Jennifer Burns | Source | Senior Vice President of Property Management and Operations at Monday Proper...

Jennifer Burns, senior vice president of property management and operations at Monday Properties, a commercial real estate owner, operator and developer, said her company has limited elevator capacity to four people at a time, asked employees going to higher floors to go to the back while riding and installed markers showing where people should stand. As an interim measure, she said, Monday Properties has installed self-cleaning antimicrobial covers, made by a Virginia company called NanoTouch, on elevator buttons for additional protection. Kastus, a company in Dublin, is also marketing its antimicrobial coatings to combat the spread of coronavirus.

Monday Properties, the largest office owner in Rosslyn, has also seen more people coming back to the office this month, Senior Vice President of Property Management and Operations Jennifer Burns said.

"We have definitely seen an increase post-Labor Day of businesses and companies returning to the office, which has been very positive," Burns said. "It’s similar to what we were expecting, because schools have flushed out what their process is going to be, and employers [are] getting comfortable with having employees come back to work."

Burns also said the increase of residential development in Rosslyn has helped maintain activity in the neighborhood during the pandemic.

"Rosslyn really over the last 10 years has continued to break the mold of what people maybe perceived previously," Burns said. "There is a lot of daytime and nighttime activity, there is large residential presence in Rosslyn. We have condos and apartments, so there is activation throughout the day."
Burns said Monday Properties has seen some activity in its virtual touring, and she expects to have new leases closing in the coming months. She said the company's tenant mix is well-positioned for an economic downturn, with companies that benefit from increased federal spending.

"All the tenants in our portfolio are going to continue to benefit," Burns said. "We have a very good mix of different types of tenants with Raytheon, Nestle, Grant Thornton and a lot of government contracting groups, and we have the federal government as a tenant. We have a diverse and strong portfolio that is going to continue to be successful."

“The comprehensive system enables office buildings to play a significant role in virus screening by activating touchless access points, promoting social distancing practices and contact tracing,” Jennifer Burns, Monday Properties’ senior vice president of property management and operations, told Commercial Observer. The program “is providing a way for us to leverage the existing infrastructure we already have in our building, while incorporating new technology and upgrades that will better safeguard our tenants’ health and safety as they return to the office,” Burns said. “We’re focused on providing our tenants with the tools they need to ensure they come back to an office space that allows them to be productive and comfortable,” Burns said. Other changes include new entry signage, directional signage, elevator capacity limits, hand sanitizing stations and increased cleaning, she said.