5 Vaughn Drive in West Windsor — Courtesy: JLL
By Joshua Burd
Essential Properties Realty Trust is on the move in the Princeton submarket after taking nearly 20,000 square feet of office space in West Windsor, brokers with JLL announced.
According to the leasing team, ERPT is nearly doubling its footprint as part of the relocation to 5 Vaughn Drive from 902 Carnegie Center Blvd. It will occupy the space under the long-term deal with American Equity Partners, the owner of the 98,500-square-foot property, where JLL has completed more than 50,000 square feet of transactions with new and expanding tenants since 2023 to bring it to 98.5 percent occupancy.
“We are thrilled to welcome another new tenant to 5 Vaughn Drive, where an extensive amenity package has further enhanced the property’s appeal,” said David Elkouby, managing partner of American Equity Partners. “It has been rewarding to work with JLL as we have repositioned the property, and we look forward to announcing full occupancy in the very near future.”
JLL senior vice presidents Vinny DiMeglio and Jason Benson and Managing Director Thomas Romano lead the agency team at 5 Vaughn Drive and represented ownership in the 19,601-square-foot lease with Essential Properties. Sab Russo of Princeton Property Partners represented the tenant, a publicly traded real estate management firm.
The brokers added that, since acquiring the three-story property in 2020, American Equity Partners has invested in renovation and amenity upgrades that include a new Peloton spin studio, grab-and-go vending, a tenant lounge and shared conference rooms. It also benefits from a glass atrium, landscaped grounds, an outdoor exercise facility, walking paths and seating overlooking a picturesque pond.
JLL also noted that 5 Vaughn Drive is adjacent to the Princeton Junction train station, while it’s equidistant from New York City and Philadelphia.
“5 Vaughn Drive is without question the most commuter-friendly office location in the submarket,” DiMeglio said. “With its well-capitalized ownership committed to maintaining an appealing modern environment for tenants, the property presents the unique advantage of being surrounded by top-tier talent and leading educational institutions, all while providing employees with an easily accessible, commuter-friendly location at the heart of the Northeast Corridor.”
Other tenants at the building include pharmaceutical and biotech giant Moderna and national engineering group Wiss, Janey, Elstner. Most recently, JLL arranged a new lease for New York-based Loring Engineers and a lease for the first U.S. office of RiboX Therapeutics, a Shanghai-based biotech company, while the New Jersey Educational Facilities Authority relocated in January 2025 to the building from College Road East.
