Forrester Research Signs Lease For 24k SF At Merritt 7 In Norwalk

Press release from Transmitter PR:

July 13, 2020

Clarion Partners and Marcus Partners today announced that Forrester Research will soon occupy approximately 24,000 square feet on the sixth floor of Building 501 at Merritt 7 in Norwalk, Connecticut. Robert Richards, William H. Montague and Elizabeth Donatoni of Cushman & Wakefield represented Forrester Research in the transaction. Ownership was represented by Thomas Pajolek & Ned Burns of CBRE, along with David Fiore and JoAnn McGrath of Marcus Partners.

“Forrester is looking forward to moving into our new space at Merritt 7 this month. We are excited to have access to all of the amenities the Merritt 7 campus has to offer,” said Jean Douglas, VP, Corporate Services at Forrester. “The overall environment – from the open plaza, food services, and common spaces – will provide a great experience for our employees.”

“It is a pleasure to have a top-tier tenant like Forrester Research join the Merritt 7 community at the same time we begin welcoming back our current tenants," said Margaret Egan, Senior Vice President, Clarion Partners. “Forrester’s arrival also coincides with the grand opening of our new outdoor plaza, part of our capital improvement plan by Gensler, that will enable our tenants to safely enjoy the summer in a healthy work environment. The renovation program has made significant progress over the past year, with more new and upgraded amenities on the way.”

Merritt 7, a six-building, 1.4 million-square-foot office park, implemented a comprehensive improvement plan designed by renowned architectural firm Gensler, which focuses primarily on buildings 501 and 601. New amenity spaces such as the redesigned outdoor plaza will further enhance the appeal of the sprawling campus. A multi-purpose center in building 501 offers tenants a versatile, wide open space that will serve as a communal lounge and relaxation area, as well as a flexible conferencing facility that can accommodate a variety of meeting and teleconferencing requirements. The space also provides direct access to the outdoor plaza via a retractable glass wall. The completion of the multi-purpose center and the outdoor plaza marks a major milestone in Merritt 7’s upgrade program.

The next phase of the renovation plan centers on building 601, and includes a redesigned lobby, a new curated food market with rotating cuisines, and a barista bar, all with mobile pre-ordering capabilities. Additionally, retractable outdoor access is available directly from the food market, along with a private flex lounge for meetings or relaxation. Buildings 501 and 601 currently have approximately 250,000 square feet available, including a penthouse unit with potential for a private roof terrace. Merritt 7 can accommodate a wide range of tenant needs, with opportunities that include pre-built units of 2,123 square feet—to larger contiguous blocks of space up to 158,000 square feet that can be prepped for expedient occupancy.

"Merritt 7 offers a superb, centralized business location, and our capital improvement program raises the bar even further, giving modern tenants the types of amenities that are the most appealing in a serene, wide open environment," said Marcus Partners’ David Fiore, principal, NY/CT regional director for Marcus Partners. “Beyond renovations and aesthetic upgrades, we are providing more of what tenants want—more choices, more functional spaces, and more services. These renovations will further enhance the business lifestyle experience our community has come to expect, that will attract a much greater array of organizations than ever before.”

The property is directly adjacent to the Merritt 7 Metro North station, which is slated to be upgraded starting this summer and will provide direct access to and from the Merritt 7 buildings via a new pedestrian bridge. Merritt 7 is located immediately off the Merritt Parkway in close proximity to Fairfield County’s appealing and varied amenities. Major tenants at Merritt 7 include Hearst, Datto, EMCOR, Financial Accounting Foundation (FAF), Jarden, IPSOS, Mercer, Millward Brown, Frontier Communications, Aon, Xerox, and Siemens. For more information, visit www.merritt7.com.

This press release was produced by Transmitter PR. The views expressed here are the author's own.