Fairmont, WV. During its peak, Owens Illinois employed over 1,000 people and produced 180,000 bottles a day. The site was operational from 1919-1982. After closing its doors in the early 1980s, the site sat vacant for roughly 35 years. A local entrepreneur and developer, Tom Laurita, purchased the asset with the intent of revitalizing Fairmont’s east side. Mr. Laurita and his team, including Russell Bolyard, worked tirelessly and diligently with numerous federal, state, county and local agencies including WVDEP, City of Fairmont, amongst others. Over a two year period, a plan was formulated then implemented to remediate and convert the brownfield site into a thriving business park. Soil remediation, FEMA considerations and stream preservation were key factors in revitalizing this site. For their efforts, Merit Development received 2016 Brownfield West Virginia Environmental Impact Award. Today, infrastructure improvements are well underway and steel is rising from the once motionless dirt. Boasting 40 acres less than one mile from I-79, Exit 137, Speedway Business Park has three new tenants with a fourth building under roof. Explore this project via our detailed marketing flyer. Click HERE to view. Source:Merit Development’s Development Conference Powerpoint slides.
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Formerly 825 acres of farmland near the Monongahela River, today’s Morgantown Industrial Park started to take shape in December 1940. In November 1941, the property was dubbed “Morgantown Ordinance Works” with a purpose of supporting the United States war efforts in World War II. A plant was built to produce ammonia for army ammunition. At its peak, the plant had more than 1,400 employees and produced about 18,700 tons of ammonia monthly. Alcohol, hexamine and formaldehyde were also produced in the plant. Near the end of World War II, operations ceased. Morgantown Ordinance Works, owned by J.W. Ruby, took over the property and turned it into an industrial park.
Fast forward several decades, and local entrepreneurs, Kevin and Glenn Adrian, purchased the park under Enrout Properties LLC. They were attracted to the investment opportunity partially because of its tremendous access (truck, rail, river and barge) plus abundance of developable land. The Adrians worked with state, county and local officials to create a tax increment financing (TIF) district. According to Wikipedia, “TIF is a public financing method that is used as a subsidy for redevelopment, infrastructure and other community-improvement projects.” Establishing a TIF in the industrial park allowed the Adrians to invest significant capital into excavation, site stabilization and infrastructure with the purpose of creating large industrial pads which are rare in north central WV. In addition to TIF, the Adrians have worked with federal and state agencies to mitigate brownfield areas within the park.
Today, Morgantown Industrial Park boasts 20+ diverse businesses that offer a range of industrial services and products. On November 1, 2018, Dominion Post quantified the park’s success with the following TIF update: “Established in 2008 with a base amount of approximately $39 million, the district was last assessed at about $79 million.” The Adrians set out to further the legacy of 825 riverfront acres in Monongalia County. Statistics show they have been very successful in overcoming challenges and capitalizing on industrial demand growth. They are far from done. Dirt is currently being moved to create two 6+ acre sites and by mid-2019. The park will add over 30 acres of additional industrial sites including one site which will provide 20+ flat acres. It doesn’t stop there. Currently, the Adrian’s are working with the appropriate county and state organization looking to improve interstate access to the park which would provide over 100 acres of additional industrial sites. The Morgantown Industrial Park understands the potential downstream impact that the oil and gas boom could have on North Central WV. They plan to be ready with sites and infrastructure to support that growth. Explore this project via our detailed marketing flyer. Click HERE to view. Source:http://www.uppermon.org/news/dominion%20post/DP-MIP-22Aug11.html, http://wajr.com/monongalia-county-commission-receives-good-news-on-tif-districts/
Coal will, most likely, always be a source of energy in the United States. It is virtually impossible to completely eliminate it as an energy source. However, coal’s days of being the “black diamond” of West Virginia, are fading. Marcellus and Utica have taken center stage.
After 30 years of inactivity, the site of the old Owens-Illinois glass factory is finally seeing new development, as a Morgantown developer has committed to reinvigorating what’s now being called the Speedway Business Park.
In 2015, Merit Development, LLC purchased the land in east Fairmont with hopes to capitalize on the growing economic status of North Central West Virginia, according to Merit Development President Tom Laurita.
“With the growth of Morgantown and the Bridgeport/Clarksburg area, we felt that Fairmont has become sort of a sweet spot and is in a position to experience growth in the near future,” Laurita said.
In the years since the purchase of the property, Laurita and Merit Development Asset Manager Russell Bolyard said that plenty of behind-the-scenes work has been underway, despite development itself not starting until June 1 of this year.
