Category Archives: Commercial Real Estate on the South Boston Waterfront

0 Cape Air targets Boston’s Long Wharf as a seaplane docking spot

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Seaplanes are making waves in Boston.  Boston Harbor last saw seaplanes in the 1940’s and as the congestion continues worsen it appears they will be making a comeback for trips to NYC.

Cape Air targets Boston’s Long Wharf as a seaplane docking spot

The Boston skyline is viewed from Long Wharf.
GARY HIGGINS

By   – Real Estate Editor, Boston Business Journal | 

 

Cape Air has its eyes on a new location on Boston Harbor to launch its long-planned seaplane service between Boston and New York: Long Wharf.

Officials from the Hyannis-based airline will host a public meeting Wednesday, Dec. 18 at the Long Wharf Marriott to discuss “a proposal to serve Boston Waterboat Marina, 66 Long Wharf, with a 9-seat seaplane airline service available to the public.”

Andrew Bonney, senior vice president of planning for Cape Air, said in an interview that the airline has worked with officials including the Federal Aviation Administration, the U.S. Coast Guard and the Boston Planning and Development Agency regarding launching a Cessna Caravan Amphibian between Boston and New York.

Cape Air flights would load at the tip of Long Wharf before taxiing one mile out to Boston Logan International Airport’s Runway 1432 and taking off, Bonney said. The flights would use the same spot for landing.

Before the service can launch, Cape Air would need to obtain a license amendment from the BPDA, which owns Long Wharf.

“The BPDA has asked Cape Air to conduct a community process, including stakeholder outreach, about their proposal for Long Wharf before anything can move forward,” spokesperson Bonnie McGilpin said in a statement. “If there is support for the proposal, BPDA would need to amend the license for Long Wharf to reflect these uses and that would require approval by the BPDA Board.”

If Cape Air receives the city license amendment and other federal regulatory requirements, Bonney hopes to launch by springtime.

A one-way flight would cost between $320 and $340 to travel the 191 miles between the two cities, according to Bonney. Traveling by plane or train from Boston to New York typically takes around three and a half hours, while a seaplane can go downtown to downtown in one hour, he said.

In the 1920s, seaplanes going between Boston and New York would dock behind South Station. But seaplane service hasn’t existed in Boston since the 1940s.

“We think it’s really exciting to be able to bring back this mode of transportation to the city of Boston,” Bonney said.

Catherine Carlock can be reached at ccarlock@bizjournals.com. Follow her on Twitter at @BosBizCatherine 

0 Seaport Square Project May Yield Waterfront Library

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Rendering of potential Boston waterfront Library in Seaport

Credit: Boston Globe

The Seaport is poised to get a library, but let’s wait to see if it materializes in Boston’s booming commercial real estate sector.

From the Boston Globe:

[State Representative Nick] Collins, a Democrat who represents South Boston, is among those who have complained that the burgeoning district is being built without enough of the places — like a library — that make a neighborhood feel like home. As WS Development finalized plans to put housing, office buildings, and retail on 12.5 acres of parking lots, Collins pressed the developer to add a library to the project, known as Seaport Square.

But when the Boston Planning & Development Agency approved the developer’s plan Nov. 16, it required two performing arts centers, but no library. That same week, however, Collins inserted a provision into a large state bond bill that would set aside $10 million for “creation and construction of a Boston Public Library branch on the South Boston Waterfront.”

0 GE Closes in on Seaport HQ Construction

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GE HQ in Fort Point Boston

Credit: BBJ

The GE campus in Boston’s Seaport has taken its first step in the construction process with the city issuing building permits to asbestos abatement.

From the Boston Business Journal:

Brian M. Campbell on Dec. 22 received a $258,000 building permit for the buildings at 5 and 6 Necco Court. Work will include asbestos and lead abatement in the properties, as well as selective interior demolition to access the surfaces impacted by those materials, the building permit states.

The two five-story Necco buildings date to the early 1900s and are former factories for New England Confectionary Co., which made NECCO wafers. Together, the buildings span 110,000 square feet. GE plans to rehabilitate the brick-and-beam buildings into 95,400 square feet of gross floor area…The campus will also include a newly built 12-story office, which includes a solar veil and an illuminated GE logo. The three buildings together will span 388,070 square feet and include 61,490 square feet of outdoor public space.

0 Envoy Hotel Offers Comfortable Getaway within Boston’s Seaport

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view from Envoy Hotel in Boston Seaport

Credit: Boston Herald

How far is far enough to “get away?”  Well, according to Moira McCarthy the Seaport Envoy Hotel fits the bill.  Check it out next time you are considering a Boston destination.

From the Boston Herald:

Tucked into the edge of Boston Harbor (it gazes down upon the iconic Barking Crab restaurant), the hotel offers a new and distinctive feel for a Boston stay, but with enough classic Boston and seaside to remind us what an amazing city we live in. There’s even a rooftop bar…Warm and almost beachy, and touched with the hotel’s signature yellow and lots of reclaimed wood, the lobby featured classic games such as Connect Four, deep and comfortable conversation-pit-style couches, artistic touches like a chandelier made from reclaimed materials, and an open feel.

You can read a first-person account’s of their stay in the Boston Herald.

0 1,700-car Garage Plotted for South Boston Waterfront

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The growth of the Seaport District has created a number of challenges and one of the prominent ones is parking.  Massport is looking to offer some relief to this by building a 1,700 car garage atop the Pike.

Credit: WaterSideBoston.com

The Boston Globe offers details on the proposed parking additions, noting it “would be built over a strengthened section of the turnpike tunnel near the World Trade Center complex. Although the site is about a third of a mile from the Seaport Square area, where visitors to Fan Pier and attractions like the Institute of Contemporary Art vie for parking with workers from the adjacent financial district, Massport said the parking garage would be vital for apartments and a planned hotel near the convention center.

For more information on the proposed South Boston Waterfront Garage, jump over to the Boston Globe’s website