Mobile offices have been used as sales centers for new housing communities for years – nothing new about that. It is the logical solution when you need a center to welcome interested buyers before an actual model is available for viewing. Many serve as the central hub throughout the entire selling/leasing process. Traditional modular units tailored as sales centers are typically 12-24’ wide and 48-64’ long; perfect if your development is situated on acres of land. Not too ideal if you are showcasing a property in the heart of a city surrounded by established buildings and crisscrossed by heavily trafficked streets. What is a developer to do?
Here is a tale about a developer in that very predicament and how a WillScot product rescued them from the big city blues.
Flexible Mobile Solutions for Baltimore City
The Exelon tower is under final construction on a 27-acre waterfront parcel of land in Baltimore City. 444,000 of its 648,000 total square feet will house office space; the remainder is reserved for residential and retail space. The building has an enviable view of the harbor and straddles two “hot” neighborhoods: Harbor East and Fells Point. It is also surrounded by traffic-challenged streets, existing buildings, hotels, restaurants, parking garages/lots and private homes – some of which were built in the 1800s. They didn’t plan on rush-hour traffic, 18-wheelers, commuter buses and 20-story buildings in the 1800s.
Beatty Development is responsible for leasing the residential and retail space at this prestigious property and they had an immediate need to pre-lease the boutique apartments for this exclusive waterfront retreat. No model apartment was ready to show and Beatty had a limited budget, so their initial thought was rent a quick, inexpensive marketing “trailer”. What did WillScot have available that would meet their needs?
In the end, there was no contest. Beatty saw Flex and it was love at first sight – and a very smart marketing move as well
We considered all the possibilities. We were very familiar with the neighborhood – its obvious pluses as well as the location challenges – as our corporate headquarters is nearby. In the end, we put together a presentation comparing a typical mobile sales office and Flex, our innovative panelized product. Although it met the budget and availability requirements, the typical mobile sales office would not be flexible enough to maneuver onto the site and required too much space. Flex, although above the budget, was much more agile and only required an area the size of three parking spaces.
Beyond that important fact was its look. Appearance-wise, Flex, with its streamlined exterior and optional full-glass panels, was a perfect match for the assignment of representing modern, luxury residences in an upscale setting. In the end, there was no contest. Beatty saw Flex and it was love at first sight – and a very smart marketing move as well.
Flex was built and delivered in two weeks, craned in on a cold snowy morning, and ready for use in just a few days. The modern aesthetics intrinsic to the Flex product helped win over the customer – along with the persistence and hard work of the WS account executive. Compact, versatile and easy on the eyes, Flex was born to live in the big city. It dares to go where the typical mobile office cannot.
