WHIPPANY, NJ-With a new township zoning law passed here, the 650,000-square-foot Convergence multi-tenant office and tech facility at 115 South Jefferson Road will now be allowed to house stand-alone data center facilities, says owner/developer Brookfield Asset Management.
Convergence has long housed critical data and telecommunication infrastructure. Developed by International Telephone and Telegraph in the 1950s, its first building housed the switching equipment for the “Red Phone,” the hotline that provided secure communication between the White House and the Kremlin during the Cold War. But the until the new zoning law was passed by Whippany in September, it could not house freestanding facilities, or dedicate an entire floor of an existing building to the use.
"We believe that approving this zoning change will have a truly beneficial effect on the town because it will create a new technology hub that will attract new businesses to the area. It folds in with the progressive outreach to the business community, which enforces that we are a community that is open for business," says Hanover Township Mayor John Sheridan, in a statement. "Any influx of business will naturally have a reciprocal impact on other businesses in the township and we look forward to that."
Convergence is a five-building complex that has spacious 37,500-square-foot floor plates within several 150,000-square-foot freestanding buildings on a 67-acre landscaped setting. Brookfield acquired Convergence In early 2010 from JP Morgan Chase and began plans for a free-standing building specifically designed for data center and disaster recovery uses with power up to 200 watts per IT square foot as it went through the zoning change process, says David N. Stifelman, executive director at Cushman & Wakefield, the project’s exclusive leasing agent. Brookfield also spent $23 million on infrastructure improvements to the complex’s five existing buildings.
“We were in the township, trying to get the zoning changed,” Stifelman says. “We had engaged the architect and engineer, and obviously had to submit plans.”
Matthew Jarmel, AIA, MBA, Partner, Jarmel Kizel Architects and Engineers, Inc. Livingston, NJ, the architectural firm on the project, will soon submit plans for the build-to-suit to the Township of Hanover.
The use is perfect for the 60-acre location, which “was designed to be a bit off the beaten path,” Stifelman adds. Meanwhile, Stifelman is in negotiations with potential tenants for the 200,000-square-foot building, as well as the rest of the complex. The new building could be up and running in 18 months if a deal is completed quickly.
“Most data centers have concerns about power and communication connectivity,” Stifelman says. “We have power and connectivity in place, and it’s some of the most robust in place. And that was done without a tenant.”
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