Joseph Simone of Simone Development Says Greenway to Enhance New York City’s Expanding Bike Lane Network
Bronx, N.Y. (May 1, 2023)—New York City’s expansion of the Harlem River Greenway will complement Simone Development Companies’ decision to build a greenway on its undeveloped property, said president Joseph Simone.
“Public greenways with dedicated bicycle paths will help private property owners develop new facilities for the growing life-sciences sector whose employees demand alternative modes of transportation,” said Joe Simone, president of Simone Development Companies.
On April 18, New York City launched a series of public-engagement sessions to plan the Harlem River Greenway expansion into the Bronx. The proposed seven-mile route will connect Randall’s Island at the southern tip of the Bronx to Van Cortlandt Park in the north, with a critical north-south bike commuting corridor.
Greenways are expanding throughout New York City, particularly in areas targeted for new development. At the Manhattanville Factory District in West Harlem, the construction of a three-block pedestrian greenway along buildings containing wet labs and offices provides the emerging innovation corridor with an attractive amenity for tenants and their employees.
Simone Development Companies is pursuing a similar strategy at its Hutchinson Metro Center in the Bronx. The Hutchinson Metro Center’s undeveloped southern section will include lawns, seating areas and a greenway through the center of the development. The complex already has a health club, hotel and bicycle trails running along the Hutchinson River Parkway.
“We’ve heard from employers that outdoor amenities like bike trails or landscaped plazas are becoming increasingly important to the top talent that they seek. Simone Development Companies is focused on designing optimal outdoor environments for its Hutchinson Metro Center expansion to accommodate this focus on public spaces,” said Megan Guy, Simone Development Companies’ senior vice president of development.
Simone Development Companies is a full-service real estate investment company specializing in the acquisition and development of healthcare, mixed-use, office, industrial, retail, and residential properties. Headquartered at the Hutchinson Metro Center, it boasts a portfolio of over 7 million square feet throughout the Bronx, Manhattan, Queens, Long Island, Westchester County, Orange and Fairfield Counties and New Jersey. With services spanning acquisition, development, construction, finance, asset management, accounting, leasing and property management, Simone Development Companies is set apart by its vertically integrated management team, long-term asset ownership and its pursuit of visionary development.
Simone Development Welcomes Three New Retailers at Revitalized Post Road Plaza in Port Chester, NY
Nothing Bundt Cakes, Nailed It Spa and European Wax Join Tenant Roster at Recently Renovated, LA Fitness-Anchored Strip Center Along US Route 1
PORT CHESTER, NY (April 19, 2023) – Simone Development Companies has recently welcomed three new retail tenants that have leased more than 4,000 square feet of prime retail space at Post Road Plaza at 262 Boston Post Road (US Route 1) in Port Chester, NY. The nearly 63,000 square-foot strip center, anchored by a 40,572 square-foot stand-alone LA Fitness, has been recently renovated and new signage is being installed along the highly-trafficked shopping corridor.
Cake franchise Nothing Bundt Cakes has signed a long-term lease for 1,760 square feet at Post Road Plaza in space formerly occupied by a Kentucky Fried Chicken restaurant for the last 30 years.
They will celebrate their grand opening on Friday, April 28 with a special “Don Bosco’s Community Center Benefit Day” in which 20% of sales will be donated to an organization dedicated to enabling all people, especially the young who need it most, to realize their fullest potential as productive, responsible and caring citizens.
In addition, growing local salon Nailed It Spa has signed a new lease for 1,000 square-feet and will open shortly, and expanding franchise European Wax Center, with more than 850 locations nationwide including nearby Hartsdale and New Rochelle, inked a 1,534 square-foot lease and has recently opened for business at Post Road Plaza. There is currently 1,000 square feet of inline retail and a 3,485 square-foot end cap space available at the property.
Joanna Simone, Principal and President of Leasing and Property Management Operations at Simone Development, arranged the transactions on behalf of ownership, along with Scott Meshil and Karnit Mosberg of Royal Properties, Inc., exclusive leasing agents for Post Road Plaza. Also assisting from Simone Development were Hannah Coyman and Rob Carinci for leasing, and Sean Heneghan and Patrick Doyle for legal.
Peter H. Levine of Charter Realty & Development represented Nothing Bundt Cakes; Chris Krzeminski
of CJ Pagano & Sons, Inc. represented Nailed It Spa; and Dan Demasi of Julia B. Fee Sotheby’s International Realty represented European Wax Center in the lease negotiations.
“Simone Development is pleased to welcome Nothing Bundt Cakes, Nailed It Spa and European Wax Center to the tenant roster at our Post Road Plaza property, located along one of the most highly-trafficked retail corridors in the Northeast,” said Ms. Simone.
Located minutes off of I-95 and I-287, with close proximity to the Hutchinson River Parkway, Post Road Plaza was recently renovated, with new pylon signage in progress, and includes free parking for 250 vehicles. In addition to anchor LA Fitness, existing tenants include Domino’s Pizza, Subway, Pet Spa Center, Mattress Firm, Ella’s Beauty Lounge, and Wei Wong Kitchen.
