Norwalk: Clarion Partners Scores New Tenant, New Certifications at Norwalk’s Merritt 7 Park
New York, NY – November 11, 2021 – Clarion Partners LLC and Marcus Partners today announced that data technology firm Toluna has signed a new 7-year lease at Merritt 7 Park in Norwalk, CT. Toluna will occupy 8,089 square feet on the 5th floor of the recently-upgraded Building 501, which is directly adjacent to the new 35,000-square foot landscaped plaza. Toluna was represented by Paul Kauffman & Marc Jacobs of JLL, while the CBRE team of Tom Pajolek and Ned Burns, along with Marcus Partners’ David Fiore and JoAnn McGrath, represented ownership.
“Merritt 7 was the obvious choice for us, and we are very excited to be relocating to the Park,” said Nick Langeveld, Toluna’s Managing Director for North America. “As organizations become more agile and innovative, they need a business environment that will enable that innovation and ensures that they stay at the forefront of their industries – that is exactly what Merritt 7 provides. The new outdoor green spaces are spectacular, and our employees look forward to utilizing them while working in a healthy, modernized and collaborative setting.”
In addition to the new tenant, Merritt 7 was also awarded a series of wellness, sustainability and infrastructure certifications, including LEED Gold Certification from the U.S. Green Building Council at buildings 501 and 601. The entire six-building 1.4-million square foot office park achieved a Fitwel Two-Star rating and WiredScore Gold status. These new certifications are the latest achievements in Merritt 7’s ongoing upgrade and innovation plans that continue to prioritize health, wellbeing and connectivity for all of its tenants.
“We are delighted that Toluna chose Merritt 7 as its new location, and are incredibly proud of these latest accomplishments,” said Margaret Egan, Clarion Partners’ Senior Vice President of Asset Management. “Our goal is to create the best possible business environment for tenants as they begin their return to the office, and being awarded LEED, Fitwel and WiredScore certifications was vital to addressing their needs. The increased focus on a healthier, greener and more agile office environment has resonated with tenants and received overwhelmingly positive feedback. Office users see the value offered by our flexible indoor and outdoor amenity spaces, and appreciate our rigorous health and wellness initiatives. This enables Merritt 7 to offer an enhanced level of comfort, confidence and connectivity for tenants planning their imminent return to their office — as well as new tenants like Toluna — and also creates a superior setting for business in the long term.”
Merritt 7 is nearing completion of a significant upgrade program designed by Gensler at buildings 501 and 601 that includes new and refreshed lobbies at 601 and 501, a new 2,500-square foot multi-purpose center at 501 –ideal for a variety of conference, event, meeting and flex space requirements— and a newly landscaped 35,000-square foot outdoor plaza designed by Rick Parisi of MPFP that is directly accessible from both buildings. Additional flex amenity space at Building 601, including a full-service café, coffee bar, meeting space and direct outdoor access, is currently underway and slated for completion in the second quarter of 2022. In total, Merritt 7 will have over 60,000 square feet of curated outdoor amenity space, 10,000+ square feet of flexible indoor work and meeting spaces, and four cafes, providing tenants with a variety of different areas and amenities to utilize without expanding their rentable footprint or seeking additional off-site space.
Merritt 7’s advanced dual air filtration system, which had been in place prior to the onset of COVID, is also a highly sought-after feature for office users as they seek to address their long-term occupancy needs. The system utilizes dual MERV-8 and MERV-15 filters, the latter being above and beyond current COVID-19 best practices and superior to most office buildings. MERV-15 filtration is the same grade used in general surgery settings.
Merritt 7 can accommodate a wide range of tenant requirements. Current opportunities include move-in ready units ranging from 2,123-square foot, high-end pre-built penthouses and fully built 40,000-square foot office-intensive installations with flexible lease terms. A contiguous four-floor block of up to 158,000 square foot is also available at Building 601.
Located immediately off the Merritt Parkway in close proximity to Fairfield County’s appealing and varied attractions, Merritt 7 also has its own dedicated on-site Metro North station, which is currently undergoing significant upgrades and is slated to open in 2022. Major tenants at Merritt 7 include Hearst, Datto, EMCOR, Financial Accounting Foundation (FAF), Jarden, IPSOS, Mercer, Millward Brown, Aon, Xerox, Frontier Communications, and Siemens.
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