Pandemic right-sizing?

Gas firm Equitrans may give up some of its space at Southpointe

The pandemic has taught one local natural gas company that its office employees can work just fine from home. As a result, the firm may give up some of its space at its Southpointe headquarters.

Equitrans Midstream Corp. is looking to sublease a portion of the 150,000 square feet of space it occupies at the Washington County office park near Canonsburg.

The company decided to do so after finding during the pandemic that its office employees can “effectively and efficiently” conduct business remotely, spokeswoman Natalie Cox said.

Equitrans is evaluating proposals for possible subleases, she said. It has hired the Jones Lang LaSalle real estate firm to help in marketing the space.

It is looking to consolidate and shed space at Southpointe as part of a workplace modernization effort. That initiative is based on a survey of employees last June asking whether they preferred office or remote work.

The results “led us to evaluate the requirements of the Southpointe office location,” Ms. Cox said, and to assess how much traditional office space it might need.

Equitrans likely will retain some space at Southpointe, where it has 400 to 500 employees. While it learned its office employees did quite well working remotely, there are times “when it is important to have employees together,” Ms. Cox said.

The company is still trying to work out how many will be needed in the office full time, how many part time, and how many will work remotely all the time. Its Southpointe office remains closed because of the pandemic.

Equitrans still is trying to sublease one floor in EQT Plaza Downtown that it gave up in 2019.

The company isn’t the only one looking to discard space at Southpointe.

CNX Resources Corp. recently put 113,000 square feet on the market.

Both moves come at a time that the once bustling office park has struggled with vacancies. The JLL fourth quarter report listed Southpointe’s total vacancy rate at 25.2%.