ACADIA REALTY TRUST
For the period ended Dec 31, 2023. Filed Feb 16, 2024.
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FY2023 · Filed Feb 16, 2024
Contents
Risks related to our business, properties and tenants
RISKS RELATED TO OUR BUSINESS, OUR PROPERTIES AND OUR TENANTS
There are risks relating to investments in real estate that could adversely affect our financial condition, cash flows, results of operations, and ability to satisfy our debt service obligations and make distributions to our shareholders.
Real property investments are subject to multiple risks. Real estate values are affected by several factors, including changes in the general economic climate, local conditions (such as an oversupply of space or a reduction in demand), the quality and philosophy of management, competition from other available space, and the ability to provide adequate maintenance and insurance and to control variable operating costs. Retail properties, in particular, may be affected by changing perceptions of retailers or shoppers regarding the convenience and attractiveness of the property and by the overall climate for the retail industry. Real estate values are also affected by such factors as government regulations, interest rate levels, the availability of financing and potential liability under, and changes in, environmental, zoning, tax, and other laws. A significant portion of our income is derived from rental income from real property. Our income and cash flow would be adversely affected if we were unable to rent our vacant space to viable tenants on economically favorable terms or at all. In the event of default by a tenant, we may experience delays in enforcing, as well as incur substantial costs to enforce, our rights as a landlord. In addition, certain significant expenditures associated with each equity investment (such as mortgage payments, real estate taxes and maintenance costs) are generally not reduced even though there may be a reduction in income from the investment.
We rely on revenues derived from tenants, in particular our key tenants, and a decrease in those revenues could adversely affect our ability to make distributions to our shareholders.
Revenue from our properties depends primarily on the ability of our tenants to pay the full amount of rent and other charges due under their leases on a timely basis. We derive significant revenues from a concentration of 20 key tenants, which occupy space at more than one property and collectively account for approximately 17.8% of our consolidated revenue. We could be adversely affected in the event of the bankruptcy or insolvency of, or a downturn in the business of, any of our key tenants, or in the event that any such tenant does not renew its leases as they expire or renews such leases at lower rental rates. See Item 2. Properties—Major Tenants for quantified information with respect to the percentage of our minimum rents received from major tenants.
Anchor tenants and co-tenancy are crucial to the success of retail properties and vacated anchor space directly and indirectly affects our rental revenues.
Certain of our properties are supported by “anchor” tenants. Anchor tenants pay a significant portion of total rents at a property and contribute to the success of other tenants by drawing large numbers of customers to a property. Vacated anchor space not only directly reduces rental revenues, but, if not re-tenanted with a tenant with comparable consumer attraction, could adversely affect the rest of the property primarily through the loss of customer drawing power. This can also occur through the exercise of the right that most anchors have to vacate and prevent re-tenanting by paying rent for the balance of the lease term, also known as “going dark”, such as the case of the departure of a “shadow” anchor tenant that is owned by another landlord. In addition, in the event that certain anchor tenants cease to occupy a property, such an action results in a significant number of other tenants having the contractual right to terminate their leases, or pay a reduced rent based on a percentage of the tenant’s sales, at the affected property, which could adversely affect the future income from such property, also known as “co-tenancy.” Although it may not directly reduce our rental revenues, and there are no contractual co-tenancy conditions, vacant retail space adjacent to, or even on the same block as our street and urban properties may similarly affect shopper traffic and re-tenanting activities at our properties. See Item 2. Properties—Major Tenants.
The bankruptcy of, or a downturn in the business of, any of our major tenants or a significant number of our smaller tenants may adversely affect our financial condition, cash flows, results of operations and property values.
The bankruptcy of, or a downturn in the business of, any of our major tenants causing them to reject their leases, or to not renew their leases as they expire, or renew at lower rental rates, may adversely affect our cash flows and property values. Furthermore, the impact of vacated anchor space and the potential reduction in customer traffic may adversely impact the balance of tenants at a shopping center.
