Item 1. Business
Item 1. Business
Overview
We are a self-administered and self-managed real estate investment trust (“REIT”) engaged in the acquisition, development, redevelopment, ownership, management, and operation of a portfolio of office, life science/lab, residential, and mixed-use properties. During the twelve months ended December 31, 2022, we owned and managed properties within five markets: (1) Philadelphia Central Business District (“Philadelphia CBD”), (2) Pennsylvania Suburbs, (3) Austin, Texas (4) Metropolitan Washington, D.C., and (5) Other. The Philadelphia CBD segment includes properties located in the City of Philadelphia in Pennsylvania. The Pennsylvania Suburbs segment includes properties in Chester, Delaware and Montgomery counties in the Philadelphia suburbs. The Austin, Texas segment includes properties in the City of Austin, Texas. The Metropolitan Washington, D.C. segment includes properties in Northern Virginia, Washington, D.C., and Southern Maryland. The Other segment includes properties in Camden County in New Jersey and properties in New Castle County in Delaware. In addition to the five markets, our corporate group is responsible for cash and investment management, development of certain real estate properties during the construction period, and certain other general support functions. See Note 1 “Organization of the Parent Company and the Operating Partnership,” to our Consolidated Financial Statements for our property portfolio, management services and land holdings. Unless otherwise indicated, all references in this Form 10-K to “square feet” represent the net rentable area.
The Parent Company was organized and commenced its operations in 1986 as a Maryland REIT. The Parent Company owns its assets and conducts its operations through the Operating Partnership and subsidiaries of the Operating Partnership. The Operating Partnership was formed in 1996 as a Delaware limited partnership. The Parent Company controls the Operating Partnership as its sole general partner. See Note 1 “Organization of the Parent Company and the Operating Partnership,” to our Consolidated Financial Statements for the Parent Company's ownership interest in the Operating Partnership. The ownership interests in the Operating Partnership not owned by the Company consist of common units of limited partnership issued to the holders in exchange for contributions of properties to the Operating Partnership. Our structure as an “UPREIT” is designed, in part, to permit persons contributing properties to us to defer some or all of the tax liability they might otherwise incur in a sale of properties. We have offices in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania; Radnor, Pennsylvania; McLean, Virginia; Mount Laurel, New Jersey; Richmond, Virginia; Wilmington, Delaware; and Austin, Texas.
Our principal executive offices are located at 2929 Arch Street, Suite 1800, Philadelphia, PA 19104, our telephone number is (610) 325-5600 and our website is www.brandywinerealty.com. The content on any website referred to in this Form 10-K is not incorporated by reference into this Form 10-K.
We file annual reports on Form 10-K, quarterly reports on Form 10-Q, current reports on Form 8-K, and other information with the SEC. The SEC maintains an Internet site that contains reports, proxy and information statements, and other information regarding issuers that file electronically with the SEC. The address of that site is http://www.sec.gov. Our annual reports on Form 10-K, quarterly reports on Form 10-Q, current reports on Form 8-K, and other information filed or furnished by us with the SEC are available, without charge, on our website, http://www.brandywinerealty.com, as soon as reasonably practicable after they are electronically filed or furnished with the SEC. Copies are also available, free of charge, upon written request to Investor Relations, Brandywine Realty Trust, 2929 Arch Street, Suite 1800, Philadelphia, PA 19104.
Business Segments
See Note 19 “Segment Information , ” to our Consolidated Financial Statements for information on results of operations of our reportable segments for the years ended December 31, 2022, 2021, and 2020 and balance sheet amounts as of December 31, 2022 and 2021.
Joint Ventures
From time to time we consider joint venture opportunities with institutional investors or other real estate companies. Joint venture partnerships provide us with additional sources of capital to share investment risk and fund capital requirements. In some instances, joint venture partnerships provide us with additional local market insight or product type expertise. For information regarding our joint ventures, see Note 4 “Investment in Unconsolidated Real Estate Ventures,” to our Consolidated Financial Statements.
