0 Is Your Office Building Comcast Ready? Check Here

Posted on June 27, 2014 by Wil Catlin

Credit: Comcast

For small tenants the cost of reliable internet service is a must. Companies that fall into a small to mid-sized footprint in most cases are unwilling to use a fiber connection, but would prefer a business class product from Comcast. No all buildings are equal; meaning some have Comcast Business Class where the building next store might not. Why is that, if one has it shouldn’t they all? Well no, Comcast will install their service into a building if they can get enough subscribers, if not, they will charge to install it. Most landlords are unwilling to burden the installation costs and as a result the building stays dark from Comcast.

Well, now you can quickly check if Comcast services the building your are interested in move your office to at:

http://business.comcast.com/service-availability/check-availability

0 Tower Considered at Back Bay Station

Posted on June 23, 2014 by Wil Catlin

rendering of proposed tower at Back Bay station

Credit: Boston Globe

The Back Bay skyline could see yet another change on the horizon. Plans state that there would be one high rise and at least one mid-rise tower on the site. The present building was designed by Kallmann McKinnell & Wood and opened in 1987. That building replaced the older station that opened in 1928 for New Haven Railroad.

The Boston Globe reported on the considered remodeling of Back Bay Station, nothing “the owner of the John Hancock Tower in Boston is negotiating with Governor Deval Patrick’s administration to renovate and manage the MBTA’s Back Bay Station in exchange for the right to build a towering complex of residences, stores, and offices… [it would include] a skyscraper and at least one other building above the rehabilitated station, which would get a new retail arcade, ventilation upgrades, and a glass facade along Dartmouth Street.”

The full Globe article is available online, here.

0 Blackstone Continues to Sell Boston Holdings

Posted on June 17, 2014 by Wil Catlin

Office building at 125 Summer Street (click for details)

Our city is on the move, and along with it, some noteworthy addresses. 100 High Street and 125 Summer Street are the latest towers to announce that they are under agreement to be sold by Equity Office, Blackstone. The sale is expected to close in September.

The BBJ, reporting on Blackstone’s portfolio activity, notes “the private equity firm, which acquired its Greater Boston property portfolio in 2007 when it bought Equity Office Properties Trust for $39 billion, has reached an agreement to sell five office properties in Greater Boston to a Canadian real estate investment firm. The deal is the latest move by New York-based Blackstone as it disposes of the local real estate portfolio it bought before the financial crisis.”

More information is available on the Boston Business Journal’s coverage, here.

0 Smart Parking Meters Coming to Boston

Posted on June 17, 2014 by Wil Catlin

Credit: Boston Globe

Do you have a $10 roll of quarters in your car for the City of Boston parking meters? If not, you’re not alone. Boston’s new app would take the place of change and allow you to pay with your smart phone.

According to the Boston Globe, “the city’s Transportation Department is developing a smartphone application that would eliminate the scramble for cash, by using an iPhone, Android, or BlackBerry to pay for a metered parking slot. ‘Two things people have in their pockets: They have a credit card. And they have a cellphone,” interim Transportation Commissioner James Gillooly said. “We aspire to have everybody use a credit card or pay by phone.'”

Additional details on Boston’s smart parking initiative, jump over to the Boston Globe’s website.

0 212 Stuart Street in Bay Village: Demolition, then Condos

Posted on June 6, 2014 by Wil Catlin

Stuart street office and retail space in Boston's Bay Village

Credit: Boston Business Journal

What is the status of 212 Stuart Street? It is scheduled to be raised and a new 18-unit condominium building will take its place.

The Boston Business Journal is reporting that “the 10,000-square-foot brick building at 212 Stuart St. will be demolished, beginning today. In an email to its members, the neighborhood group said demolition work is expected to take place over the next eight weeks. The property’s owner, Boston’s Revere Hotel, notified the neighbors this week that it secured the necessary demolition permits from the city’s inspectional services department.”

More information is available on the demolition of 212 Stuart St, jump over to the BBJ’s website.

