• Politics

Hillary Clinton Seeking Office Space in Brooklyn or Queens

2 minute read
By Sam Frizell

Hillary Clinton’s staff are working with global real estate broker CB Richard Ellis to find a headquarters for her likely 2016 presidential campaign, TIME has learned from several sources familiar with the matter.

Her campaign headquarters would likely be located in Brooklyn or Queens, where commercial rents are significantly cheaper than in Manhattan. It’s unclear whether, or how soon Clinton will settle on a headquarters.

The Los-Angeles-based brokerage CBRE has worked with the Clintons in the past. Roshan Shah, a broker and senior vice president at CBRE, helped the William J. Clinton Foundation negotiate the move out of its Harlem offices. CBRE declined to comment.

There aren’t many options for large, contiguous office spaces in downtown Brooklyn and Queens, where a high demand for commercial leases has raised prices in recent years. The current average annual rent price per square foot of office space in Brooklyn is around $40-$45. Prices in a 2013 report indicated averages around $35 per square foot in Brooklyn compared with around $60 in Manhattan.

Clinton’s staff privately toured office space at MetroTech last year, a large office complex in downtown Brooklyn, and have also looked at the One Pierrepont Plaza building in Brooklyn Heights. The Pierrepont building is home to over 120,000 square feet of available office space.

Both spaces are owned by Forest City Ratner, whose chairman Bruce Ratner is a Democrat and an ally of New York City mayor Bill de Blasio. De Blasio served on Clinton’s 1999 campaign for Senator in New York.

See an Intimate Portrait of Hillary Clinton

With an ice cream cone in hand, Hillary waves to the crowd in Weedsport, New York, as she heads to the Harriet Tubman Home for the Aged in Auburn, New York, one of the stops on her Save America's Treasures tour, July 14, 1998.Diana Walker—Contour by Getty Images for TIME
Getting ready for President Clinton's second inaugural, Hillary gets her first glimpse of daughter Chelsea's short skirt. Jan. 20, 1997Diana Walker—Contour by Getty Images for TIME
The President and the First Lady Share a private moment, one of their last in the Oval Office. Jan. 11, 2001. Diana Walker—Contour by Getty Images for TIME
Hillary checks her messages upon departure from Malta for the as-yet-undisclosed location, Tripoli, Oct. 18, 2011. This photo was turned into a meme that circulated around the world. Diana Walker—Contour by Getty Images for TIME
Before an appearance with David Letterman, Hillary checks her BlackBerry while Diana Walker takes their picture. Feb. 4, 2008.Diana Walker—Contour by Getty Images for TIME
Hillary gathers her thoughts moments before her introduction at Nueva Esperanza Academy Charter High School in Philadelphia. Apr. 18, 2008. Diana Walker—Contour by Getty Images for TIME
Diana Walker—Contour by Getty Images for TIME
Hillary walks up the steps of the US Capitol to meet with Senate leaders. May 16, 2006. Diana Walker—Contour by Getty Images for TIME
Hillary enters a Super Bowl party at a bar and grill in St. Paul Minnesota, where she watches the New York Giants win the game, Feb. 3, 2008. Diana Walker—Contour by Getty Images for TIME

In 2011 and 2012, the Obama campaign leased 50,000 square feet of office space in the Prudential Building in Chicago, which is now available for $20 to $27 per square foot but was cheaper four years ago, according to the current property managers.

Clinton has been courted by Westchester notables in an effort to attract the presumptive presidential candidates 2016 campaign to the New York City suburb.

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