Hartford Business Journal

4 HARTFORDBUSINESS.COM | MAY 17, 2021 Deal Watch By Matt Pilon mpilon@hartfordbusiness.com A t State House Square, one of downtown Hartford's major Class A office properties, David Jakubowski keeps a close eye on parking garage traffic reports, eager to see concrete signs of greater employee activity as COVID-19 vaccination rates rise. However, Jakubowski, who manages the three-building property on behalf of its owners, has observed only a slight increase over the past few months. Inside, there's still just a sliver of normal employee activity levels. "We were hoping at this point we might have 25% of the normal population back to work," Jakubowski said. "I see a few more people I haven't seen in the last year, maybe one or two days a week." State House Square, which can accommodate 3,000 employees, is not alone. Top officials at Shelbourne Global Solutions, Hartford's largest office landlord, said their four downtown properties remain relatively quiet on any given weekday, though they estimate activity levels have climbed from 10% to somewhere between 15% and 20% in recent months. "There's definitely been an uptick," said Shelbourne Managing Member Benjamin Schlossberg. With Gov. Ned Lamont set to lift all remaining capacity restrictions on businesses May 19, it's clear many employers don't want to rush back-to-the-office decisions, as they continue to monitor the path of the coronavirus, vaccination rates and worker sentiment. At the same time many employers are investing in office safety upgrades and renovations, and weighing the logistics of a more hybrid work schedule moving forward. While the situation is creating some jitters, commercial property owners, brokers and downtown Hartford boosters say there isn't a sense of panic, but optimism that activity will pick up over the summer and increase further when the school year begins. That matches with the return- to-work timelines of many large employers in downtown Hartford. Companies recently contacted by Hartford Business Journal, including Aetna, Travelers, The Hartford and Bank of America, among others, say that despite Lamont's decision to fully roll back business restrictions this month, they are still targeting Labor Day as a key target for getting workers back to the office. The reality is, employers still face a host of challenges with how to handle their workforce, including skittish Ben Schlossberg Cautious Approach As pandemic restrictions lift, don't expect Hartford employees to surge back to offices As the last of Connecticut's pandemic restrictions are lifted, downtown Hartford offices remain relatively quiet, including at State House Square, which has temporarily shuttered its food court as a result. Property manager David Jakubowski said food vendors haven't been charged rent during the closure. HBJ PHOTO | STEVE LASCHEVER

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