0 FinTech Program for Burgeoning Boston Financial Services Startups

Posted on June 6, 2014 by Wil Catlin

Entrepreneurs: do you have an idea focused on the Financial Services sector? Look no further, Fidelity and Amazon would like to help back fledgling Boston startups through a new program, tagged the Fintech Sandbox.

A Boston Globe editorial highlights the target:

“Fintech entrepreneurs have a unique problem, which is the high cost of data to help them build applications,” said David Jegen, managing director of Devonshire Investors, the private investment arm of the Johnson family, which controls Fidelity. “They raise $2 million of venture capital funding, and then spend $500,000 of it buying market data from Bloomberg or Thomson Reuters. Or they show up to customers, who say, ‘Nice app, but it hasn’t been tested on robust data sets.’ We think that is a problem we can help solve.”

0 Boston Late-Night Task Force Lacks Startup Representation

Posted on May 23, 2014 by Wil Catlin

Credit: BetaBoston

Do you work late for a startup? Are you looking to be heard with respect to the cities plans to address a more vibrant late-night culture? Call Mayor Walsh at City Hall and be heard.

From BetaBoston:

“There isn’t a single representative from the sorts of small but promising companies that are streaming into Boston neighborhoods — such as the Seaport, the Leather District, and the Financial District — and that would be among the biggest beneficiaries, from a recruiting perspective, of Boston having better night-life….The task force thus may not actually represent the the interests of many of those located in the neighborhoods most likely to be the testing ground for the new late-night initiatives.”

The full article is available, here.

0 888 Boylston Street to Join Back Bay Skyline

Posted on May 23, 2014 by Wil Catlin

The skyline of Back Bay will see its newest member come out of the ground starting late this summer.

888 Boylston Street is Boston Properties final component of the Prudential Center that consists of: 800 Boylston Street (Prudential Tower), 101 Huntington Avenue, 111 Huntington Avenue along with the Shops at Prudential. This site is 23 acres that sits between Boylston Street and Huntington Avenue. It consists today of 2.6 million square feet of Class A office space, and 550 square feet of retail space, combined with underground parking for 3,660 cars.

Curious how Back Bay has changed over the years? Take a look at this aerial view of Copley Square taken from a plane in 1957, courtesy of BostonStreetCars.com:

Credit: BostonStreetCars.com

0 Boston Commercial Real Estate: Rife with Office Space Renovations

Posted on May 12, 2014 by Wil Catlin

Office building at 230 Congress Street

Landlords in Boston continue to make considerable upgrades to their buildings as part of the ongoing courting process for new tenants. Beacon Capital has continuously made improvements to its Boston assets such as 1 Financial Center, and the newly acquired 230 Congress Street.

Another recent renovation is 177 Huntington Ave., following the departure of Wayfair. A Banker and Tradesman article notes some of the buildings modifications:

“To reposition 177 Huntington for new tenants, Beacon installed new art and signs and LED news strips in the elevator bays. On Monday, Varano Group will open a Caffe Strega breakfast and lunch cafe in the lobby. The owners wanted a name-brand restaurant operator to set the lobby apart, Gratton said.”

0 171 Newbury St. Sold for $13.2M

Posted on May 3, 2014 by Wil Catlin

gallery space at 171 Newbury St. in Boston

Credit: The Real Reporter

Mike d’Hemecourt of our Retail Capital Markets Team produces a great outcome for 171 Newbury Street.

Details, posted by The Real Reporter, indicate that “the landmark Pucker Gallery is relocating within the Back Bay following a sale of its longtime home at 171 Newbury St. to Dutch capital at an eye-popping $1,553 per sf, an all-cash $13.2 million transaction negotiated by Boston Realty Advisors. The five-story, 8,525-sf building that has housed the multi-level gallery since 1967 and is now home to international retailer Clarks Shoes on the ground floor attracted a range of investors from around the corner and around the globe, relays BRA principal Michael d’Hemecourt in acknowledging the agreement that closed on Friday.”

Further information on the gallery and its sale, are available on The Real Reporter website.