0 Mobile App Brings Real-Time Ride Options to Boston

Posted on April 28, 2014 by Wil Catlin

Credit: Boston Business Journal

What’s the fastest way to get there? I was leaving my office on Boylston Street Last week headed to the corner of High and Federal. My route was my standard one: hop on the T at Back Bay and head to Park Street then walk through Downtown Crossing down Summer to High.

As I walked across Exeter Street at Boylston Street, I noticed a motorcycle rider on a Ducati, felt the warm day air, and thought, Spring is burgeoning. As my trip progressed, I walked in front of 100 Summer Street and noticed the same rider on the same bike. Was my way quicker or did the rider stop for a coffee at Flat Black? Not sure, but I was rather impressed that the T scored the same speed as a motorcycle.

If you’re unsure of the best route or means for a particular trip, check out RideScout, and see what’s your quickest path to your Boston destination.

The BBJ describes RideScout’s functionality, which is now available in Boston and Cambridge:

“The app aggregates ground transportation services including public transit, private options and social ride-share that allows users to search and compare options in real-time..,Users of the app can find and connect with Zipcars, Hailo taxis, Hubway bike share, MBTA bus and rail services.”

Additional details are available on the Boson Business Journal.

0 Boston Realty Advisors Exclusively Retained to Lease 360 Newbury St. in Back Bay

Posted on April 18, 2014 by Wil Catlin

Back bay commercial space at 360 Newbury St. in Boston

360 Newbury Street

Looking for cool creative office space at the gateway to Boston? Check out 360 Newbury St. in Boston’s Back Bay.

From BostonSF.com:

Boston Realty Advisors (BRA) announced that it has been exclusively retained to lease 360 Newbury Street, offering 40,640 square feet over three levels. In addition to excellent Mass Pike visibility and a unique architectural dynamic – penned by famed architect Frank Gehry — this iconic stalwart of the Boston skyline maintains flexibility for tenants with a variety of square footage requirements. 360 Newbury Street presents an unsurpassed opportunity in the market. Commanding an unrivaled presence in the Back Bay.

360 Newbury Street Property Brochure

360 Newbury Street Floor Plan

0 Boston Emerges as State’s Tech Startup Hub

Posted on April 10, 2014 by Wil Catlin

Has Boston really become the state’s capital for startups? Well yes. This came to be for two primary reasons; public access and cost of real estate. Downtown Crossing, DTX, is serviced by the T’s Red, Green Orange and Blue lines. Combined with the Silver Line and a short walk from South Station it offers employers a great recruiting tool as they vie for new talent.

Economics. Plain and simple. DTX is the last real value play within the Class B market and is what most startups are seeking. Opportunities can still be achieved with in the upper $20’s PSF while most buildings are pricing in the low to mid $30’S PSF.

Click to view or download as a high resolution pdf

The Boston Globe’s niche online business publication, betaboston.com, notes the following:

Last year…Boston accomplished a previously unheard of feat in the tech world by having more venture capital deals than Cambridge — for years the center of gravity of the startup scene in Massachusetts. And a large number of those deals went to companies located outside the Innovation District, in neighboring business zones such as the Financial and Leather districts and Downtown Crossing.

0 Boston Office Market Maintains Strong Results for Landlords

Posted on April 10, 2014 by Wil Catlin

155 Federal Street

The Boston Office market continues to produce strong results for landlords. The low rise Class A and Class B market in the Financial District continue to offer a value option to prospective tenants.

According to news site, news.gnom.es, “First quarter 2014 marked Greater Boston’s fourth consecutive quarter of positive absorption. The market also posted its highest four-quarter positive absorption total since 2007, with 3.6 million square feet absorbed from second quarter 2013 through first quarter 2014.”

The article quotes 542,000 SF of positive adsorption in Boston in the First Quarter. You can read the full article, here.

0 How Startups Pick their Hometowns

Posted on February 18, 2014 by Wil Catlin

Credit: BBJ

Frequently when I meet with young companies their initial request is, what will it cost? My reply is usually is, “ If it was free and the perfect configuration, but in Western Massachusetts, would you take it?” The reply, “No.”

