3040 Route 22 West in Branchburg — Courtesy: Larken Associates
By Joshua Burd
Larken Associates has broken ground on a new boutique office building in Branchburg, in what will mark the expansion of an existing property that the real estate firm purchased in 2017.
Located at 3040 Route 22 West, the 19,000-square-foot project will cater to both conventional and medical office users, according to a news release. The structure will rise at what had been part of a parking lot alongside a 90,000-square-foot building that the company has renovated and brought to full occupancy since its acquisition.
Completion of the new space is slated for next summer.
“Consistently ranked among one of the top places to live in the nation and already home to a wide range of businesses, Somerset County exemplifies the types of suburban office markets poised to emerge with strength out of the COVID-19 pandemic,” said Victor Kelly, executive vice president of Raider Realty, the in-house brokerage unit of Larken Associates. “Through the construction of this building, we aim to tap into the highly favorable long-term growth demographics of the market and create a space tailor-made for the dynamic and growing companies hoping to call Somerset County home.”
Core Enterprises, Larken Associates’ in-house construction team, will spearhead the project. The developer noted Wednesday that the single-story office building will have flexible built-to-suit floorplans, offering tenants private entrances, private bathrooms and individual HVAC units.
The start of the construction marks the final stage of Larken Associates’ value-add strategy at what it calls Branchburg Centre. The firm said the existing building was 74 percent leased at the time of its acquisition in 2017, boasting a location along Route 22 with easy access to routes 28, 31, 202 and 206 and interstates 78 and 287.
Larken’s upgrades of the property included the new LED circular pendant lights, contemporary glass walls throughout, an updated lobby and a café with a main eating area and separate lounge, the news release said. In addition, the firm installed new carpeting, paint, wallpaper and flooring, as well as a new recessed ceiling, a modern wood tile accent wall in the main conference room, updated exterior signage and a new front canopy glass vestibule.
