A newly design fitness center is among the improvements slated for 9 Campus Drive in Parsippany and several other buildings in Mack-Cali Realty Corp.’s suburban office portfolio. — Photos by Ben Gancsos/Courtesy: Mack-Cali
By Joshua Burd
Mack-Cali Realty Corp. has offered a glimpse at $50 million in upgrades it’s planning at a dozen suburban office buildings in the Parsippany, Short Hills, Metropark and Red Bank submarkets.
The real estate investment trust said the improvements involve a “comprehensive renovation of building exteriors, installation of state-of-the-art amenities and modernization of common areas in the properties. The work will be completed over the course of the next year, with the company having hired a team of well-known architecture firms to oversee the projects.
The design firms include HLW International, Studio 1200, Rotwein + Blake, and Joshua Zinder.
The properties that are slated for upgrades include:
- Sylvan Way in Parsippany
- 8 and 9 Campus Drive in Parsippany
- 5 Wood Hollow in Parsippany
- River | Centre in Red Bank
- 333 and 343 Thornall St. in Edison
- 581 Main St. in Edison
- 150 John F. Kennedy Pkwy. in Short Hills
- 3 Giralda Farms in Madison
Mack-Cali, which is in the midst of a sweeping, $75 million transformation of its flagship Harborside complex in Jersey City, has also targeted some suburban submarkets as it has right-sized its once-sprawling portfolio. Those areas include high-rent or transit-served submarkets.
“While state-of-the-art facilities are a ‘must’ in today’s office market, our strategy of catering to the evolving needs of the modern tenant is about much more than just improving the physical infrastructure of a building,” said Michael DeMarco, CEO of Mack-Cali. “It also means setting the stage with next-level amenities. With this capital improvement program, we’re upgrading every touchpoint of the tenant experience, from what they see when they first walk into the building’s lobby, to where and what they eat for lunch and how they work out in the afternoon.”
According to the REIT, the planned improvements call for:
- Redesigns of building lobbies and entryways, designed to create bright, airy settings with locally inspired design features
- Upgraded finishes, customized to complement each building’s new design and aesthetic
- New and updated on-site dining options, from “grab-and-go” kiosks offering fresh lunch items to full-service food halls with abundant seating
- Conference centers featuring high-end tables with built-in connections and cutting-edge audio-visual systems
- New tenant fitness centers with state-of-the-art equipment, training facilities, locker rooms, and vanity areas
- A variety of furnished lounge areas designed for a relaxed experience
“Throughout our entire portfolio, we’re executing an aggressive strategy to create truly great places to work and live for decades to come,” DeMarco said.
