GOOGLE EFFECT

Taconic Investment Partners co-CEO Paul Pariser was at YMWREA’s monthly University Club luncheon yesterday to talk about his rise from one of Jones Lang Wootton’s first US-based employees to owner of a firm that's acquired, redeveloped, and repositioned over 12M SF of commercial space and 3,000 units of luxury and workforce housing. But most people wanted to hear about the deal that rocked the end of ’10—Taconic, Jamestown, and theNew York State Common Retirement Fund's sale of the 2.9M SF111 Eighth Avenue to tech giant Google for $1.8B. Why wouldn’t Google want to control its own space, given it was the tenant’s vision to be there for the long-term, he says.
Not bad for an investment where people told Paul and partnerCharles Bendit, “You’ll never break $20/SF.” The building had reached $71/SF with Lifetime Network’s lease, says Paul (with The Durst Org’s Brandl Frey and Cushman & Wakefield’s David Berke), and rents with telecom tenants can reach as high as $80 to $100/SF “because they never move.” Now Taconic is managing the building for Google—the real reason he and Charles formed Taconic, he says, to get out of working for others and instead work for themselves. Overall, he’s extremely bullish on the NYC investment market, even though he just sold the building. Now’s a good time to play in the cityby buying, adding value, mining it, and moving on, he says, warning that there’s a higher likelihood that buildings will be worth more than less over the next few years.

Continue reading this story with a free account

Log in or register
Sign up for more articles like this
Subscribe to Bisnow's Washington, D.C. Newsletters
Related Stories

NYC Lawmakers Consider Mandating Lease Extensions For Retailers

NYC Pushes To Use Opportunity Zone 2.0 For Mamdani's Housing Goals

DOJ Charges LA Nonprofit Workers With Misusing $8.7M Meant For Housing Aid

Philly's Busy Summer Created Momentum. Can The City Turn It Into Long-Term Growth?

Where Capital Meets Opportunity: Navigating The Next Wave Of CRE Financing At Bisnow’s Event On Sept. 30

Discussing Strategic Capital Stack Structuring At Bisnow's Sept. 30 National Finance Event

Loudoun County Moves To Pause Data Center Applications For 12 Months

Why Top-Secret Facilities Are Permeating Greater D.C.'s Office Market

Mountain Developers Look To Mobile Homes, Deed Restrictions For Affordability Solutions

Bally's Lines Up $560M Loan For Bronx Casino: The N.Y. Deal Sheet

Data Center Spills 5,000 Gallons Of Fuel Into New Jersey River

Historic Brooklyn Hotel To Be Turned Into Ritz-Carlton-Branded Condos