The transfer comes a number of weeks after Evolent lower round 460 jobs in Chicago, a discount that left the corporate needing even much less workspace than it had even after adjusting to the rise of distant work. Evolent final yr subleased slightly below 25,000 sq. ft within the constructing to public relations providers firm Cision, and a supply near Evolent mentioned the corporate is simply trying to retain about 20,000 sq. ft within the constructing for its personal use.

Evolent’s newest sublease addition exhibits how financial uncertainty is including to the ache that downtown workplace landlords have already been feeling from distant work. Evolent and lots of different corporations have sought to chop again on workplace area within the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, a key issue that has pushed the quantity of obtainable workplace area within the metropolis to an all-time excessive. Now fears of an financial downturn might weaken workplace demand much more and ship the report quantity of area obtainable for sublease to even increased ranges.

The smooth workplace leasing market has dramatically decreased the worth of many workplace buildings, making it troublesome for numerous homeowners to refinance their properties — significantly with the rise in rates of interest. Essentially the most dire circumstances have triggered foreclosures lawsuits and a few landlords surrendering properties to their lenders somewhat than endure the foreclosures course of.

Evolent’s drastic area pullback comes simply greater than three years after it doubled its footprint at 300 S. Riverside, changing into one of many constructing’s largest tenants. The corporate’s lease for the fourth and seventh flooring runs via March of 2031, whereas its deal for the third ground area runs via June 2025, in accordance with flyers from CBRE, which is advertising the areas for sublease.

The corporate’s fourth ground workplace contains 282 workstations and the seven ground options 404 workstations, in accordance with a CBRE flyer.

Evolent, which provides platforms and providers that assist well being care suppliers function extra effectively, had roughly 4,000 workers globally on the finish of final yr, executives mentioned throughout a convention name with analysts final month. That was up from 3,500 on the finish of 2021, in accordance with the corporate’s regulatory filings.

A spokesman for Evolent didn’t reply to a request for remark.

As of final week, there have been nearly 7.6 million sq. ft of workplace area obtainable for sublease downtown, in accordance with knowledge from CBRE. That was up from 6 million a yr in the past and three.3 million when the pandemic started. The overall acquired its most staggering addition final month when Publicis Groupe put 350,000 sq. ft up for sublease at its longtime 35 W. Wacker Drive workplace, by far the most important sublease itemizing within the metropolis.

Solely a portion of the obtainable sublease area downtown is taken into account good sufficient to be aggressive for many tenants, particularly as corporations crave the most recent and most up to date workspace to assist compel workers to point out up somewhat than do business from home.
However potential tenants have confirmed fascinated about sublease area, drawn to the cut price rents and avoiding the excessive price of constructing out area from scratch. Along with Cision’s deal, logistics firm TransLoop and Twin Brook Capital Companions signed on to sublease downtown workplace area final yr.

CBRE brokers Invoice Sheehy and Lisa Konieczka are advertising the 300 S. Riverside area on behalf of Evolent.