About Simone Development Companies
Simone Development Companies is a full-service real estate investment company specializing in the acquisition and development of healthcare, mixed-use, office, industrial, retail and residential properties. Headquartered at the Hutchinson Metro Center, it boasts a portfolio of over 7 million square feet throughout the Bronx, Manhattan, Queens, Long Island, Westchester County, Orange and Fairfield Counties and New Jersey. With services spanning acquisition, development, construction, finance, asset management, accounting, leasing and property management, Simone Development Companies is set apart by its vertically integrated management team, long-term asset ownership and its pursuit of visionary development.
Life Science Forum Reveals How Computing Will Help Developers Convert Office Buildings To Research Labs
Advanced computing will facilitate the conversion of outdated office buildings into life science laboratories, said Joseph Simone of Simone Development Companies.
“Life science laboratories are becoming less reliant on Bunsen burners and faucets in favor of advanced computers. This ‘drying’ of wet labs means that owners of older office buildings or warehouses have new opportunities to reposition their properties for the medical research sector,” said Joe Simone, President of Simone Development Companies.
At the March 29 Crain’s New York Business Life Science Forum in New York City, Dr. Ayman El-Mohandes, Dean of the CUNY Graduate School of Public Health and Health Policy, said computers are dominating his institution’s lab spaces. El-Mohandes explained that equipment for cutting-edge research no longer requires a messy wet-lab environment, allowing for a greater flexibility of uses in office buildings near research centers and universities.
Hope Knight, Commissioner of Empire State Development, New York’s economic development agency, also spoke at the forum. Knight described New York’s $25 million investment in a pilot “Lab of the Future” in Midtown Manhattan that will rely on automation, artificial intelligence and machine learning to make the preclinical drug discovery process faster, fuel business growth and create more life science jobs. Knight noted that 10 percent of the nation’s cancer patients are in New York, which allows researchers to gather important data that can make New York a leader in the cell and gene therapy space.
“The exciting investments and advances discussed at the Crain’s Life Science Forum are a signal to healthcare real estate developers that we can successfully repurpose existing structures for the labs of the future,” said Danielle Contillo, Principal at Simone Development Companies.
Simone Development Companies is a full-service real estate investment company specializing in the acquisition and development of healthcare, mixed-use, office, industrial, retail, and residential properties. Headquartered at the Hutchinson Metro Center, it boasts a portfolio of over 7 million square feet throughout the Bronx, Manhattan, Queens, Long Island, Westchester County, Orange and Fairfield Counties and New Jersey. With services spanning acquisition, development, construction, finance, asset management, accounting, leasing and property management, Simone Development Companies is set apart by its vertically integrated management team, long-term asset ownership and its pursuit of visionary development.
New York’s award of $13.5 million for carbon-neutral housing is motivating builders to embrace sustainable technologies, said Joseph Simone of Simone Development Companies
Bronx, N.Y. (April 5, 2023)—New York’s March 21 award of $13.5 million for low-carbon residential projects is motivating builders of affordable housing to incorporate the latest sustainable technologies, said Joseph Simone of Simone Development Companies.
“New affordable housing complexes often emphasize amenities like fitness and community rooms, but it is equally as important that builders consider the cost feasibility of climate-friendly measures like low-flow plumbing, LED light fixtures and geothermal heat pumps as electricity and natural gas prices rise,” said Joe Simone, president of Simone Development Companies.
Climate-friendly affordable housing made news on March 21 when New York Gov. Kathy Hochul announced the winners in the third round of the Buildings of Excellence Competition for the design, construction and operation of clean, resilient, and low-carbon or carbon neutral multifamily buildings. The competition supports New York’s goals to reduce greenhouse gas emissions 85 percent by 2050.
In New Rochelle, N.Y., Simone Development Companies and Stagg Group are building West View Apartments, a 186-unit affordable housing development for families whose income is at or below 60% of the area median income.
West View Apartments’ design embraces the spirit of the Buildings of Excellence Competition with sustainability measures that include compliance with Enterprise Green Community and Energy Star MFNC (multifamily new construction) standards, low-flow plumbing fixtures, LED light fixtures with motion sensors, dark-sky-compliant exterior light fixtures and the use of paint and sealants with low volatile organic compound emissions.
New Rochelle is in the midst of a transit-oriented development boom that has 25 significant downtown projects either completed or under construction. Simone Development Companies’ and Stagg Group’s West View Apartments tower will deliver a complex with all-affordable units to this dynamic residential market.
“We are proud to offer New Rochelle a lower-cost and amenity-rich residential opportunity that upholds the highest environmental standards while looking no different from the surrounding luxury towers. This building proves that climate-smart affordable housing is doable with careful planning,” said Megan Guy, senior vice president of development at Simone Development Companies.
Simone Development Companies is a full-service real estate investment company specializing in the acquisition and development of healthcare, mixed-use, office, industrial, retail, and residential properties. Headquartered at the Hutchinson Metro Center, it boasts a portfolio of over 7 million square feet throughout the Bronx, Manhattan, Queens, Long Island, Westchester County, Orange and Fairfield Counties and New Jersey. With services spanning acquisition, development, construction, finance, asset management, accounting, leasing and property management, Simone Development Companies is set apart by its vertically integrated management team, long-term asset ownership and its pursuit of visionary development.