SADDLE BROOK, NJ-It’s a twist on a familiar old saying—the way to an office tenant’s heart is through the stomach, at lease in the Garden State. According to the results of a CBRE survey, food service is the most important must-have amenity to New Jersey office tenants.
Food service was cited by 22.4% of respondents as a must-have, says Samuel S.W. Buckley, a CBRE SVP. Buckley notes that the term was interpreted as a full array, rather than just vending machines or the like. “It’s one of the most very basic of amenities,” Buckley tells GlobeSt.com. “But it’s amazing how few buildings have it.”
The survey, CBRE’s first, entailed mailing hard copy questionnaires to decision-makers at a cross-section of more than 100 large tenants around the state. Anonymity was critical, so the firm avoided sending queries by email.
A bit surprising was the importance of public transportation—access to this service was cited by 16.4% of respondents, placing it as the second most popular amenity. Downtown access came next at 11.9%.
“We’re seeing a bit of a trend,” Buckley says. “They want access to food service and to other amenities. And what does downtown mean? It means close. Businesses don’t want to lose employees at lunch.”
Access to public transit means more than an easy commute for employees, he adds—it also means easy connections to offices in New York City, both for New Jersey-based staff visiting Manhattan, or Manhattanites visiting elsewhere.
Next on the amenities list was a fitness center, at 10.4%, ranking a bit lower than Buckley originally had expected. “Everyone wants a fitness center,” he notes. “Not everyone uses it.”
WiFi access and a conference center tied at 9.0% each, followed by IT support services at 7.5%. Covered parking and a bank or ATM both ranked at 6.0%. Insignificant offerings were dry cleaning and car wash services, which received no votes at all.
Oddly, LEED certification, cited by many as a draw for companies and workers, received just 1.5% of votes. “There aren’t that many LEED buildings in New Jersey,” Buckley says. “We’re asked constantly by tenants what we’re doing for LEED.”
Want to continue reading?
Become a Free ALM Digital Reader.
Once you are an ALM Digital Member, you’ll receive:
- Breaking commercial real estate news and analysis, on-site and via our newsletters and custom alerts
- Educational webcasts, white papers, and ebooks from industry thought leaders
- Critical coverage of the property casualty insurance and financial advisory markets on our other ALM sites, PropertyCasualty360 and ThinkAdvisor
Already have an account? Sign In Now
*May exclude premium content© 2024 ALM Global, LLC, All Rights Reserved. Request academic re-use from www.copyright.com. All other uses, submit a request to [email protected]. For more information visit Asset & Logo Licensing.
