Monday, March 20, 2006

Jones Lang LaSalle

Liberty Gets OK for 156,000 SF of Offices
By Eric Peterson
Last updated: March 20, 2006 08:08am

MT. LAUREL, NJ-Liberty Property Trust has received final approval from township officials to develop and, in one case redevelop, 156,000 sf of office space in two buildings on 20 acres here. Township officials have also okayed a plan to fold two existing buildings totaling 75,000 sf nearby into the new to create Liberty Walk at East Gate, a class A office campus.

The two buildings totaling 156,000 sf will also be designed to achieve LEED certification, according to Rob Jones, vice president of the Malvern, PA-based Liberty Property Trust’s South Jersey region. The larger of the two will be 100,000 sf of new construction, and the other is a 56,000-sf renovation. The park will also include a mile-long green beltway of interconnected walkways, patios, ponds and other amenities.

“We have expertise in ‘green’ development,” Jones says. “This park is being designed with many features that will enhance sustainable development.”

The groundwork for Liberty Walk was laid last year when Liberty completed a 50,000-sf office building for Marlin

Leasing Corp. at 300 Fellowship Rd., according to Jones. The process continued that year when Liberty developed a 25,000-sf spec building at 302 Fellowship Rd. that is now 90% leased. Atlantic & Pacific Mortgage (11,720 sf) and Kay Construction (10,786 sf) are the building’s two new tenants.

Liberty has since acquired the buildings at 306, 330 and 350 Fellowship Rd. According to Jones, the 306 and 330 buildings will be demolished to make way for the new LEED-certified, four-story, 100,000-sf building. The 56,000-sf 350 building will be gutted and renovated to LEED and class A office standards. “The renovation should be completed by October of this year, and the new building will be ready for occupancy in early 2007,” Jones says.

“The market for large blocks of class A office space in this region is very strong,” says Fred Berlinsky of Markeim-Chalmers of Cherry Hill, who has the marketing assignment. “This corner of the township is an excellent location because of its proximity to major highways and the labor pool.”