Cushman & Wakefield Arranges 81,351-Sq.-Ft. Headquarters Lease With Hatch Mott Macdonald

Design Firm's Signing Completes Lease-up of the New MetroTop Plaza II Building in just Nine Months. End Quote

Edison, NJ (1888PressRelease) August 24, 2012 - Cushman & Wakefield, Inc. has arranged an 81,351-square-foot headquarters office lease with Hatch Mott MacDonald at MetroTop Plaza I and II in MetroPark, within the Iselin section of Woodbridge. The commercial real estate services firm's Edison, N.J.-based team of Paul Giannone, Kevin Carton and Eric Sobel represented the ownership, Atlantic Realty & Development Corp., while the tenant was represented by David Zimmel Associates and Jim Schroeder of Studley.

For Hatch Mott MacDonald, the lease signifies a headquarters expansion and relocation from its current base in Millburn, N.J. Ranked 35th on Engineering News Record's Top 500 list of U.S. design firms, the engineering and design firm operates 70 offices in North America, with a focus on infrastructure, transportation, water projects and environmental services. The lease encompasses 71,351 square feet including the entire third and fifth floors and part of the fourth floor of the 255,000-square-foot class A MetroTop Plaza II, and 10,000 square feet on the first floor of MetroTop Plaza I. The firm will also have signage on the front elevation of MetroTop Plaza II.

"The new location will provide additional office space to accommodate our anticipated growth needs," said Nicholas DeNichilo, HMM president and CEO. "After considering other locations in Central and Northern New Jersey, MetroTop was selected because of its excellent highway and rail access, facilitating travel to other HMM offices along the east coast.

"Also, having the Woodbridge Hilton Hotel adjacent to the office will be convenient for clients and staff attending corporate events at our new location," he said. "Overall, MetroTop had the best combination of location, access and amenities among all of the locations that we considered."

For MetroTop Plaza II, which was completed and readied for fit-out at the end of 2011, the HMM signing marks the building's 100 percent lease-up in just nine months. HMM's lease follows the recent signing of accounting firm EisnerAmper for 87,000 square feet, and earlier leases with Ansell Healthcare, Vitech Systems Group and McDonald's Corp.

"This transaction, the second lease in excess of 80,000 square feet, concluded here within 30 days, is a testament to the quality of the building Atlantic Realty has developed, and to the desirability of the MetroPark location in Central New Jersey," said Giannone. "The more than 250,000 square feet leased at MetroTop over the past nine months has changed the leasing dynamics of this submarket, and we expect to see an increase in asking rents and fewer concessions as the market continues to improve."

MetroTop Plaza II and the 90,000-square-foot completely renovated Plaza I are situated just off the Garden State Parkway, and within walking distance of the Amtrak- and New Jersey Transit-served MetroPark Train Station. In addition to the adjacent Woodbridge Hilton, other amenities include a two-story, glass-enclosed atrium, fiber optics, card key access, a multi-level parking deck, a 4,500-square-foot gymnasium, an 8,500-square-foot cafeteria, and a 10,000-square-foot activity center for tenant use.

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