Carlton Wenz, a senior director in the Long Island office of Cushman & Wakefield, negotiated on behalf of First Data in the transaction. Groundbreaking on the three-story building is scheduled for this spring and construction is expected to take about a year.

"This transaction underscores a very important message for our business and our community," stated Gregg Rechler, Co-President of Reckson Associates. "The fact that First Data, a Denver-based world-wide operation, is committed to owning and maintaining a major presence on Long Island is a validation of the strength and quality of the Long Island workforce."

The new development, a companion building to the Melville Square I building at 1305 Walt Whitman Rd., is the company's fifth project within Reckson's Tri-State portfolio. "This Melville Square Corporate Center site represents 19 of our 338 acres of land available for development within our New York Tri-State area portfolio," Rechler notes. "This transaction represents an excellent opportunity to utilize our land while generating a favorable return to the company."