Saying, "I feel perfectly fine," and adding, "the second wave of cancer is gone or has stopped its spread," Rouse added, "I do feel it's the appropriate time to make sure the transition going forward is as smooth as possible." He will remain as chairman of the board.
With characteristic candor, Rouse acknowledged, "I don't have a lot of hobbies and none that give as great joy as I have here. It's time to get the hell out of Bill's way and allow him to do the job he's so capable of doing. Not too happily, I've watched the lines outside my door diminish as his increased."
He called today's move "a transition that inevitably has to occur," and said he and the board "are wholeheartedly in favor of this further change."
Meanwhile, in response to questions, Hankowsky said, "lease, lease, lease" where his three top priorities over the next two quarters. "We shut the pipeline down in terms of spec space. We're thinking in the box, not outside the box, in this environment."
Regarding development plans for One Pennsylvania Plaza in Center City, he said, "our strategy is consistent, and there is no change in respect to that building. We remain committed, once there's enough pre-leasing. We're not at that point yet, so we haven't started."
One Penn is to be a 52-story office tower at 17th and Market Street in Philadelphia.
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