Suburban Office Parks Cool Again
Suburban office parks are back in, at least for an emerging set of Millennials. And that’s got employers kicking the tires on suburban work environments in an effort to attract young talent.
The shift to urban environments has been well-documented and supported by the likes of Twitter, Salesforce and even GE, who’ve selected downtown offices, primarily as a recruiting tool. That move paid off for Motorola Solutions, which says it received five times more job applicants following its move to downtown Chicago, compared to what it got in the suburbs.
But as Millennials age and start families, their quest for a home to raise their kids often leads to the suburbs, which makes having a job nearby quite appealing. And employers have adopted a strategy of blending the best of urban and suburban life into a suburban site near public transit, and offering walkable suburban main streets.
They are also enhancing office parks with amenities found in urban life, such as fitness centers, food-trucks, beach volleyball courts, fire pits, amphitheaters for concerts, as well as “barista-driven” coffee lounges. The appeal of a suburban office park extends to the financial side too, since they’re typically cheaper compared to downtown buildings.
For comments, questions or concerns, please contact Dennis Kaiser
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