0 Tenants Returning to Boston Offices Will Find A Strange New World

By Dees Stribling | Bisnow | April 27, 2020

Most Boston commercial space is now empty, but the time is approaching when many or most workers return, perhaps in shifts or only a few days a week.

Property managers are already trying to sort out the transition, speakers on Bisnow’s health and safety in property management webinar Thursday said. The details of bringing people back into commercial space in an orderly and safe way aren’t clear. One thing is clear: It won’t be easy.

Most space in Downtown and in Cambridge is empty, with commercial occupancy below 5%, though occupancy is higher than that in a few pockets, such as life science space, Lincoln Property Co. Vice President of Property Management Scott Rickards said.

“We’re planning for re-occupancy at some point after May 4,” Rickards said. “Could be sooner, we hope. We’re fielding an increasing amount of questions every day from tenants about what they can expect.”

Personal responsibility is going to be critically important to making re-occupancy work, Rickards said.

“We all know people who go to work sick, and that’s what we really can’t have,” he said. “Every company has to be responsible for its employees, and every individual responsible for themselves.”

The focus now, EBI Consulting Director of Environmental Health & Safety Karla King said, is how company policies can evolve to address the future re-entry. Some companies have specific issues, such as those needing to deal with COVID-19 cases at their buildings, while others are simply trying to devise forward-looking planning.

“We’re working closely with some of our clients, evaluating current housekeeping and programs and getting an understanding of high-touch and common spaces,” King said.

In the case of a building with a suspected COVID-19 case, each instance is evaluated based on when it happened and how isolated the space is, King said. Then her company works with the client to identify or evaluate a cleaning company, looking closely at its cleaning products and protocols.

Even without a COVID-19 case, tenants who plan to return need to formulate detailed plans, King said.

“What PPE are people going to be bringing or wearing to the office, mandated by state or federal officials, or by their own choice?” she said. “Where are they going to dispose of their PPE?”

Boston Realty Advisors Managing Principal Wil Catlin, who moderated the webinar, asked whether some landlords will have stricter requirements regarding PPE than others.

“At some level, there needs to be baseline standards,” he said.

PPE use will vary according to the use of the space and how much common space there is, King said, adding that common areas and high-touch spaces are going to be the biggest areas of concern for property managers.

“That’s one thing to communicate to tenants: the importance of everyone controlling their space,” King said.

Property managers can’t be responsible for the cleanliness of every specific desk or other personal area, King said, since it is largely out of their control. Instead, they will be more concerned with common spaces, such as gyms, cafeterias, restrooms and reception areas.

Catlin also asked about security procedures in a post-pandemic environment, specifically how buildings will handle front desks and check-ins. Technology is a longer-term answer to security, Rickards said, and some Class-A buildings probably already have the tech in place to go touchless.

“There are some apps that work with security systems so that your phone has a unique identity, and you can walk into the building, and it knows your app,” Rickards said.

But most Boston real estate doesn’t have that kind of sophistication yet, he said. In many small lobbies, social distancing won’t even be possible.

“So there will be a lot of workarounds, and that’s going to extend the need for PPE,” Rickards said. “You’re going to need to have a mask on, and maybe gloves. Can we come up with a way to show an ID so that no one else touches it? It might be a rudimentary as the security guard doing all the writing. It’s going to be complicated.”

0 Boston Harbor Ferry to Add Destinations

Boston waterfront ferry

Credit: B&T

Ferry service in Boston Harbor is looking to add new destinations.

According to Banker and Tradesman, “at public meetings during the summer, many attendees requested more inner harbor service…[while] outside of Boston, the report recommended expanding commuter ferry service from Hingham, Hull, Lynn, Quincy, Salem and Winthrop and starting a new service from Dorchester’s Columbia Point.”

The goal is to begin expanded service in 2019.

For additional information, continue on to Bander and Tradesman’s website to read its complete coverage.

0 Charlestown Office Space Attracts Light Bulb

As rents continue to push northward tenants are search for value options.  In this particular case value is located in Charlestown for Light Blub, which lured the company away from Cambridge.

Charlestown office space

Credit: bizjournals.com

From the BBJ:

Light Bulb had been located in 2,000 square feet at the Cambridge Innovation Center, a coworking space for startups, before looking to branch out. The company was considering other office space in Cambridge or Boston. But it was a recently renovated brick-and-beam office building at 56 Roland St. in Charlestown that caught Finally Light Bulb’s eye…The company will expand to 8,000 square feet in March at the office, quadrupling its existing space.

0 Report: Search for new Boston Globe HQ Down to Fenway, Charlestown

Landmark Center office space in Fenway

Credit: BBJ

The Boston Globe is narrowing its search for its new home. Reports on the BBJ name Fenway and Charlestown as potential destinations for Globe’s new HQ.

The Boston Business Journal states, “local real estate sources have confirmed that two of the newspaper company’s possible destinations are in Charlestown, while the third site under consideration is the Fenway, just a stone’s throw from another prominent asset owned by Henry, the Boston Red Sox. The article also notes, “The Landmark Center in Boston’s Fenway neighborhood will have approximately 360,000 square feet of available space following the departure of Blue Cross/Blue Shield.”

You can real the BBJ article, here.

0 Boston Commercial Real Estate Market Starts 2013 Strong

Office building at 1 Financial Center in Boston massThe 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 Increased Ferry Service From East Boston, South Boston, and Charlestown

aerial view of south boston office spaceWhat’s the fastest route from East Boston of South Boston and the Seaport?  Not the Big Dig, but rather increased ferry service.

Branker and Tradesman is reporting that “the city of Boston has been awarded $1.28 million in federal grant money to buy two ferries that will travel between East Boston, South Boston and Charlestown. The new service is aimed at meeting the growing need for transportation across Boston Harbor and spurring economic opportunity by creating new transit connections between residents and jobs.”

Read more about the proposed ferries on Banker and Tradesman online.