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Manhattans pandemic-pummeled office market is headed for a spectacular rebound — and not only landlords, but business advocates and eatery owners are thrilled.

Although the Manhattan office market hit bottom in 2023 with more than 20% vacancy rate, the short-term future looks rosier, according to a new report from national real estate technology platform VTS.

Its latest quarterly Office Demand Index (VODI) found that demand for space in the Big Apple rose nearly 40% in 2023 over the previous year — lifting demand to 75% of pre-pandemic times.

By comparison, office space demand grew by only an average 19.6% around the US. The New York City market is the nations largest by far with nearly a half-billion square feet. Runner-up Los Angeles has only 317 million square feet and much-in-the-news Miami  a mere 41 million square feet, according to brokerage CBRE.

VTS chief strategy officer Ryan Masiello said its data tends to lead the market by six to nine months. 

Our prediction is that this year, New York City will break 30 million square feet of total leasing, the highest since before the pandemic, he said.

New York City saw nearly 43 million square feet of new leases, expansions and renewals in 2019. 

Deals made in 2023 totaled 26 million square feet according to CBRE, which was 11% lower than in 2022.

The VTS numbers dont reflect actual new leases and expansions, but rather the amount of space that companies are seeking.

Its data is based on lease proposals, company visits to “kick tires” at office buildings and other types of information VTS gets from its client landlords, which Masiello said constitute 80% of the market.

CBRE tristate CEO Mary Ann Tighe commented that the  VTS data affirm what our  own research is seeing and what our brokers feel on the ground.

Kathryn Wylde, president of the Partnership for New York City business-advocacy organization, said the findings were consistent with anecdotal evidence from our members, many of whom are re-upping leases  or moving to newly renovated or brand new spaces.”

She noted, Financial and professional services industries, which are our  major office employers and tenants, account for an out-sized share of the tax revenues that fund municipal services.

Keeping those businesses and their employees in the city  are not just good for our economy, but essential for the quality of life across all five boroughs.

Several deals that were in the works last year actually got done this week. 

Sources told The Post  that Barclays Bank renewed its lease for 1.1 million square feet at  745 Seventh Ave. Evercore, an investment banking advisory firm, added 95,000 square feet at Fisher Brothers Park Avenue Plaza, lifting its footprint there to more than 500,000 square feet.  

Meanwhile, Blackstone, Jane Street Capital and American Express are among top-class tenants reportedly looking for large blocks of space to move or expand in Manhattan.

Experts attribute the renewed Manhattan energy to growing confidence that return-to-office is gaining steam as well as to a wider sense that the city is no longer a ghost town nor dangerous except in a handful of areas.

Dan Biederman, president of the Bryant Park Corporation and the 34th Street Partnership, noted, Our subways and suburban trains are much more crowded than last year. Just today, I almost got knocked over trying to get to the turnstiles at the Rockefeller Center station.

A leasing boom would also be great news for restaurants in business districts.

Marc Packer, a partner in Avra Group which owns three large Midtown restaurants, called the VTS forecast extremely important for the health of retail/restaurant business and the basic ecosystem of the city.

Dino Arpaia, owner of Cellini on East 54th Street, said that it might bring more employees to offices on the two days in the week when he said there are sometimes zero people at his restaurant.

He said the return-to-offices trend hasnt helped parts of East Midtown as much as it has other areas.

Its still missing on Mondays and Fridays, he said.

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Sports

Marlins def. Yankees, earn 1st-ever sweep of N.Y.

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Marlins def. Yankees, earn 1st-ever sweep of N.Y.

MIAMI — Kyle Stowers hit a three-run homer and the Miami Marlins defeated the New York Yankees 7-3 on Sunday, completing their first-ever sweep of the Yankees in a series of three or more games.

The Marlins (55-55) reached .500 for the first time since April 15, when the team was 8-8. Since June 13, the Marlins are 30-14; that’s tied with the 2003 team for the most wins in a 44-game span in franchise history, according to ESPN Research.

The 2003 Marlins went on to beat the Yankees in the World Series in six games.

Marlins starter Edward Cabrera (5-5) pitched six innings of two-hit ball with seven strikeouts and one walk. His only blemish came against the first batter he faced. Trent Grisham drove Cabrera’s 98.1 mph four-seam fastball to right-center.

Miami rookie Jakob Marsee, who made his major league debut on Friday, was 2-for-4 and finished a single short of the cycle.

Stowers made it 6-1 when he connected on an 0-2 fastball from Brent Headrick, who entered in the fourth with two on after starter Luis Gil (0-1) was lifted 3⅓ innings into his season debut.

Gil, the reigning AL Rookie of the Year, struck out three and surrendered five runs and five hits while issuing four walks in his return from a high-grade lat strain. He threw 77 pitches.