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Developments/Redevelopments
Our regular interaction with tenants and other market participants keep us current on innovations in workplace layout and smart living. We leverage this information to identify properties primed for development or redevelopment to meet tenant demands and realize value. The expertise and relationships that we have built from managing complex construction projects allow us to add new assets to our portfolio and renovate existing assets in our portfolio.
Business Objective and Strategies for Growth
Our business objective is to deploy capital effectively to maximize our return on investment and thereby maximize our total return to shareholders. To accomplish this objective we seek to:
• concentrate on urban town centers and central business districts in selected regions, and be the best of class owner and developer in those markets with a full-service office in each of those markets providing property management, leasing, development, and construction expertise;
• maximize cash flow through leasing strategies designed to capture rental growth as rental rates increase and as leases are renewed;
• attain high tenant retention rates by providing a full array of property management, maintenance services and tenant service amenity programs responsive to the varying needs of our diverse tenant base;
• cultivate long-term leasing relationships with a diverse base of high-quality and financially stable tenants;
• increase the economic diversification of our tenant base while maximizing economies of scale;
• form joint ventures with high-quality partners having attractive real estate holdings or significant financial resources;
• utilize our reputation as a full-service real estate development and management organization to identify acquisition and development opportunities that will expand our business and create long-term value; and
• selectively dispose of properties that do not support our long-term business objectives and growth strategies.
We also consider the following to be important objectives:
• to own and develop high-quality office, life science/lab, residential, and mixed-use properties meeting the demands of today’s tenants who require sophisticated telecommunications and related infrastructure, support services, sustainable features and amenities, and to manage those facilities so as to continue to be the landlord of choice for both existing and prospective tenants;
• to capitalize on our redevelopment expertise to selectively develop, redevelop and reposition properties in desirable locations that other organizations may not have the resources to pursue;
• to opportunistically acquire high-quality office, life science/lab, residential, and mixed-use properties at attractive yields in markets that we expect will experience economic growth and where we can achieve operating efficiencies;
• to monetize or deploy our land inventory for development of high-quality office, life science/lab, residential, and mixed-use properties, or rezone from office/industrial to life science/lab, residential, retail and hotel to align with market and demand shifts as appropriate;
• to control development sites, including sites under purchase options, that could support high-quality office, life science/lab, residential, and mixed-use properties within our core markets;
• to strategically grow our portfolio through the development and acquisition of new product types that support our strategy of transit-oriented and amenity based mixed-use properties located in the central business district of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania; Pennsylvania Suburbs; and Austin, Texas; and
• to secure third-party development contracts, which can be a significant source of revenue and enable us to utilize and grow our existing development and construction management resources.
We expect to concentrate our real estate activities in markets where we believe that:
• current and projected market rents and absorption statistics justify construction activity;
• we can maximize market penetration by accumulating a critical mass of properties and thereby enhance operating efficiencies;
• barriers to entry (such as zoning restrictions, utility availability, infrastructure limitations, development moratoriums and limited developable land) will create supply constraints on available space; and
• there is potential for economic growth, particularly job growth and industry diversification.
Operational Strategy
We currently expect to continue to operate in markets where we have a concentration advantage due to economies of scale. We believe that where possible, it is best to operate with a strong base of properties in order to benefit from the personnel allocation and the market strength associated with managing multiple properties in the same market. We also intend to
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selectively dispose of properties and redeploy capital if we determine a property cannot meet our long-term earnings growth expectations. We believe that recycling capital is an important aspect of maintaining the overall quality of our portfolio.
Our broader strategy remains focused on continuing to grow earnings, enhance liquidity and strengthen our balance sheet through capital retention, debt reduction, targeted sales activity and management of our existing and prospective liabilities.
In the long term, we believe that we are well positioned in our current markets and have the expertise to take advantage of both development and acquisition opportunities, as warranted by market and economic conditions, in new markets that have healthy long-term fundamentals and strong growth projections. This capability, combined with what we believe is a conservative financial structure, should allow us to achieve disciplined growth. These abilities are integral to our strategy of having a diverse portfolio of assets, which will meet the needs of our tenants.
