C&W officials say that leasing activity in White Plains accounted for 40% of the total transactions in Westchester County in the last three months. The Downtown White Plains office vacancy rate dropped from 24.7% last September to 18.2% after the first nine months of this year.

"Westchester County, and White Plains particularly, is an attractive place for technology companies because of the tremendous fiber infrastructure," says Kenneth M. Krasnow, regional managing director for C&W's Westchester and Connecticut operations. "Even though White Plains' rents may reach an all-time high of $35 per sf by year's end, they will remain lower than prices found in Manhattan or Fairfield County."

CW reports that office vacancy rates in the eastern section of the county dropped to 9% at the end of the third quarter and the southern tier of the county saw its rate slip to just 5.5% at the end of September 2000. Krasnow says that despite the volatility in the dot.com sector, Westchester County saw a number of transactions with dot.com related companies that either expanded their operations or launched new products at county-based offices.