120 Wall Street James Hagy New York Law School, [email protected]
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digitalcommons.nyls.edu Academic Centers and Programs Rooftops Project Spring 2017 Perspectives - 120 Wall Street James Hagy New York Law School, [email protected] Alison Snyder New York Law School, [email protected] Follow this and additional works at: http://digitalcommons.nyls.edu/rooftops_project Part of the Business Organizations Law Commons, Land Use Law Commons, Legal Education Commons, Organizations Law Commons, Property Law and Real Estate Commons, Social Welfare Law Commons, State and Local Government Law Commons, and the Tax Law Commons Recommended Citation Hagy, James and Snyder, Alison, "Perspectives - 120 Wall Street" (2017). Rooftops Project. 43. http://digitalcommons.nyls.edu/rooftops_project/43 This Article is brought to you for free and open access by the Academic Centers and Programs at DigitalCommons@NYLS. It has been accepted for inclusion in Rooftops Project by an authorized administrator of DigitalCommons@NYLS. THE ROOFTOPS PROJECT Perspectives 120 Wall Street Through a decades-long collaboration with the city and savings really amounted to a 10-percent or 15-percent reduction in occupancy cost versus what they would pay at another building in the same marketplace. state, not-for-profit tenants occupy office space in a Once the program was put in place, the occupancy of the building became landmarked structure in the heart of Wall Street with the predominately not-for-profits. unusual advantage of no real estate taxes. The Rooftop RTP: How much of the property did you original intend to be occupied by Project’s Alison Snyder and Professor James Hagy not-for-profits? interview Jeremy Moss and Camille McGratty of Jeremy: The program actually established thresholds. Working with the EDC, Silverstein Properties at the iconic 120 Wall Street Silverstein Properties established benchmarks. As each of those benchmarks building in lower Manhattan. was hit, subsequently the benchmark was raised. So, I think at one point the building had over half-a-million square feet of not-for-profit occupancy. It was RTP: Tell us the history of this project and its designation as a space for not- predominately not-for-profits. Some 30 not-for-profits have made this their for-profits. home at one point or another during the course of the program, and a lot of them are still here. A lot of them have renewed. When the program expired Jeremy: In 1992, the city of New York, and specifically the Economic in 2009, it gave us an opportunity to sit down and talk about whether there Development Corporation [EDC], was seeking to identify a strategy for providing was merit to extending the program. Everybody agreed. Many of the not-for- low-cost office space for non-for-profits that were being priced out of New York profits in the building were very vocal about the importance of reestablishing City, certainly out of Manhattan. In doing so, they were trying to keep [not-for- the program. At that time, they were again faced with rising rental rates profits] here, as employers of many people and also as providers of a lot of social and concerns that, in the absence of the program, they would have to find services that supplement many of the services the city and state provide. There alternatives outside the city. The New York State Economic Development was clearly a recognition of the importance, from a public policy perspective, Corporation sponsored the program’s renewal. That means the program will of keeping the physical location of these not-for-profits here in New York City. be in place here for quite some time. So, at the time, we at Silverstein Properties were selected as the owner to work with the city to structure a program that would provide reduced-cost office RTP: We consistently hear from not-for-profits that rising commercial rents space. 120 Wall Street was specifically selected as the location where that are increasingly a problem for them across all five boroughs now, not just in would be implemented, in part because the building had a significant amount of Manhattan. Is that your impression? availability. So once the program was put in place, the building would actually Jeremy: Many of the secondary and tertiary business districts, whether it is be able to accommodate a large number of not-for-profits. Jamaica, Queens, or Long Island City, or Downtown Brooklyn, which had been RTP: So Silverstein owned the building already? good alternatives to Manhattan, are also seeing significant price increases driven by good things. This is driven by the growth of our economy and job growth, Jeremy: Yes, Silverstein owned the building already, since the 1980s. The particularly in industries that value those locations because of their proximity to program was very straightforward. Effectively, it provided a real estate tax the workforce that they are trying to attract. But again, the consequence for not- exemption for all not-for-profits that signed leases in the building. That for-profits is increasing overhead, which is a constant challenge. WE ARE NEW YORK’S LAW SCHOOL THE ROOFTOPS PROJECT Perspectives I would also say access to public transportation is critical for not-for-profits. It is not a surprise that not-for-profit salaries are not necessarily going to justify a car and driver, and you want to have the ability to draw talent from many different places. That’s what public transportation allows you to do. Also, if you are having people go out into the field or having people who are recipients of your services come to you, you want to be accessible. It is really the same value to transportation that any private company would have but more amplified. RTP: Does the mix of not-for-profits make your stacking and planning different than it is at your other properties? Jeremy: I don’t know that is necessarily the case. Camille, you would know if this is true. If you looked at the stack, do you see them gravitating towards the lower-cost base, not the high floors, or anything like that? Or are they pretty spread out? Camille: They are really spread out. I would say the difference is more on the sales side of the building—trying to target what types of tenants we go after. We are specifically trying to go after brokers that do a lot of work with not- for-profits. Some of the tenants that are in the tower may have signed their leases 10 or 15 years ago. So perhaps you might see them shifting towards other parts of the building. Jeremy: The leases roll every 10 years [or so], so the market environment when leases come up can vary. At this moment, I would say that the market is really strong, stronger than it has been in the last decade. So sure, if all the leases were rolling, you would see a reshuffling or reorganization of the RTP: From an administrative or mechanical perspective, the building [120 stack. But given that some of these tenants renewed when the market was Wall Street] is still assessed as one tax parcel and then you get a deduction not as strong, closer to 2008/2009, they are going to be enjoying their space for the tenants who are not-for-profits? for a decade or more. Jeremy: Correct. The idea is that the benefit flows directly through to the RTP: So the lengths of the leases are similar to normal commercial tenants? tenants and it is very specific space by space. We report to the city and the Jeremy: Yes. We see, consistently, the not-for-profits signing long-term leases. Department of Finance exactly who is occupying and how many square feet. I think it is a smart thing for them to do if they understand their headcount. Then the tax abatement is directed specifically to that tenant and flows They can really lock in a long-term rate and have some predictability in cost. through to the bill. So it really gives them the same benefit that they would have if they owned in a commercial condominium structure, except in this RTP: Do you find that not-for-profits think about their footprint and forecast case they don’t have to put up all that capital to buy an office space. They are their needs the same way commercial tenants do? Or do they not transact able to have all of the flexibility and benefits of being a tenant under a lease as frequently as commercial tenants, and so may not be as accustomed to but with the tax benefit you would have as an owner. thinking about forecasting? RTP: The basic components, other than the tax exemption, are the same as your Jeremy: I think those that attend The Rooftops Conference are much better commercial tenants? There is a base rent and then a share of operating costs? prepared for those types of questions. [The Rooftops Project team definitely blushed here.] But those who seek the advice of a good broker tend to be Camille: Yes, it is the same. better able to think through their current needs, their future needs, and RTP: In addition to availability, were there other characteristics why his structure the rights they need in a lease to get them though a 10- or 15- building was selected to work well for not-for-profits, such as its landmark year period. I think it is critical for not-for-profits to seek out good counsel status, or the footprint and the floor plan? in everything they do. I would say they have an even greater need to be vigilant in how they spend their funds and make sure they are getting the Jeremy: You hit on one of them, which is the footprint.