Coworking is all the rage these these days and the Lower East Side is getting a new shared office space. The Yard, which is already ensconced in Williamsburg/Greenpoint, plans to open a new location at 85 Delancey Street (Orchard) in the next few months. Yesterday the organization put out the word that applications are now being accepted for the LES facility.
The Brooklyn headquarters offers a few options for entrepreneurial firms including a “virtual office” setup with conference room access ($95/month), shared workspace ($195/month) and private offices (starting at $1195/month). On the LES, similar options are expected; there will be 80 private office suites, a street level cafe and a rooftop atrium. The Yard promotes its spaces as ideal environments to “inspire creativity, collaborations and connections.” You can find out more on the company’s web site, and also fill out an online application.
The Yard is not the first coworking space on the Lower East Side. Another firm called Projective Space has a 7,000 square foot facility at 72 Allen Street (inside the Zarin’s building). The pioneer was 195 Chrystie Street, where the Talking Heads once kept a studio. Ben Landy, who represented both the landlord at 85 Delancey as well as the new tenant, said he can definitely envision the immediate area becoming a hub for entrepreneurial firms.
To some extent, these kinds of ventures have been drawn to the LES for quite some time. Companies such as Kickstarter were born in the neighborhood. Sadly, the growing firm picked up and moved to Brooklyn because no buildings here fit their needs. The Lower East Side BID has been advocating for the creation of both small-scale and medium scale spaces for start-up companies interested in moving to or expanding in the community. They’re working on a proposal to create an incubator within the Seward Park project on Delancey Street.
This is HUGE for the neighborhood. I am sure they will do very well.