Wallingford CT is New Home for Anthem Blue Cross/Blue Shield
After sitting vacant for about 3 years, it looks like 108 Leigus Road in Wallingford will finally get a tenant.
Anthem Blue Cross and Blue Shield, currently at 380 Bassett Road in North Haven, has signed a lease with the owner of the empty building, called the Campus at Greenhill, and will move into their new home in about a year. The building has sat vacant since initially tapped to be the home of Mortgage Lenders Network USA, Inc. That complany has since filed for bankruptcy and is out of business. Anthem has signed a 10-year lease with the property's landlord, Workstage-Connecticut, LLC and will occupy approximately 218,000 square feet of the 300,000 square feet of usable space.
It has been speculated for some time that Anthem was in the market for a new home after they sold their 100 acre North Haven campus to Quinnipiac University in 2007 and then rented back a large portion of that space. The lease runs out in 2012, so the move to Wallingford is well-timed. Anthem has said they will complete their move to the Leigus Road complex in two phases: the first phase will begin in september of 2011 and the second a year later in September of 2012.
Anthem is looking forward to being able to being able to lower its carbon footprint in the new, more environmentally friendly location.
Some of the highlights of the property include:
- Expansive window liines with abundant natural light
- Under floor power, voice, and data distribution with plug-and-play capability
- Innovative Under Floor Air Distribution (UFAD) promotes better indoor air quality
- Lowest utility rates in Connecticut
While this move will fill about 2/3 of the office building, it still remains to be seen if a tenant can be found for the rest of the space, which is currently listed at $22 per square foot. The town of Wallingford is surely glad to see the vacancy filled. Mayor William W. Dickinson, Jr. stated, "We are pleased that Anthem chose to remain within this region and to become a part of Wallingford's business community. Our town, our region and the company's own employees benefit by this decision and it provides for substantial use of one of our largest vacant office buildings. We look forward to Anthem doing business in our community."
And not only does this move keep Anthem in New Haven county and add to Wallingford's tax rolls, it will save it's employees some money as well. If Anthem had decided to move to Hartford, as some thought they would, employees would have been required to pay for parking. By moving to the Campus at Greenhill, with it's abundant parking area, this is no longer a concern.
All the best to Anthem for a speedy and successful move!
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