0 Boston Self-driving Cars Hit Roadblock

Posted on February 8, 2017 by Wil Catlin

Credit: Boston Globe

There is no easy ride for the self-driving car industry. Legislation is looking to dramatically put the brakes on this.

A recent Boston Globe article noted Representative Tricia Farley-Bouvier, a Pittsfield Democrat, and Senator Jason Lewis, a Winchester Democrat unveiled “a measure that would set statewide rules for the testing and use of autonomous vehicles…Among other provisions, the bill would mandate that all self-driving cars weighing under 8,500 pounds be zero-emissions vehicles, and require their operators to pay the state 2.5 cents for every mile they travel. Only freight and emergency autonomous vehicles could drive more than a mile without a passenger.”

Additional details on the battle between self-driving auto producers and state legislators is available on the Boston Globe.

0 Boston Leather District Adds Smartsheet

Posted on February 8, 2017 by Wil Catlin

The Leather District section of Boston will be the new East Coast office for 140 employees of Smartsheet.

From Smartsheet:

“Our expansion to the east coast is a direct reflection of the tremendous demand we’re seeing in cloud collaboration,” said Mark Mader, CEO of Smartsheet. “Building out a world-class team in Boston’s vibrant tech hub is a critical part of serving both U.S. and international customers.”

Consistently recognized as a great place to work, Smartsheet was featured as a “Highest Rated Private Cloud Company to Work For” in a new list by Battery Ventures and Glassdoor released in August 2016. Employee reviews on Glassdoor also praise the passionate and accessible senior leadership, work-life balance, amazing company culture, belief in the product and top-notch talent.

0 Available Office Space in Back Bay: 745 Boylston Street

Posted on February 7, 2017 by Wil Catlin

745 Boylston Street in Boston’s Back Bay

Boston Realty Advisors has been retained by Upland Capital to exclusively represent 745 Boston Street in Boston’s Back Bay. The building is a 112,000 square foot 8 story building with Verizon and Max Brenner as the retail tenants.

The building currently has just over 18,000 square feet available and can accommodate tenants from 1,700 – 12,000.

Building Details
• 745 Boylston Street Back Bay
• Property Brochure
• Floor plan

0 Shadow Exemption Requested for Winthrop Sq. Tower

Posted on February 7, 2017 by Wil Catlin

Credit: Boston Globe

Winthrop Square tower is being positioned as the last development to cast a shadow.

According to the Boston Globe, “the Walsh administration is willing to write tougher rules restricting the size of shadows that new buildings can cast on Boston Common, as long as there’s an exemption for Winthrop Square, said Brian Golden, director of the Boston Planning & Development Agency. That could effectively cap the height of future buildings in parts of Downtown Crossing.”

Additional details on the proposed skyscraper in Winthrop Square are available on the Boston Globe.

0 Seaport Traffic Gets Reprieve

Posted on February 6, 2017 by Wil Catlin

Credit: BBJ

The Seaport traffic in anything but innovative. The combination of buses and potential water shuttles could offer a long-awaited reprieve.

A BBJ article notes the MCCA “received a boost over the summer when two Fallon Co. buildings — 100 Northern Ave., the new home of law firm Goodwin, and One Marina Park Drive — signed on to the service. Vertex’s (Nasdaq: VRTX) arrival adds not just hundreds more commuters, but another route: Shuttles now service riders at South Station, bringing them to and from Vertex’s 50 Northern Ave. headquarters, in addition to North Station…In the coming weeks, the agency will begin studying the potential for a water ferry service from Lovejoy Wharf, located near North Station, to the Seaport waterfront.

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

0 Breather in Boston

Posted on February 6, 2017 by Wil Catlin

Breather, a client of Boston Realty Advisors is looking to grow their Boston presence. Breather is the leading provider of beautiful, on-demand workspaces, with an expanding network of 200+ conference and meeting rooms, across 10 global markets.
Breather’s flexible-term leases ensure the quality, security, and maintenance of each space while providing landlords with an attractive amenity offering for tenants.

