F. Size and Physical Features

WHAT KIND OF SPACE DO YOU NEED?



“space planners” can help determine how

much square footage you need and how to

use it. (Chapter 3, Section B, discusses

how space planners can help.) When you

combine your present space needs with

your plans for the future (expansion on the

horizon?) and the term, or length, of the

lease you want, you’ll know what to look

for.

Chapter 4 explains in detail how landlords measure square feet. For now, understand that the various ways can result in

significant differences in the amount of

real, usable space. If your space needs are

critical and you need at least a certain

square footage, specify in your list that the

footage must exclude the thickness of interior and exterior walls, elevator shafts, and

other structural aspects of the building.

Don’t leave your estimate of needed

space without considering the possibility

that your business might need less space in

the future, even as it prospers. Is outsourcing on the horizon for you? Think

about the space-saving results of relying on

computer files instead of paper files (no

need for a file room now), or using online

services instead of local resources (do you

need a space for storing books, magazines,

and manuals if they’re available online?), or

using an off-site company to take the place

of your on-site servers (no need for a

server room). Will your need for support

staff diminish as employees become adept

at their own word processing or other computer tasks? With the advent of flex time

and home telecommuting, many businesses



1/ 1 7



find that they need less space than they

originally planned.

It’s expensive to rent space that you

don’t use. Resist the temptation to rent

more space than you need, even if it’s a great

deal, unless you are quite certain that you will

soon grow into it. Getting rid of unneeded

space (subleasing and assessing) is expensive.



2. Interior Needs

The configuration of a rented space is as

important as its overall size. For example,

you may need lots of storage space, private

offices, cubicles, and a few small meeting

rooms; or you may be fine with one open

area that you’ll break up with furniture or

portable partitions. Ceiling height may be

an issue if you have unusual equipment,

and the number and capacity of electrical

outlets or plumbing facilities may be important. You may want to provide kitchen

facilities for employees, a lunchroom or

lounge, or even a shower for those who

want to bike to work or exercise at noon.

Some of these features can be customized

to fit your needs; others (such as ceiling

height) cannot.

Think of your move to new quarters as

an opportunity to streamline the way work

is done and eliminate awkward systems or

configurations. Start by consulting your

employees for their ideas. Everyone in your

business is bound to have an idea of how

things could work better if the operation



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NEGOTIATE THE BEST LEASE FOR YOUR BUSINESS



were arranged a little differently. For instance,

it might make sense to place certain employees near others with whom they frequently interact. To do so, you might need

to place walls, fixtures, or equipment in a

particular order. You might be able to

evaluate these suggestions on your own

and reduce them to concrete designs to

implement them, or you may want to consult a space planner (discussed in Chapter

3, Section B).



may be very important—especially in an

office setting. If soundproofing is essential

for your business, indicate this on your

worksheet. Sometimes you can cheaply fix

a sound problem by playing background

music or buying a white-noise machine to

mask the sound. These are not ideal solutions, but they may be a way to salvage a

space that in other respects has all the right

stuff.



EXAMPLE: Begone Tours, a travel



agency, began looking for larger quarters

when their new tour line—wilderness

treks in Midwestern states—became

wildly popular. Begone’s owners

gathered the staff to discuss their ideas

for new space. Several people suggested

moving the marketing department

closer to the sales force and providing

for a central, out-of-the-way storage

area for files, brochures, and video

equipment. Realizing that Begone’s

website would play an increasingly important part in the business, the owners

planned to look for space that would

accommodate a larger technical force

who would need a quiet, undisturbed

area of their own.



3. Soundproofing

Good sound insulation between rooms

within your space and in the walls separating

your space from that of adjacent tenants



4. Operating Windows

Fresh air may be free but it’s not always

available in today’s buildings. Many landlords feel that real windows—ones that

open and close—will compromise the

efficiency of the building’s heating, ventilating, and air-conditioning system, known in

the trade as HVAC. (And if the heater is

blasting while the windows are wide open,

you, too, will bear some of the cost, since



WHAT KIND OF SPACE DO YOU NEED?



tenants typically pay for a portion of the

HVAC costs, as explained in Chapter 12,

Section B.) Still, there are buildings around

that do contain operating windows, so if

you highly value fresh air on demand, note

this on your worksheet.



5. Control of Heating and Cooling

In some buildings, you have to take whatever the HVAC system happens to be

pumping out. In others, you may have one

or more thermostats within the space you

lease. If being in charge of heat and airconditioning controls is important, highlight

it on your worksheet.

Individual control of your work climate

will be high priority if you or employees

work on weekends or nights, when buildingwide ventilation and heating controls are

typically turned off. In addition, if there are

widely differing activities going on in the

building—a gym on the first floor and a

group of therapists on the top floor—think

about whether a one-climate-fits-all approach

is likely to meet everyone’s needs. If your

area of the country experiences particularly

hot summers and cold winters, pay some

attention to the exposure of your potential

space—a western exposure, for example, is

going to get much warmer in the summer

than a similar space in the building that

faces north. If you’re worried about shivering while others sweat, or vice versa, place

“climate control” high on your list.



