by Brianna Crandall — August 29, 2012—Global commercial real estate services firm Cushman & Wakefield has arranged an 81,351 sq. ft. headquarters office lease with Hatch Mott MacDonald at MetroTop Plaza I and II in the MetroPark development, within the Iselin section of Woodbridge, New Jersey. The lease encompasses 71,351 sq. ft., including the entire third and fifth floors and part of the fourth floor of the 255,000 sq. ft. class A MetroTop Plaza II, and 10,000 sq. ft. on the first floor of MetroTop Plaza I. The firm will also have signage on the front elevation of MetroTop Plaza II.
For Hatch Mott MacDonald, the lease signifies a headquarters expansion and relocation from its current base in Millburn, New Jersey. Ranked 35th on Engineering News Record‘s Top 500 list of U.S. design firms, the engineering and design firm operates 70 offices in North America, with a focus on infrastructure, transportation, water projects and environmental services.
“The new location will provide additional office space to accommodate our anticipated growth needs,” said Nicholas DeNichilo, HMM president and CEO. “After considering other locations in Central and Northern New Jersey, MetroTop was selected because of its excellent highway and rail access, facilitating travel to other HMM offices along the east coast. Also, having the Woodbridge Hilton Hotel adjacent to the office will be convenient for clients and staff attending corporate events at our new location. Overall, MetroTop had the best combination of location, access and amenities among all of the locations that we considered.”
For MetroTop Plaza II, which was completed and readied for fit-out at the end of 2011, the HMM signing marks the building’s 100 percent lease-up in just nine months. HMM’s lease follows the recent signing of accounting firm EisnerAmper for 87,000 sq. ft., and earlier leases with Ansell Healthcare, Vitech Systems Group and McDonald’s Corp.
“This transaction, the second lease in excess of 80,000 sq. ft., concluded here within 30 days, is a testament to the quality of the building Atlantic Realty has developed, and to the desirability of the MetroPark location in Central New Jersey,” said Giannone. “The more than 250,000 sq. ft. leased at MetroTop over the past nine months has changed the leasing dynamics of this submarket, and we expect to see an increase in asking rents and fewer concessions as the market continues to improve.”
MetroTop Plaza II and the 90,000 sq. ft. completely renovated Plaza I are situated just off the Garden State Parkway, and within walking distance of the Amtrak- and New Jersey Transit-served MetroPark Train Station. In addition to the adjacent Woodbridge Hilton, other amenities include a two-story, glass-enclosed atrium, fiber optics, card key access, a multi-level parking deck, a 4,500 sq. ft. gymnasium, an 8,500 sq. ft. cafeteria, and a 10,000 sq. ft. activity center for tenant use.
