Garden City-based Benjamin Development to aid displaced firms with

Long Island Business News, Sep 21, 2001 by Nick Anastasi

Benjamin Development, a Garden City-based development firm, has agreed to donate 20,000 square feet of space at its Courthouse Corporate Center on Carleton Avenue in Central Islip to aid in the relocation of Manhattan companies displaced by the terrorist attacks on the former World Trade Center.

The 175,000-square-foot former hospital is being redeveloped as a class A office facility. It was originally targeted to be filled by tenants who would use and service the court complex on Carleton Avenue.

Currently, tenants at the facility occupy 20,000 square feet of space. Another 15,000 is "spoken for," according to Russ Mohr, Benjamin's director of sales and leasing.

Overall, close to 100,000 square feet is available and 20,000 square feet is ready for immediate occupancy, Mohr said.

"The remainder could be ready in about 10 to 15 days," he said, noting a significant portion of that space could be ready in as little as 48 hours. "It just needs carpet and paint."

The decision to build out the facility in its entirety followed the Sept. 11 tragedy at the World Trade Center. Originally, Benjamin had planned to build out the project in phases as more leases were signed at the site.

But now, sources familiar with the development say all available space at the site will be ready for occupancy by the end of September.

Mohr said there has already been a significant contact from emergency services organizations since the disaster.

Benjamin has been contacted by the Federal Emergency Management Agency, Suffolk County Emergency Management, Nassau County Emergency Management, Empire State Development and numerous real estate services firms that are working toward assembling an available space portfolio for the greater New York metropolitan area.

Mohr said short-term clients interested in all or a portion of the 20,000 square feet it is donating would initially only have to cover utilities and phone costs.

The costs associated with longer term clients will be evaluated on a case-by-case basis.

Courthouse Corporate joins several projects that are part of a growing central Suffolk office market. Other developments include the initial phase of the 406,000-square-foot office facility at 100 Motor Parkway being pursued by East Setauket-based Tritec Real Estate Co. In addition, 130,000 square feet is being developed at 5000 Corporate Court.

As a result, the mid-year availability rate in the central Suffolk region has risen from last year's 9.7 percent to this year's 15.7 percent, according to the research services group at Insignia/ESG in Syosset.