Global real estate developer Brookfield Properties last year completed a Class A industrial building in its first ground-up development in the New York market of Long Island.
The 102,000-square-foot Meadowbrook Logistics Center in Garden City, New York, about 30 miles outside of Manhattan, came about after Brookfield in 2021 added the 7-acre vacant site, which previously housed the town's old IRS office building, to its development portfolio. Brookfield also took a more than 60-year ground lease as part of the transaction and moved to close a 10-year payment in lieu of taxes agreement with the town of Hempstead Industrial Development Agency.
One of the major challenges Brookfield said it faced was coordinating design and construction approvals from dual jurisdictions, given the site’s location on a Nassau County road and within Hempstead. The project also began construction during the height of supply-chain issues involving steel, roofing and electrical switchgear equipment that led to extended lead times and delays. The project was substantially completed just one year after breaking ground. It earned a temporary certificate of occupancy in June.
Brookfield expects the development to attract industrial market tenants looking for cheaper rents they can find only outside New York City while still desiring proximity to urban areas and John F. Kennedy International Airport.
About the Project: The logistics center includes 4,116 square feet of speculative office space; 2,500 square feet of mezzanine storage space; 32-foot clear height warehouse space; 33 dock doors; and 169 parking spaces. The building is LEED Silver certified, has electric vehicle charging stations, and includes electrical and structural infrastructure to support future solar panel installation on the roof for a community solar program.
What the Judges Said: "The shortage of warehouse on [Long Island] has impacted the industries here, and this will help keep business," said Michael Murphy, president of the commercial division at Douglas Elliman. Meanwhile, Brian Edwards, TerraCRG's chief operating officer, said that “it's rare that a logistics center incorporates as many environmental and sustainable elements as Meadowbrook Logistics Center deploys."
Adam Rochlin, owner of the Rochlin Organization, said, “Typically, distribution centers locate directly off of a major trucking thoroughfares.” But in the heart of Nassau County, Brookfield “recognized the scarcity of available land in central Nassau County and executed on a vision much required in the area. "
He Made It Happen: Tyler Mordas of Brookfield Properties worked on this project.
CoStar Market Manager Grant Hunt contributed to this report.