It was a lease that represented a transformative transaction for the Jersey City, New Jersey, waterfront office market, where the vacancy rate is roughly 18%. The deal is a model for adaptive leasing strategies in modern urban markets.
Kessler Rehabilitation, a nationally recognized rehabilitation provider, signed a deal to take 123,410 square feet at Harborside 6 at 135 Greene St., with Newmark representing the landlord. The transaction stands as the largest new lease completed in Jersey City since 2022, delivering meaningful net absorption, diversifying the area's tenant mix, reviving previously challenged space and reinforcing the Harborside district's evolution into a true live-work-wellness neighborhood.
The deal earned a 2026 CoStar Impact Award for lease of the year in Northern New Jersey, as judged by real estate professionals familiar with the market.
Kessler joining the tenant roster in a Class A office building in Jersey City served as a catalyst for renewed leasing activity along the Hudson waterfront, introducing a high-traffic, service-oriented healthcare tenant that drives consistent daily visitation beyond the traditional office workday. That bump in steady foot traffic supports surrounding restaurants and service providers and reinforces the area's identity as a mixed-use, community-serving destination rather than a purely office environment.
About the project: Occupying Harborside 6's uppermost floors, the transaction absorbed a large block of space that would otherwise be difficult to lease in the current office market. Securing a tenant of this scale required repositioning available space to appeal beyond traditional office users. The ownership and leasing teams recognized growing demand for experiential and service-based tenants and marketed the opportunity as a healthcare-friendly environment rather than solely an office location. Flexible design coordination and collaboration with the tenant ensured the space could efficiently accommodate clinical requirements while maintaining building standards.
What the judges said: "I am an industrial guy and yet I was drawn to this lease because it was not," said Andrew Moss, director of leasing and acquisitions, Forsgate Industrial Partners. "It seemed to entail more creativity in the making of the lease."
The size of the transaction and difficulty of lining up leases in that market impressed Beth Chezmar, vice president at Lee & Associates Commercial Real Estate Services.
They made it happen: The landlord representatives included Jamie Drummond, senior managing director, Newmark; Dan Reider, managing director, Newmark; and John Crawford, director, Newmark. David Elkouby is the president of American Equity Partners, the owner.
The tenant's brokers included Daniel Johnsen, executive managing director, Cushman & Wakefield; Frank DiTommaso II, executive managing director, Cushman & Wakefield; Frank Maldonado, senior director, Cushman & Wakefield.
CoStar Market Manager Amanda Thomas contributed to this report.