“We’re really still in the early preliminary stages of development,” Bolyard said. “We’re moving the earth. There was a lot of prep work since 2015 that went into the permitting and the cleanup of the site to prepare it for constriction … All of that work had to be done in order to start the earth work…
“It was a good bit of work. There was testing and the studying of the area, and then the development of the cleanup plan and the cleanup. It took about two years. We got our final completion report in late January of this year,” he said.
In addition, Fairmont City Planner Sandra Scaffidi said Merit has been doing some heavy work to make sure that, once completed, the park won’t be affected by heavy rainfall or flooding.
“They’ve been working with FEMA to change the flood-way there to create more developable land,” Scaffidi said. “There’s a channel that runs right through the property, Originally, it was wide and shallow, so now they’re making it narrower and deeper. It’ll retain the same amount of water, but create more developable land.”
Bolyard said that Merit is about 25 or 30 percent finished with the earth-moving, with hopes to be fully completed with this phase of development by the end of autumn.
The development, Bolyard said, would be a huge boom to the area, bringing in businesses, jobs and hope to Fairmont.
“The area is zoned industrial right now, and so it a commercial aspect to that and light industrial work could be done there,” Bolyard said. “We hope to attract business that will improve that area. We’re hoping to provide more jobs and be an asset to Fairmont.”
Scaffidi agreed, and said that the park, once completed, could change the face of the east side for the better.
“Aside from bringing quality jobs into our area and increasing our tax base, they are reusing a piece of land that was considered a Brownfields site,” Scaffidi said. “We can’t make new land in Fairmont, so we have to reuse what we have. I think they are creating a whole new energy on east side, putting new businesses there and encouraging new development.”
Earlier in July, Bolyard and Laurita attended a Fairmont City Council meeting, hoping the city would go along with their plan to name the park’s future roads Glass Avenue, Bottle Works Avenue and Progress Street, each named in dedication to the work done at the site before Merit’s involvement. The council unanimously passed the ordinance to name the streets.
“The actual naming is a play on the historical significance of the site with the Owens-Illinois glass factory,” Laurita said. “It was a major employer at one time, and there’s a lot of history in glass-making on that site, so we saw the history and decided to continue that and make sure people remember what was there and how great it once was. Hopefully, we can bring it back.”
Bolyard shared his sentiment, and said that with the new park, they hope to bring the site back to its former glory.
“It was a productive area at one time,” Bolyard said. “Over 1,000 people were employed there. We actually named one of the streets that will go in there ‘Progress Avenue.’We’re working with the city to bring that area back into a progressive state. It was dormant for over 30 years. We hope people tolerate us while we’re here doing the work so we can bring it back into a progressive state.”
While the park is still a long way from completion, work is being done every day, and Laurita said that soon Fairmont will be treated to a high quality, well-maintained business park.
“I hope it becomes a fully developed, vibrant community business park — a place where Fairmont residents can have a place to work and hopefully shop and whatever they need to do in the area. We can create a vibrant community once again on the east side.”
Our team is often asked, “How is the market?” Some brokers may respond with a generic, “good”. If you are interested in a general response, we are happy to report the market is currently “great.” Black Diamond Realty’s pipeline is the busiest it has been in its four-year history. That said, we suspect you are more interested in a sophisticated, detailed response. Look no further; we have your answers.
What…. Sectors?
At Black Diamond Realty, one of our competitive advantages is our thorough and detailed process. We track every single lead. This allows us to present you with accurate statistics that serve as a reflection of market demand across all sectors. Keep in mind our statistics are influenced by Black Diamond Realty’s current inventory of assets. The following statistics provide the number of sector leads since January 1, 2017:
Do you believe in the mantra that tells you to focus on what you can control? We do, too. However, we also believe it is not wise to bury your head in the sand. It is critical to think about how macroeconomic factors influence regional market demand. Two positive influencers are currently in play.
Historically speaking, interest rates remain near all-time lows. This bodes well for investors looking to get into investment opportunities. Although cash is king, we are seeing a lot of companies and individuals levering up to take advantage of favorable bank rates. Refinances have flocked through banks’ doors. Sellers also like low interest rates because funds are cheaper to secure which results in higher valuations while still clearing bank debt-coverage ratios.
