The Research Consulting Services Group of Cushman & Wakefield of Connecticut reports that the county's market recovery is in full swing, posting a 15.1% overall vacancy rate at mid-year 2000, up from the 17.8% rate of last June. Recently, Insignia/ESG officials released the firm's mid-year report noting that the county's office sector, particularly in White Plains, has shown vast improvement.

The area is, "an attractive place for technology companies because of the tremendous fiber-optic infrastructure," says Kenneth M. Krasnow, regional managing director of Cushman & Wakefield's Westchester and Connecticut Operations based here. "These high growth companies have been nimble enough to respond quickly when properties with flexible blocks of space and the right technological infrastructure become available."

Westchester County saw a record level of leasing activity during the first half of 2000, totaling 1,741,659 sf, with significant velocity in White Plains. The city's downtown market continued to tighten, with the overall vacancy rate steadily declining since last June from 27% to 19.7% at mid-year. Leasing in the White Plains CBD totaled 647,053 sf, accounting for over one-third of county transactions, more than double that of last year.