0 Back Bay Air Rights Project a Go on Parcels 12 & 15

Posted on March 7, 2013 by Wil Catlin

Photo Credit: MA Transportation Blog

So where is Parcels 12 and 15? They are located above and along Interstate 90 at the intersection of Boylston Street and Massachusetts Avenue in Boston’s Back Bay. In time Boston will continue to see projects like this bridge neighborhoods together that have been separated by our roadways.

An editorial in yesterday’s Boston Business Journal states, “the Massachusetts Department of Transportation has selected a joint venture of Samuels & Associates and Weiner Ventures to build an air rights development on Parcels 12 and 15…on Parcel 15, a 400-foot high-rise hotel and residential building will be set back from Boylston Street, with a low-rise retail building along the street. On Parcel 12, a mid-rise residential building will be located on Boylston Street and a two-floor retail building will cross the Turnpike along Massachusetts Avenue. The project will create 230 apartments, a 270-room hotel and 50,000 square feet of retail space.”

Follow this link to the BBJ for their complete coverage, or jump over to the MA transportation blog for its official posting.

0 Back Bay Building Purchased by Fisher College for $12M

Posted on March 6, 2013 by Wil Catlin

Back Bay building on Arlington St in Boston

Photo Credit: Boston Business Journal

Another office building trade has occurred in Back Bay. This sale falls outside of what we have seen in the recent past by investors, this in an owner occupant as well as an expanding college.

The Boston Business Journal reports that Fisher College has purchased 10-11 Arlington St. for $11.7 million. The article contends the building “will be able to provide offices for faculty and staff, as well as additional services and resources to its students.”

For more information on the specifics of the purchase of 10-11 Arlington Street, follow this link to the Boston Business Journal.

0 Boston Innovation District Adds 200 Companies in Three Years

Posted on March 5, 2013 by Wil Catlin

Photo Credit: innovationdistrict.org

Rents are above $40.00 PSF, vacancy is below 4 percent for Class B space, but the good news is the Innovation District is humming. Companies are willing to pay a premium to be located among their technology peers; as it pertains to recruiting, applicants would much prefer to be there than outside the city.

A Banker & Tradesman report, quoting the Boston Redevelopment Authority, states “in the past three years, more than 200 new companies and 4,000 new jobs have moved to Boston’s Innovation District.”

The article also notes that technology companies are leading the charge, accounting for 30 percent of the area’s new job growth.

For more insight, jump over to Banker & Tradesman’s coverage of the growth of Boston’s Innovation District.

0 Marine Industrial Park to House New Spec Building

Posted on February 26, 2013 by Wil Catlin

6 Tide Street in Boston's Industrial Park

Photo Credit: Boston Business Journal

As rents have continued to rise and vacancy has dropped, landlords are becoming more bullish on the office market future. Spec buildings, previously considered a thing of the past due to the high cost of construction (compared to the cost of renovating an existing structure) are reemerging in the Hub’s commercial landscape with a new addition to Boston’s marine industrial park.

The Boston Business Journal reported, “Danvers-based Kavanagh Advisory Group is expected to break ground by year’s end on the first new building in six years on the eastern edge of the Hub’s Innovation District.”

Details on the spec building are available on the BBJ’s coverage of the new development at Marine Industrial Park.

0 New Tower Considered in Back Bay

Posted on February 22, 2013 by Wil Catlin

Photo Credit: Boston Business Journal

Will Back Bay be home to another Boston Properties skyscraper? The location would be atop the John Hancock garage at Back Bay Station.

A report in the Boston Business Journal describes the proposal, “Boston Properties, owner of the John Hancock and Prudential towers, is floating a proposal for a skyscraper to be built on air rights atop its garage near Back Bay Station…a conceptual idea for a building could include office space and other mixed-uses above the parking garage at the corner of Stuart and Dartmouth streets.”

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Back Bay Office Space for Rent

0 Former Jae’s Restaurant in Boston’s Theatre District Set for Demolition

Posted on February 14, 2013 by Wil Catlin

Photo Credit: Boston Business Journal

The street scape continues to change with the scheduled demolition of 212 Stuart Street. The Back Bay office vacancy rate is at a record low at just under 5 percent, will the ownership push for office or residential?

A Boston Business Journal article quotes the Bay Village Neighborhood Association, stating, “nearly four years after the Boston Redevelopment Authority approved conversion of the shuttered Jae’s restaurant into a 10-story office building in Boston’s Theater District, the property is on track to be demolished.”

Jump over to the BBJ online to read the full report.

0 Fidelity’s Financial District Office Space On the Market

Posted on February 8, 2013 by Wil Catlin

office building at 82 Devonshire street in the financial district in Boston

Photo Credit: affordablehousinginstitute.org

82 Devonshire St. in an iconic address in Boston as well as money managements circles worldwide. As I was walking past the building yesterday and client of mine commented on how he used to make sales calls there many years ago, I replied, I did as well. Many decisions have been made there that have guided Fidelity to the beacon of success that it is known as today. In the near future the ownership will change along with the occupants.

A Boston Business Journal article notes that the investment company, “has reportedly hired a real estate broker to market its former headquarters at 82 Devonshire St. in Boston’s Financial District for sale or lease.”

More details can be found on the BBJ, here.

0 Nationwide Rent Growth Expected in Office Sector

Posted on February 8, 2013 by Wil Catlin

Rent growth is expected nationwide in the office sector. According to a CoStar Group Year-End 2012 report, “tenant demand for office space ended 2012 on a strong note as occupancy gains spread across a broadening array of U.S. markets, opening the door for widespread rental rate increases this year.”

For complete details, jump over to Costar.com to read the full report. Continue on to our listings page to view available office space for rent in Boston.

0 Boston Commercial Real Estate Market Starts 2013 Strong

Posted on February 5, 2013 by Wil Catlin

The office market is strong within greater Boston and hasn’t this active with positive rent growth and absorption since 2007. This is due to a couple of components; flight to quality, migration to Boston from suburban markets, new companies entering the market and companies within Boston expanding.

The Boston Business Journal notes, the strength of the market; “greater Boston’s office market achieved more than 2.8 million square feet of positive absorption last year, the strongest showing since 2007”

Specific areas of growth in the Boston office market are detailed on the Boston Business Journal’s article, here. Alternatively, follow the link to preview available office space for lease in Boston.

0 11 Beacon St. Sells for $35M

Posted on February 2, 2013 by Wil Catlin

Photo Credit: Boston Business Journal

The Class B office sale market continues to move in 2013 with the recent closing of 11 Beacon by Synergy Investments for $35M. The acquisition offers the market an expanded footprint by a landlord with a proven track record to get deals done.

Market rents in the Class B market are ranging from the upper $20’s – low to mid $30’s PSF within the Financial District.

According to an article on the Boston Business Journal, “the 93-year-old building was put on the market last fall by DivcoWest Properties, a privately-owned real estate investment firm with offices in Boston, who paid $16 million for the property in 2010. Divco said it spent $4.9 million in capital improvements. The city has assessed the 12-story building at $20.8 million.

For more details on the sale of 11 Beacon Street, follow the link to the Boston Business Journal’s coverage.