Historically and from time to time, certain of our tenants experienced financial difficulties and filed for bankruptcy protection, typically under Chapter 11 of the United States Bankruptcy Code. Pursuant to bankruptcy law, tenants have the right to reject some or all of their leases. In the event a tenant exercises this right, the landlord generally has the right to file a claim for lost rent equal to the greater of either one year’s rent (including tenant expense reimbursements) for remaining terms greater than one year, or 15% of the rent remaining under the balance of the lease term, but not to exceed three years rent. Actual amounts to be received in satisfaction of those claims will be subject to the tenant’s final bankruptcy plan and the availability of funds to pay its creditors. There can be no assurance that our major tenants will not declare bankruptcy, in which case we may be unable to recoup past and future rent in full, and to re-lease a terminated or rejected space on comparable terms or at all.
We may not be able to renew current leases or the terms of re-letting (including the cost of concessions to tenants) may be less favorable to us than current lease terms.
Upon the expiration of current leases for space located in our properties, we may not be able to re-let all or a portion of that space, or the terms of re-letting (including the cost of concessions to tenants) may be less favorable to us than current lease terms. If we are unable to re-let promptly all or a substantial portion of the space located in our properties or if the rental rates we receive upon re-letting are significantly lower than current rates, our net income and ability to make expected distributions to our shareholders will be adversely affected due to the resulting reduction in revenues. There can be no assurance that we will be able to retain tenants in any of our properties upon the expiration of their leases. See Item 2. Properties—Lease Expirations for additional information regarding the scheduled lease expirations in our portfolio. In addition, current inflation levels are greater than the contractual rent increases we obtain from our tenant base. As a result, the Company could feel pricing pressure on rents that it is able to charge to new or renewing tenants, such that future rents and rent spreads could be negatively impacted.
Our business is significantly influenced by demand for retail space generally, and a decrease in such demand may have a greater adverse effect on our business than if we owned a more diversified real estate portfolio.
A decrease in the demand for retail space may have a greater adverse effect on our business and financial condition than if we owned a more diversified real estate portfolio. The market for retail space has been, and could continue to be, adversely affected by weakness in the national, regional, and local economies, the adverse financial condition of some large retailing companies and bankruptcy incidence, the ongoing consolidation in the retail sector, the excess amount of retail space in a number of markets and increasing consumer purchases through the Internet. To the extent that any of these conditions occur, they are likely to negatively affect market rents for retail space and could adversely affect our financial condition, cash flows, results of operations, the trading price of our Common Shares and our ability to satisfy our debt service obligations and to pay distributions to our shareholders.
E-commerce can have an impact on our business because it may cause a downturn in the business of our current tenants and affect future leases.
The use of the Internet by retail consumers continues to gain in popularity and the migration toward e-commerce is expected to continue. The increase in Internet sales could result in a downturn in the business of our current tenants in their “brick and mortar” locations, adversely impacting their ability to satisfy their rent obligations, and could affect the way future tenants lease space.
While we devote considerable effort and resources to analyze and respond to tenant trends, preferences, and consumer spending patterns, we cannot predict with certainty what future tenants will want, what future retail spaces will look like and how much revenue will be generated at traditional “bricks and mortar” locations. If we are unable to anticipate and respond promptly to trends in the market because of, among others, the illiquid nature of real estate our occupancy levels and financial results could suffer. See the Risk Factor entitled, “Our ability to change our portfolio is limited because real estate investments are illiquid” below.
Many of our real estate costs are fixed, even if income from our properties decreases, which would cause a decrease in net income.
Our financial results depend primarily on leasing space at our properties to tenants on terms favorable to us. Costs associated with real estate investment, such as real estate taxes, insurance, and maintenance costs, generally are not reduced even when a property is not fully occupied, rental rates decrease, or other circumstances cause a reduction in income from the property. As a result, cash flow from the operations of our properties may be reduced if a tenant does not pay its rent or we are unable to fully lease our properties on favorable terms. Additionally, properties that we develop or redevelop may not produce any significant revenue immediately, and the cash flow from existing operations may be insufficient to pay the operating expenses and debt service associated with such projects until they are fully occupied.
Our ability to change our portfolio is limited because real estate investments are illiquid.
Equity investments in real estate are relatively illiquid and, therefore, our ability to change our portfolio promptly in response to changed conditions is limited, which could adversely affect our financial condition, cash flows, and ability to satisfy our debt service obligations and to make distributions to our shareholders. In addition, the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended (the “Code”), contains restrictions on a REIT’s ability to dispose of properties that are not applicable to other types of real estate companies. Our Board may establish investment criteria or limitations as it deems appropriate, but it currently does not limit the number of properties in which we may seek to invest or on the concentration of investments in any one geographic region. As discussed under the heading “Our Board may change our investment policy or objectives without shareholder approval” below, we could change our investment, disposition and financing policies and objectives without a vote of our shareholders, but such change may be delayed or more difficult to implement due to the illiquidity of real estate.
