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A redevelopment project that would demolish a former office of the Cap Times and build a mixed-use apartment complex and fitness facility is on hold, according to property owner Erik Minton.

The project proposes adding 77 studio- through two-bedroom apartments and a rebuilt Capital Fitness at 208 and 302 E. Washington Ave. City officials signed off on the demolition and construction plans last September, and construction had been expected to begin this spring.

But higher interest rates and construction costs emerged following the United States’ war with Iran this year, Minton said, prompting a pause in the project.

“The project’s approved. It’s financed. The legwork is done, except for some finalizing with the architects. It’s ready to start,” Minton said. “When it’s pouring at Wimbledon, they wait for the rain to stop. Right now, it’s simply got to stop raining.”..

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RSK: Ambitious project but Eric has the right plan of action. Wait until the rain stops.

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The Madison Office Lifestyle Portfolio consists of 13 Class A, amenity-rich office properties ranging in size from approximately 25,000 square feet to over 300,000 square feet and is home to more than 130 tenants. The portfolio is located on the west side of Madison and Middleton, with the majority of properties situated in the Far West submarket.

The cranes dotting Madison’s skyline tell the story.

From downtown high-rises and mixed-use developments to new retail concepts and industrial projects, commercial real estate activity remains robust in Wisconsin’s capital city. Even as developers grapple with elevated construction costs and higher borrowing rates, industry professionals say Madison’s strong economic fundamentals continue to support growth across nearly every property sector.

“Demand for mixed-use development remains exceptionally strong throughout Madison and Dane County,” said Heather Ewing, founder and managing principal of Madison, Wisconsin-based ABSTRACT Commercial Real Estate.

According to Ewing, Downtown Madison Inc.’s development tracker currently lists more than 60 projects in various stages of planning, development, construction and delivery.

“Cranes are visible from nearly every vantage point in the downtown,”Ewing said. “It underscores the scale of ongoing investment.”

She said developers continue to gravitate toward projects that create walkable, higher-density environments emphasizing community gathering spaces, restaurants, public art and opportunities for social interaction.

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“At Investors Associated, we make it easy for brokers to match clients with well?managed, high?quality spaces. Our team prioritizes clear communication, quick turnaround times, and a seamless leasing experience. Partner with us to provide your clients with properties backed by dependable service and long?term value.”

Success can de-risk harder projects

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RSK: First it was office to residential conversions but hotels, schools, malls all other kinds often have better locations and easier to convert.

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We offer the experience, quality and service you deserve, but with the personal attention and dedication that only a family business can provide. We’re not just your landlord, we’re partners in your success.

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After ramping up hiring for the summer, food services and drinking places pulled back last month, shedding nearly 33,000 jobs.

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RSK: Rough road for the hospitality employment sector.

 Madison Mallards Game – CBG Summer Social

     Wednesday, July 22
     6:00 PM
     Madison Mallards Baseball Game
    Warner Park: 2920 N Sherman Ave, Madison, WI 53704

Join us for a fun summer evening of baseball, networking, and socializing at the Madison Mallards game! Enjoy a night at the ballpark with fellow members, sponsors and colleagues.

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Since 1971, St. John Properties has designed, developed, and managed spaces that fit every type of business. Our team anticipates and serves the needs of over 2,700 clients, including small, mid-sized, and large companies, nationwide.

The country’s top energy regulator has ordered regional grid operators to develop new plans to connect data centers to power as fast as possible while preserving grid reliability and avoiding rising electricity bills for consumers.

The action carries vast implications for a data center sector contending with yearslong wait times for grid power and uncertainty about which solutions to the ongoing power crunch regional grids and regulators will allow. 

The orders “are a step in the right direction by prioritizing getting the most out of the grid we have, enhancing grid flexibility, and rewarding new loads that can positively impact the grid by bringing their own capacity or generation,” Utilize Coalition, a flexible power lobbying group, said in an email to Bisnow...

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RSK: Easier said than done.