We use experienced on-site construction superintendents, operating under the supervision of our project managers and senior management, to control the construction process and mitigate the various risks associated with real estate development.
In order to fund developments, redevelopments and acquisitions, as well as refurbish and improve existing properties, we primarily use proceeds from property dispositions, excess cash from operations after satisfying our dividend and other financing requirements, and external sources of debt and equity capital, including from joint venture partners. The availability of funds for new investments and maintenance of existing properties largely depends on capital markets and liquidity factors over which we can exert little control.
Competition
The real estate business is highly competitive. Our properties compete for tenants with similar properties primarily on the basis of location, total occupancy costs (including base rent and operating expenses), services and amenities provided, and the design and condition of the improvements. As leases at our properties expire, we may encounter significant competition to renew or re-let space in light of the large number of competing properties within the markets in which we operate. As a result, we may be required to provide rent concessions or abatements, incur charges for tenant improvements and other inducements, including early termination rights or below market renewal options, or we may not be able to timely lease vacant space. In such cases, our financial condition, results of operations, cash flow, per share trading price of our common shares and ability to satisfy our debt service obligations and to pay dividends may be adversely affected.
We also face competition when attempting to acquire, sell or develop real estate, including competition from domestic and foreign financial institutions, other REITs, life insurance companies, pension funds, partnerships and individual investors. Our competitors may be able to pay higher property acquisition prices, may have private access to opportunities not available to us and otherwise may be in a better position to acquire a property. Competition may also have the effect of reducing the number of acquisition opportunities available to us, increasing the price required to consummate an acquisition opportunity and generally reducing the demand for office, retail, mixed-use and multifamily space in our markets. Similarly, competition with sellers of similar properties to locate suitable purchasers may result in us receiving lower proceeds from a sale or in us not being able to dispose of a property at a time of our choosing due to the lack of an acceptable return. Our ability to compete also depends upon trends in the economies of our markets, investment alternatives, financial condition and operating results of current and prospective tenants, availability and cost of capital, construction and renovation costs, land availability, our ability to obtain necessary construction approvals, taxes, governmental regulations, legislation and population trends.
Regulation
General
Properties in our markets are subject to various laws, ordinances, and regulations, including regulations relating to common areas. We believe we have the necessary permits and approvals to operate each of our properties.
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Environmental Matters
Our business operations are subject to various federal, state, and local environmental laws and regulations governing land, water, and wetlands resources. Among these are certain laws and regulations under which an owner or operator of real estate could become liable for the costs of removal or remediation of certain hazardous or toxic substances present on or in such property. Such laws often impose liability without regard to whether the owner knew of, or was responsible for, the presence of such hazardous or toxic substances. The presence of such substances, or the failure to properly remediate such substances, may subject the owner to substantial liability and may adversely affect the owner’s ability to develop the property or to borrow using such real estate as collateral.
We typically manage this potential liability through performance of Phase I Environmental Site Assessments and, as necessary, Phase II Environmental Site Assessments which include environmental sampling on properties we acquire or develop. Even with these assessments and testings, no assurance can be given that environmental liabilities do not exist, that the reports revealed all environmental liabilities, or that no prior owner created or permitted any material environmental condition not known to us. In certain situations, we have also sought to avail ourselves of legal and regulatory protections offered by federal and state authorities to prospective purchasers of property. Where applicable studies have resulted in the determination that remediation was required by applicable law, the necessary remediation is typically incorporated into the operational or development activity of the relevant property. We are not aware of any environmental liability that we believe would have a material adverse effect on our business, assets, or results of operations.
Certain environmental laws impose liability on a previous owner of a property to the extent that hazardous or toxic substances were present during the prior ownership period. A transfer of the property does not necessarily relieve an owner of such liability. Thus, although we are not aware of any such situation, we may have such liabilities on properties previously sold. We believe that we and our properties are in compliance in all material respects with applicable federal, state, and local laws, ordinances, and regulations governing the environment. For additional information, see Item 1A. Risk Factors – Regulatory Risk Factors – Potential liability for environmental contamination could result in substantial costs.
