COMMUTER
ASSISTANCE A KEY AMENITY for
THE LANDMARK at EASTVIEW TENANTS
Nestled among 275 acres of trees, The Landmark at Eastview is one of the largest science and technology-focused office campuses on the east coast, with 750,000 square feet of leasable space. Owned by Eastview Holdings, LLC, and managed by LCOR, the research park--once known as the Butler Estate, and later the original Union Carbide office site--is located in the Saw Mill River Valley in central Westchester County.
The Landmark is home to 20 bio-tech, telecommunications, data processing, and other research and development companies and their 1,200 employees. And "home" is no exaggeration. The campus offers tenants a variety of amenities that make the development seem more like a small town than an office park: dining and recreation/sports facilities, dry cleaning, shoe repair, a barber, special events, a colorful newsletter, and more.
Another especially valuable amenity: transportation assistance. The Landmark operates a free shuttle connecting commuters with the Metro-North Railroad station in north White Plains in the morning and evening. While Landmark has plenty of on-site parking, many employees either don't have cars or simply prefer not to drive. So transit is a popular commute option.
The Landmark's Web site (www.lcorlandmark.com) includes links to Westchester County's Bee-Line bus schedules and Metro-North Railroad information. Bee-Line Bus #27 provides weekday service between Landmark and White Plains.
In addition, Landmark works closely with MetroPool to offer tenants' employees carpool/vanpool ridematching service. "The Landmark has been very positive and active in encouraging their tenant employees to take public transportation, carpooling and vanpooling, as opposed to coming to work in single occupant vehicles," said Butch Veronesi, MetroPool's Regional Manager for Westchester and Putnam Counties.
Veronesi recently assisted Deborah Klein, LCOR's Manager of Tenant Relations, Leasing & Marketing at Landmark, with a commuter survey. Over 10 percent of tenant companies' employees responded, Veronesi noted, and over half of those who responded expressed interest in carpooling, vanpooling, public transportation and "Commuter 'n Save" pre-tax benefits.
The Landmark is exploring possibilities to make train ridership more attractive to its tenants, including linkages to the Tarrytown train station. With NYSDOT and MetroPool, The Landmark is reviewing various options including vanpools, shuttles, bus service, etc.
Klein said a number of people already carpool to Landmark. She would also be happy to put a vanpool together if a group could be formed. "We have a number of people who want to get out of their cars," said Klein. "It's safer to not drive in the winter, anyway, especially if you live further north."
Klein teamed up with MetroPool to hold several transportation fairs over the past year, and found employees responsive to receiving ridematching information. Klein is also working to set up presentations with employers to explain the "Commute-and-Save" pre-tax benefits program. "We're trying to do this to help our tenants," said Klein.
Klein, who has been in her position at LCOR for one year but has worked in the Landmark for almost eight years, commutes from Stamford. In addition to providing transportation assistance as an amenity for tenants, she sees the economic development impact of commute choices. The Landmark is poised for growth, making transportation management all the more important.
For example, Landmark will soon be home to the new Madison Square Garden training facility for the New York Rangers, New York Knicks and New York Liberty teams, she explained. "This will be the first time the teams have ever had their own training facilility."
LCOR has also received permission to add 320,000 square feet of office/lab space. "We need great transportation that will attract tenants," said Klein. And those tenants want to make sure they can get their employees to work.
March 2002
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