JLL has been retained on an exclusive basis to arrange
for the sale of 554-568 Eighth Avenue (the “Property”),
a rare, 21-story, corner office building delivered
100% vacant in Midtown Manhattan. Configured
as 309,703 rentable square feet with 232’ of
wraparound corner frontage (99’ on Eighth Avenue
& 133’ on West 38th Street), the Property is a blank
slate providing investors with multiple ways to
create value.
Zoning allows for immediate, as-of-right, mixeduse positioning for office, retail, community facility
or an end user. All of these potential uses will benefit
significantly from the recent passage of the Midtown
South Mixed-Use Plan (MSMX) rezoning, which is
expected to transform the Midtown South submarket
over the coming cycles.
Midtown South’s expected future transformation
will also be driven by several recently enacted city
programs that have passed with overwhelming support
from local politicians and the public. In addition to the
MSMX rezoning, City of Yes and the 467-m / 485x
tax abatements will reshape the neighborhood’s
future - a trend that will be further enhanced by
proximity to several ongoing mega-developments
including Hudson Yards, the Port Authority terminal
replacement, and the Penn Station/Penn District
redevelopment.
All potential business plans for 554-568 Eighth Ave
are also well-supported by strong fundamentals
/ tailwinds in Manhattan’s office and residential
markets. The Manhattan office market is exceeding
prepandemic leasing volume (highest YTD leasing
volume through Q3 since 2006) while an accelerating
number of residential conversions and a stalling
development pipeline are shrinking future office
supply (majority of conversions are geared towards
class B product). In Manhattan’s residential market,
apartments are continuing to hit record-high rents
while vacancy remains near all-time lows - trends that
will continue moving forward due to tight supply and
healthy job growth. These strong underlying residential
fundamentals will incentivize conversion activity within
the MSMX rezoning, transforming the neighborhood
into a live-work-play destination. This diminishing
supply of inferior competing office product will
drive local office rents / values and bolster the Class
B office market’s resurgence in the neighborhood.
Given the Property’s excellent base building condition
due to a recently implemented CapEx program
(~$15M), quality corner light and air with multiple
outdoor terraces, and unrivaled tenant / commuter
proximity to transportation (3-min walk to Port
Authority, Penn/Moynihan Station and entrances
to twelve different subway lines), the offering
presents a scarce value-add opportunity in a section
of Midtown expected to rapidly evolve over the
coming cycles.
The Property will be sold on an as-is, where-is basis.