We could be adversely affected by conditions in the markets where our properties are geographically concentrated.
Our performance depends on the economic conditions in markets where our properties are geographically concentrated. We have significant exposure to the greater New York and Chicago metropolitan regions, from which we derive 42.8% and 18.3% of the annual base rents within our Core Portfolio, respectively. In addition, our Funds derive 31.8%, 22.4% and 26.0% of their annual base rents in the New York metropolitan, Southeast, and Northeast regions of the United States, respectively. Our operating results could be adversely affected if market conditions, such as an oversupply of space or a reduction in demand for real estate, occur in these areas.
Our development and construction activities could affect our operating results.
We intend to continue selective development and construction of retail properties. See Item 1. Business — Investing Activities– Funds–Development Activities.
As opportunities arise, we may delay construction until sufficient pre-leasing is reached, and financing is in place. Our development and construction activities include, among others, the risks that:
we may abandon development opportunities after expending resources to determine feasibility;
construction costs of a project may exceed our original estimates;
occupancy rates and rents at a newly completed property may not be sufficient to make the property profitable;
financing for development of a property may not be available to us on favorable terms or at all;
we may not complete construction and lease-up on schedule, resulting in increased debt service expense and construction costs, including labor and material costs; and
we may not be able to obtain or may experience delays in obtaining necessary zoning and land use approvals as well as building, occupancy and other required governmental permits and authorizations.
In addition, the entitlement and development of real estate entails extensive approval processes, sometimes involving multiple regulatory jurisdictions. It is common for a project to require multiple approvals, permits and consents from U.S. federal, state and local governing and regulatory bodies. Compliance with these and other regulations and standards is time intensive and costly and may require additional long range infrastructure review and approvals which can add to project cost. In addition, development of properties containing delineated wetlands may require one or more permits from the U.S. federal government and/or state and local governmental agencies. Any of these issues can materially affect the cost, timing and economic viability of our development and redevelopment projects.
At times, we may also be required to use unionized construction workers or to pay the prevailing wage in a jurisdiction to unionized workers, which could increase a project’s costs and the risk of a strike, thereby affecting construction timelines.
Additionally, the time frame required for development, construction and lease-up of these properties means that we may not realize a significant cash return for several years. If any of the above events occur, the development and construction of properties may hinder our growth and could have an adverse effect on our financial condition, cash flows and results of operations. In addition, new development and construction activities, regardless of whether or not they are ultimately successful, typically require substantial time and attention from management.
Developments and acquisitions may fail to perform as expected, which could adversely affect our results of operations.
Our investment strategy includes the development and acquisition of retail properties in supply constrained markets in densely populated areas with high average household incomes and significant barriers to entry. The acquisition of such properties is highly competitive. Additionally, the development and acquisition of such properties entails risks that include the following, any of which could adversely affect our financial condition, cash flows, results of operations, and our ability to meet our debt obligations and make distributions to shareholders:
The property may fail to achieve the returns we have projected, either temporarily or for extended periods;
We may not be able to identify suitable properties to acquire or may be unable to complete the acquisition of the properties we identify;
We may not be able to integrate an acquisition into our existing operations successfully;
Properties we redevelop or acquire may fail to achieve the occupancy or rental rates we project or within the time frames we project which may result in the properties’ failure to achieve the returns we projected;
Our pre-acquisition evaluation of the physical condition of each new investment may not detect certain defects or identify necessary repairs until after the property is acquired, which could significantly increase our total acquisition costs or decrease cash flow from the property; and
Our investigation of a property or building prior to our acquisition, and any representations we may receive from the seller of such building or property, may fail to reveal various liabilities, which could reduce the cash flow from the property or increase our acquisition cost.
Historically, Fund I, Mervyns I and Fund III have provided Promote income. There can be no assurance that our joint ventures will continue to operate profitably and thus provide additional Promote income in the future. These factors could limit the return that we receive from such investments or cause our cash flows to be lower than our estimates. In addition, a partner or co-venturer may not have access to sufficient capital to satisfy its funding obligations to the joint venture.
