Electric Utility Company JCP&L Renews 70K SF at NJ’s Bell Works Building

The work is mysterious and important at Inspired by Somerset Development’s Bell Works building in Holmdel, N.J.

The 2 million-square-foot business complex became well known over the past few years as the set of Apple TV’s “Severance,” which depicts a team of office workers at the fictional Lumon Industries in the building’s “macrodata refinement department.”

But the four-building complex at 101 Crawfords Corner Road is also home to an array of real-life companies that are not quite as thrilling or dangerous as Lumon.

Somerset recently completed new leases and renewals with 21 tenants at Bell Works. The largest deal was a 64,553-square-foot office renewal for electric utility company Jersey Central Power & Light (JCP&L) in Building One, according to a release from ownership.

JCP&L, which relocated its regional headquarters to Bell Works in 2017, also renewed 5,317 square feet of storage space as part of the deal, bringing its total footprint at the complex to 69,870 square feet.

“This first half of 2025 has been an impressive period for [Somerset], highlighted by major leasing wins across the Bell Works portfolio and the announcement of our third location, Bell Works Fort Monmouth,” Somerset CEO Ralph Zucker said in a statement. (There is also a Bell Works in the Chicago area.)

In addition to launching its third Bell Works location in Tinton Falls, N.J., Somerset is in the midst of several luxury residential projects in New Jersey, including the 112-unit The Lido in Asbury Park and the 22-unit The Inkwell Lofts in Long Branch, according to the release.

The length of JCP&L’s renewal and asking rent were unclear, but a report from Colliers found that office rents in New Jersey averaged $31.26 per square foot during the second quarter of 2025.

It’s also unclear who brokered the deal. Spokespeople for Somerset and JCP&L did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

Other deals recently completed at Bell Works include Prudential Insurance’s new lease for 6,564 square feet, cybersecurity firm MF Cyber’s deal for 6,098 square feet and health care revenue management company Coronis Health’s lease for 4,366 square feet, according to Somerset.

All of the activity at Bell Works comes on the heels of season two of “Severance,” which ran from January to March and set new records for Apple TV. “Severance” is executive produced and mostly directed by Ben Stiller.  

The show, which places an emphasis on work-life balance and identity, also holds up an uncomfortable mirror to the post-COVID workplace, as it depicts an increase in anxiety and stress in today’s offices.

Another aspect of the modern workplace is an increase in amenities, which Bell Works has provided in abundance. The complex features several eateries and bars, a library and pickleball and golf simulator storefronts, to name a few.

And “Severance” isn’t done with Bell Works yet — the show will soon film at the Holmdel property for season three, which will likely premiere in late 2026 or early 2027.

Isabelle Durso can be reached at idurso@commercialobserver.com.