Racial justice nonprofit expands and extends Midtown office lease

A nonprofit focused on safety and racial justice has expanded its footprint and extended its stay at a Midtown office building.

The Center for Justice Innovation is set to grow to 34,300 square feet at 520 Eighth Ave., a deal that includes part of the building's 18th floor and its entire 19th floor, landlord GFP Real Estate has announced. The organization is also extending its lease by 20 years as part of the deal. It has been at the 26-story, 860,000-square-foot office tower since 1999 and previously occupied 33,000 square feet on parts of the 10th, 18th and 23rd floors.

Center for Justice Innovation was represented by OPEN Impact Real Estate's Stephen Powers and Jake Cinti. Average asking rents in the building range from $43 to $53 per square foot, according to CoStar data. The brokers declined to share the specific asking rent for the Center for Justice Innovation lease.

Cinti said in a statement that the new deal "not only positions the organization for continued growth and long-term savings, but creates a workplace environment that reflects its standing as a leading community justice organization."

GFP Real Estate was represented in-house by Matthew Mandell. He stressed that the real estate firm is "one of New York City's largest landlords to nonprofit organizations" and said the Center for Justice Innovation deal "further reinforces 520 Eighth Ave.'s position as one of Manhattan's premier hubs for mission-driven organizations."