Healthcare Company In Talks To Fill Half Of Amazon-Sized Hole In Long Island City
The owner of Long Island City’s One Court Square — where Amazon had planned to take 1M SF before it canceled its plans entirely for the area — may have found a tenant to take at least some of the space in the building.
Before it backed out of a plan to build a massive HQ2 on the Long Island City waterfront, the tech giant had signed a letter of intent for 1M SF at One Court Square as longtime tenant Citigroup moves ahead with its downsizing at the building.
Now, St. Louis healthcare company Centene Corp. is looking at taking 500K SF in the building, Crain’s New York Business reports.
Centene bought Fidelis, a Queens-based healthcare company last year, per Crain’s, and sources told the publication the firm is considering moving its Fidelis space from Rego Park into the building. The deal, if it closes, would still leave Savanna with 500K SF to fill.
Amazon announced it would not move ahead with HQ2 plans last month, following intense political and community opposition. Many see the move as a big blow to the city’s business community, though others argue New York City remains able to attract top talent and big businesses.
Savanna founder and managing partner Chris Schlank last week said Gov. Andrew Cuomo and Mayor Bill de Blasio mishandled the deal.
“The hubris that Cuomo showed and the weakness that de Blasio showed tacitly not wanting to put his name on Amazon because he likes the unions was terrible in so many ways," he said. “It’s going to take a very long time to repair the damage."
