The new Canon Americas headquarters will be built on a 52-acre site here, and will attain at least a Silver LEED status. "This is an exciting milestone in our efforts to build a state-of-the-art headquarters facility that will serve as a model of an environmentally responsible development project, and will enable us to expand our operations," says Joe Adachi, president and CEO of Canon USA, in a prepared statement.
As GlobeSt.com previously reported, there was talk that Canon would leave Long Island, but in 2007, the company finalized the land purchase, nicknamed the Pumpkin Farm, from the Tilles Cos., a local developer, for construction of the campus. The purchase price for the South Service Rd. and Walt Whitman Rd. parcel off Exit 49 of the L.I.E. was technically around $74.5 million, but an additional $28.5 million was paid to Holliday Organization, according to published reports. Holliday was slated to acquire the Pumpkin Farm parcel from Tilles, and was then going to flip it to Canon once the camera company had interest in the site. Tilles almost cancelled the sale, but Suffolk County executive Steve Levy ironed out a three-way sale for a total purchase price of about $103 million.
Canon currently employs more than 1,000 on Long Island and leases office space in Lake Success. The site plan to be filed on July 1, 2008, calls for a 690,000-sf, five-story building on a park-like setting with reflecting pools, along with other sustainable innovations such as the use of natural lighting and energy efficient materials.
On June 4, 2007, Canon USA revealed that the company had finalized an agreement to purchase land in Melville to build a new corporate headquarters and remain on Long Island. The site for the new Canon Americas headquarters is located just off of the Long Island Expressway, at Exit 49. The site is bordered by the Long Island Expressway service road on the North and Walt Whitman Road on the East.
Eventually, Canon plans to grow its workforce to 2,500 employees at the new headquarters. It is currently anticipated that the new facility will be completed by the end of 2010, subject to a timely approval process. The site plan needs to be approved by the Huntington Town Planning Board, Suffolk County and the New York State Department of Transportation before construction can begin.
Craig Turner, AICP planner for the Huntington Town Planning Board, tells GlobeSt.com that the typical site plan review in the Town of Huntington ranges from a few months to over a year. "The most important factors in the review time are usually the time it takes the applicant to revise the plans in response to our review comments, physical site constraints such as wetlands or steep slopes, and the degree to which the development of the property is maximized in accordance with zoning," he says. "Although the Canon property is very large, its size allows for design flexibility to respond to Town comments."
Turner tells GlobeSt.com that traffic flow will probably be the main factor with Canon's timeline, "especially since the site borders two roads that are maintained by different agencies--state and town." He continues that the Planning Department staff reviews the plans until all comments are addressed to their satisfaction, and then presents it to the planning board for site plan approval. "Once site plan approval is obtained, the applicant then has to proceed to the Building Department for building permits, which will take between a few weeks to a few months for a building as large as Canon."
In other Melville news, in order to accommodate its growth Lend America, has moved its headquarters to a new 60,000-sf facility here. A substantial expansion over its former 40,000-sf space at 201 Old Country Rd., Lend America's new headquarters is situated in the former American Home Mortgage office building located at 520 Broadhollow Rd.
More than two years ago, Lend America adjusted its business model to originating primarily FHA loans and had great success, according to a company statement. "We closed last year with record originations and this trend continues through the first-half of 2008, with production volumes increasing over 250%," says Michael Ashley, chief business strategist at Lend America. "Our new headquarters is built to reflect Lend America's dynamic culture of integrity, education and insight, while further enhancing the synergies within our centralized marketing, service and production platforms."
Ashley continues that "the site also provides our Long Island-based employees the resources essential to better serve our customers throughout the country." In 2008, the company hired more than 100 new employees, and due to the strong demand for FHA loans, the hiring trend is not expected to slowdown anytime soon, according to a company statement.
Lend America, which operates its centralized originations and marketing platforms in Melville, is now licensed to do business in 36 states, including recent approvals in Arizona, Delaware and Vermont and anticipates being approved to originate in 10 additional states within 120 days. Wayne Horsley, Suffolk County Legislator says that the firm has "become a key Suffolk County employer, and the expansions of its operations in Melville is a win-win situation for both the company and the County."
Lend America did not return queries by deadline. Canon did not return GlobeSt.com queries for further information by deadline.
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Natalie Dolce
Natalie Dolce, editor-in-chief of GlobeSt.com and GlobeSt. Real Estate Forum, is responsible for working with editorial staff, freelancers and senior management to help plan the overarching vision that encompasses GlobeSt.com, including short-term and long-term goals for the website, how content integrates through the company’s other product lines and the overall quality of content. Previously she served as national executive editor and editor of the West Coast region for GlobeSt.com and Real Estate Forum, and was responsible for coverage of news and information pertaining to that vital real estate region. Prior to moving out to the Southern California office, she was Northeast bureau chief, covering New York City for GlobeSt.com. Her background includes a stint at InStyle Magazine, and as managing editor with New York Press, an alternative weekly New York City paper. In her career, she has also covered a variety of beats for M magazine, Arthur Frommer's Budget Travel, FashionLedge.com, and Co-Ed magazine. Dolce has also freelanced for a number of publications, including MSNBC.com and Museums New York magazine.
