VOLUME 31, NUMBER 04
©2015 Law Bulletin Publishing Co.
April 2015
DTZ report: report: Twin Twin Cities’ Cities’ office office market market DTZ enjoying a a quiet quiet resurgence resurgence enjoying By Dan Rafter, Editor
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he multifamily and industrial markets in Minneapolis/St. Paul are thriving. Just look at the number of construction cranes and spec warehouses being built in the Twin Cities area today. But the office market in the Twin Cities is actually enjoying a quiet resurgence, too. And that's good news for anyone hoping for busy times for commercial real estate in 2015 and beyond. DTZ recently released its first quarter office report for the Minneapolis/St. Paul area. And the company found plenty of good news. Most important, the
metropolitan area enjoyed nearly 300,000 square feet of net absorption in the first quarter of 2015. Tyler Allen, research analyst in DTZ's Minneapolis office, said that that five of the six office submarkets that DTZ studies showed positive absorption in the first quarter. All office types, too, enjoyed positive net absorption during the quarter, Allen said. Of course, certain submarkets are performing better than others. "The Minneapolis Central Business District and hotspots in the Southwest and West/Northwest markets continue to significantly outperform the metro averages," Allen said. "Demand for office space in mixed-use neighborhoods DTZ to page 20
The Opus Group ready to make a splash in the healthcare sector Minneapolis company starts new healthcare division By Dan Rafter, Editor
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inneapolis' The Opus Group has already made an impact in the healthcare sector: Opus has served as the developer or contractor for healthcare projects across the country, including such notable ones as the Kohl's Wellness Center in Menomonee Falls, Wisconsin; Columbia St. Mary's Gateway Health Center in West Allis, Wisconsin; and a 354,000-
square-foot office building extension for UnitedHealth Group in Minnetonka, Minnesota. It makes sense, then, that The Opus Group has formed a new healthcare division to focus solely on delivering projects for hospitals, physicians groups and other medical providers. Tom Shaver, the newly appointed president of Opus Healthcare and a 31-year commercial real estate industry veteran, said that the time was right for Opus to create a formal division to handle the changing real estate needs of healthcare providers.
Shaver said that there are several trends today that are disrupting the healthcare system. This includes an aging population that needs more medical care and a rise in the number of people who now have health insurance thanks to the Affordable Care Act. Then there are the evolving demands of patients: Many no longer want to treat any but their most serious ailments at large, centrally located hospital campuses. Patients today want to receive fast treatment at Opus to page 16