0 Seaport Bridge Closed for Repairs

Posted on January 8, 2015 by Wil Catlin

The Seaport just got harder to get to and from. Not only are there fewer parking spaces, now there is one less pedestrian walkway from the Financial District to the Seaport. The ultimate plan is to reopen the bridge to cars and pedestrian traffic, but no date has been given.

closed bridge in south boston Seaport District

Credit: Boston Herald

A Boston Herald report states “structural conditions and “deterioration beyond repair” prompted the city to close the Old Northern Avenue bridge that serves as a pedestrian link between South Boston’s Seaport District and the Financial District…analysis of the 106-year-old truss bridge’s load capacity by TranSystems, a transportation consultant hired by the city, found 13 floor beams with a “zero-ton rating” in the part of the bridge that was open to pedestrians crossing the Fort Point Channel.”

Additional details are available on the Boston Herald’s website.

0 Weissman: Boston Real Estate Superior to New York

Posted on January 8, 2015 by Wil Catlin

Jason Weissman, founder of Boston Realty Advisors

Credit: Bisnow

Why is Boston better than New York? Our own Jason Weissman chimes in at a Biznow Event.

From Bisnow:

Boston Realty Advisors founder Jason Weissman says Boston outshines New York because it has less exposure to a downturn in government spending. Based on fundamentals and cash flow, he expects to see lots more property sales in 3% cap rate territory in 2015. Retail and office rents still have room for appreciation and greater cash flow will boost asset values. So much so that investors will start searching for deals in outlier markets, namely I-495 and southern New Hampshire.

0 Office Design Mirrors Culture, Approach for Modern Start-ups

Posted on January 7, 2015 by Wil Catlin

Art in Facebook's Cambridge office space

Credit: The Boston Globe

What type of art does your office have? The experience of today’s office differs greatly from what we saw just 10 years ago; today it exudes the company’s culture and vibe.

The Boston Globe recently published an article on the interior aesthetic and art marking Facebook’s Cambridge office:

The Kendall Square office of Facebook, which opened last year, includes five art pieces commissioned by the social media giant. Ryan Mack, who runs the local office for Facebook, oversaw the selection of art:

‘If you look at any of our offices, art’s an important part of our company culture. We try to find pieces that combine Facebook culture, which is about technology and connecting people, with the local culture. So we always get stuff from local artists…there are design elements that are consistent across all Facebook offices, but the art gives them a local touch. We put an artist statement up near each piece that tells a little story about the artist or how they designed that piece for the office.’

0 MassDOT Mulls Move to Roxbury

Posted on January 7, 2015 by Wil Catlin

The Massachusetts Department of Transportation (Mass DOT) is looking to make a move from the Transportation Building to Tremont Crossing. Tremont Crossing is located near the Ruggles T Stop and Dudley Square. This move would increase the daytime population by 1,600.

Credit: The Boston Globe

From the Boston Globe:

The state agency’s relocation to Tremont Street, across from the Boston Police Department headquarters, would offer a huge boost to steadily unfolding efforts to revitalize Roxbury. In addition to helping fill parcels that have been vacant for decades, the transportation building would bring thousands of office workers to the neighborhood, at a time when several developments would add dozens of retail stores, several hotels, and hundreds of homes to that section of Roxbury.

MassDOT would occupy up to 800,000 square feet of office space in the project, which would also include a hotel, 300 residences, offices, and 350,000 square feet of retail and restaurant space. It would probably take several years for the new transportation building to be constructed.

0 Mayor Walsh Focuses on Four Neighborhoods for Boston’s ‘New Innovation District’

Posted on January 7, 2015 by Wil Catlin

Where will our next round of innovators set up camp? Some hot spots in Boston and Cambridge are simply too expensive so Marc Bernsau of the BBJ has provided a great comparison of various Boston locations with their respect pro’s and con’s combined with market price. Where can you find a low $20’s rent per square foot?

In a previous post on Boston’s new innovation district, we discuss Mayor Marty Walsh’s recently-formed task force, which is considering an innovation district in four specific Boston neighborhoods: Bowdoin-Geneva and Fields Corner in Dorchester, Dudley Square in Roxbury, and East Boston.

Credit: FieldsCorner.org

The accompanying article on the Boston Business Journal notes, “Gilad Rosenzweig, founder and executive director of Smarter in the City, thinks Roxbury has the potential to be a home for startups.”

0 Wanderu Explains Selecting Downtown Crossing HQ (Video)

Posted on January 7, 2015 by Wil Catlin

Why is Downtown Crossing (DTX) such a hot market? Price, access, infrastructure and vibe. Wanderu chose DTX over all other options in the city because it checked all 4 boxes.

Click over to watch the video on the Boston Business Journal.

0 MA Ranks 3rd for Expected IPO’s in 2015

Posted on January 7, 2015 by Wil Catlin

South Boston office building at 281 Summer St.

Massachusetts ranks 3rd nationally behind California and New York for 2015 IPO’s from Tech Firms.

The BBJ notes, approximately “588 tech companies across the nation are in the IPO pipeline, running roughly equal to the 590 tech firms that were in the pipeline at this time last year, according to a new report by CB Insight…Massachusetts has the third most tech companies in the IPO pipeline: 44…The top Massachusetts companies include Bit9 of Waltham, Actifio of Waltham, Veracode of Burlington, Simplivity of Westboro, and Dataxu of Boston.”

You can read the full article on the Boston Business Journal’s website, here.

0 Final Meeting for South Boston Waterfront Sustainable Transportation Plan

Posted on January 6, 2015 by Wil Catlin

If we can’t get to and from our workplace in a reasonable amount of time, we will find a job that we can. Boston continues to grow its daytime and bedtime population and we need to constantly improve transportation infrastructure.

From the Boston Business Journal:

“One of the central goals of the transportation plan is to improve access and mobility across multiple modes of transportation for residents, workers and tourists throughout the neighborhood, which in theory will maximize economic growth and vitality along the waterfront and, as the draft plan says, “enhance the public realm.” The draft plan also highlights expanding community connections within South Boston and the South Boston Waterfront and enhancing mobility inside the Waterfront itself.”

0 Boston’s Next Innovation District? Four Neighborhoods Marked as Candidates

Posted on January 6, 2015 by Wil Catlin

Credit: Boston.com

Where will the innovation district go next to accommodate tomorrow’s new technology startups? One of the key components is access and infrastructure; if you can’t get there without a car, it’s not going to be viable.

According to the BBJ, “a task force created by Boston Mayor Martin J. Walsh has been focusing on how to replicate the success of the Innovation District in other parts of the city…the group officially recommended the city focus those efforts on the following four neighborhoods: Dorchester’s Fields Corner, East Boston, Dudley Square in Roxbury to Uphams Corner in Dorchester, Bowdoin-Geneva neighborhood in Dorchester.

More information on the administration’s plan for the new innovation district are available on the Boston Business Journal’s website.