In this post, we offer a list of some of Houston’s largest commercial real estate owners. Additionally, we also list the local, commercial square feet owned by each as of 2018 and the types of property.
Prologis – Among Houston commercial real estate, Prologis is by far the Houston’s largest owner. With 19,009,723 SF of industrial property, Prologis’ portfolio is almost twice as large as the closest competitor. Not only that but, Prologis is also the Prologis is the largest industrial real estate in the nation
Brookfield Property Partners – Coming in second for the largest commercial real estate Houston owners is Brookfield. This firm holds 10,745,000 SF of office space, retail space, and hotels/resorts. Brookfield owns premier office buildings like One Allen Center, Two Allen Center, Three Allen Center, Heritage Plaza, and Total Plaza.
Liberty Property Trust – Liberty ranks third among Houston commercial real estate firms. Led by Hans Brindley, Liberty’s Houston VP, the firm is only slightly behind Brookfield. With 10,389,000 SF or industrial space and land, Liberty takes the number three spot. Additionally, Liberty has recently completed almost 800,000 SF of new development.
MetroNational – Sitting just below the 10M SF mark is MetroNational Corp. Founded in 1954, the firm owns 9,600,000 SF of office, multifamily, retail, land, hotels, and resorts. Jason Johnson is the firm’s President.
Duke Realty – David Hudson, Duke’s VP of leasing development in Houston leads this firm. Across the board, the company holds 7,012,310 SF of industrial parks and properties and development sites throughout the Houston metro area. Specifically, Duke Realty’s ownership is in Houston’s North, Northwest, Southeast, and Southwest freeway submarkets.
Fidelis Realty Partners Ltd. – This firm owns 6,336,132 SF of office, retail, and land. Fidelis’ Houston portfolio consists mainly of shopping centers. Alan Hassenflu, the president, leads Fidelis. Undoubtedly, Fidelis is one of the top Houston commercial real estate firms.
EastGroup Properties Inc. – Another big player in Houston commercial real estate is East Group. Led by VP Kevin Sager, this firm owns 5,900,000 SF of industrial space throughout Houston. The types of industrial properties this firm owns include industrial business centers, distribution centers, and business parks.
The Howard Hughes Corporation – With one of the most recognizable names is commercial real estate Houston, The Howard Hughes Corporation holds 5,704,749 SF of properties in a wide range of categories. The company owns industrial space, but also office, retail, land, hotels/resorts, residential, and even multifamily properties. President Paul Layne leads the company’s Houston arm.
Hines – Another well-known name among Houston commercial real estate firms is Hines. On the whole, this firm owns 5,510,364 SF of industrial and office properties, multifamily and residential properties, as well as land. Chairman Gerald Hines and President Jeffrey Hines lead Hines.
Property Commerce – Rounding out the top 10 is Property Commerce. In general, this firm primarily focuses on shopping center development. President Jay Williams heads this firm which holds 4,882,276 SF of retail space throughout Houston.
Clay Development & Construction Inc. – This commercial real estate and development group holds 4,460,000 SF of Houston commercial space. Specifically, Clay owns industrial space, office space, and land. With four decades of commercial real estate under his belt, Robert Clay, VP, handles project negotiation, business development, and project bidding for the firm.
Hartman Income REIT – Founder, CEO, President, and Chairman Al Hartman formed Hartman Income REIT Management, Inc., after merging several of Hartman’s previous programs. Mr. Hartman first formed Hartman Management in 1984. Currently, the company holds 4,236,685 SF of Houston industrial, office, and retail spaces.
Houston’s Largest Industrial Warehouse Owners
In addition to the largest commercial real estate owners in Houston, here are 5 of Houston’s largest industrial warehouse owners.
- Prologis
- Liberty Property Trust
- Duke Realty
- EastGroup Properties Inc.
- Clay Development & Construction Inc.
Houston’s Largest Office Building Owners
Based on the largest commercial real estate owners in Houston, below are five of the metro area’s top office building owners:
- Brookfield Property Partners
- MetroNational
- Fidelis Realty Partners Ltd.
- The Howard Hughes Corporation
- Hines
Houston Commercial Real Estate
Over 2.3 million people live in the City of Houston. An additional 4 million live in the metro area (over 6.3 million total residents). And the metro area keeps growing. What’s more, almost 122,000 people moved to Houston between 2018 and 2019.
This booming metropolis is also attracting numerous businesses. This commercial and residential growth has produced an increasing demand for more commercial office space in Houston. In certain submarkets like the CBD, Greenway, and The Galleria, vacancy rates are in the single digits. Yet there are suburban markets, like Sugar Land and Katy, offer a supply of office, retail, or industrial warehouse space for reasonable prices.
If you’re interested in learning more about the Houston metro’s industrial, warehouse, office, medical, or other property types, contact Lumicre today. Let our Houston commercial real estate experts give you more details.