We may not be able to recover our investments in marketable securities or other investments, which may result in significant losses to us.
Our investments in marketable securities are subject to specific risks relating to the particular issuer of the securities, including the financial condition and business outlook of the issuer, which may result in significant losses to us. Marketable securities are generally unsecured and may also be subordinated to other obligations of the issuer. As a result, investments in marketable securities are subject to risks of substantial market price volatility, resulting from changes in prevailing interest rates and the possibility that earnings of the issuer may be insufficient to meet its debt service and distribution obligations. These risks may adversely affect the value of outstanding marketable securities and the ability of the issuers to make distribution payments.
See “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations” and Note 8 for additional discussion regarding the shares held by the Company of Albertsons Companies, Inc. (“Albertsons”).
The economic performance and value of our other investments, which we do not control and are in retail operations, are subject to risks associated with owning and operating retail businesses, as outlined in our other risk factors provided herein. A decline in the value of our other investments may require us to recognize an other-than-temporary impairment (“OTTI”) against such assets. When the fair value of an investment is determined to be less than its amortized cost at the balance sheet date, we assess whether the decline is temporary or other-than-temporary. If we intend to sell an impaired asset, or it is more likely than not that we will be required to sell the impaired asset before any anticipated recovery, then we must recognize an OTTI through charges to earnings equal to the entire difference between the asset’s amortized cost and its fair value at the balance sheet date. When an OTTI is recognized through earnings, a new cost basis is established for the asset, and the new cost basis may not be adjusted through earnings for subsequent recoveries in fair value.
Our real estate assets may be subject to impairment charges.
We periodically assess whether there are any indicators that the value of our real estate assets and other investments may be impaired. A property’s value is considered to be impaired only if the estimated aggregate future undiscounted property cash flows are less than the carrying value of the property. In our estimate of cash flows, we consider factors such as trends and prospects and the effects of demand and competition on expected future operating income. If we are evaluating the potential sale of an asset or redevelopment alternatives, the undiscounted future cash flows consider the most likely course of action as of the balance sheet date based on current plans, intended holding periods and available market information. We are required to make subjective assessments as to whether there are impairments in the value of our real estate assets and other investments. Impairment charges have an immediate direct impact on our earnings. There can be no assurance that we will not take additional charges in the future related to the impairment of our assets. Any future impairment could have a material adverse effect on our operating results in the period in which the charge is taken.
If a third-party vendor fails to provide agreed upon services, we may suffer losses.
We are dependent and rely on third party vendors, including Cloud providers, for redundancy of our network, system data, security, and data integrity. If a vendor fails to provide services as agreed, suffers outages, business interruptions, financial difficulties, or bankruptcy, we may experience service interruption, delays, or loss of information. Cloud computing is dependent upon having access to an Internet connection in order to retrieve data. If a natural disaster, blackout, or other unforeseen event were to occur that disrupted the ability to obtain an Internet connection, we may experience a slowdown or delay in our operations. We conduct due diligence on all services providers, contractually specify privacy and data security responsibilities, and restrict access, use and disclosure of personal information.
Actual or perceived threats associated with epidemics, pandemics or other public health crises, including the COVID-19 Pandemic, have had and could continue to have a material adverse effect on our and our tenants’ businesses, financial condition, results of operations, cash flow, liquidity, and ability to access the capital markets and satisfy debt service obligations.
Epidemics, pandemics, or other public health crises, including the COVID-19 Pandemic, that impact economic and market conditions, particularly in the markets where our properties are located, and preventative measures taken to alleviate their impact, may have a material adverse effect on our and our tenants’ businesses, financial condition, results of operations, liquidity, and ability to access capital markets and satisfy debt service obligations.
Our retail tenants depend on in-person interactions with their customers to generate unit-level profitability, and an epidemic, pandemic or other public health crisis may decrease customer willingness to frequent, and “shelter-in-place” or “stay-at-home” orders or recommendations may prevent customers from frequenting our tenants’ businesses, which may result in their inability to maintain profitability and make timely rental payments to us under their leases. Such restrictions may also affect customer behavior longer term by, among other things, creating a preference for e-commerce, discussed further in our risk factors above.
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