Flexible office space is proving to be the post-pandemic model workers and companies actually want – and LocalWorks is filling up fast.
As vaccination rates climb across the DMV and companies begin calling workers back in, one trend is becoming clear: the traditional long-term office lease is losing its grip. Workers want flexibility. Companies want optionality. And suburban coworking spaces – places where a team can book a professional office without signing a five-year contract – are becoming the unexpected winners of the return-to-office era.
LocalWorks, a coworking and shared office management company that helps property owners fill underutilized commercial space, is at the center of that shift. The Washington D.C.-area company told Technical.ly it has reached 90% occupancy across its locations and is aggressively expanding – from 20 spaces to a projected 30 locations by end of summer 2021 – spanning the D.C. suburbs, Chicago, and New England.
“People Want Something Not Tied to a 5–7 Year Lease”
That quote, from LocalWorks founder Barry Greenfield, captures why the company’s model is resonating right now.
During the pandemic, the office real estate market fractured into two camps: those who wanted out of their homes and those who weren’t ready to leave. LocalWorks remained open throughout 2020 to serve the former group. Now, with restrictions lifting, Greenfield says the DMV has seen a particular vibrancy returning to its suburban markets.
The reason isn’t complicated. A significant number of employees now expect some work-from-home flexibility as a baseline, not a perk. That’s forcing companies to rethink how much permanent office space they need – and month-to-month office arrangements like those LocalWorks provides are emerging as the practical answer.
“People want something not tied to a 5-7 year lease,” Greenfield said. “They want to try spaces. They want flexibility.”
This isn’t just anecdotal. A WeWork study of roughly 2,000 employees found that workers expect to split their time across three environments post-pandemic: roughly 36% at a company headquarters, 30% at home, and 34% at a flexible, satellite, or shared office – precisely the segment LocalWorks serves.
Why Suburban Coworking Spaces Are the Breakout Story of 2021
For years, coworking was synonymous with downtown open-plan offices, startup culture, and a beer fridge. The pandemic has rewritten that script.
The move to the suburbs is real. Major metro areas saw significant population shifts during COVID-19, with remote workers relocating to suburban and exurban areas where space was bigger and costs lower. Now that hybrid schedules are taking hold, those workers need a professional place to work – close to home, not downtown.
LocalWorks operates precisely in that gap: suburban office locations designed for professionals who need a real workspace, reliable internet, and meeting rooms without commuting to the city every day.
For companies, the math is equally compelling. If 40–50% of employees are remote or hybrid on any given day, maintaining a full-size downtown headquarters becomes hard to justify. Satellite offices and coworking memberships near where employees actually live offer a cost-effective alternative.
Who Is Filling LocalWorks Spaces Right Now?
According to Greenfield, the post-pandemic occupancy surge isn’t driven by a single type of worker. LocalWorks is seeing three distinct groups returning to and discovering shared office space:
1. Hybrid employees escaping home distraction. Parents, in particular, are seeking a structured workspace during school hours. The home office worked in 2020 out of necessity; it’s no longer the preference.
2. Companies downsizing their footprint. As lease renewals come up, businesses are choosing smaller permanent spaces and supplementing with flexible coworking memberships near where their teams live in the Maryland and Virginia suburbs.
3. The pandemic-born entrepreneur. Greenfield noted a notable wave of people who turned hobbies or side projects into businesses during COVID-19 – many of them selling on platforms like Etsy – and who are now ready to step into professional office space as their ventures grow.
LocalWorks’ Model: Why It Works for Property Owners and Tenants Alike
LocalWorks operates differently from traditional coworking brands. Rather than signing leases itself, the company partners with property owners to manage underutilized commercial space as shared, flexible office environments – functioning as an in-house coworking operator embedded in suburban office buildings.
For property owners, it’s a way to generate occupancy revenue from space that would otherwise sit partially empty. For tenants – typically startup founders, small teams, and professionals – it means access to professional office space in the DC suburbs, no long-term commitment required.
The Bethesda, Maryland location is among the company’s most visible, offering a professional environment minutes from D.C. proper without the downtown commute.
What This Means for the Future of Work in the DMV
The DMV market – D.C., Maryland, and Virginia – has long been shaped by government contractors, associations, and professional services firms. Many of those organizations spent 2020 proving they could work remotely. Now they’re spending 2021 figuring out what the permanent model should look like.
LocalWorks’ 90% occupancy number suggests the region’s workers have already decided: they want professional, flexible, suburban office space they can use when they need it, on terms that don’t lock them in.
That’s a meaningful signal for commercial real estate and for how companies in this market will structure their workplace strategies over the next several years.
About LocalWorks
LocalWorks is a shared office space management company that partners with property owners to convert underutilized commercial real estate into flexible, professional office spaces. With locations in the Washington D.C. suburbs, Chicago suburbs, and New England, LocalWorks serves startup founders, hybrid workers, and growing small businesses looking for month-to-month office space close to home.
Explore LocalWorks locations in the DMV →localworks.us
As featured in Technical.ly DC, June 30, 2021. Update was made on May 29, 2026, to reflect new information such as prices and locations.
