The volume of new office leasing in Manhattan slipped last month from the 12-month high seen in December but was twice what was recorded in the same period a year ago, a new report released yesterday by commercial firm CB Richard Ellis shows (see full report after the jump).

For Manhattan overall, the 1.94 million square feet leased in January was 12 percent lower than in December, but was more than twice the level recorded in January 2009, when just 920,000 square feet was leased, the report says.

The volume of leasing has been cited as an important indicator of stability in the marketplace, because, brokers say, tenants are more comfortable taking space at current pricing levels.

The leasing volume dropped in all three Manhattan markets in January, but fell the most in Midtown. Meanwhile, in Midtown South there were positive signs for landlords as rental rates rose significantly and vacancy rates fell last month. [more]

Once considered a viable alternative to pricey Manhattan office space, the New Jersey waterfront is now losing its luster in the eyes of fiscally-minded businesses, according to Crain’s, making 2009 the most dismal the region has seen in two years. The disparity in lease rates between New Jersey waterfront office space, in cities like Weehawken, Hoboken, and Jersey City, and Manhattan is slowly narrowing, leading to a slowdown in activity. After massive asking rent cuts in Lower Manhattan, the rent gap between there and New Jersey dwindled to just $6 per square foot, according to Cushman & Wakefield. As a result, the first nine months of 2009 saw 710,000 square feet of space hit the market with no takers.

Each and every day, the press provides information on companies leasing
office space in Manhattan. The articles provide the asking rent for
space, but fail to provide the reader with the most important
information in the minds of those seeking office space: actual rent,
concessions and the other terms and conditions of the new lease. “Rental rates have come down, and once again New York City is
affordable for commercial tenants,” said Glenn Markman, executive vice
president at Cushman & Wakefield. “A tenant who is in a position to
sign a lease will look back five years from today and realize that they
‘hit the market at the right time.’” Comments

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