Finding the Right Space for Your School
Finding the right space for your school can be tricky, especially in NYC. You need the right location and environment for students, the right price based on public and/or private funding, and in some cases, the right owner or developer who believes in your mission enough to build its foundation.
With so many moving parts and a rapidly changing market for school space, we thought it would be helpful to recap some of our recent school deals and what we’re seeing in this market:
Non-profit private school, South Bronx: It was important to our client’s team that their school not only provide free private school education, but also serve as a cornerstone to build the community. We paired them with a developer who believed in their mission and agreed to build their pinnacle permanent school space from the ground up (even buying out an existing tenant to make it happen), and found the right temporary space.
Takeaway: if you need ground up development for your school, it’s important to find the right partner to build the space and provide usable temp space during the build.
Private school, Brooklyn: Another client has an existing school location in upstate NY and wanted to expand into Brooklyn. This for-profit school has a french immersion preschool program and needed a location where there would be a target market close by. We found the perfect space for our client, in the perfect location (Cobble Hill).
Takeaway: if you have a specific, unique target market, it’s all about location, location, location and creating the right atmosphere to attract students and parents.
Charter school, Brooklyn: Our client was in the perfect space, until, condos. The classic switch-a-roo. The space was being converted, so they needed a new space. To avoid double rent we found them a great space in a prime Brooklyn neighborhood (Park Slope). And get this, at a better price!
Takeaway: if your space is being converted, no need to stress. You can find a new space in a better location AND at a better price.
Why trust us with your school, your mission, your students and your staff? We’ve worked with charter schools, private schools, nursery schools and daycare centers to find, negotiate and in some cases build the right space for over 20 years – we’ve seen it all and successfully navigated all the “gotchas” and moving parts that come with each unique scenario. And unlike other brokers, we only represent tenants, meaning you never have to wonder if we’re secretly acting with the landlord or developer’s interests in mind (because we never are). Here’s why that matters to you.
How can we help? Whether you’re adding a location to an existing charter or private school network, relocating your school, or building a new school from the ground up and looking for a trusted development partner, we’re here to help.
Please reach out to the founder, Bert Rosenblatt at brosenblatt@vicuspartners.com or call my cell (917) 862-8820 if you’d like to talk about your school’s space options.
