Hutch Metro Center opens Tower 1

Hutch Metro Center opens Tower 1

In another significant milestone in the continual evolution of the Bronx, state and city officials joined together with developers of the Hutchinson Metro Center to celebrate the grand opening of Tower One, the second building at the office park, but definitely not the last.

So far, approximately 730,000 square feet of class A office space has been constructed at Hutchinson Metro Center, located at 1250 Waters Place, including 280,000 square feet on nine floors of Tower One, with four floors of covered parking.

The opening ceremony, which took place on Thursday, September 25, included a ribbon cutting in which developer Joseph Simone, president of Simone Devel-opment Companies, was joined by Senator Jeff Klein, Assemblyman Michael Benedetto, Councilman Jimmy Vacca, and a representative from Congressman Joe Crowley’s office.

“Today’s official opening of Tower One is a landmark achievement for our company and the Bronx,” Simone said. “This new state-of-the-art office tower is now home to a growing number of businesses that are bringing energy and vitality to this office park and the borough.”

Simone stated that he anticipated the construction of a total of two million square feet of office space at the Hutchinson Metro Center, and that when a second tower is built as part of phase three of the project, a full-service hotel will be part of that development. Simone also noted that Tower One, which is already 45% leased, is generating a great deal of excitement within the medical community.

“Thirty-eight percent of all workers in the Bronx are employed in the health care field,” said Senator Jeff Klein. “Anything we can do to encourage the creation of more jobs in that field is important.”

Tower One is less than a mile from four major medical institutions – Albert Einstein College of Medicine, Montefiore Medical Center, Jacobi Medical Center, and Calvary Hospital – and close to a large patient base to draw on in the Bronx.

The grand opening of Tower One builds on the unprecedented success of the first phase of 460,000 square feet that was fully leased less than two years ago. Major tenants have come to include Mercy College, Visiting Nurse Service of New York, University Diagnostic Medical Imaging, and New York City Housing Authority.

“For all too many years, when people mentioned the Bronx, all they thought of was Yankee Stadium, the Bronx Zoo, and the Botanical Garden,” said Assemblyman Benedetto at the ribbon cutting. “Now, in the last few years, when people speak of the Bronx they speak of the Hutchinson Metro Center, Mercy College, and lots of great doctors.”

Simone stated that the project offers both workers and patients something few other office locations in the city can offer – free parking.

“Thank you Joe Simone because you have done work that brings medical and office facilities here, and Lord knows we need it,” said Councilman Vacca at the ribbon cutting. “I think with this kind of forward thinking, the Bronx will soon have its first hotel.”

The development of the Hutchinson Metro Center, the office space and world-class amenities and services in a suburban campus setting, is having a significant impact on the Bronx economy.

“We’re very bullish on the Bronx economy,” Simone said. “This borough has everything you need to succeed in business.”