0 New Office Tower Proposed for Boston Financial District

Posted on October 20, 2014 by Wil Catlin

The skyline in Boston is getting some more airtime in Boston Financial District. The parcel of late is the shuttered garage between Federal Street and Devonshire Street.

Credit: cognoscenti.wbur.org

According to Wbur.org, “entrepreneur Steve Belkin is again pushing a bold proposal for a new skyscraper in Boston’s Financial District. Somewhat more modest than previous designs, the still impressive building would stand 740 feet tall and feature a hotel, shopping venues, office space and, if permitted, 150 new condominiums.”

Details on the proposed tower in Boston’s Financial District are available on wbur.org.

0 Boston Landing Along the Mass Pike to House Bruins’ New Practice Rink

Posted on October 12, 2014 by Wil Catlin

Bruins mixed use practice facility in Brighton

Credit: Boston Herald

Not just tech companies are looking for new space, the Bruins are coming to Boston Landing along the Pike. Combined with a new commuter rail station, our city continues to expand and offer services that address our growth.

The Boston Herald notes, “the Boston Bruins’ new Hub practice rink stands to get a prime location along the Mass Pike in New Balance’s $500 million Boston Landing project…Pending permitting approvals, New Balance hopes to start construction on the 75,000-square-foot rink complex — and an adjacent nine-story office building with a ground-floor Bruins pro-shop and other retail — no later than November, much earlier than the original planned spring start date…The Bruins’ practice facility will have seating for about 650 spectators, a VIP area, function room and concessions. It also will include locker rooms, a lounge, a strength and conditioning/rapid shot area, training rooms, video and conference areas and offices for the Bruins.”

More information on the project, along with the Bruins’ practice facilities, are available on the Boston Herald.

0 101 Seaport Boulevard Set to Open Oct. 2015

Posted on October 9, 2014 by Wil Catlin

Credit: Banker&Tradesman

The Seaport office marker continues to grow with 101 Seaport Boulevard scheduled to host its new tenant PwC in October of 2015.

Banker and Tradesman observes, “construction crews from Skanska and its subcontractors attended a ceremony Tuesday as the final steel beam was placed atop the structure to complete the framing phase of the project…The parcel is part of the 23-acre Seaport Square development that is permitted for 6.35 million square feet of residential and commercial development. Skanska acquired the one-acre 101 Seaport parcel for $33 million from Morgan Stanley and Boston Global Investors in 2012.”

The full B&T article is available here: Aggressive Timetable For PwC Tower In Seaport

0 WeWork Plans Café Across from South Station in Boston

Posted on September 21, 2014 by Wil Catlin

Credit: Bostinno.Streetwise.co

Café owners lookout; a new provider is opening up with its own customer base. WeWork continues to forge ahead and cater to the customer by offering additional services at street level The latest venue is a Café’, by no sense is this a new concept, but it is if you are in the temporary office space business. This fulfills two goals; first more services to its existing customer base. Second; a street level presence to attract new customers. Banking has also seen this in Café 360 by Capital One.

Bostinno.StreetWise.co is reporting a “Small scoop here: In the midst of a Boston expansion, WeWork has also taken street-level retail space in the Hub. The company plans to open a coffee shop at 745 Atlantic Ave., a few floors below its shared workspace in the same building…This sets up a potential barista duel for the hearts and minds of downtown Boston’s startup set. Cambridge Innovation Center, another shared workspace, is also developing a café project on the ground floor of its 60,000-square-foot Boston facility at 50 Milk Street. CIC’s founder and chief executive, Tim Rowe, demurred about a date for its opening.”

The full article details WeWork’s cafe project as well as how it fits in with its larger corporate strategy. You can read it on Bostinno.Streetwise.

0 Downtown Crossing Farmers’ Market: Roche Bros. Can’t Wait

Posted on September 18, 2014 by Wil Catlin

Roche Bros. farmers market in downtown crossing

Credit: Boston Business Journal

The newest tenant to downtown crossing has opened, kinda, even though their space isn’t ready yet. Looking for fresh fruit an vegetables, stop by daily from 10 AM to 6 PM!

Roche Bros. to set up a farmers’ market outside of its coming Downtown Crossing location to introduce itself to the neighborhood until the store officially opens in early Spring, 2015.

