AY to Handle Morris County Campus Upgrade for KBS

FLORHAM PARK, NJ-The KBS REIT II has tapped Avison Young's New Jersey office to exclusively lease and provide project management services at its Park Avenue at Morris County campus here, GlobeSt.com has learned.

The six granite-and-glass buildings at the 136-acre campus off I-24 hold a total of 1.12 million square feet. KBS is in the midst of a major upgrading of the property, which AY's project management team will carry out.

AY's managing director, Jeffrey L. Heller, along with William E. McCaffrey, Peter C. Hedley and Brian Cass will handle the leasing assignment. The company's project management team led by Edward Walsh and Tom Walsh will be responsible for construction of tenants' spaces within the campus.

KBS Capital Advisors acquired the campus in 2007 for its portfolio and recently launched a plan to upgrade it with a new fitness center, three refurbished cafeterias, a concierge food-delivery program and a state-of-the-art conference center.

KBS's Shannon W. Hill says the company will roll out additional upgrades to the campus amenities and services over the next six months in an effort to keep it dominant in the marketplace.

KBS has already upgraded systems to Energy Star certification and brought 600 Campus Drive within the park to LEED for Existing Buildings certification.

Park Avenue at Morris County is situated at the Columbia Turnpike exit off Route I-24, with nearby access to I-287, I-80, I-78 and routes 10 and 46. Three airports – Morristown, Essex County and Newark Liberty International – are nearby as well.

NJTRANSIT operates shuttle service between the campus and Convent Station, located less than two miles away, which provides Midtown Direct service to Manhattan. 

Downtown Morristown, Madison, Florham Park and Short Hills are short drives away. The campus has covered parking, free WiFi in the building' lobbies, a full-service credit union, a daycare center, ATM and postage machines and 1.75 miles of walking trails. 

On-site concierge services range from car wash to dry cleaning. Also, the Park Avenue Club private dining facility is available for members-only monthly events, such as wine dinners, chefs' tastings, fundraisers, and social and networking engagements.

“Park Avenue at Morris County affords tenants the opportunity to work in a truly modern, amenity-rich and 'green' environment situated in one of New Jersey's most attractive and preferred locales,” says Heller.