Regardless of a sluggish begin in early 2024, San Francisco’s workplace building exercise picked up tempo because the yr progressed and have become one of many largest within the nation. Builders are persevering with to interrupt floor on new developments, with most tasks belonging to the life science sector, in response to CommercialEdge knowledge.
In distinction, the market’s gross sales exercise was low by way of 2024, on par with 2023’s development. Nonetheless, San Francisco emerged because the priciest workplace market within the U.S., surpassing Manhattan when it comes to common sale worth per sq. foot.
Second-largest pipeline within the nation
As of November, 3.8 million sq. toes of workplace house was underneath building throughout 20 properties in San Francisco, representing 2.3 % of present inventory—above the nationwide determine 0.8 %. Amongst comparable markets, Boston led the rankings with 3.6 %, whereas San Francisco outperformed Los Angeles (0.7 %), Manhattan (0.6 %) and Chicago (0.3 %). When including workplace tasks in planning levels, San Francisco’s share reached 9 %, second after Miami (9.4 %) and surpassing Boston (8.6 %).
By way of sq. toes underway, San Francisco had the second largest pipeline, after Boston’s 9.3 million sq. toes. The overwhelming majority of the mission rising throughout the market are life science developments.
Kilroy Realty’s Buildings D, E and F at Kilroy Oyster Level, slated to assist 865,000 sq. toes of house, is among the largest tasks underneath building. A trio of life science buildings are a part of the developer’s 3 million-square-foot waterfront mission in South San Francisco. Development commenced in 2022 and the supply date was pushed to the top of 2025.
One other notable mission is IQHQ’s The Spur, a 326,000-square-foot high-tech life science constructing at 580 Dubuque Ave. in the identical submarket. Backed by a $275 million building mortgage, the event topped out earlier this yr and is anticipated to come back on-line in early 2025.
12 months-to-date by way of November, builders delivered 2.7 million sq. toes throughout 13 properties within the metro, representing 1.4 % of complete inventory, whereas building begins included 911,700 sq. toes of house throughout three properties—accounting for 0.5 % of complete inventory.
Amongst notable properties that got here on-line lately is Lane Companions’ Southline Constructing 1, a 375,000-square-foot life science constructing at 30 Tanforan Ave. additionally in South San Francisco. The property, financed by a $373 million building mortgage, represents the primary section of Southline, an workplace and R&D improvement that can comprise as much as 3 million sq. toes of house.
Workplace-to-residential conversions in Los Angeles
The workplace sector remains to be combating excessive vacancies and office-to-residential conversions have emerged as a sexy choice. Lately, CommercialEdge launched the Conversion Feasibility Index, a Yardi-powered software that measures a constructing’s potential for a residential makeover.
The CFI rating has three tiers, with Tier I workplace properties being essentially the most appropriate candidates. San Francisco had 112 properties—totaling 11 million sq. toes—within the Tier I class. Moreover, the metro had 295 workplace constructing within the Tier II class, totaling almost 36.3 million sq. toes.
Work has begun on the repurposing of the historic Humboldt Financial institution Constructing. In October, Forge Growth Companions began the conversion of the 1908-built mid-rise totaling 91,804 sq. toes. The developer plans to take a position $70 million within the reimagining of the workplace constructing right into a 124-unit residential neighborhood. The Seligman Group is the proprietor of the property that bears a CFI rating of 91 factors.
Costs excessive, low funding exercise
12 months-to-date by way of November, San Francisco’s workplace sector noticed $747 million in offers, with 29 properties totaling almost 1.9 million sq. toes altering fingers. The metro continued final yr’s restricted gross sales exercise: in 2023, transactions amounted to $722 million and a couple of.3 million sq. toes.
Amongst gateway metros, San Francisco’s complete gross sales quantity surpassed solely Seattle’s ($687 million), whereas Manhattan led the nation with $3.8 billion in offers.
One of many priciest gross sales in San Francisco this yr was the $222.2 million acquisition of Sand Hill Commons, a 133,000-square-foot, two-building workplace campus in Menlo Park, Calif. The client was Norges Financial institution Funding Administration, that acquired a 97.7 % possession stake within the property from Clarion Companions and Invesco Actual Property.
Workplace properties modified fingers at a mean sale worth of $384 per sq. foot—considerably above the nationwide common of $179 per sq. foot. Amongst gateway markets, San Francisco emerged because the priciest workplace market, outperforming the same old chief Manhattan ($379 per sq. foot), that was adopted by Miami ($376 per sq. foot), Los Angeles ($355 per sq. foot) and Washington, D.C. ($213 per sq. foot).
San Francisco’s emptiness charge highest within the U.S.
San Francisco’s workplace emptiness charge clocked in at 27.7 % as of November—surpassing the nationwide determine of 19.4 % and marking a 400-basis-point enhance. Tech markets are posting a number of the highest charges within the nation, with San Francisco and Austin rating first.
In distinction, one of many lowest charges have been registered in comparable markets, comparable to Miami (14.4 %), Los Angeles (15.7 %), Manhattan (16.7 %) and Boston (16.8 %). The one gateway metro with a major enhance in emptiness was Seattle, that recorded a 25.8 % determine.
In Could, Google gave up 300,000 sq. toes of workplace house at One Market Plaza, a two-building workplace advanced totaling 1.6 million sq. toes in San Francisco. Nonetheless, notable workplace leases transpired lately within the metro. Amongst them is Alexandria Actual Property Equities Inc.’s 258,581-square-foot, long-term take care of Vaxcyte Inc. The corporate has been an anchor tenant at Alexandria Middle for Life Science, a two-building property in San Carlos, Calif.
Flex workplace suppliers rising operations within the metro
San Francisco’s coworking market comprised 3.7 million sq. toes of house as of November, greater than in Miami and Seattle, that had 2.9 million sq. toes every. The share of flex workplace house as share of complete leasable workplace house within the metro reached % 2.2 %, above the nationwide determine of 1.9 %.
The flex workplace supplier with the biggest footprint within the metro remained WeWork, with operations totaling 736,795 sq. toes. The businesses that adopted have been Gateway Labs by Lilly (438,339 sq. toes), Regus (337,544 sq. toes), Studio by Tishman Speyer (237,947 sq. toes) and Areas (186,402 sq. toes).
