T-Mobile US, Inc., opted not to renew a lease near its Bellevue headquarters last year and intends to vacate additional offices on the Eastside, according to a report from the Puget Sound Business Journal. This move by the network provider will result in approximately 330,000 square feet of office space becoming available in the Interstate 90 corridor submarket. The submarket has already been impacted by Microsoft’s plans to vacate offices in that area.
During the first quarter of 2023, the submarket had the highest overall vacancy rate on the Eastside, exceeding 18 percent, as reported by international brokerage firm Colliers. T-Mobile is actively seeking sublessees for the three buildings it currently occupies at 90 North, totaling over 175,000 square feet. CBRE listings reveal that the buildings at 3255, 3076 and 3156 160th Ave. SE will be available starting Sept. 1. The lease for these properties expires at the end of 2029.
Additionally, T-Mobile will be leaving its 70,000 square foot office at the Commons 90 campus, approximately two miles away from its Factoria neighborhood headquarters, when the lease ends later this year. The office has been home to software engineering and marketing teams and previously served as a “test bed” for T-Mobile’s headquarters renovation project, as noted by architecture firm Gensler.
Last year, T-Mobile also placed over 88,000 square feet on the market at the Sunset Corporate Campus when its lease expired in late September. The Business Journal previously reported T-Mobile’s leasing of space in campus buildings at 13810 and 13920 SE Eastgate Way in 2018. CBRE has listed all of these properties for lease.
T-Mobile’s decision to consolidate into its recently renovated and expanded headquarters reflects a prevailing trend. Several major tech employers in the Puget Sound region have either downsized office space or halted expansion projects due to the enduring remote work trends resulting from the Covid-19 pandemic, despite attempts to encourage employees to return to the office.
Microsoft has already confirmed its plans to relinquish space near T-Mobile at Advanta Commons and has also chosen to vacate offices in Issaquah and downtown Bellevue.
Google has withdrawn from its plans to establish offices at the Lee Johnson Chevrolet site in Kirkland. Meta Platforms has announced its intention to sublease buildings in Seattle and Bellevue’s Spring District. Salesforce is also abandoning two buildings in Seattle and Kirkland that currently house its data visualization brand Tableau.
