Simone Development celebrates grand opening of 280,000 s/f

In yet another significant milestone in the rebirth of the Bronx, state and city officials joined with the developers of the Hutchinson Metro Center to celebrate the grand opening of Tower One, the first of two class A office towers to be built on the 42-acre office campus in the Bronx. "Today's official opening of Tower One is a landmark achievement for our company and the Bronx. This new state-of-the-art office tower is now home to a growing number of businesses that are bringing new energy and vitality to this office park and the borough," said Joseph Simone, president of Simone Development Companies, the developer of the Hutchinson Metro Center. Speaking at a ribbon-cutting ceremony held September 25 at the new tower, Simone added, "The response from tenants to Tower One has been phenomenal. Nearly 45% of the space has been leased and several major new deals will be announced shortly. This entire project has been a big success from day one and we expect it will continue to grow as more and more businesses discover the top-quality, well located office space that we are offering in the Bronx." Among the state and city officials attending the event were New York State senator Jeffrey Klein, New York State assemblyman Michael Benedetto and New York City councilman James Vacca. Located at 1250 Waters Place, Tower One features 280,000 s/f of class A space on nine floors with four floors of covered parking. Space is available for immediate occupancy starting at 1,500 s/f. A second tower of 280,000 s/f is planned for construction adjacent to Tower One. The two towers will be connected by a common lobby. Newman Design Group is the architect for the project. The grand opening of Tower One builds on the unprecedented success of the first phase of 460,000 s/f at the Hutchinson Metro Center which was fully leased less than two years after its completion. The development of the Hutchinson Metro Center is having a significant impact on the Bronx economy, creating thousands of new jobs which, in turn, is adding new vitality to the borough's retail and residential market. "We're very bullish on the Bronx economy. This borough has everything you need to succeed in business - an excellent highway system, convenient access to public transportation and a large and skilled labor pool. We're pleased that the Hutchinson Metro Center - and now Tower One -- continues to play an important role in the borough's economic renaissance. We look forward to starting work on our second office tower," said Simone.