0 Winthrop Sq. Tower Casts Shadows on Boston Common

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Winthrop Sq. development in downtown Boston

Credit: Boston Herald

Should the shadows make way for the Winthrop Square tower, or should the law enacted in 1990 and 1992 hold the line? This will have a direct impact on the Boston Common and Boston Public Garden.

From the Boston Herald:

Laws enacted in 1990 and 1992 dictate new buildings in that area only can cast shadows over the parks during the first hour after sunrise or before 7 a.m. — whichever is later — or the last hour before sunset.

The tower is expected to cast new morning shadows for as long as 90 minutes on the Common and 29 minutes on the Public Garden. No shadow would be cast past 9:25 a.m. on the Common and 8 a.m. on the Public Garden.

“Based on this data, we believe the project’s many benefits more than compensate for the shadow cast over the Common and the Public Garden,” Millennium partner Joe Larkin said. “We continue to welcome dialogue with all concerned parties and remain confident that a mutually agreeable resolution of this issue will be achieved.”

0 City Hall Plaza Readies for “Boston Winter”

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City Hall winter transformation in Boston

Credit: Boston Globe

Boston’s City Hall Plaza is in the midst of a transformation into a winter wonderland regardless of temperature.

According to the Boston Globe, “the dreary landscape will [soon] turn into something unrecognizable — a winter wonderland, with a giant ice skating loop, ‘chalets’ selling ornaments, chocolate fountains, and copious holiday decorations…’Boston Winter,’ which debuts Friday, seems like a smaller version of New York’s impressive Bryant Park. Though less ambitious than originally planned — the restaurant and ‘iconic observation wheel’ proposals envisioned for next spring were scrapped due to logistics and finances — the site is the realization of Mayor Martin J. Walsh’s vision to reinvent the plaza.”

The full article is available on the Globe, here.

0 One Seaport Square in Boston

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One Seaport Sq office building

Credit: Bldup

The following is some insight into 1 Seaport Square which is a 1.5 million square foot project 22 stories tall with expected completion in June of 2017.

From Bldup:

One Seaport Square is Boston’s largest mixed-use project in over 30 years, encompassing 1.5 million square feet over three acres of land. Located in the heart of the Seaport District, One Seaport Square will feature two residential and retail buildings, The Benjamin (22 stories tall) and VIA (20 stories tall), built to the highest standard of modern luxury and featuring sweeping Boston skyline and Boston Harbor views. One Seaport Square will qualify for LEED Silver sustainability certification…250,000 square feet of exclusive retail will be located at One Seaport Square across both buildings’ first three stories.

You can read the full overview of 1 Seaport Square on Bldup.

0 Rose Kennedy Greenway Realizing Potential

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Greenway in South Boston

Credit: Boston Business Journal

Growing up, the Central Artery that hosted Interstate 93 was anything but a place to hang out; today it is a vibrant park hosting food trucks, Wifi and people on 15 acres stringing our city together.

According to the Boston Business Journal, “Lawn On D in South Boston, owned and operated by the Massachusetts Convention Center Authority…is on track to reach more than $1.2 million in net revenue for 2016. That represents 300 percent growth over revenue of $400,000 generated the year prior…Since 2009, when the Greenway was first opened and some people in Boston were referring to the open space as the “Emptyway,” the Greenway has tracked growth by a number of metrics: food trucks and their patrons; third-party events along the Greenway and their attendees; wireless Internet users; and carousel riders, to name a few.”

More information on the Greenway’s growth is available on the BBJ, here.

0 Boston Seaport a Test Ground for Self-Driving Cars

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Self-driving cars in Boston Seaport

Credit: BBJ

Self-driving cars are going to change our relationship with the automobile far more significantly that any other change that has been introduced over the century. The days are numbered until we simply “Uber” our own car to come pick us up after work. Some car manufactures are building their own technology to compete directly with ridesharing companies.

From the Boston Business Journal:

“Boston and Massachusetts are leaders in rethinking the future of transportation, and we are grateful for their partnership and support of nuTonomy’s efforts to develop a fleet of self-driving cars to serve the public,” said CEO Karl Iagnemma in a statement.

