Connect Midwest Multifamily Trends 2026: View from the Top

Connect Midwest Multifamily Trends 2026: View from the Top
News| July 1, 2026| Jasmine Kilman
Chicago & Midwest + Apartment Buildings

The Midwest multifamily markets have been among the leaders in annual rent growth for the past few years, attracting investors and developers.

At the recent Connect Midwest Multifamily Trends 2026 event in Chicago, hundreds of industry professionals gathered to hear insights into the opportunities and challenges facing the sector across the region. In a panel discussion moderated by Aaron May, Partner at Gould & Ratner LLP, multifamily leaders discussed the most active sales and development markets, whether urban or suburban is better poised for growth, and which projects are in demand and closing successfully.

We strongly feel some of the best opportunities are here in Chicago, especially suburban Chicago,” said Trevor Ryan, President of Marquette Companies. “Elsewhere in the Midwest, some of our capital partners continually bring up markets like Columbus, Indianapolis, Kansas City, Madison, and Milwaukee.”

“The thing that’s made development work in the city now is the new tax abatement,” explained Darren Sloniger, Founder and Owner of Parq Development. “The tax abatement has really provided new life for development in Chicago. There’s a big pipeline out there of deals that want to get financed, and it’s going to be the best located properties with the best strategies that are going to get done.”

Speaking to successful deals and projects coming to fruition, Peter Gudonis, Head of Development at CityPads, noted, “We just sold the first development of our current fund. Everyone’s happy, it established our proof of concept, and we’re very excited for the group.”

In the suburban markets and the secondary and tertiary markets, I think there’s going to be such a huge wave of distress that’s going to hit, that it’s going to present a huge opportunity in those areas,” added Reid Bennett, Senior Vice President for SVN – Chicago Commercial. ” But at the same time, it’s going to be a big challenge to work through over the next five or so years.”

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