Gil’s shaky debut comes at a rough point in the season for the Yankees, whose inconsistency has prompted a rash of criticism, the latest coming from former Yankees stars Derek Jeter and Alex Rodriguez on Fox’s pregame show Saturday night.

“They make way too many mistakes,” Jeter said. “Way too many mistakes, and you can’t get away with making that number of mistakes against great teams.”

Added Rodriguez: “Where’s the accountability?”

Boone addressed those criticisms before Sunday’s game, saying it comes with the territory of being the Yankees, but he added after the loss that it’s “gut-check” time for his club.

New York’s weekend series at Miami included the Yankees blowing a six-run lead in a wild 13-12 loss on Friday, before a 2-0 loss on Saturday.

The Yankees had a seven-game lead in the AL East in late May. By July 2, the lead was gone and the Yankees have been looking up at Toronto in the division ever since. The red-hot Boston Red Sox, who were more than 10 games behind the Yankees about two months ago, have overtaken their rival for the second spot in the AL East and AL wild-card lead.

“It’s getting late,” Boone said. “And it’s certainly not too late for us. I am confident that we’re going to get it together. But that’s all it is right now is, you know, it’s empty until we start doing it.”

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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Sports

Rodriguez makes history with 4th 20-20 season

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Rodriguez makes history with 4th 20-20 season

SEATTLE — Julio Rodriguez homered to become the first player in major league history with 20 or more home runs and 20 or more stolen bases in each of his first four seasons, and the Seattle Mariners beat the Texas Rangers 5-4 on Sunday.

Rodriguez hit a two-run shot in the third inning — his 100th career homer — and the slugging and speedy center fielder also added his 21st stolen base of the season after singling in the fifth inning.

Jorge Polanco added a solo shot in the second, and shortstop J.P. Crawford smacked a two-run blast in the fourth against Rangers starter Jacob deGrom (10-4), who became the fastest pitcher in major league history to reach 1,800 career strikeouts by games and innings Sunday.

The Rangers kept things close by pushing across three runs against Mariners starter Logan Evans (5-4), but tallied only one run against the Mariners bullpen before closer Andrés Muñoz locked down his 25th save of the season.

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Politics

£100m border security boost – as govt vows ‘major crackdown’ on people smuggling gangs

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£100m border security boost - as govt vows 'major crackdown' on people smuggling gangs

The government has vowed to push for a “major new crackdown” on people smuggling gangs with a £100m cash boost for border security.

The investment will support the pilot of the new “one in, one out” returns agreement between the UK and France, and other efforts to crack down on small boat crossings.

Home Secretary Yvette Cooper said this new funding will “strengthen” the government’s “serious and comprehensive plan” to dismantle the business model of criminal gangs smuggling migrants across the Channel.

But the Conservatives have claimed the cash injection will make “no real difference”, with shadow home secretary Chris Philp branding the move a Labour “gimmick” and a “desperate grab for headlines”.

The funding will pay for up to 300 new National Crime Agency (NCA) officials, “state-of-the art” detection technology and new equipment to “smash the networks putting lives at risk in the Channel”, ministers say.

It will also allow the Border Security Command, the NCA, the police and other law enforcement agency partners to “strengthen investigations targeting smuggling kingpins and disrupt their operations across Europe, the Middle East, Africa and beyond”.

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July: 25,000 migrants have crossed Channel

The new investment comes as official figures show more than 25,000 people have arrived on small boats so far in 2025 – a record for this point in the year.

Ms Cooper said: “In the last 12 months, we have set the foundations for this new and much stronger law enforcement approach – establishing the new Border Security Command, strengthening the National Crime Agency and UK police operations, increasing Immigration Enforcement, introducing new counter terror style powers in our Border Security Bill, and establishing cooperation agreements with Europol and other countries.

“Now this additional funding will strengthen every aspect of our plan, and will turbo-charge the ability of our law enforcement agencies to track the gangs and bring them down, working with our partners overseas, and using state-of-the-art technology and equipment.

“Alongside our new agreements with France, this will help us drive forward our Plan for Change commitments to protect the UK’s border security and restore order to our immigration system.”

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The £100m investment will also support new powers to be introduced when the Border Security, Asylum and Immigration Bill becomes law, the Home Office said.

This includes the introduction of a UK-wide offence to criminalise the creation and publication of online material that promotes a breach of immigration law, such as the advertisement of small boat crossings on social media.

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July: Hundreds gather for protest outside ‘migrant’ hotel

Research suggests about 80% of migrants arriving to the UK by small boat used internet platforms during their journey – including to contact agents linked to smuggling gangs.

While it is already illegal to assist illegal immigration, ministers hope the creation of a new offence will give police more powers and disrupt business models.

Mr Philp accused the Labour government of having “no serious plan, just excuses, while ruthless criminal gangs flood our borders with illegal immigrants”.

He said: “The British public deserves real action, not empty slogans and tinkering at the edges.”

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