Linda Lindner//October 31, 2019//

Cushman & Wakefield said Thursday that an 86-acre infill development site has come online for sale in eastern Morris County.
The property at 85 Whippany Road in Whippany is part of a 194-acre former Alcatel-Lucent site that underwent a redevelopment — the balance of the campus today houses Bayer’s North American headquarters and MetLife Investments’ global headquarters.
Cushman & Wakefield’s New Jersey capital markets team is marketing the opportunity on behalf of Bayer, the seller.
“This land parcel disposition represents the rare opportunity to acquire a large development site in one of New Jersey’s premier infill locations, and we’re already seeing strong interest from potential owner/occupiers and investors alike,” noted Cushman & Wakefield’s David Bernhaut, who is heading the assignment with Brian Whitmer and Mark Phillips, with additional support from Morristown’s Joshua Cohen. “85 Whippany Road is suited for a variety of future uses given the area’s dense, affluent demographics and large base of white-collar corporate employment.”
Whippany Road is currently zoned OB-RL3 (Office Building and Research Laboratory District), allowing for professional office, research laboratories, state-licensed hospitals and nursing homes, child-care centers and more. Pending a zoning change, other potentially viable uses would include multifamily, townhomes, hotel, retail or flex/industrial.
The location sits in the heart of New Jersey’s “Golden Triangle,” which is formed by Route 24, and Interstates 287 and 78. Morris County supports strong real estate fundamentals across all asset types.
The property benefits from its proximity to Route 10 – the area’s premier retail corridor – and sought-after housing and schools. Downtown Morristown – a mass transit-served, vibrant 24/7 live-work-play environment – is just five miles away.
“We at Bayer are encouraged by the substantial interest we are receiving this early in the marketing process and are also eager to identify the best user to continue the positive development this neighborhood has experienced over the last couple of years,” noted Matthias Muckle, head of the U.S. Real Estate Group at Bayer. “We anticipate a competitive bidding process given the fact that this is one of the last few large vacant land parcels in the regional marketplace.”