WestPark Campus Set To Be Nation's First Smart Office Campus

Drones, Autonomous Transportation, Smart Sensors, Broadband connectivity, Next-Gen Security and Efficiency Part of the Plan as the Entire Campus Becomes Available

“With the advent of Covid-19 and major companies rethinking office occupancies in large cities, WestPark is uniquely positioned to meet the needs of our times.”

DJ Venn, Senior Vice President of Asset Management, Onyx Equities, announced today that the company has issued an RFP to create one of the first smart office campuses in the nation. WestPark, as it is known, comprises two Gold LEED, trophy Class-A headquarters buildings on 25.6 acres, located at 1111 and 1129 Westchester Avenue in White Plains, New York. The buildings are available for lease, and are acknowledged as the finest office buildings on the commercial market in Westchester County.

But, the plan, he said, is to transform them and the entire campus to meet the accelerating technological demands of 21st century businesses.

“Our vision is for WestPark to serve as a hub of connectivity for a global workforce and be the place where innovation and creativity will thrive,” Venn said. “With heightened interest by companies—and employees—seeking to relocate to the suburbs, our goal is to rival some of the most technically advanced campuses in the world.”

According to William V. Cuddy, Jr., Executive Vice President of CBRE, which is marketing the campus, which is currently serving as the temporary headquarters of a major multinational corporation, a re-imagined WestPark will be the catalyst of something much, much larger.

“As Westchester County’s biotech, healthcare, financial services, and tech sectors continue to thrive, the chance to develop and position WestPark as the linchpin of an ‘Innovation Corridor’ along I-287 – that will attract companies in New York City’s burgeoning tech and financial sectors, as well as others nationally – is very real,” he says. “The effect will be to invigorate and stimulate flexible ways of doing business, retain and expand the region’s young, educated workforce, and encourage more research and development here.”

The prime location and condition of the WestPark campus are considered top-of-the-line by today’s standards.

· It is uniquely situated between the Metro-North Harlem and New Haven Lines, and at the intersections of I-287, I-684, and the Hutchinson River and Merritt parkways;

· The campus can draw a labor force from New York to Connecticut and New Jersey;

· 1111 Westchester Avenue boasts a bright airy interior measuring 234,281 square feet of Class-A space. 1129 Westchester Avenue, equally magnificent, has 132,179 square feet of Class-A space;

· There is a powerful data center with fiber-optic connectivity, fresh-air ventilation systems, high-speed connectivity, a large cafeteria, fitness center, and plenty of power and back-up generation;

· The buildings also have 1127 covered and surface parking spaces, and boast modern security and life safety systems.

Big Picture Thinking

But the Onyx team is thinking even bigger for the future. WestPark’s Smart Campus RFP is written for two (2) phases of development:

The first calls for the two buildings to be retrofitted with next-level technology, including AI and IoT data retrieval systems to meet 21st century demands in terms of sustainability, energy conservation, health and wellness, security, connectivity and workforce attraction.

The second calls for autonomous vehicles to set the stage for re-imagining transportation along the I-287 corridor, connecting New York, New Jersey and Connecticut, which was invigorated in 2017 with the opening of the new Governor Mario M. Cuomo Bridge.

“Our concept is for an autonomous shuttle and other autonomous vehicles to connect our innovation campus with our immediate neighborhood’s sports, food, and health facilities, and then to the White Plains multimodal, transportation center and Metro-North RR train stations. That’s for starters,” said Venn.

To that end, WestPark Associates will work proactively with New York State and Westchester County to encourage the development of an I-287 “Innovation Corridor” and the use of autonomous transportation in that corridor.

“Both our world-class Smart Campus and the concept of developing an autonomous transportation loop along the I-287 corridor all play into the vision we have of moving Westchester County into the forefront of smart business, innovation, and healthy living,” Venn notes.

Imaginative Design and Flow

At present, the two WestPark office buildings epitomize all the aspects of a Class A, trophy headquarters, with their crisp, airy, fresh, modern, sophisticated design and magnificently detailed interiors. “This is Westchester’s premier office complex, so we’re beginning the process with a leg up,” Cuddy notes. The buildings are loaded with amenities, have high-speed fiber connectivity, an environmentally-sensitive design, natural light on every level, excellent air filtration systems, and plenty of green space. “Even so, the owners are not resting on their laurels; they are re-imagining the campus for the 21st century,” he said.

Venn adds that with the advent of Covid-19 and major companies rethinking their desire to headquarter in large cities, “WestPark is uniquely positioned to meet the needs of our times.”

Venn predicts that the RFP, which is posted at www.westparkny.com, will be of interest to both leading global companies as well as second and third stage companies that are successfully producing innovative technology.

“Experience, qualifications, price, product viability, financial stability, and proposed timetable are among the many factors that will enter into the committee’s decision-making,” he said.

Submissions are due by 5 pm on September 9, 2020 and decisions are expected by yearend. For further information about the RFP or leasing, contact:

WILLIAM V. CUDDY, JR, Executive Vice President, +1 203 325 5380, william.cuddy@cbre.com

-or-

JACQUELINE NOVOTNY, First Vice President, +1 203 352 8919, jacqueline.novotny@cbre.com

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About Onyx Equities

Onyx Equities is a forward thinking, leading real estate investment and property services firm specializing in acquiring and/or managing commercial properties. We embrace innovation and the plans that technology visionaries bring to the table, and we value teamwork and embrace a collaborative mindset. Every day, we bring our best efforts to bear to differentiate our service and hold ourselves accountable for the health of our client relationships.

About CBRE

CBRE has been the leader in commercial real estate services in the New York Tri-State area for more than a quarter century. With more than 150 employees across Westchester County, we provide property condition and environmental site assessments, construction risk management and telecommunications advisory services on behalf of lenders, investors, corporate users and the telecom industry on both a regional and worldwide basis. We have a proven track record of delivering reliable, strategic and focused solutions to our clients. Whether for a single asset or a multi-market, multi-property portfolio assignment, our professionals consistently provide our clients with exceptional outcomes.