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Marilee and David Kiliti sold their 89-acre Pennsylvania farm for more than $22 million to QTS, a Blackstone subsidiary, as part of a $586 million land assemblage for a data center. The Kilitis were among 96 families in Salem Township, Pennsylvania, who collectively sold about 1,700 acres at an average price of $330,000 per acre, earning $5.5 million per family on average. The couple, who raised hogs and struggled financially for years, are now building a hilltop dream home with a pool, theater room, and second-story hot tub. David Kiliti worked construction jobs while Marilee drove forklifts before the sale allowed them to retire comfortably.

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RSK: Enough said. There is money in data centers and in the land close to transmission lines and water, Same could happen in Wisconsin but the moratorium is on for now.

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With over 350 experienced real estate professionals, Knight Barry provides exceptional support and service. Visit our website for more information about our 50+ commercial and residential offices throughout Wisconsin, Michigan, and Minnesota.

MADISON: 2450 Rimrock Road, Suite 204, 608-255-2700
CAP SQUARE: 44 E. Mifflin Street, Suite 101, 608-255-2700

Law firms across the country have watched their caseloads explode under a triple whammy of increased artificial intelligence usage, rising regulatory uncertainty and a more litigious business climate.

These new business challenges have supercharged law practices’ growth. Flush with cash, they have been gobbling up office space at a pace few other industries can match, growing their footprints after years of shrinkage.

“The folks who signed a lease in 2019, 10-year leases, they’re coming up in a few years,” said SmithGroup senior workplace strategist Madeline Dunsmore, who focuses on legal clients. “These are big firms with big budgets, and suddenly, in this market, those budgets go pretty far.” ...

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RSK: Even though the per sq. footage per person is down, other amenities are taking up to 1/5th of space....and it is expanding.

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With the largest Real Estate Practice of any law firm in Wisconsin, Reinhart offers clients custom-tailored real estate insight.

The latest data on national and local office foot traffic trends.

May 2026 office visits fell 1.2 percent year-over-year on a raw basis, but when normalizing for the number of working days, attendance rose 3.7 percent year-over-year.

On a per-working-day basis, visits stood 32.4 percent below the May 2019 baseline—a narrower gap than the 34.9 percent recorded in May 2025.

San Francisco again led all major markets year-over-year on the back of its AI-driven office leasing recovery, while Denver remained the furthest from its pre-pandemic baseline.

May 2026 brought a fresh round of return-to-office pressure—PNC Financial’s five-day mandate took effect at the start of the month, while EY told its U.S. tax teams to plan for more in-person time this summer. Both join a growing list of employers tightening face-time policies. At the same time, gas prices climbed to an average of $4.61 in May, making the commute more expensive for employees who drive to work.

San Francisco leads the year-over-year pack 

The same calendar effect carried across the major markets, where most cities showed year-over-year declines on raw visits that turned positive once working days were accounted for. San Francisco led the year-over-year field, with per-working-day visits up 8.2 percent—tracking the city’s AI-driven leasing recovery. With its strongest leasing quarter this year since 2014, declining office availability, and robust net absorption, the city appears increasingly well-positioned to sustain its momentum...   ...Full Story Here

RSK: Office attendance is up 3.7%....good news.

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With the controversy surrounding hyperscale data centers growing more intense, the city of Madison and Dane County have imposed moratoriums on the consideration of new data centers while they craft new zoning code regulations to manage their potential effects.

The two moratoriums aren’t exactly alike, but both buy several months of time for the respective units of government to respond to how the data center industry is evolving. The break also gives the municipalities time to learn from other communities that approved large data centers.

While there could be hiccups in the process as 2026 unfolds, both the city and county expect to have updated land-use codes in 2027, with the city’s coming as soon as December 2026...

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RSK: Hopefully the city and county will move on this promptly.

