0 Two-Year Investment Yields $18.7M Profit in Fort Point

Posted on October 27, 2015 by Wil Catlin

Credit: Banker and Tradesman

Assets continue to trade in the Seaport section of Boston red hot office market just over $400 per foot.

According to Banker and Tradesman, “the Davis Cos. has sold its Tower Point office building in Boston’s Fort Point for $62.1 million, reaping an $18.7 million gain after just two years of ownership…The Boston-based developer spent nearly $7 million updating the 155,170-square-foot property at 27 Wormwood St., increasing the occupancy rate from 74 to 95 percent with a group of new tech tenants…Renovations to the 115-year-old structure included a 7,500-square-foot courtyard with oversized chess set outside the main entrance, removal of drop ceilings and creation of an open floor plan for most tenants.”

Additional details are included on B&T.

0 SessionM’s Seaport Office Space Adds Style to Boston

Posted on October 12, 2015 by Wil Catlin

Farmhouse Chic office design in Boston Seaport

Credit: Bostinno

As tenants find new offices they decide what to bring from their old digs and how to create the vibe that defines who they are. Have a peek at what SessionM did to define their new digs in the Seaport.

From Bostinno:

SessionM does mobile loyalty software for large enterprises. When they moved into offices in Fort Point, the company thought about office design and decoration for the first time. It had built–and invited its employees to build–everything from light fixtures to heavy wooden tables. All have a farmhouse chic kind of appeal that will be familiar if you’ve been out to almost any restaurant built in the past five years.

Boston interior designer Haley McLane designed the Fort Point space for SessionM. Working for startups is interesting, she said, because of the importance of story and culture. “Being able to take a story and put it into physical space is really an interesting challenge,” she said. “Each company is different and therefore each design challenge is different.”

0 Seaport Shuttle Service Looks to Reduce Area Traffic

Posted on October 12, 2015 by Wil Catlin

Credit: Boston Globe

The success of the Seaport/Innovation District has created commuter chaos. The city leadership is looking at ways to mitigate this by decreasing 20 private bus routs down to just two. Office landlords have offered shuttle service to and from their buildings to commuter hubs like North and South Stations, which is great, but not with 20 buses making the same route at the same time.

According to the Boston Globe, “Consolidating the shuttles was a key piece in a far-reaching plan, funded by waterfront players, to address the gridlock. The report, made public in January, offered a long list of fixes big and small, from repairing and reopening the old Northern Avenue bridge for vehicular traffic to adding more Hubway bike-sharing stations in the area…Workers would show an ID to hop on board for free, just as they do now. Members of the public wouldn’t typically be allowed, though Peterson said shuttle drivers may wave them through on bad weather days. Eventually, other companies would be invited to join, and trips to the Back Bay and other locations could be considered.”

You can read the full article on the Boston Globe, here.

0 Seaport Square Moves into Next Phase of Development

Posted on September 23, 2015 by Wil Catlin

Overhead rendering of Seaport Square in Boston

Credit: BBJ

What changes are occurring in the Seaport Square area of Boston?

According to the BBJ, “the original 23-acre Seaport Square master plan was approved back in 2010….for [a] residential component [that] included plans for two 550,000-square-foot towers. But the design has since changed to three 350,000-square-foot towers with a large-scale public plaza, which architects Kohn Pederson Fox Associates of New York say could mark a “turning point” for the neighborhood.”

The Bizjournals site has also posted a video reviewing the current design plans for Boston’s Seaport Square.

0 Seaport Sports New Wayfinding Signs

Posted on September 2, 2015 by Wil Catlin

Credit: B&T

I’m sorry, which way to the Seaport/Innovation District? Let us help you get there.

According to Banker and Tradesman, “New wayfinding signs were installed in Boston’s Seaport District on Friday as part of a pilot program to make the fast-changing neighborhood more navigable to pedestrians and out-of-town visitors. The first phase includes signs designed to help pedestrians find their way from the Boston Convention and Exhibition Center to neighborhood landmarks such as the Fan Pier, Liberty Wharf and South Station.”

You can read more on the new Seaport signage on B&T.

0 Seaport Traffic Relief Sought

Posted on September 2, 2015 by Wil Catlin

The Seaport snarl of traffic is about to get some trialed relief. The bypass road will be opened to general traffic for a six-month trial.

Credit: Boston Globe

From the Boston Globe:

The biggest change begins Monday, when officials will open up a long stretch of the South Boston Bypass Road to all cars as part of a six-month pilot program. The street, created in 1993 for truck traffic from the Big Dig construction project, has been open only to commercial vehicles.

Cars will now be allowed to drive on the portion of the bypass near the convention center at any time, and on the eastbound section from Interstate 93 to Richards Street during the 6 a.m. to 10 a.m. rush hour.

Officials will also allow all passenger cars to travel on the barely-used High Occupancy Vehicle ramp on the northbound side of I-93 near downtown Boston, which brings traffic directly to the Ted Williams Tunnel, removing some airport-bound traffic from local streets.