New York City is inching back to life, and the owners of some of the world’s priciest, densest buildings are working toward a new era of protocols and regulations that would have been unimaginable four months ago.
The city took its first tentative steps to a return to normality this week, starting Phase 1 of the state's staggered reopening plan. Phase 2 will allow office buildings to open their doors once more. Temperature check technology, reduced elevator capacity and rules governing face coverings are all becoming de rigueur, as landlords rush to lay out their plans and ease the anxieties of a shaken workforce.“We are only as safe and healthy as anyone who comes in,” Silverstein Properties Chief Operating Officer Dino Fusco told Bisnow this week.
Silverstein is rolling out a suite of changes across its 13M SF office portfolio in the city and is sharing the internal company return-to-office plans with all tenants.
“There is a lot of anxiety," Fusco said. "There is no one-size-fits-all, and the majority of companies are moving with caution.”
Phase 2, which Mayor Bill de Blasio has said likely won't begin until July, will also allow for real estate services, outdoor dining and barbershops to start back up. While office buildings can open, the state has mandated they must function at 50% capacity — and many companies are choosing to keep their workers home for the rest of summer, at least.