MAKING MANHATTAN SHOVEL READY

Public investment in corporate incentives isn't about the real estate —it's about the job creation, says NYC Economic Development Corp prez Seth Pinsky, but the building stock does play a role. (In fact, it's in the running for Best Supporting Actor.)
At lunch with REBNY at the Hilton New York, we snapped Seth and Empire State Development Corp CEO Ken Adams, who justifies the incentives for Fresh Direct to relocate within the city (LIC to the South Bronx) by job growth: The Excelsior Jobs Program tax credit kicks in only if and when the 2,000 to 3,000 jobs the grocer promised are created. More than individual deals, though, Seth wants to create conditions so corporations want to move here and sprout jobs organically. Among those is the quality of the office stock.

Port Authority of NY and NJ exec director Pat Foye says rezoning for higher density (Hudson Yards and the East Side, for instance), even while existing stock (think WTC) sits vacant, is needed to update the city's office inventory. How did our wardrobe get so out of date? Seth says we've missed the development window for the past few cycles: By the time rents rose to justify new projects and ideas got ready to break ground, the cycle was over. Bloomberg, Seth says, wants to position the city so developers can stick those shovels in the ground as soon as rents allow it.
Adam Frazier (with colleagues Sara Fay, Tom Hill, Matthew Mayer,Robert Schubert, and Dan Birney) won REBNY's Most Promising Commercial Salesperson of the Year Award for his four-tenant relocation project at 2 Grand Central Tower, totaling 50k SF.

Continue reading this story with a free account

Log in or register
Sign up for more articles like this
Subscribe to Bisnow's Denver Newsletters
Related Stories

Innovo On Leasing Spree At Multistory LIC Warehouse: The N.Y. Deal Sheet

The Opportunities, Limitations And Benefits Of Reserved Investor Funds

After 5 Years Of Gains, Commercial Real Estate's C-Suites Just Got Less Diverse

'We Aren't Competitive': Power, Taxes Keep Colorado On The Data Center Sidelines

£1B Property Group To Buy Huge Chunk Of Collapsed NCP Car Park Empire

Nearly 35K SF Shopping Center Sells For $8.5M: The Denver Deal Sheet

1,300 Projects Potentially Paused Due To Suspension Of Quality Inspectors

Walker & Dunlop On Why The Housing Market Is More Balanced Than It Appears

Mamdani Administration Applauds Transfer Of 3 Distressed Rent-Stabilized Buildings

Racing To The Finish Line: How Early Prefabrication Keeps Projects On Time

What New York Can Learn From California's Push To Cut Environmental Red Tape

Greystar Sells Denver Apartment Building For $110M