Building and Land Technology Announces 75,000 SF of Office Leasing at Harbor Point

STAMFORD, Conn., Sept. 23, 2014 /PRNewswire/ -- Building and Land Technology announced today approximately 75,000 square feet of office leasing activity at Harbor Point, the transformative mixed-use waterfront development in Stamford, including the company's own 10,000-square-foot expansion and relocation within the complex.  The new deals are for space in One Harbor Point and Two Harbor Point, BLT's two state-of-the-art Class A office properties located in the Harbor Point Waterfront section of the project, which total more than 400,000 square feet.  Carl R. Kuehner III, CEO of Building and Land Technology, owner and developer of Harbor Point, made the announcement.

"This continues to be a great year for Harbor Point, with tremendous commercial and residential leasing activity complementing the continued activation of the restaurant scene and public waterfront over the summer," said Mr. Kuehner, who along with his team has developed Harbor Point into a successful modern waterfront mixed-use project.  "Harbor Point's live-work-play concept has proven compelling in drawing new tenants from outside Stamford, and providing existing tenants with a great base for expansion.  We're extremely pleased that the market has embraced our state-of-the art office properties, set within this beautifully planned mixed-use environment with outstanding access to transportation and Stamford's thriving waterfront."

At Two Harbor Point (100 Washington Boulevard), XL Global Services, a unit of XL Group plc, now occupies 47,838 square feet of office space.  XL is a global insurance and reinsurance company providing property, casualty and specialty products to industrial, commercial and professional firms, insurance companies and other enterprises throughout the world.  Kevin McNeil of Weir Real Estate LLC represented XL in the transaction.  "In Harbor Point, XL has a central hub that can meet the various technical and operations needs of our complex, global business and we have been able to make it a visual embodiment of our unique brand.  That combination is very hard to find and tough to replicate," said Elliott Bundy, SVP Chief Communications & Marketing Officer for the XL Group.

Insight Global leased 7,345 square feet at Two Harbor Point, relocating from Atlanta to Stamford.  The company provides long term, short term, and temp-to-permanent technical staffing services throughout the United States and Canada.  Jeff Williams and Hollis Pugh of Colliers International represented Insight Global in the transaction. "The live-work-play atmosphere that Harbor Point has created in the South End is a big attraction," said Mr. Williams, who is Executive Managing Director in the Stamford office of Colliers.  "Additionally BLT has a great reputation as a landlord, with the proven ability to deliver a first class product on time and as promised."

Eka Software Solutions, the global leader in providing Smart Commodity Management software, leased 10,872 square feet for its new world headquarters at Two Harbor Point.  Manav Garg, CEO of Eka Software Solutions noted: "The Stamford area has become a commodity trading hub with a significant concentration of corporations, including several of Eka's customers.  We love to be close to our end users, and we will use this office to better serve our customers.  This new Stamford building will be a beautiful space to host customer meetings.  As a global company, Eka chose this location in Stamford to ensure we can continue to meet our corporate growth goals and attract the best possible talent."  Torey Walsh of Cushman & Wakefield of CT represented Eka in the transaction.  "Harbor Point's marriage of a premium product in a flourishing community with proximity to the train station attracted Eka Software Solutions to establish its new World Headquarters here," Mr. Walsh said.

In addition to the three deals at Two Harbor Point, BLT itself will relocate its current headquarters from Two Harbor Point to One Harbor Point, expanding its footprint from 23,000 to 33,000 square feet in the process.

The Harbor Point Waterfront neighborhood offers an abundance of restaurant and retail opportunities for the use and enjoyment of office tenants.  The food scene features Paloma, celebrity chef Aaron Sanchez's Latin-inspired restaurant, Top This, Bare Burger, Fortina Italian Restaurant, and Corbo's Southside Deli, and retail includes Walgreens, Exhale Mind Body Fitness, Pinot's Palette, and Go Green Dry Cleaners.  Popular night spots include Sign of the Whale, World of Beer, Dolce Cubano and Crab Shell.  Neighboring retailers within Harbor Point also include Fairway Market, Fairway Wines & Spirits, Design Within Reach, Harbor Point Nails, Style Bar Salon, Harbor Point Dental, Verizon Wireless and First Niagara Bank.  Other new eateries nearby include Dinosaur Bar-B-Que, Subway, Robeks Fruit Smoothies, Harlan Social, Asian Bistro and Le Pain Quotidien.

Harbor Point is also home to approximately 1,800 luxury residential apartments, with another 500 under construction for completion in 2015.  The residential product in Harbor Point offers abundant amenities such as shuttle service, concierge, pool decks with grills and fire pits, fitness center, roof top lounge, billiard room, club room, putting green, child play center, covered parking and a pet friendly environment.  Harbor Point residents also enjoy approximately 11 acres of public open space in two parks and two waterfront promenades, as well as a 40 slip marina (accommodating yachts ranging in size from 20 feet to over 100 feet).

The Harbor Point development is strategically located just 35 miles from New York City and offers outstanding transportation links to the entire region.  Harbor Point is walking distance from the Stamford Transportation Center, which offers Amtrak and Metro North service to New York, Boston and Washington D.C.  Shuttle service is offered throughout Harbor Point, and to the train station and downtown Stamford.

About Building and Land Technology (BLT)
Building and Land Technology (BLT) is a privately held real estate private equity, development and property management firm.  Founded in 1982, BLT is vertically integrated and has invested, developed, owned and managed over five million square feet of commercial space and over 10,000 residential units.  BLT is one of the largest office landlords in Connecticut, and its office holdings include the corporate headquarters for Gen Re, GE Commercial Finance, Diageo, GE Real Estate, Xerox, GE Energy, Kayak Software, AON/Hewitt, Starwood Hotels and Resorts, and Structured Portfolio Management.  BLT is the developer of numerous residential, commercial, and mixed-use projects, including Harbor Point, a transformative mixed-use development in Stamford, CT (www.harborpt.com).  One of the largest redevelopments on the eastern seaboard, Harbor Point encompasses an entire neighborhood, with a full mile of waterfront, more than 4,000 residential units, and several million square feet of commercial development.  BLT's holdings include more than 100 active real estate companies, a majority interest in William Pitt Sotheby's residential brokerage firm with 28 offices and 1,100 agents, a mortgage and insurance company, and numerous private equity investments.  http://www.bltoffice.com/

Contact:
Great Ink Communications, Ltd. – 212-741-2977
Roxanne Donovan (Email)
Eric Waters (Email)
Carl Gaines (Email)

SOURCE Building and Land Technology