Impetus for the recent ground-breaking is the fact that Affinity Federal Credit Union has signed on for all but 20,000 sf of the new building. Affinity, which was founded in 1935 as the AT&T employees Federal Credit Union, will use the space as a credit union bank, client service center and as general office space.

Ed DaCosta, Paul Myers and Patrick McCarthy of CB Richard Ellis represented Affinity in the transaction. Vice presidents Rick Genthe and Tim Conklin served the Florham Park, NJ-based G&W as in-house leasing reps.

G&W Construction Services is responsible for building the Affinity facility, which should be completed in the first quarter of next year. Until the space is ready, the credit union has signed a short-term lease for space at G&W's 10 Independence Drive in nearby Warren, NJ.

"This is an important lease signing," says Mark Yeager, president of G&W. Located in the northern part of Somerset County, Bernards Twp. is in the middle of one of the tightest class A markets in the state. It's located in the I-287/78 corridor, about 10 miles south of Morristown, the county seat of neighboring Morris County.

The six buildings that will make up Mountain View Corporate center will range in size for 58,000 to 212,000 sf. The 130,000-sf 300 Mountain View will be ready for occupancy this spring, while the Affinity building and the 160,000-sf 400 Mountain View will be ready to in about a year.