0 What Makes for Cool Office Space in Boston?

Posted on December 4, 2014 by Wil Catlin

Credit: The Boston Globe

Some of the creative spaces to work house some interesting amenities that would have been frowned-upon in the recent past. How we work and how we collaborate has evolved, and companies are trying to offer a creative and fun environment that can help their teams excel.

Cool features include:

·         Hammock
·         Beer tabs
·         Standing desks
·         IT vending machine
·         Nap room
·         Kitchens with large flat-screen TV’s
·         Foosball
·         Treadmill desks
·         No assigned desks
·         Wall displays of employees which is designed to make introductions
·         Town hall styled meeting space
·         Glass, glass and more glass for abundant natural light

A recent Boston Globe article on Boston’s “Cool Office Spaces at Top Places to Work“, notes “some of Top Places to Work winners have some excellent digs for their employees. Newer workspaces include beer on tap, flexible workstations, and even a nap room in one case.” The Globe article also includes a slideshow of Boston’s stylish office spaces to peruse.

0 Spec Office Construction Coming to Boston

Posted on December 4, 2014 by Wil Catlin

Spec office construction is coming to Boston In 2015 – for who? Well, not for the smaller companies, their footprint would be far smaller than the new construction Class A can accommodate. The recent 4 quarters has seen a tremendous migration to the Financial District from the Seaport and East Cambridge for the value oriented office tenant. Rent within the Class B market still fall within the mid to upper $30’s per square foot.

Banker & Tradesman offers some perspective on the market shift in downtown Boston, noting “the office market continues to recover from the 2008 downturn because of an expanding tech sector and relocations of companies from Cambridge and the suburbs. Recent acquisitions of trophy office towers in Boston and Cambridge reflect the continuing interest of foreign investors seeking higher yields than government bonds, panelists said. In 2015, office investment sales are expected to slow, but overseas investors will continue to put money to work in Greater Boston, said Jessica Hughes, a managing director for JLL.”

You can read the B&T report, here, or check out our analysis of Boston Spec Suites.

0 Seaport Square: Construction Underway

Posted on December 2, 2014 by Wil Catlin

Credit: BostonsNewWaterfront.com

We have waited a long time for Seaport Square and now we can have a peak at what is underway. Construction should take about 3.5 years and will provide retail and residential to the flourishing recent office developments.3

From the BBJ, along with a Seaport Square slideshow:

“Developer John Hynes of Boston Global Investors said, ‘It’s all systems go on Monday’ and the project should be complete in 3 1/2 years. Hynes said the scale of One Seaport Square will be rivaled in recent Boston development history only by the 1958 construction of the Prudential Center and the 1984 construction of Copley Place…Stephen Wood of Berkshire Group said the residential component, which his company is handling, will be aimed at people who want ‘a seamless transition between their personal and professional lives.'”

You can read about the groundbreaking of One Seaport Sq. on the Boston Business Journal.

0 Soccer Stadium Considered in Boston

Posted on December 2, 2014 by Wil Catlin

Soccer might be coming to Boston to be closer to the fan base. The stadium could be just off of 93 within walking distance of the W. Broadway T stop.

potential cite of new stadium in downtown Boston

Credit: The Boston Globe

According to The Boston Globe, one site “under consideration is a strip of city-owned land off Interstate 93 on Frontage Road, where Boston has a large yard for towed cars and public works. The South Boston property offers easy access from major highways and is near the MBTA’s Red Line as well as rail lines at nearby South Station. Numerous sources said the Kraft family has been meeting with state and city officials to discuss the stadium and possible locations over the past several months, with the team focusing on Frontage Road.”

The Globe also quotes the Krafts through a spokesman in the article: “We are currently developing concepts for how a soccer stadium for the Revolution can benefit the greater Boston area. Once we have more developed plans, we will comment further.”

0 Boston Employs Parking Sensors to Vary Seaport Meter Limits

Posted on December 2, 2014 by Wil Catlin

Credit: The Boston Herald

The growth of the Seaport area has put a tremendous strain on parking spaces and the City of Boston is trying to accommodate. Gone are dirt lots from Summer Street to Congress Street to the Seaport Boulevard, and now the residents and visitors are battling over metered spots.

According to a Boston Herald report, “new sensors embedded in on-street metered parking spaces in Boston’s Seaport District have yielded the first changes aimed at better addressing traffic demand.” Specifically, “based on data gleaned from the new smart parking system, the city yesterday changed 81 metered spaces from the 350 Summer St. block to the 425 Summer St. block in South Boston from two-hour to four-hour maximum parking limits. Another 63 metered spaces on the 250 Summer St. and 300 Congress St. blocks were changed from maximum four-hour to maximum two-hour spaces.”

Follow the link to read the Boston Herald article.

0 Report: Search for new Boston Globe HQ Down to Fenway, Charlestown

Posted on December 2, 2014 by Wil Catlin

Credit: BBJ

The Boston Globe is narrowing its search for its new home. Reports on the BBJ name Fenway and Charlestown as potential destinations for Globe’s new HQ.

The Boston Business Journal states, “local real estate sources have confirmed that two of the newspaper company’s possible destinations are in Charlestown, while the third site under consideration is the Fenway, just a stone’s throw from another prominent asset owned by Henry, the Boston Red Sox. The article also notes, “The Landmark Center in Boston’s Fenway neighborhood will have approximately 360,000 square feet of available space following the departure of Blue Cross/Blue Shield.”

You can real the BBJ article, here.