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Report: MOB Sector Boosted By Demand And Capital

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The medical office sector was firing on all cylinders before the arrival of COVID-19, and it appears to be well-positioned for a robust rebound post-pandemic, according to a special report by Marcus & Millichap.

In the third quarter forecast titled Beyond the Health Crisis: National Medical Office Outlook, the company notes that the adaptation of patient care and the ongoing rise in health-care needs will buoy demand for medical office buildings despite the disruption brought on by the coronavirus.

“The medical office sector is being tested as operators navigate new challenges created by COVID-19. Medical office was once perceived to be a more resil­ient asset class during a downturn, but the unique uphill battle faced by health-care providers due to the pandemic has choked revenue streams and considerably shrunk margins,” according to the Marcus & Millichap report.

The national vacancy rate rose to 8.9 percent, marking an increase of 40 basis points from the second quarter of 2019. Project abandonment and delays caused construction activity to drop 1 million square feet year-over-year. Additional projects will be postponed or canceled in the upcoming months; however, this will help stave off any threats of overdevelopment in the sector.

Other fundamentals, such as rental rate trends, serve as indicators of strong performance ahead. Most REITs reported a solid level of rent collections even though many tenants pursued deferrals and rent relief. Additionally, rent growth continued its pre-pandemic upswing, climbing to an average of $25.22 per square foot.

A New Age In Health Care

Well in advance of the appearance of the coronavirus, the U.S. health-care industry had begun to decentralize, providing more medical care in outpatient facilities instead of hospitals.

“Excluding some major surgeries, off-campus properties now offer the highest quality of care and complex procedures, driven by the need to provide equal levels of service across a metro,” according to the Marcus & Millichap report. “New hospital and expansion projects continue to target suburban areas as a demographic shift has caught the attention of health systems, placing more modern facilities and specialized care closer to patients’ homes. As these medical districts expand, the need for nearby outpatient clinics and supportive services generates demand for medical office space.”

Telehealth, via phone or online video, increased dramatically as a result of social distancing, and while experts expect the use of virtual care options to continue to rise in the post-pandemic environment, they do not expect it to result in a reduction in the need for medical office buildings. According to the report, the need for certain in-person visits will remain, as will the need for labs and imaging, all of which will translate into continued demand for medical office accommodations.

Finally, the coronavirus has not changed the fact that the considerable Baby Boomer population continues to age, and it’s doing so in an era when medical technology and advancements are supporting longer lifespans. As Marcus & Millichap notes in the report, the population of citizens aged 65 and older will expand by 30 percent over the next 10 years.

And with age comes more visits to the physician’s office. Individuals in the 55-64 age range make an average of 4 physician visits annually, but the number of yearly visits rises to 5.9 for those in the 65-74 age range and jumps to 7.6 for those 75 and older.

“Despite the short-term costs, the health-care industry will be one of the quickest to bounce back from the pandemic since the care needs of a growing and aging population continue to increase,” Marcus & Millichap asserts in the report. “Medical services are returning as states move through reopening phases, and pent-up demand from postponed procedures and office visits provide a positive outlook.”

Read the full report on Marcus & Millichap’s website.

 

Source: Commercial Property Executive

Orlando Health To Rezone Downtown Campus For Potential Expansion

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Orlando Health wants to change the use of a swath of land on its downtown campus to help it expand.

The 5.26-acre area Orlando Health wants to rezone on its downtown campus includes office buildings, parking lots and vacant land.(CREDIT: GAI CONSULTANTS

The $3.4 billion nonprofit health care provider filed plans with the city of Orlando to change the zoning of about 5.26 acres spread over 13 parcels of land south of Lake Beauty from medical office and mixed-use to urban activity, which would match the zoning of the three hospitals already on the campus. Currently, the land up for rezoning features five office buildings which total 68,842 square feet, as well as parking lots and vacant land.

“The requests call for a change in land use to accommodate new patient care facilities and campus enhancements and to expand a specially designated transit area to create more flexibility to support important growth,” Orlando Health spokeswoman Kena Lewis said in an emailed response to Orlando Business Journal. “Both requests address properties generally located on the south side of the campus.”

Orlando Health’s proposed rezoning of 5.26 acres south of Lake Beauty would match the land’s zoning for existing hospitals on the campus. (CREDIT: GAI CONSULTANTS)

Orlando Health did not reveal any timetable on any action related to future development of a potential expansion/redevelopment of the land. The zoning change is currently on the municipal planning board agenda for July 16 at 8:30 a.m.

The health care provider previously announced plans for a new one-story, 6,800-square-foot Orlando Health Imaging Center at 1800 S. Orange Ave. as well as a nine-level, 895-space parking garage for staff and patients, which could be as large as 161,000 square feet with an attached five-level, 42,000-square-foot medical office building. Construction of the imaging center is expected to be completed by fall 2019, while the parking garage/medical office is set to open in 2020.

 

Orlando Health also added to its downtown campus with a couple of land purchases in the past several months:

— On Nov. 19, it paid $1.64 million for a roughly 1-acre parcel with an existing 18,000-square-foot office building at 1300 S. Division Ave., north of Kaley Avenue near its Orlando Regional Medical Center.

— On Sept. 28, it bought a 1.5-acre parcel with a 30,000-square-foot warehouse at 1402 Sligh Blvd. for $2.03 million in downtown Orlando, which it previously leased from the seller, rail company CSX Corp. (Nasdaq: CSX).

— On June 18, it bought a vacant half-acre lot at 121 W. Copeland Drive in downtown Orlando for $833,500.

Orlando Health‘s eight Central Florida hospitals have a total of 3,300-plus beds. It has the area’s only Level One Trauma Centers for adults and children, and is a teaching hospital system. Its hospitals are: Orlando Regional Medical Center, Dr. P. Phillips Hospital, South Seminole Hospital, Health Central Hospital, the Arnold Palmer Hospital for Children, Winnie Palmer Hospital for Women & Babies, South Lake Hospital and St. Cloud Regional Medical Center. It also owns 11 urgent care centers in the region, as well as several cancer centers, freestanding ERs and more. It is one of the region’s largest employers, with 23,000 workers.

 

Source: Orlando Business Journal