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Park Towne is a family run Madison-based real estate company serving southern Wisconsin for over 50 years. Led by second generation brothers Mike, Jim and Joe Ring, Park Towne has a portfolio of for-lease commercial properties and offers development, management and brokerage services.

I started my career helping my dad manage his rental portfolio in the Chicago suburbs. The business wasn’t easy back then, the tools available to run it were far more limited than what we have today. Even with all of the tools available, getting leases signed is harder than ever. Across the industry, tenant applications have dropped 10% year-over-year.

Yet, many tech-forward property managers are thriving. We analyzed data from more than 1.3 million rental units and, despite lead volume falling to its lowest point since 2018, property managers who use leasing automation are seeing the leads who do come in convert at higher rates than their competitors...

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RSK: Are you ready to try a new way of leasing? Are you a bit hesitant?

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t's been nearly 10 years since a large-scale shopping center opened in the Twin Cities, and despite a growing appetite for more space, there are no imminent plans for another.

Why it matters: Retailers and restaurants looking to open shop are feeling the pinch. A recent JLL report says Twin Cities retail rents last quarter grew by 6.7% year-over-year, the largest hike in the nation.

What they're saying: "It's gotten more and more difficult for retailers to execute on their growth plans with a lack of space," said Johnny Reimann, a broker for Mid-America Real Estate who helps retailers and restaurants find space.

• He notes that the Twin Cities ranks near the bottom in terms of new retail construction in the U.S.

Flashback: Two big shopping centers opened in 2016 and 2017: Eagan's Central Park Commons and Woodbury's City Place..

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RSK: How long has it been for Madison? Although Sun Prairie has Prairie Lakes.

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Officials stabilized the former Pfizer headquarters that gave midtown Manhattan a major scare, but enthusiasm for future conversion projects could be on shakier ground.

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RSK: Not sure I would want to rent there myself.

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As the data center building boom fuels record electricity demand, state leaders are aiming to prevent the industry’s skyrocketing power consumption from creating higher power bills for households and businesses. 

In recent weeks, a series of states have created special utility rates for data centers and advanced other measures intended to protect consumers...

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RSK: I see more and more states adopting this. Wisconsin will be one.

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Commercial real estate had its best start in years. 

Transaction volume hit $113B in the first quarter, the strongest opening since before the rate shock, and for a few months, the industry's long-deferred recovery looked less like a wish and more like a fact.

Then, the United States went to war with Iran, and the 10-year Treasury crossed 4.5% in May. CRE sales fell 33% in April, the first year-over-year decline since last June. 

Newmark had predicted “decaf stagflation” at the start of the year — below-trend growth, stubborn inflation, no rate relief — and that forecast aged better than anyone wanted it to. 

Last month in Miami, CBRE economist Matt Mowell said the quiet part out loud: “We came into 2026 as an industry with a lot of hopes. … I think we're going to have to pull back some of those very strong expectations.”

Sound familiar?

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RSK: Some very interesting comments. You can tell the go getters.....they "make hay, even when the sun don't shine".

	The Gialamas Company, Inc.	RFA Asset Management Madison, WI	Key Commercial Real Estate, LLC
Madison Commercial Real Estate LLC	St. John Properties	IA Management, LLC	Wisconsin Commercial Real Estate
Park Towne Realty LLC	Mullins Group, LLC	Crown Commercial	Flad Development & Investment Corp.
Evans Properties, LLC	Keller Real Estate Group		MIG Commercial Real Estate, LLC
First Weber Group, Inc - West Towne	Opitz Realty, Inc.	First Weber Group, Inc - Prairie Du Sac	Peterson Management Company Inc.
The Lenhart Company, Inc	Scott Faust & Associates	Shamrock Real Estate Services, LLC	Targa, Inc
Executive Management, Inc	Stark Commercial - East	Urban Land Interests	Slinde Realty Company
Assist-2-Sell/Pohlkamp & Associates	Berkshire Hathaway Home Services Matson Real Estate	Artisan Graham Real Estate

Hovde & Hovde, Inc

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