The pilot program will be the first test of autonomous vehicles on public streets in Boston, and comes just a month after Mayor Marty Walsh and Gov. Charlie Baker signed executive orders allowing tests of the vehicles as long as they pass state inspections and have a person in the driver’s seat ready to take control if anything goes wrong. The nuTonomy test is part of the the Go Boston 2030 plan to rethink city transportation over the next decade and a half.

0 Walsh Has Visions on ‘Boston Building Boom’

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Office space for commercial development in Boston

Credit: Boston Globe

Mayor Walsh is planning an update to the city’s master plan, which was last updated in the 1950’s. The concern is how do manage the growth of the daytime and nighttime population while maintaining efficient access for commuters and tourists.

From the Boston Globe:

Boston’s building boom will need to stretch into some of the farthest reaches of the city to keep pace with a population that could hit 800,000 by 2050, according to a new citywide master plan the Walsh administration previewed Thursday.

A draft of the plan, called Imagine Boston 2030 envisions new neighborhoods emerging from underdeveloped pockets of a city that is bursting at the seams in more central locations. Walsh officials said they will use the master plan to sustain and redirect growth more evenly around the city, and to attack seemingly-intractable challenges, from pricey housing, to traffic-choked streets, to rising sea levels.

One key element of the 300-page document is “expanding neighborhoods,” in which a half-dozen pockets, mostly on the outer edges of the city, would be targeted for large-scale mixed-use development. Many of these locations already have good access to public transit, city officials point out, and have lower land costs to allow for more moderately-priced housing. That would help relieve pressure on more popular neighborhoods where prices have soared.

0 Christopher Kimball’s Milk Street

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Boston Realty Advisors represented Christopher Kimball’s Milk Street search for a new location in the Financial District. According to Wil Catlin, Managing Principal at Boston Realty Advisors, 177 Milk Street was the perfect fit for Chris’s new venture. The building known as the Grain Exchange was completed in 1892 and sits one South from the Custom House on the Greenway. The space occupied by Milk Street is on the retail level with direct access from India Street with expansive ceilings and windows.

Client Testimonial Tenant Representation from Boston Realty Advisors on Vimeo.

0 Boston City Hall Plaza to Unveil Skating, Winter Shops

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Sketch of City Hall skating rink Boston

Credit: Boston Globe

Boston’s City Hall Plaza is going to get decked out for the holidays. This is a brand new venue for Boston to attract families and tourists.

From the Boston Globe:

Sponsored by Berkshire Bank, the winter-garden-like program will include an outdoor ice-skating path, a 20-foot Christmas tree with lights that will be powered by stationary bicycles and more than 40 boutique “chalets” featuring wares from local vendors such as the Grommet, LovePop, Etsy Artists of Boston, and Boston Olive Oil Co.

There will also be an Urban Lodge, a riff on a ski lodge where shoppers and skaters can come in from the cold and lounge with some beer, wine, or hot chocolate.

The holiday vendors will be at the winter garden through Dec. 31. The ice rink, which will feature skating lessons and other events, will be available through February.

0 Boston Heliport will be Discussed at Mid-November Hearing

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Boston has not had a heliport since 1999 and City councilors plan to hold a public hearing November 16th to discuss the topic.

Downtown Boston site for Helipad

Credit: Boston Herald

From the Boston Herald:

Boston city councilors will hold a public hearing Wednesday on plans to create a commercial heliport in the Hub after a call for more information by the councilor who helped ground plans for a similar site eight years ago.

City and state officials promised to create a commercial helipad as part of their $120 million incentive package to lure General Electric to Boston from Connecticut. But the project has stalled among concerns about corporate incentives and MassDOT budget concerns.

“Establishing a helipad would likely lead to an influx of helicopters to the area, which would impact noise, air pollution and safety concerns in our neighborhoods,” the order reads.

0 Boston and Cambridge Office Space Retain Demand

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Office space in Kendall Square

Kendall Sq. Office building

The rest of the country should follow us, at least for how we develop and occupy our office buildings here in Boston and Cambridge commercial real estate markets.

From Nerej.com:

The Boston office market itself is a text book for the office market of the 21st century…the city of Boston will have its fourth straight year of over 1 million s/f of absorption and has a 7.2% vacancy rate.

Cambridge is a story unto itself. This is a 23.7 million s/f market with a 3.8% office vacancy and 3.0% lab vacancy. The market is completely out of space.