By Ken Colao, president and CEO, CNY Group Whether you’re on the Jersey Parkway or the Turnpike, you’ve undoubtedly driven past commercial buildings and office parks that have stood in the Garden State for decades. But the age of many of these structures is starting to cause problems. Earlier this year, JLL released a report in which the real estate firm estimated that 57 percent of suburban office space nationwide is old enough to be considered functionally obsolete. In New Jersey, specifically, that figure rises to 72 percent, among the highest in the nation. Based on two decades worth of construction experience in New Jersey and New York, CNY Group believes the two most likely outcomes for these structures involve upgrades to true Class A offices or conversion to life sciences facilities. Keeping Offices Intact With a growing number of people migrating out of urban cores, suburban office developers are revitalizing their properties to attract new tenants. When employees began moving away from city centers, employers didn’t particularly follow them, but that trend could change. Businesses will decrease their real estate footprints in urban areas unless costs of occupancy are reduced, safety is maintained and environmental standards and practices are …
