McDonald’s isn’t loving the REIT, and why Oakland’s future is uncertain Nov 13, 2015

Here are the news stories you might have missed this week:

The Wall Street Journal: McDonald’s won’t spin off real estate holdings

Everyone is thinking about REITs it seems, but you can now count McDonald’s out – the CEO announced recently that the hamburger giant wouldn’t spin off its real estate holdings. Some investors – in McDonald’s and other large companies – urge the company to move its properties to a REIT to unlock new value. But it can be a risky business move that has limited upside based on the risk. Visit WSJ.com to read CEO Steve Easterbrook’s comments.

GlobeSt.com: US supply chain is already changing

Times have changed for the nation’s industrial supply chain. Industrial hubs up and down the East Coast are growing, and while the Panama Canal expansion isn’t the reason, what is driving this trend are manufacturing plants, new warehousing, and the growth of inland ports. No longer are cities like Atlanta the biggest players – rather, smaller cities in New Jersey, Illinois, the Carolinas, and Florida with better infrastructure and less traffic are becoming the new hot spots in the supply chain. Go to GlobeSt.com to read the factors impacting the industrial supply chain.

San Francisco Business Times: ‘It’s starting to feel a little bit like 2007′: Why Oakland risks missing out on the boom

There’s some uneasiness in Oakland these days, despite incredibly strong market conditions. The reason is history – Oakland developers have seen strong growth in the past, but those highs will fall before the city adds needed housing and office space. Now, developers are weary of new ground-up office construction, which is why they’re more willing to redevelop existing buildings into new office space. And new impact fees may be scaring off multifamily housing developers. These factors, as well as financing troubles, are causing some landowners to sit on properties and wait, hoping to fetch higher prices in the next cycle. Head to BizJournals.com to see what developers in Oakland are facing.

Commercial Property Executive: Two-in-one hotel project to join $3B Port Imperial

Need a hotel room near Manhattan? Try the Jersey town with a strange name that was home to Fred Astaire – Weehawken. The construction of two Marriott hotels in the popular Port Imperial waterfront development will add more than 350 rooms to this mixed-used area, which is just across the river from Midtown. The so-called “Gold Coast” is just another extension of Manhattan, experts say, and hotel demand continues to soar: its hotels’ post-occupancy rates are north of 80 percent. These Weehawken new hotels also speak to the strength of North Jersey generally, as urban centers with strong transit options are only growing in popularity. Read the full story at CPExecutive.com.