Category Archives: Seaport Real Estate

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

Posted on by

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 Renovations Planned for Seaport World Trade Center

Posted on by
Seaport World Trade Center

Credit: Boston Business Journal

Real estate changes keep coming to Boston, not only in new construction, but also an assortment of renovations planned throughout the Seaport submarket. One notable update is slated for The Seaport Word Trade Center, which is poised to add 30,000 SF of retail space to its existing 804,000 SF footprint.

Among the intended modifications to Seaport World Trade Center are “plans to close Commonwealth Hall, an existing exhibition space at the Seaport World Trade Center, and create new conference and event facilities at the Seaport Hotel,” a recent article on the BBJ notes.

Further details on the expected renovations are available on the Boston Business Journal.

0 A Seaport Gondola Remains a Possibility

Posted on by
view from Gondola over city

Credit: Boston Globe

Would you ride it if they built it? Now that is the question. To tell you the truth, I personally don’t have an answer. If it was efficient and saved time, absolutely.

From the Boston Globe:

The Boston Planning and Development Agency “is planning to spend $400,000 studying transit options in a neck of Boston that has become so difficult to access that some are suggesting sailing over clogged streets…The study will likely take more than a year, and consider whether additional bus, rail, ferries, bike-share, and ride-hailing services can help. And it will also look at the polarizing proposal to run cable cars far above Summer Street as part of an aerial gondola system…The gondola proposal might sound fanciful, but a major development firm is willing to cough up $100 million for it.”

0 How Stable is Boston’s Flourishing Seaport?

Posted on by

Boston’s Seaport will continue to be on the forefront by planning ahead as construction and development continues. Lower-Level and 1st-floor space is no longer used for utility infrastructure, developers and landlords. New projects house these systems on the 2nd floor or the roof, where appropriate.

Seaport Square Boston

Credit: The Architect’s Newspaper

290 Congress Street, owned by Boston Properties, utilizes a water fence that gets installed should it be necessary. To-date this has only been used once in March of 2018.

From the Financial Post:

in this old city’s booming Seaport District, General Electric is building its new world headquarters, Amazon is bringing in thousands of new workers, and Reebok’s red delta symbol sits atop the new office it opened last year. Three businesses are testing self-driving cars, other dynamic companies are planting their flag, and trendy restaurants and apartments have gone up virtually overnight. But after bad flooding during a storm this past winter, critics wonder whether it was a bright idea to invest so much in a man-made peninsula that sits barely above sea level.

Environmental activists warn much of the district, transformed from a wasteland of surface parking lots, rotting piers and abandoned rail yards into an economic engine and one of the city’s most expensive neighbourhoods in a matter of years, simply isn’t prepared for the long haul.

 

0 Northern Avenue Bridge Renovation Billed as ‘Postcard for Boston’

Posted on by
Seaport Bridge on Northern Ave

Credit: Boston Globe

Boston Seaport continues to be a destination for those who want to live, work and play in Boston’s newest neighborhood. The result of this influx has been traffic and headache. The Northern Avenue Bridge rehab won’t reduce traffic, but it will add a vibrant pedestrian connection back to the Financial District.

According to the Boston Globe, “the City of Boston has come up with this concept: an elevated, steel-truss bridge with dedicated lanes for pedestrians, bicyclists, and cars. The fixed span could be covered, and piers could be built to extend over the water. Cafes, shops, and public art could also line the bridge.”

‘It has the potential of being one of those places that serves as a postcard for Boston,’ said Rick Dimino, the president of A Better City, a Boston business group, and chair of the city’s advisory task force on the bridge.

The full Globe article is available on its website, here.

 

 

 

 

 

0 Host of Ferries Heading to Boston Harbor

Posted on by

Getting from here to there across Boston Harbor is poised to get a little easier in the coming months.

Ferry on Boston harbor around Seaport

Credit: Boston Globe

The Boston Globe recently highlighted three ferry services that could be available to commuters in and around the Boston Seaport in the coming months:

  • Wynn Resorts…hired Charlestown-based Boston Boatworks to build three ferries. The goal is to cart about 40 riders at a time to and from its Encore Boston Harbor resort casino in Everett, scheduled to open next year.
  • A commuter ferry between the Seaport and Lovejoy Wharf North Station is expected to launch as soon as September, providing easier passage to the Seaport for commuters from the north.
  • The Institute of Contemporary Art will soon launch a ferry from its Seaport museum to East Boston, where it’s opening a secondary campus in June. This service, however, isn’t commuter-friendly; spokeswoman Colette Randall said passengers will need either a ticket or membership with the ICA to board.

0 New Seaport Tower on Summer St will Include a Hampton Inn, Homewood Suites

Posted on by
rendering of new office building in seaport

Credit: Boston Globe

The Seaport continues to grow with office towers, residential buildings and hotels.

A recent Boston Globe article notes the Seaport’s impending 14-story tower, on Summer Street in the Raymond L. Flynn Marine Industrial Park…will house both a Hampton Inn and a Homewood Suites hotel following its ribbon cutting, slated for mid-2020.

From the Globe:

The developers [are] aiming to capitalize on a growing business market in the outer Seaport, [with] travelers coming and going from Boston’s Cruiseport, and events at the nearby Boston Convention and Exhibition Center.

 

0 Five Steps to Alleviate Traffic in the Boston Seaport

Posted on by
Traffic in front of South Station Boston Seaport

Credit: Boston Globe

The time it takes from here to there can be frustrating, especially if you are trying to get from the Seaport to Back Bay for a 5:30 client meeting. The distance, just 2.9-to-3.3 miles, can feel like eternity when you are in your car sitting on Congress Street heading towards the Financial District.

The Boston Globe has detailed the following 5 steps to reduce traffic and congestion in the Seaport:

1. Experiment with bus-only lanes on Summer Street
2. Free the South Boston Bypass Road and Silver Line ramp
3. Create a business improvement district in the South Boston Waterfront
4. Battle for the curb
5. Don’t forget to bike or walk

Boston Seaport Listings
Seaport Office Space for Lease

0 Innovation and Design Building in Boston Seaport

Posted on by
Seaport Innovation and Design Building

Credit: idbldg,com

Technology and real estate are not words that traditionally occupy the same sentence, but Jamestown has managed to make this happen at the Innovation and Design building in the Boston Seaport.

According to Promodo.com, “One of the powerful things about using technology to connect and inform tenants is that managers are able to understand their occupants on a much higher level. ‘By getting a look into what tenants are engaging with on the app, we are able to help landlords and property managers better serve their tenants and increase retention,’ Garbarino said. ‘We’re able to tell them how many tenants are actually aware of the property amenities, which they are engaging with, how often they engage with different content on the app and more.'”

More information on the Boston Innovation and Design building is available on its website.

0 Boston Seaport Ferry Trial Set to Begin

Posted on by
Boston financial district office space

Credit: Boston Business Journal

Are you looking for an easier way to Boston’s Seaport? The ferry is coming! OK, it’s a trial, but at least it’s a start.

According to Banker and Tradesman, “the trial service – with ferries making the trip to Fan Pier in approximately 13 minutes – was originally projected to launch in fall 2017. Related Beal committed to pay $794,000 and a $500,000 grant from Massachusetts Department of Transportation will cover the rest of the dock project, [Rich McGuinness, deputy director for waterfront planning at the Boston Planning and Development Agency] said. The Massachusetts Convention Center Authority will oversee the trial service operation, which will be partially funded by corporate subsidies.”

Additional information is available on the BBJ.