“Land-use capacity and inflated material costs have most owners and developers trying to maximize lot coverage with dense development,” he says. Although student housing may still be needed, other work in the education sector has cooled off, which he says may be a “short-term issue” coming out of the pandemic. 

As with much of the region, availability of labor and staff level talent is thin. “Loyal skilled workers have always been the key to a productive workforce and this has been profoundly reinforced in the last two years,” Cheney adds. While many firms are back to full in-person offices and jobsites, he says advances in remote work are here to stay. “All tools related to collaborating while working in an isolated or remote location” are improving productivity, Cheney says.