New Union Square Food Destination to Offer Modern Mix of Online and Offline Experience, Boosting Market-Leading Amenity Set for 21-story Trophy-Class Office Building

RAL Development Services (RAL) announced that Urbanspace has signed a 10,000 square foot lease to operate a new food hall at Zero Irving, a trophy quality mixed-use development by RAL in New York’s Union Square neighborhood. Urbanspace currently operates four popular food halls in Manhattan, and the new Union Square location represents an expansion into a tech-focused new property development within an area that is a magnet for technology and media tenants.

“We have the ideal business model to help the NYC culinary community recover. It is very challenging for chef entrepreneurs to get started, now more than ever“ said Eldon Scott, President of Urbanspace. “Our platform lessens those barriers and is a great, turn-key opportunity, while giving our customers something special, the newest local flavors, and the never before tasted combinations.”

Urbanspace will be a unique amenity for Zero Irving’s tenants, users of the building’s event space, and the surrounding neighborhood. Urbanspace plans an innovative mixed online/offline platform that stays true to its exceptional, immersive food hall experience while providing enhanced online ordering with delivery and pickup options for building tenants and the local community. Urbanspace also plans a catering option offered to both building tenants and users of Zero Irving’s event and conference center, unique in the Union Square market.

"The Union Square Partnership community could not be more thrilled that Urbanspace is officially on board as the food hall operator at Zero Irving, which will be a terrific new addition to Union Square-14th Street," said Jennifer Falk, Executive Director, Union Square Partnership. "Urbanspace has a wonderful track record in our community having operated their landmark Holiday Market in Union Square for over three decades. We know they will do something truly special with this project and we thank them for making this incredible investment in our district, particularly during these challenging times."

The new food hall will also benefit from several COVID-19 favorable attributes RAL has deployed for both Urbanspace and the building’s office users. Among them, RAL is introducing new technology to deliver a completely touchless entry experience from street to desk, along with privately controlled and customizable HVAC systems for each tenant floor, air quality monitoring stations, and 5 individual bathrooms per tenant floor built with modern materials that facilitate cleaning and disinfecting.

Zero Irving brings 176,000 square feet of thoughtfully amenitized, newly constructed Class A office space across 14 beautifully designed and appointed floors at the top of the 240,000-square-foot, 21-story building. The project also includes a technology training center and incubator, state-of-the-art event space, and of course now Urbanspace at grade level. Zero Irving will also be offering flexible office space on the building’s upper floors. The flexible office space, distinguished by shorter terms and lesser credit requirements, is available for a number of users, including both growing and established companies. Zero Irving is fully financed and currently under construction, with delivery expected in early 2021.

“We’re incredibly excited to announce that Urbanspace will open at Zero Irving, it brings a remarkable amenity that will be available to both the building tenants and the neighborhood at large,” said Josh Wein, Managing Director at RAL. “The RAL team is steadily pulling together all the ingredients to realize our vision of Zero Irving as a great mixed-use building that is additive to the community and ideal for tenants as well.”

Steps from Union Square Park and the Union Square transit hub, Zero Irving’s location provides tenants with the ability to attract and retain their workforce – a major consideration for tenants today. Newly constructed space is also rare in the area, which offers mostly older or renovated building stock. As such, Zero Irving is in a unique position to offer flexibility and adaptability as New York continues to navigate the ongoing COVID-19 crisis. The building’s distinctive design, along with various outdoor spaces, touchless access, and private HVAC systems , are key in attracting tenants who will be able to decide how to set up their space and tackle office life post pandemic.

Zero Irving embraces the latest in sustainable design and green building technology. The building is engineered to comply with both WiredScore Platinum and LEED Gold Certifications, providing tenants with best-in-class connectivity through a design that is sustainable and respectful of the environment.

Mitch Konsker, Vice Chairman of JLL, leads the leasing effort alongside Benjamin Bass, Dan Turkewitz and Kristen Morgan. Claire Bernard, AVP of Leasing & Curation, leads the leasing efforts at Urbanspace (inquire at urbanspacenyc.com/become-a-vendor).

Zero Irving is the result of RAL’s successful response to an RFP issued by NYCEDC. The team behind the project is also comprised by financial partner Junius Real Estate Partners, architecture firm Davis Brody Bond, and commercial construction company Suffolk Construction.