Companies that are in growth mode care about access to qualified potential employees. In the Boston market we see many companies prefer to be within the city core as opposed to be outside the city for that simple reason. The younger workforce doesn’t own or doesn’t want their commute to involve an automobile.

According to a research report on the Boston Business Journal, here’s are the three aspects that entrepreneurs say actually did sell them on their hometowns:

1. Population & talent

2. Livability

3. Strong area supply chains

The full BBJ article is available, here.

0 Five Noteworthy Retailers Headed to Newbury Street

Posted on January 30, 2014 by Wil Catlin

Newbury Collection of retail stores on Newbury Street in Boston

Credit: TheNewburyCollection

Newbury Street has some new attractions, from food to 3-D printing.

A list of five new, noteworthy inhabitants of Boston’s Newbury Street was compiled by the Boston Globe yesterday:

“The Newbury Collection, a stretch of boutiques, spas, and restaurants that run along nearly the full length of Boston’s fashionable Newbury Street, has signed leases with five new tenants, including Drybar, a now-open blow-dry bar, and a burger joint called Shake Shake that is expected to open in September, said Jamestown, the real estate firm that owns the portfolio.”

The full article is available to Boston Globe subscribers.

0 Boutique Buildings Growing in Boston

Posted on December 18, 2013 by Wil Catlin

Not all new construction project are towers. Some are boutique buildings designed to blend into their surroundings and fit on a much smaller footprint.

A boutique building recently highlighted on the Boston Herald’s website is Zero Farnsworth. The Herald notes, “in a smaller-scale building you can pay much more attention to the quality of the design and the details,” said Damian Szary, a principal at Boston-based Redgate Real Estate Advisors, whose Gate Residential unit is developing a nine-story condo complex along Congress and Farnsworth streets in the booming Seaport District. With its floor-to-ceiling glass windows all around, Zero Farnsworth will be strikingly contemporary in an area of brick warehouses.”

The full Herald article is available on BostonHerald.com.

0 Boston Takes 3rd on List of Top Global Office Markets

Posted on December 5, 2013 by Wil Catlin

Credit: World Property Channel

Boston commercial office rents are expected to continue upward at an annual rate in excess of 10-percent through 2015. This puts Boston third on the international stage, behind Jakarta then Dublin.

According to a report on the World Property Channel forecasting global office market growth, “in the Americas, technology and energy continue to be main drivers for the U.S. real estate recovery, with Boston forecast for 22 percent increase in prime asking rents.”

The complete article is available on the WPC website: Top 10 Global Office Markets (Forecasted)

0 Tech Sector Hoping Walsh can Keep Downtown Office Space Affordable

Posted on November 10, 2013 by Wil Catlin

Office space at 200 High Street in the Financial District

Mayor Menino departs in January for Mayor Elect Walsh. Will our economy grow and prosper with the next administration? Well, it is a delicate balance that will spur development while maintaining affordability.

Boston.com posted a dense, thought-proviking piece examining the impact of the mayorial change on small business locations and city-based office space. Here are a few notable quotes from the article:

I spoke with a half dozen tech entrepreneurs about their hopes for and expectations of the incoming Walsh administration, and picked up on two major themes…They want the new mayor to help keep office space affordable and to improve public transit in the Innovation District.”

IdeaPaint president John Stephans told me his business, which is moving from Ashland to Boston in January, would have liked to relocate sooner but found the cost prohibitive until it enjoyed several successful years.

“We always wanted to be in the city, as do a lot of companies,” he said. “But I think companies feel priced out, especially young, venture-backed start-ups.”

The full article is available on Boston.com, here.

0 Boston Ranks 9 for Worst Traffic in US

Posted on November 9, 2013 by Wil Catlin

Credit: Boston Business Journal

Has Boston really climbed to the top 10, for worst traffic? Well, I would say we are doing something right by creating more jobs for those drivers to go to. By no sense am I a fan of traffic, but I am a fan of our collective workforce growing our local economy.

A BBJ report notes that Boston has climbed from 21 up to number 9, on a list of the worst traffic cities in the U.S.

The full articles is available on the Boston Business Journal’s website.