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32 business district in Johnson Square and re-positioned to other uses. Office absorption continues to move southward in the vicinity of Forsythe Park and into the midtown area. Regionally, office market rental rates increased 7% to $26.93 per square foot while rental rates were up 8% to $31.92 per square foot in the downtown central business district. Rental rates had the largest upswing in the Westside market, increasing 9.2% to $24.92. Rental rates in the Midtown market also were above average for the metro area, increasing 8.4% to $25.67. Retail trade continues to develop and evolve in the region. Downtown, commercial operations along Broughton Street remain healthy with low vacancy rates and little available space along with some turnover indicative of innovative evolution in specialty retail and food service offerings. The share of locally held and national chains remains at about a 50-50 mix. Further, commercial development continues to strengthen in the Starland District along Abercorn and Bull streets while development of a performance entertainment venue continues in 2025. At the eastern end of the riverfront district, the $600 million, 54-acre mixed-use Savannah River Landing project continues to unfold as the area emerges as a hub of restaurant, retail, and entertainment options. In Pooler, development at the Mosaic Town Center, a 170-acre mixed-use development at I-16 and the Pooler Parkway, continued in 2024 with additional retail, service sector, and food service establishments coming online. The center is currently home to Costco and Expercare and will host the Galen College of Nursing in 2025. Further development of the center will be driven by population growth (as 1,200 apartments units are permitted for the interchange area) and infrastructure development in the immediate area. In Port Wentworth in 2024, ground was broken on the 150-acre Anchor Park recreational and entertainment hub. In addition to hosting the training facility for the Savannah Ghost Pirates hockey team, the park will include a 5,500 seat amphitheater, food service options, and a golf-type entertainment venue. Recreational options include two ice rinks, soccer and football fields along with basketball, sand volleyball, and pickleball courts. A trail system and splash pad are included as well. The full project is expected for delivery in early 2026. In the upcoming years, the immediate area around the park is expected to evolve into a retail, restaurant, and entertainment hub in Port Wentworth. Evolution of large-scale mall retailing center continues in 2025. Oglethorpe Mall operations remain healthy with full leasing activity. Redevelopment of the northwest quadrant, including the former Sears department store and auto service center, was well under way at the end of 2024 and multifamily units are expected to become available in 2025. Additional details for redevelopment of components of the southside's Savannah mall are expected in the coming year. To the south in Bryan County at the Raydient development, commercial activity is emerging in 2025 with the opening of an early learning center, convenience store, and storage facility. Development at Heartwood will grow into a 25 acre hub of shopping, dining, and entertainment in the area. In late 2024 the Kessler Investments group announced plans for a major hotel and entertainment district in the Heartwood neighborhood that leverages the area's historical ties to Henry Ford. Additional details about the project are expected to be released in 2025. Real Estate: Logistics and Distribution The industrial and logistics market increased its footprint in the region by about 28 million square feet in 2024, increasing total inventory to 153.7 million square feet. About 15 million square feet were absorbed by manufacturing operations with much of the remaining floorspace delivered into logistics inventory. In the past two years, nearly 49 million square feet have entered the regional inventory and accordingly, vacancy rates have increased to 8.6% at the end of 2024 from less than 1% in 2022 and 2023. This is a familiar pattern for this type of development. Exceptionally low vacancy rates spur investment and the delivery of the additional inventory in large chunks which is subsequently absorbed by market demand. Vacancy rates are expected to decline after the first quarter of 2025. Chatham County, in the 12-month period ending June 2024, added 111 firms in the logistics industry. In total, the 732 business establishments employ about 15,900 workers. 1,750 workers in the sector are Georgia Ports Authority employees and 2,200 International Longshoremen union members support port operations. Effingham County's logistics and distribution sector experienced robust growth in 2024, driven by the expansion of existing facilities and the addition of six new companies in the prior year. Notably, new employers such as Aertssen Logistics, Sanritsu, and Kyungshin have contributed to this surge, increasing the number of establishments from 64 to 90 in one year and bringing the total