Breather in Boston

Through the use of its mobile app and proprietary booking technology, Breather enables approved members to reserve and access its spaces on a short-term basis for meetings and flexible office space.

Check out the Breather Boston pfd for additional information.

0 Mass Unemployment: Lowest Since 2000

Posted on February 1, 2017 by Wil Catlin

Boston Classrooms

Looking for a job? Come to Boston where our unemployment is the lowest in nearly 17 years.

According to a BBJ report citing the Executive Office of Labor and Development, “the state’s unemployment rate stood at 2.8 percent in December, the lowest it has been in 16 years…the rate fell from 2.9 percent in November, marking the sixth consecutive month that Massachusetts unemployment has decreased. The state added an estimated 6,600 jobs last month, according to the agency. Across 2016, Massachusetts added 75,000 jobs.”

More information can be found on the Boston Business Journal.

0 Robots and Engineers Gain Space in Boston

Posted on January 27, 2017 by Wil Catlin

Credit: Boston Globe

Robots and their creators will soon have a new space in Boston to work their magic and create the next task-oriented machine. MassRobotics, a Boston based nonprofit, has leased about 15,000 on Channel Street in the Seaport and will be opening on February 9th. The facility will house about 30 companies.

According to a Boston Globe editorial, most companies occupying the space “will have fewer than 15 employees, and will have access to office space, laboratory benches, and communal equipment like computer-controlled lathes, 3-D printers, and laser cutters. The equipment will enable companies to produce their own parts and prototypes on-site, Ryden says.” The article also notes that although “the building MassRobotics will occupy is owned by the City of Boston, Ryden said that the money for the space came from corporate sponsors, rather than the city or the state. There’s room for an eventual expansion to another floor, Ryden said, but that would require additional funding. ‘We already know that we’re going to outgrow this initial space.’”

You can read more on the Boston Globe, here.

0 Tremont Crossing Gains Approval

Posted on January 25, 2017 by Wil Catlin

Rendering of TRemont crossing office building

Credit: Boston Business Journal

Tremont Crossing continues with its march towards becoming a reality.

From the BBJ:

Tremont Crossing will feature 1.2 million square feet of rentable space, as well as a 1,370-space parking garage, bringing the project’s gross square footage to 1.7 million square feet. The approved project includes:

300,000 square feet of “destination/entertainment” retail along the second and third levels
100,000 square feet of smaller retail/restaurants along the first level
108,000 square feet of office
718 apartments split among two buildings, totaling 645,000 square feet
nine townhouse-style apartments along Whittier Street, totaling 9,400 square feet
31,000-square-foot National Center of Afro-American Artists museum
500,000-square-foot parking garage with 1,371 parking spaces
large public plaza with public art, outdoor dining, weekly events and food trucks

0 Amazon is Looking for Office Space in Boston

Posted on January 25, 2017 by Wil Catlin

Credit: Boston Globe

Amazon has 19 options to look at that have between 100,000 – 200,000 square feet of available space — now or in the near future — from East Cambridge to the Seaport and the Financial District to Back Bay.

As of today the availabilities would be in the following buildings:

1 Beacon St
200 Berkeley St
222 Berkeley St
399 Boylston St
105 Broadway
1 Center Plz
200 Clarendon St
1 Copley Pl
2 Copley Pl
26 Court St
21-25 Drydock Ave
101 Federal St
110 High St
125 High St
100 Northern Ave
53 State St
253 Summer St
645 Summer St

From the Boston Globe:

Amazon already has a large and growing presence in Kendall Square, but is eying downtown Boston in part because it has cheaper rents and more available space than in nearby Cambridge. It would also join a string of tech companies that have set up shop downtown, helping to reinvent the traditional business district as a hub for a new industry.

“Downtown Boston already has tremendous street cred in the tech world,” said Brendan Carroll, head of Encompass Real Estate Strategy, which tracks Boston’s office market. “But Amazon moving in would be a really big thing.”