0 Dukakis: North-South Rail Link Would ‘Pay For Itself’

Posted on May 16, 2016 by Wil Catlin

Credit: Wgbh

Transportation is a key driver to a city’s economic success. Former Massachusetts Gov. Michael Dukakis met with Gov. Charlie Baker to discuss a underground rail connection between North and South Station.

From Wgbh:

“It’s important to understand that both South and North station are getting increasingly congested,” [Former Governor Michael Dukakis] said. “We’re getting perilously close to a point where we’re not going to be able to get any more trains into those stations. Both of them, by the way. The answer from the [MBTA] over the course of the past few years, under administrations of both parties has been that we ought to expand South Station and add another seven tracks. We are paying consultants, even as we speak, to plan that for $1 billion or $600 million for seven tracks—that’s insane. Nobody in the railroad business is expanding 19th-century stations, they’re connecting them. There must be 50 major cities, all over the world, that have the same problem we do, and they’re connecting them. That’s exactly what we should do, not spend any more time on this foolishness about expanding South Station, it won’t solve the problem.”

To get from North Station to South Station, Amtrak and commuter rail passengers must travel through the city via other means— there is no commuter rail directly between the two stations. The North-South Rail Link, proposed by former Governors Dukakis and Bill Weld, would connect both stations, uniting both stations and bringing passengers North, as far as Maine.

0 Paired-Down Green Line Extension Gets Go-Ahead

Posted on May 16, 2016 by Wil Catlin

Credit: Wbur

The Green Line needs to grow. The daytime and bedtime population is growing. We are seeing new developments of office, retail and residential throughout our city. The cost of residential units continues Northward and to ensure continued growth we need reliable public transportation into the city core.

A Wbur articles reports “the state transportation board and the MBTA’s fiscal control board voted Monday to tentatively move forward with a scaled-down proposal for the long-delayed Green Line extension (GLX), which would relocate Lechmere Station and bring six new T stations to Somerville and Medford…The new plan, which is estimated to cost $2.3 billion, will go to the Federal Transit Administration, which also must approve the modified proposal.”

You can read the full article on Wbur.org.

0 Tech Companies Heading to Downtown Boston

Posted on May 16, 2016 by Wil Catlin

Credit: BBJ

Location, Location and Location. The largest concentration of office space north of NYC is Boston’s Financial District and including in its size is easy access by commuter rail, T, Boat, bus and yes, car.

The tech audience seems most attracted to the proximity to the Red Line; with quick access to E. Cambridge and Kendall Square, and prices that are 10% – 20% less in comparable asset classes, the market’s appeal is strong.

According to the BBJ, “In the city’s post-recession economy, more than 2.1 million square feet of professional services, law firms and consultancies have vacated the traditional downtown neighborhood for a spiffier Innovation District address. But at the same time, some 1.8 million square feet of technology, advertising, media and information-based companies — also known as TAMI tenants — have flooded into downtown and the area around North Station.”

Additional information is available on the Boston Business Journal’s website, here.

Related Available Office Space
Boston financial District office space for lease

0 Seaplane from Boston Waterfront to NYC

Posted on May 16, 2016 by Wil Catlin

Credit: The Boston Globe

The Boston waterfront will eventually be host to another form of transportation to NYC: Seaplane. Two companies, Tailwind and Cape Air, are lining up for the $1,000 round trip fares.

Some expect this service will arrive in Boston Harbor in 2017 and will depart from a pier in the Seaport.

From the Boston Globe:

After at least two years of preparations and behind-the-scenes discussions, the rival companies Tailwind and Cape Air will each test a nine-passenger Cessna Caravan in Boston Harbor this week as they seek Federal Aviation Administration approval to use the harbor as a take-off and landing zone. One factor the agency will be watching: whether the seaplanes can safely navigate the busy airspace next to Logan International Airport, along with a harbor often crowded with boats. If they receive the federal approvals they need, both companies could launch service within a year.

“You’re really going to be able to . . . get on an airplane at 8 a.m., be at a morning meeting in New York, and turn around and be back by lunchtime,” Wolf said. “We think demand is going to be strong.”

0 Diminishing Space for Parking in Boston

Posted on May 9, 2016 by Wil Catlin

Seaport parking lot near South Boston waterfront

Credit: New Boston Post

Self-driving cars are getting airtime on talk shows and in the news. On a recent broadcast experts believe we will see integration of them by 2036, yes 20 years. When they do arrive, I can only imagine that cars will be able to self-park in much tighter spaces and when we wish to leave we will simply “Uber” our own car and select a pickup location. What happens between 2016 and 2036 is the challenge. Perhaps Boston should look at London as an example and tax cars coming into the city during peak hours.

