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215 Rogers Way is home to the Hampton Business District Collection. COURTESY RECHLER EQUITY PARTNERS
As businesses continue to pursue pivoting plans, re-inventing themselves in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, Rechler Equity Partners is introducing a new product offering in the Hampton Business District located in Francis S. Gabreski Airport in Westhampton.
The pandemic has prompted many people to re-think their work-life balance, Rechler Equity Partners co-managing partner Mitchell Rechler said in a release. “We’ve seen an increasing number of calls for individuals looking for multi-functional space.” With people looking to get away from the city and seeking, said Mr. Rechler, “a space on the East End that can be adapted to their needs,” the partners created a new product called the Hampton Business District Collection.
Located in one of the three buildings in the district, the collection will be housed in the 66,000-square-foot structure at 215 Rogers Way. It’s “a blank canvas,” the Rechler release heralds, suitable for work, play, or storage.
Inquiries from people relocating to the East End spurred the creation of the collection — units that range in size from 2,000 square feet to 6,000 square feet. They could accommodate home offices or house collections of wine, art, or exotic cars. There’s room for private golf simulators, basketball courts and batting cages, if play is the preference. Each space has its own private office area, bathroom, and kitchenette. The balance of the unit offers warehouse space with 18-foot high ceilings, private entrance and a drive-in door. The units could also accommodate small industrial operations and light manufacturing.
The collection building joins two others in the district, where the original plans call for a total of nine, on a 50-acre tract of land adjacent to the airport.
In 2009, the Rechlers inked a 40-year lease with Suffolk County. Touting the agreement at the time then-county executive Steve Levy predicted the proposed high tech hub would generate significant economic growth. The lease was expected to generate $7 million in rental revenue over the first 10 years, and an estimated $40 million over the life of the lease. Southampton Town agreed to rezone the land to a planned development district, to open up construction and use potential. Over time, the focus shifted from a high-tech park to a place that offered rental units to any type of business.
The first building, at 220 Rogers Way opened in early 2015. At 60,000 square feet, it’s home to AC Lighting and Electric Supply, Carrier Enterprise Northeast, Westhampton Beach Brewing Company, and Tate’s Bake Shop.
The second building at 200 Rogers Way, at 69,000 square feet, houses additional aspects of Tate’s Bake Shop, Restoration Hardware, and a private firm, Niosi LLC.
ADS Management, a produce distribution company based in Riverhead, leases a portion of the third building, where the collection units will be sited.
Once all construction is completed, the business district will consist of nine buildings spanning 440,000 square feet. Located just off Sunrise Highway at the entrance to the Hamptons, the business park’s convenient site, turn-key setting, and expansion capabilities have been selling points for tenants.
The 1,486-acre airport was built by the federal government during World war II as an air base. It was turned over to the county in 1969 and named in honor of Colonel Francis S. Gabreski, former base commander and WWII pilot, in 1991.
According to Gregg Rechler, Rechler Equity Partners co-managing partner, as people migrated to the East End in the face of the COVID-19 crisis, “Gabreski airport, which borders HBD, has recorded the largest number of private flights landing in its history. With so many people being displaced from their day-to-day business arrangements, this new offering is the perfect fit for anyone looking to give themselves a more permanent place on Long Island’s East End.”
