Issue link: https://nebusinessmedia.uberflip.com/i/1498473
n e w h a v e n b i z . c o m | M a y 2 0 2 3 | n e w h a v e n B I Z 13 NSB Q-Tran 10x6.75.indd 1 NSB Q-Tran 10x6.75.indd 1 3/28/23 3:23 PM 3/28/23 3:23 PM pandemic to 600 square feet. Most of the employees continue to work from home and pop into the office for meetings and conferences. The law firm Day Pitney has offices in New Haven, Greenwich, Hartford, West Hartford and Stamford. It is moving its Hartford offices to a smaller footprint in the fall. Employees there generally work a hybrid schedule, coming into the office at least three days a week, a firm spokesperson said. Kathleen Monnes, office managing partner of Day Pitney's Hartford office, said the Hartford office is moving to Goodwin Square with a 10 year lease. "We will be reducing our total space somewhat, while still ensuring enough offices for our current roster of attorneys, with room for growth," Monnes said. Suburban trends Kristin Geenty, president of the Branford-based Geenty Group commercial realtors, agrees that small spaces are definitely becoming of more interest. But she's noticed a sub- trend of demand for tiny spaces in the suburbs. Offices with less than 500 square feet, big enough for one or two people, are hot, according to Geenty. "What that indicates to me is therapists and consultants are starting to go back into office spaces. People who went home are looking for small satellite offices because they don't want to work from home anymore," Geenty said. Micro spaces are oen occupied by entrepreneurs. Others, like digital marketing firms, app developers and tech-oriented businesses have chosen co-working spaces like District in New Haven where they'll find opportunities for synergy and brainstorming. Geenty is also noticing a trend of legal offices shrinking their real estate footprint. For example, if a firm occupied 5,000 square feet in a city pre-pandemic, they are now occupying 2,000 to 3,000 square feet in the suburbs close to where the partners live, she said. Some office staff are still working remotely, hence the need for less space. Electricity costs are certainly a challenge, Geenty added. Landlords who previously included electricity as part of the rent are now asking tenants to pay at least a portion. n Kristin Geenty Small offices like this one inside Cheshire Professional Park on Highland Avenue in Cheshire are in high demand.