1/ 1 9



6. Storage Space

Some buildings have extra storage space

for tenants in a basement or other out-ofthe-way area. If you need space for items

that you use only occasionally, access to a

separate storage area may be a priority.

This can reduce clutter and free up your

rental space for important uses (archived

files or spare parts, for example).



7. Private Restrooms

Many buildings offer restrooms that are

shared by several tenants. If you prefer to

have restrooms within your leased space

for the exclusive use of employees and customers, give this item a high-priority rating.



8. Technological Capacities

If your business depends heavily on computers and access to the Internet, you’ll

need to be sure that any space you’re considering can accommodate your needs.

Consider issues such as:

• Riser capacity. Computer cables typically run throughout the building in

conduits called “risers.” When the

riser is full, you can’t add more cables.

If there are other techno-heavy tenants

in the building, there may be competition for riser space. Especially if you

plan on significant growth, sufficient



1/20



NEGOTIATE THE BEST LEASE FOR YOUR BUSINESS



riser size (and a guaranteed portion of

it) will be a high priority for you.

• Floor strength. Computer equipment,

especially servers, can be very heavy.

In addition, if you intend to have an

“open” work environment with few

walls, understand that this will result

in more people per square foot than

in a traditional, with-walls office. You

may need to look for floors that are

reinforced.

• Internet service providers (ISPs). Check

to make sure that the building owners

or management will accept more than

one ISP. Some buildings have exclusive contracts with one ISP, which is

no longer legal in light of a Federal

Trade Commission’s ruling (“FCC Final Forced Access Rule and Notice of

Further Proposed Rulemaking,”

Docket Numbers 99-217, 96-98, and

8857). Still, the news may not have

filtered down to your landlord. When

there is only one ISP, you’re likely to

see expensive hookup and monthly

charges.



G. Other Tenants and Services

in and Near the Building

It may be important to your business to be

in a building with certain types of tenants—

for example, businesses that are complementary to yours or provide a needed

service. Lawyers, for example, may want to

locate in a building where many of the



other tenants are also lawyers, accountants,

title companies, or copy services. Healthcare professionals may want to be near a

hospital, pharmacy, or other related health

services, such as an x-ray lab. Or you may

want to find a building that houses a health

club, coffee shop, or a fast copy service

that you, your employees, or customers will

find handy. Note these preferences on your

worksheet.

On the other hand, you may want to

avoid buildings that contain certain types of

businesses, such as those that compete

with yours. Note that, as well, in your

worksheet. You may want to avoid others,

either because of the nature of the clientele

or because of parking issues. For example,

if you operate a children’s dance studio,

you probably won’t want a bar as a next

door neighbor. On the other hand, if you

have a bakery, a bar won’t interfere with

your business since the hours of operation

are distinctly different.

Your neighbors down the street may be

just as important to you as those down

the hall. For instance, a research-anddevelopment company may prefer to locate near a university for easy access to

technical libraries. A real estate broker

may find it convenient to be near banks,

title companies, and insurance agencies.

A mail-order business may find it helpful

to be close to a post office or overnight

shipping facility. Whatever your special

requirements, if they’re important

enough, list them on your worksheet.



WHAT KIND OF SPACE DO YOU NEED?



1/ 2 1



H. Parking



I. Building Security



For many businesses, it’s essential to have

ample parking—whether a designated lot

on the building site, on the street, or in a

nearby parking lot or garage. Parking may

be a high priority for several reasons. If

public transit is inadequate, people will

need to drive to your business. If your

business involves selling or servicing large

items such as stereo equipment, customers

will need nearby parking.

If parking is a requirement for you,

remember that your landlord may impose

an additional charge for on-site parking.

(Alternatively, you might want to rent space

in a nearby lot.) Also, be aware that you

won’t be guaranteed a specific number of

spaces or spaces at a designated location

unless the lease says so. Chapter 13, Section

A, explains negotiating for parking.



If crime is a known problem in the neighborhood and customers or employees are

assaulted or robbed, you may be found

partially responsible if you have not taken

reasonable steps to prevent criminal incidents or at least warn of them. Your landlord, too, may ultimately bear some

responsibility, but the portion of a jury

award or settlement figure that you end up

paying is hardly the point. You never want

to be in a position of worrying about customers’ and employees’ safety, and you

never want to be drawn into a lawsuit,

even one that you win, if you can at all

avoid it.

Security is a bigger issue for some businesses than for others. Enterprises that are

open late, handle large amounts of cash,

deal in easily fenced merchandise, attract

large numbers of vulnerable customers, or

are poorly staffed will have more to worry

about than others. If your business is likely

to be attractive to a burglar or assailant,

you’ll want both a safe area and a wellsecured building. These two requirements

should be high on your list of priorities.

• The neighborhood. Your local police

department is a good source of information on the safety of various areas

in your town or city. If certain neighborhoods are charming, convenient,

and cheap, but come with alarming

crime statistics, you’ll want to look

elsewhere.