Pleasantville-based , along with , have signed on for 24,000 square feet of combined commercial space at Chappaqua Crossing.
WeeZee will lease 15,000 square feet to accomodate the indoor play space, the first in Westchester County. In addition, there will be 15 offices that will be rented to professionals such as doctors, nurses, educators and teachers of Access Nursing.
"The facility will offer a colorful and vibrant ambiance designed to appeal to a child’s sense of motion, hearing, space, taste, sight and smell," according to an announcement. "The safe and supervised therapeutic environment will include equipment designed to improve academic performance, athletic coordination and social relationships in children and will include a rainforest room, a music room, a colorful cocoon-like swing and other sensory enhancement features."
While it was announced last year that the playground would open at an Armonk site, "an expanded design and additional features made it necessary for the company to seek space that included more square footage and an open air concept," according to a statement from WeeZee.
The larger design is "a family's fantasy come to life," Louise Weadock, founder of Access Nursing Services and a Briarcliff Manor resident, stated. "We have created a unique environment that offers children a time to play and learn that is unforgettable."
The additional square footage will make room for "A Village," which is described as "offices to be licensed by sensory-focused and wellness-related, medical, non-medical, social and academic professionals that serve all family members," in the statement.
The space will target children ages one through 12 and aim to improve their physical and cognitive strength.
"Our vision is for WeeZee to become a fun place where kids can make friends, have unique experiences, expand their imaginations and improve their cognitive performance," Weadock explained.
Construction is already underway at the space and the company is looking to open in March. Once open, WeeZee will be open 8 a.m. to 9 p.m. every day of the week.
Summit/Greenfield said WeeZee will bring 100 jobs, both full time and part time, to the former Reader's Digest site on Bedford Road.
Access Nursing Services, which provides support for nursing homes and hospitals, will lease an additional 9,000 square feet, with administration offices being housed on site, according to Geoff Thompson, a spokesman for the developer. The company, said Thompson, is moving its jobs from Pleasantville.
“We are pleased to have WeeZee and Access Nursing Services join our roster of tenants. They fit perfectly with Chappaqua Crossing’s tenant profile of small and medium-sized companies who are finding our location both attractive and convenient," said David Walsh in a press release.
Walsh is director of asset management for Summit Development, which is part of the Summit/Greenfield commercial real estate partnership.
ACCESS and WeeZee are the first new tenants to sign leases at Chappaqua Crossing since 13 months ago of former site owner Reader's Digest, which sold the property to Summit/Greenfield, leased it back and then exited after filing for bankruptcy.
Thompson declined to comment on questions regarding the length of the leases and rental rates, which Summit/Greenfield does not disclose.
Both companies will move to the site in March, according to Thompson. There are no further new tenant deals planned for the near future, but Thompson said that there has been some interest.
The signing of ACCESS and WeeZee is positive news for the developer. Summit/Greenfield is still over how the town reviewed its rezoning application to allow for building 199 housing units on the site as part of a mixed-used development. Last April, the town board after unilaterally adding that housing alternative during the winding down of its environmental review of the proposal. The developer has chosen and not exercise its option under the residential rezoning. Both sides are currently of the litigation.
In the meantime, Summit/Greenfield is attempting to rent out its remaining vacant space, which makes up the bulk of the site's 700,000 square feet in commercial facilities. Aside from its residential rezoning vote last year, the town board also on the number of commercial tenants that could rent space at the site, something that Summit/Greenfield has long asked her. The developer is now pursuing tenants without the cap as a constraint, according to Thompson.
Summit/Greenfield has been hit by a tough real estate market for finding tenants, with the Reader's Digest departure among its worst financial news.
Other current tenants are: Northern Westchester Hospital with 35,000 square feet, Fiber Media with 35,000, Mount Kisco Medical Group with 40,000 and GSA with 6,000.
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