The second macroeconomic factor relates to the reenergization (pun intended) of Marcellus Shale activity. Oil and gas pricing is fluid, literally and figuratively. Pricing has seen nominal rises over the past 12 months. However, recent industrial space demand leads us to believe many companies on the front lines sense prices moving north in the coming years. We suspect their goal is to get established in this area while industrial real estate values are still relatively inexpensive. This will heighten their ability to capture the market and capitalize on contracts as things ramp up. Many articles reference cracker plants and pipelines as the saving grace to lowering the current supply glut. These two variables are currently progressing in a very big way. The O&G industry has potential to replace job losses from coal. Time will tell if this is a long-term regional industrial revolution.
Where?… Concentrated Areas of Development
Jobs drive economic growth, and there are plenty of jobs coming to two booming exits along the I-79 corridor. University Town Center/West Ridge and White Oaks Business Parks are the two distinct front runners when considering development hubs in north central WV. University Town Center and WestRidge, both located at I-79, Exit 153, lead the charge as driving forces behind retail and office development in Monongalia County. Simply put, this new exit has created significant buzz in Monongalia County which is expected to remain in play for the next three to five years. A lot of announcements will happen in the coming months. 2018 is slated to be a heavy construction year for this development.
Thirty miles south of Morgantown, White Oaks Business Park is leading the development charge for Harrison County. Numerous Class A office buildings, spanning a plethora of services, hotels, retail space and several restaurants round out the line-up for this state-of-the-art development. White Oaks is an upscale development, which includes sidewalks throughout and pristine landscaping, while serving as “the talk” of Harrison County as it capitalizes on close proximity to the interstate, UHC and FBI’s Campus. Growth and positive economic announcements are projected to continue in the coming years.
Comments Off on A Strong Outlook for Industrial Demand
As real estate professionals, the BDR team is often asked these two questions: How are things going in our market and what are you seeing? Here’s what we have to say in response to these popular questions:
BDR has experienced unseasonable demand during what is traditionally the slowest time of year in commercial real estate. Although demand has increased in all sectors, the industrial sector is leading the charge in 2017. There are so many factors that affect a market. Most of these factors are outside of our regional control. Each sector under the commercial real estate umbrella is different and driven by varying economic forces which can also be directly affected by macroeconomic factors stemming from federal policy and regulation.
Many believed Trump’s surprising presidential election would result in pro-business policies. Time will tell on that one. Many also thought Trump’s election would result in pro-energy policies. In less than two weeks in office, we are already seeing this bear some truth. Within his first week of office, President Trump signed an executive order to encourage federal review folks to pass Trans Canada’s resubmittal of the Keystone Pipeline project in the Dakotas. According to Marcellus Drilling News, “On January 19, 2017, the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission voted to approve and issue a certificate to Columbia Pipeline’s Leach Xpress and Rayne Xpress pipeline projects. This is fantastic news for the Marcellus/Utica region.” While traveling in Morgantown, have you looked over at the acres upon acres of green pipe being stored in Morgantown Industrial Park? We are not getting the world’s longest water slide, but we will begin to hear about progress relating to Atlantic Coast Pipeline, a 600-mile interstate natural gas transmission line. The project will begin in 2017 and stretch from Harrison County, WV to Chesapeake County, VA and Robeson County, NC.
What does all of this mean for the region? Commodity pricing has been suppressed due to an oversupply of natural gas in the market. Two factors will increase demand: Pipelines and cracker plants. We have already touched on pipelines. There are currently three cracker plants being consider in the region. One is moving forward in Monaca, PA with two additional cracker plants still in the planning stages. Cracker plants effectively isolate the molecular components (think chemistry class) in natural gas which are then used in other manufacturing processes such as the development of various plastics. Due to high usage needs and the expense of transportation, many believe manufacturing will follow and locate within close proximity of the cracker plants. This results in more jobs for the region and will undoubtedly have a trickle-down economics effect on various sectors. When looking to open a location, many energy companies have a need for industrial space.
How can you tell demand has increased in the industrial sector? Black Diamond Realty records and tracks every lead that comes into our office via phone and internet. Since Election Day (November 8, 2016), there have been 27 unique leads that have come into our office. This number is in line with the number of industrial leads we typically see in an entire year. Things are looking bright for the industrial sector. Act now before pricing increases.
The second demand driver is natural gas fired power plants. Coal provides about one third of the United States’ electricity. Tides are turning with an abundance of gas available within the Marcellus and Utica Shale plays. On November 1, 2018, Sara Welch of Shale Gas Reporter, wrote an outstanding article (
