Under the direction of chief executive officer Rudin and president Michael DeMarco, Mack-Cali will transform itself into an owner of waterfront and transit-oriented office properties and a regional owner of luxury multi-family properties.

Mack-Cali plans to focus on “Gold Coast” waterfront properties in Jersey City, Weehawken, Hoboken, and West New York. As part of the process, the company says it has identified approximately $600 million to $800 million in assets that it will sell to finance its capital plan.

Disposition of these properties is planned and Mack-Cali will retain brokers who will work to ensure that each property draws the highest price possible.

“Our actions over the last 100 days are just the beginning of a company-wide overhaul designed to create value, while continuing to enhance transparency and disclosure for our investors,” says DeMarco. “We will be disciplined in our approach to allocating capital and managing our balance sheet to ensure the maximum amount of earnings growth and drive our stock price to over NAV.”

The proceeds from these sales will fund Mack-Cali's capital needs, including the company's further expansion in markets such as Jersey City where it is completing the 69-story, 763-unit URL Harborside project with its partner, Ironstate Development Company. URL Harborside will be the tallest project in New Jersey when completed. The company also plans to relocate its headquarters to Jersey City in the first half of 2016.

“We're thrilled that Mack-Cali has decided to locate their headquarters in Jersey City, and we agree: Jersey City has a lot to offer,” says Jersey City Mayor Steven Fulop. “Over the past two years, businesses have made way for roughly 10,000 new jobs in Jersey City, and each one is more exciting than the last. We're very glad to be adding Mack-Cali jobs to the list.”

Mack-Cali's focus on the Waterfront will include both commercial and residential properties. The company currently owns 4.3 million square feet of waterfront office space and 3,400 luxury multi-family units.

Also under development is M2, a 311-unit tower that will join the existing Marbella, a 412-unit, 40-story luxury high rise near Harborside, at the end of 2015. The company also has an interest in Monaco, which consists of 523 luxury apartments on the waterfront overlooking Lower Manhattan.

Mack-Cali's multi-family subsidiary Roseland will be transferred to a distinct subsidiary – Roseland Property Trust on September 30, 2015 – which the company says will enable it to provide better portfolio performance disclosure. RPT will execute development, construction, financing, and property management while building out and monetizing a geographically diverse portfolio. This will include the strategic repurposing of select Mack-Cali office holdings to multi-family use. The residential portfolio currently includes 6,826 units that are either operating or are “in-construction.” By 2018, the new plan calls for that number to more than double, to approximately 14,843 total residential units operating or “in-construction.”

“Our expansive planned growth under the Roseland brand will solidify our position as a premier multi-family residential developer, owner, and operator in the Northeast,” says Marshall Tycher, president of Roseland. “We will continue to develop assets that are in close proximity to office space, transit, retail, and other quality of life amenities that today's urban professional requires in a home.”

In addition to efforts to transform its portfolio, Mack-Cali says it will also invest to upgrade existing assets:

• Harborside Repositioning: The company will embark on an approximately $25 million repositioning of this mixed-use complex on the Jersey City Waterfront to capitalize on spectacular Manhattan skyline views, abundant nearby housing, and access to major regional transportation options. Harborside will take advantage of its premier waterfront location to add relevant retail, fitness, and food concepts, including restaurants and bars. The reimagined Harborside will include business incubator and communal workspace, as well as state-of-the-art technology infrastructure. There is a meaningful long-term growth opportunity to attract technology, arts, media, and information tenants—known as TAMI—to this transformed development.
• Suburban Assets: Mack-Cali will spend $20 million to upgrade key suburban assets in Parsippany, Paramus, and White Plains. These upgrades will include lobby renovations, cafes and lounges, childcare centers, renovated restrooms, and conference and fitness centers. This will transform these buildings to class A properties, thus driving occupancy, presenting the opportunity for higher rents, and enhancing Mack-Cali's position as a key player in these markets.

Improving operating efficiencies is also a key part of the company's strategic shift. During the first 100 days under new leadership, the company has identified approximately $25 million in savings, which will fund the suburban asset upgrades. These cost savings will be accomplished by assessing staffing levels, reducing general and administrative expenses, rebidding professional services, and refinancing for 2016 and 2017 interest expense savings.

“Mack-Cali will greatly benefit from the recycling of capital out of non-core assets and redeploying the capital into high-yielding opportunities, including development, acquisitions, repurposing, and repositioning assets into class A product,” says the company's chief investment officer Ricardo Cardoso.

Mitchell Rudin will be the featured guest interviewed by Michael Desiato, vice president and group publisher of ALM Real Estate Media for “Inside the Mind” at the 14th Annual RealShare New York conference October 14, 2015 at the Roosevelt Hotel in New York.