Office Space in West Hartford’s Blue Back All Leased Up

West Hartford’s Blue Back Square is little more than four miles from downtown Hartford.

But when it comes to office vacancies, Blue Back might as well be in another state all together.

With a lease for nearly 6,800 square feet at 62 Memorial Road, all 100,000 square feet of office space at Blue Back are now leased, not including medical space. The first office lease was signed in early 2008 and subsequent tenants have signed on despite the recession and above-market rental rates.

With the lease of nearly 6,800 square feet on the second floor of 62 Memorial Road, all of the office space in West Hartford's Blue Back Square is now leased. Photo Credit: Goman + York.

Downtown Hartford continues to struggle with overall office vacancies that have been stuck at nearly 30 percent for two years running,  including two office towers that remain completely empty.

To be fair, Blue Back’s office component — in three buildings — is dwarfed in size by the nearly eight million square feet of office space in downtown Hartford. And there is a small block of space in Blue Back being marketed for sublease by one tenant.

Nevertheless,  Blue Back’s steady progress in leasing points to an attractive, mixed-used combination of retail, office and residential, according to Tom York, a broker at Goman + York Property Advisors who represents the landlord, Blue Back Square LLC.

York acknowledged that downtown Hartford has those components, but its retail component is weak, with the exception of downtown restaurants.

“They are looking for the overall experience,” York told me. Blue Back “also is seen as more manageable. Parking is less expensive and people perceive downtown as being a challenge to get to.”

Rental rates haven’t been a stumbling block, even in the recession. The rents average in the mid-$30s, while in downtown Hartford they are in the low-to-mid-$20s for comparable, prime space.

The latest tenant, software company The Burgess Group, is expected to move in five months, once the space is built to the company’s designs.