Compared to some other regions, there appears to be a distinct lack of mega-projects in this area. According to McGraw-Hill Construction data, the largest projects that broke ground over the past few months include a $166 million research center at the University of Chicago; the $199.2 million Northwest Memorial medical office building in Chicago; the $299.8 million Riverside Methodist Hospital tower in Columbus, Ohio, that broke ground in June; the $220 million project underway at the Wayne County Jail in Detroit; and the $100 million addition and renovation of the Lake Central High School in Saint John, Ind. CBRE data for 2Q 2012 showed that downtown office vacancy rates are high for most of this region’s larger cities, with Cleveland, Cincinnati, Columbus, Detroit, Indianapolis and Milwaukee all wrestling with vacancy rates over 15%, and Cincinnati and Detroit getting smacked around by vacancy rates topping 20%.
| East North Central : Electrical Wholesalers'Sales (in millions of dollars) |