Developer to Open New Flex-Industrial Space in Hawthorne Next Year
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Representatives for a Westchester-based real estate company and officials from Mount Pleasant and the county participated in a ceremonial groundbreaking last week for two new buildings at the Mid-Westchester Executive Park in Hawthorne.
The pair of similarly-sized flex-industrial buildings that will total 71,000 square feet could be the home for a wide variety of businesses, such as a distribution facility, a mechanical service facility or high-tech, with its proximity to Regeneron and a nearby data center, said Tim Jones, CEO for the Robert Martin Company, the developer and property owner of the land at 14 and 16 Skyline Drive.
Jones said that the Robert Martin Company is the largest landlord of flex-industrial space in Westchester, with about three million square feet. That type of space has an occupancy rate of roughly 95 percent across all of the company’s properties in the county, he said.
“There’s demand for that kind of space, there’s a need, and that space is very, very hard to build in any quantity in Westchester,” Jones said.
Being located near the county’s campus in Valhalla with easy access to highways are other advantages for the location, he added.
Space at 14 Skyline Drive will be 34,738 square feet and 16 Skyline Drive is set to be 36,360 square feet. The project is expected to be completed by late summer or early fall next year. The company’s in-house team will oversee the construction and development of the site.
Mount Pleasant Supervisor Carl Fulgenzi said the Robert Martin Company, which was established more than 65 years ago, has been an integral part of the town for most of that time. Robert Martin owns the majority of buildings on Skyline Drive.
While the site had been mentioned as a location for the development of housing, concerns about traffic in Hawthorne and a large distance to shopping and other services made that idea impractical, Fulgenzi said.
“We didn’t think the services in the area were great for it,” the supervisor said. “We didn’t push it, and I appreciate Tim and his people coming up with this creative idea for the warehouses. We think it’s the most beneficial.”
Jones said that as part of the project, the company has also agreed to install a traffic signal at the southern end of Skyline Drive, where it feeds onto Route 9A. Jones said the likely uses for the new buildings will not generate significant additional traffic volume.
It is unknown when the last time a speculative flex-industrial building was constructed in Westchester, Jones said, another reason why the space is in high demand.
“Starting that building today speaks to our commitment to the county,” he said. “We take our role as members of the business community and our role as good landlords very seriously. We try hard to do a good job with both, but also speaks to the vitality of Westchester County. You just don’t see this type of building.”
Robert Martin Company oversees close to 20 million square feet of industrial, office and residential properties, mainly in Westchester and Fairfield counties.
Martin has more than 30 years experience covering local news in Westchester and Putnam counties, including a frequent focus on zoning and planning issues. He has been editor-in-chief of The Examiner since its inception in 2007. Read more from Martin’s editor-author bio here. Read Martin’s archived work here: https://www.theexaminernews.com/author/martin-wilbur2007/