Information Security
We face risks associated with security breaches through cyber attacks, cyber intrusions or otherwise, as well as other significant disruptions of our information technology networks and related systems. The Audit Committee of our Board (the “Audit Committee”) and senior management receive and review quarterly reports on cybersecurity matters from our Chief Technology and Innovation Officer, including reports on documented incidents or violations of our IT and security policies. Documented incidents or violations are discussed, and managers are notified for the appropriate follow-up with our human resources department or the employees involved in such incidents or violations, as needed. Although we have not experienced a data or other cybersecurity breach in the past three years that resulted in a financial loss, our Board and the Audit Committee regularly evaluate our existing information technology and security policies and controls to address new and novel threats posed to the Company. We have implemented a training program for employees that includes both proactive education modules, as well as reactive anti-phishing and testing modules designed to test the end-user’s ability to put what they have learned into practice.
Human Capital Resources
As of December 31, 2022, we had approximately 328 full-time employees and six part-time employees, one intern and one temporary employee. We seek to maintain a challenging, enriching, respectful, diverse, inclusive, collaborative and rewarding work environment for our employees whom we consider to be among our most valuable assets. We maintain policies and programs that we believe reflect our continued commitment to our employees, including:
• a competitive compensation program and benefits package.
• operational protocols which prioritize employee health, safety and well-being.
• promotion of diversity and inclusion in our hiring practices.
◦ In 2022, approximately 50% of all new hires were females and approximately 38% of all new hires were ethnic minorities.
• training and career development opportunities and a tuition reimbursement program.
• regular assessment of the engagement, satisfaction and retention of our employees.
• programs such as internally organized affinity groups which are intended to foster an atmosphere of collaboration and inclusion.
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Environmental, Social, and Corporate Governance
Brandywine is committed to implementing and maintaining environmental, social, and governance (“ESG”) standards while driving value through continual improvement of our operations, portfolio performance, and community impact. Our reduction targets for energy, greenhouse gas emissions and water are focused to reduce consumption 15% by 2025 over our 2018 baseline.
In 2022, we extended our industry-leading ISS Governance Quality Score of 1, representing the highest possible score and indicating the lowest shareholder risk. We continued to maintain an A rating from MSCI ESG Research and received our seventh annual Global Real Estate Sustainability Benchmark (“GRESB”) Green Star ranking, as well as our first 5-Star ranking. We achieved 2022 Green Lease Leaders Platinum recognition in the category’s inaugural year, recognizing our collaboration with tenants to equitably align financial and environmental benefits. We were also recognized for our commitment to the Philadelphia 2030 District initiative to achieve substantial reduction in energy use by the year 2030. We have further completed 13.5 million square feet of green building certifications, encompassing approximately 62% of our portfolio.
We remain committed to energy efficiency in our buildings. We’ve achieved one or more green building certifications across 62% of our portfolio and participate in the UL Verified Healthy Buildings Program. Over 700 energy, water, and waste efficiency projects were implemented in our portfolio, and we continue to generate and procure renewable energy for our properties.
Brandywine remains committed to supporting our employees and the communities we operate in. We promote diversity, equity, and inclusion through internal affinity teams, board diversity, and employee engagement. Employees are given access to mentorship and tuition reimbursement opportunities as well as numerous programs to promote health and wellness. Brandywine maintains and encourages the use of over 74 acres of public green space for community engagement. We continue to foster long-standing, ethical partnerships with local suppliers and drive economic resilience through the Schuylkill Yards projects and community totaling $16.4 million to date. We’ve spearheaded new, equitable transit-oriented development in Austin and Philadelphia and continue to assess what investments will impact our employees and communities the most.
For further information regarding our environmental, social, and governance strategies and policies, please visit the “Responsibility” section of our website. The information contained on our website is not incorporated by reference into this Annual Report.