A recent article on New Boston Post notes, “when the Boston Redevelopment Authority closed the garage, ostensibly for engineering reviews, it took the best parking deal downtown away from long-suffering Hub commuters who paid just $20 a day for one of its 435 spaces. Only a few years earlier, it was even cheaper – and this in a neighborhood where the average daily rate was close to $40 even in 2013…Boston currently has spaces for 2,310 cars and the plan approved by the BRA in January will end up eliminating half of those spaces, cutting the number available to the public to fewer than 600.”

You can read more on the New Boston Post.

0 South End Gateway Plotted above Back Bay Station

Posted on May 9, 2016 by Wil Catlin

rendering of Back bay real estate development

Credit: Boston Business Journal

Back Bay Station is poised to be far more than just a commuting station. Boston Properties is proposing a 1.26 million square foot mixed use project.

From the BBJ:

Boston Properties (NYSE: BXP) on Tuesday filed a project notification form with the Boston Redevelopment Authority that outlines its plans for three separate commercial and residential towers and a renovated and expanded Back Bay Station. The total project, if approved, would include 575,000 square feet of commercial office space, up to 100,000 square feet of retail and restaurant space, and 600 residential units.

Boston Properties has dubbed the latest development the “South End Gateway” project. The development will span four air-rights parcels — that is, development built on top of existing buildings — atop Back Bay Station, and an existing parking garage at 100 Clarendon St. The development is bounded by Dartmouth Street, Stuart Street, Trinity Place and Clarendon Street in Boston’s Back Bay neighborhood.

0 Seaport Transportation Center Defined

Posted on May 9, 2016 by Wil Catlin

Credit: Boston Globe

The new name is the Seaport Transportation Center. No longer is it just a place to park your car, it will house Zipcar vehicles and Hubway bikes.

From the Boston Globe:

‘The goal, chief executive Thomas Glynn said, is to reflect the wider services that Massport hopes to accommodate at the complex. Along with Zipcar and Hubway, there could be space for Seaport shuttles and information for people walking through the area…Calling it the Seaport Transportation Center, that really captured more of the ancillary services it can provide,’ Glynn said. ‘We have the opportunity here to do more than just a garage.’

Construction could begin as soon as this fall, he said, and could be complete by the end of 2017, depending on how long it takes to secure permits. The project could cost as much as $90 million.

0 Downtown Crossing Experiencing Major Redevelopment

Posted on May 6, 2016 by Wil Catlin

Boston office tower construction in downtown crossing

Credit: Curbed

The skyline of Boston’s downtown crossing have never seen so much change as we are witnessing now. This location simply makes sense for concentrated development due to direct access to the Red, Green, Orange and Blue lines combined with its walking distance to the core of the Financial District and Back Bay.

According to Curbed Boston, there are fewer areas of Boston seeing more large-scale development than relatively tiny Downtown Crossing. Spires such as the almost-done Millennium Tower and the proposed One Bromfield (and the nearby Winthrop Square Garage redevelopment) could finally pivot the neighborhood away from its 9-to-5 feel and toward a more 24-7, work-live environment.

The Curbed article also maps the five biggest developments impacting the available Downtown Crossing office space:

Millennium Tower
One Bromfield
171 Tremont St
533 Washington St
Winthrop Square Tower

0 Real Estate Developments Planned for Boston Train Stations

Posted on May 6, 2016 by Wil Catlin

proposed developments at Boston train stations

Credit: Boston Globe

Train and towers will be the combination for three large-scale projects at prime Boston locations, including South Station, Back Bay Station and North Station.

Brief excerpts on each impending Boston train station development from the Boston Globe:

North Station
Boston Properties and Delaware North have already begun construction at North Station. That project will eventually include a 38-story residential tower, two shorter buildings, and a massive retail complex at the long-empty site of the old Boston Garden on Causeway Street.

Back Bay Station
Across town, Boston Properties recently unveiled an ambitious vision to remake Back Bay Station and a neighboring parking garage as the base of a trio of buildings that would join the Back Bay and the South End.

South Station
And at South Station, the Houston developer Hines is attempting to kickstart long-stalled plans to build what would be among the tallest buildings in the city.

According to the Boston Globe article, “all three projects are complex, in terms of engineering and economics. But for the cash-strapped Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority, they bring deep-pocketed partners who could help pay for needed transit improvements…In return, the developers would get access to some of the best locations in a crowded city with a growing population, where getting around can be a challenge.”

0 Big Dig II?

Posted on May 5, 2016 by Wil Catlin

South station to north station rail servince Boston

Credit: Boston Globe

To dig or not to dig? Seth Moulton says ‘dig’ between North Station and South Station.

According to a Boston Globe article, “Moulton is increasingly convinced that connecting the two stations is the way to go. The link would finally bring uninterrupted service to the Northeast Corridor, which means a person who gets on in Washington could ride all the way to Portland, Maine, without switching trains. It also means people on the commuter rail could more easily travel to either North or South stations without needing to hop onto the T.”

You can read the full Globe article, here.

Related Office Space Listings
Office Space near North Station
Office Space by South Station for lease