According to a news release today, printed in the BBJ, “the grocer is setting up five fresh produce stands outside the historic Millennium Tower/Burnham Building where construction is currently underway on the company’s 25,000 square-foot flagship supermarket. The open-air offerings are scheduled to operate seven days a week, from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. The produce stands will primarily feature fresh fruits, as well as some vegetables, flowers, and seasonal baked goods. The Roche Bros. team will keep the stands open through October.”

You can read the complete statement and related article on the Boston Business Journal’s website.

0 Boston Office Towers Experiencing Strong Leasing Activity

Posted on September 11, 2014 by Wil Catlin

One International Place in Boston

Some of Boston’s largest office towers have experienced strong leasing activity in either attracting new tenants or renewing their existing ones. Some building highlight are the following commercial spaces:

·         One Financial Center – Owned by Beacon Capital
·         One Federal Street – Owned by Tishman Speyer
·         International Place – Owned by The Chiofaro Company
·         John Hancock, 200 Clarendon Street – Owned by Boston Properties

“A Boston Business Journal analysis of some of the largest towers in the city shows that many are enjoying their highest occupancy rates in years, although the good times haven’t come easy. Financial filings indicate these landlords have been working on overdrive to keep their properties filled, with many having to thread some impressive needles in order to head off or counter major lease expirations before they bite.”

You can view the BBJ’s status update “based on recent loan-servicer filings, on some of the biggest office properties in Boston’s downtown market,” here.

0 $500M Copley Plan nears Completion

Posted on August 23, 2014 by Wil Catlin

Credit: Bisnow

Simon is finalizing their plans for Copley to bridge over the Pike.

Biznow reports, “the interior of the 625-foot residential tower—109 condos and 433 apartments—that will accompany 115K SF of new retail is still undefined. But ODA founder Eran Chen intends for it to be contemporary, international, and elegant to echo Boston’s strong economy, growing global cache, and reflect the unique site that straddles the historic Back Bay and South End. To create a new level of luxury living, the vast interior space will also be intimate and personal through the choice of materials and space configuration. The amenities will provide a “world of activities”: perhaps a spa, wine storage, private entertaining, and meeting rooms.”

Additional information on the Copley Place Plan, along with a sequence of images, can be found on Biznow.

0 Boston Suburban Office Parks get Reinvented

Posted on August 1, 2014 by Wil Catlin

Owners and developers across Eastern Massachusetts are seeking to reinvent the suburban office park. In communities such as Waltham, Newton and Needham, developers are adding restaurants, hotels and other amenities to replicate the idea of “live, work, play,” which is an increasing popular attraction in the city. Needham’s soon-to-be largest office tenant, Trip Advisors, will benefit directly from this “live, work, play” attraction.

Credit: The Boston Globe

The Boston Globe quantifies the divide between Boston’s urban and suburban landscapes:

“Along Interstate 495, the vacancy rate for Class A offices is hovering at nearly 18 percent, compared with 11.5 percent in Boston and less than 6 percent in Cambridge. Commercial rents are depressed. Offices lease for only $20 per square foot in the region, less than half of what similar space fetches in Boston and Cambridge, according to Jones Lang LaSalle, a commercial real estate firm.”

0 Ink Block in Boston Continues to Take Shape

Posted on July 19, 2014 by Wil Catlin

Credit: Boston Business Journal

Ink Block continues to take shape with the kickoff of the residential building consisting of 475 units.

From the Boston Business Journal:

“Last year, National Development began construction on Ink Block, which, in addition to the 83 condos, will include 392 apartments, a 50,000-square-foot Whole Foods supermarket, and 35,000 square feet of other retail in six buildings on the 6-acre site. Occupancy is set for the next year.”

0 Downtown Crossing Poised for Another Triumph

Posted on July 9, 2014 by Wil Catlin

Credit: Bisnow

This is not the first period of growth or transformation for DTX, also known as Downtown Crossing. In 1979, Washington Street was made into a pedestrian-only roadway following the success of Faneuil Hall Marketplace. This resulted in a modest decline following the popularity of the vending cart program.

The fate of the neighborhood, now, seems set for a steep incline:

Bisnow states, “$210M Millennium Place mixed-use residential project that opened Q2 last year tested how housing would fare in the heart of this commercial neighborhood. All of its 256 condos sold by year-end priced from $550k to $3.5M. As one of the first Boston condo developments to be completed since the recession, it showed that buyers would put down stakes in the CBD, permanently changing the character of the historic neighborhood.”

A more detailed history on Downtown Crossing is available in the Bisnow article.