0 Seaport Transportation Center Defined

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South Boston Waterfront

Credit: Boston Globe

The new name is the Seaport Transportation Center.  No longer is it just a place to park your car, it will house Zipcar vehicles and Hubway bikes.

From the Boston Globe:

‘The goal, chief executive Thomas Glynn said, is to reflect the wider services that Massport hopes to accommodate at the complex. Along with Zipcar and Hubway, there could be space for Seaport shuttles and information for people walking through the area…Calling it the Seaport Transportation Center, that really captured more of the ancillary services it can provide,’ Glynn said. ‘We have the opportunity here to do more than just a garage.’

Construction could begin as soon as this fall, he said, and could be complete by the end of 2017, depending on how long it takes to secure permits. The project could cost as much as $90 million.

0 Downtown Crossing Experiencing Major Redevelopment

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Boston office tower construction in downtown crossing

Credit: Curbed

The skyline of Boston’s downtown crossing have never seen so much change as we are witnessing now.  This location simply makes sense for concentrated development due to direct access to the Red, Green, Orange and Blue lines combined with its walking distance to the core of the Financial District and Back Bay.

According to Curbed Boston, there are fewer areas of Boston seeing more large-scale development than relatively tiny Downtown Crossing. Spires such as the almost-done Millennium Tower and the proposed One Bromfield (and the nearby Winthrop Square Garage redevelopment) could finally pivot the neighborhood away from its 9-to-5 feel and toward a more 24-7, work-live environment.

The Curbed article also maps the five biggest developments impacting the available Downtown Crossing office space:

  1. Millennium Tower
  2. One Bromfield
  3. 171 Tremont St
  4. 533 Washington St
  5. Winthrop Square Tower

0 Real Estate Developments Planned for Boston Train Stations

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proposed developments at Boston train stations

Credit: Boston Globe

Train and towers will be the combination for three large-scale projects at prime Boston locations, including South Station, Back Bay Station and North Station.

Brief excerpts on each impending Boston train station development from the Boston Globe:

North Station
Boston Properties and Delaware North have already begun construction at North Station. That project will eventually include a 38-story residential tower, two shorter buildings, and a massive retail complex at the long-empty site of the old Boston Garden on Causeway Street.

Back Bay Station
Across town, Boston Properties recently unveiled an ambitious vision to remake Back Bay Station and a neighboring parking garage as the base of a trio of buildings that would join the Back Bay and the South End.

South Station
And at South Station, the Houston developer Hines is attempting to kickstart long-stalled plans to build what would be among the tallest buildings in the city.

According to the Boston Globe article, “all three projects are complex, in terms of engineering and economics. But for the cash-strapped Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority, they bring deep-pocketed partners who could help pay for needed transit improvements…In return, the developers would get access to some of the best locations in a crowded city with a growing population, where getting around can be a challenge.”

0 Big Dig II?

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South station to north station rail servince Boston

Credit: Boston Globe

To dig or not to dig? Seth Moulton says ‘dig’ between North Station and South Station.

According to a Boston Globe article, “Moulton is increasingly convinced that connecting the two stations is the way to go. The link would finally bring uninterrupted service to the Northeast Corridor, which means a person who gets on in Washington could ride all the way to Portland, Maine, without switching trains. It also means people on the commuter rail could more easily travel to either North or South stations without needing to hop onto the T.”

You can read the full Globe article, here.

Related Office Space Listings
Office Space near North Station
Office Space by South Station for lease

0 GE Names Architect for Seaport HQ

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Seaport HQ Boston

Credit: BBJ

Well, now we know who to ask what GE’s new Seaport office will look like: Doug Gensler.

From the Boston Business Journal:

Some of Gensler’s notable local work includes the architecture for Boston Properties’ (NYSE: BXP) Hub on Causeway project, a 1.5 million-square-foot mixed-use project at North Station that will include a retail podium, office tower and hotel and residential tower. In the fall, a Gensler architect had created a rendering of the Hub on Causeway office with the logo “Plum” as the city of Boston was courting GE to relocate its headquarters using a code name “Project Plum.”

GE said in a statement that it “asked important and challenging questions about employee inspiration and teaming, environmental sustainability, and integration into the Boston innovation ecosystem” when considering architects. The headquarters must have a global scale and feel, GE said, while still remaining rooted in Boston.

0 745 Atlantic Avenue Welcomes new Retail Tenant

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In the shadows of South Station there is a new spot to caffeinate your day, 745 Atlantic Avenue is now home to La Colombe’s.

La Colombe coffee shop in Boston

Credit: Boston Eater

Boston Eater quotes one of La Colombe’s co-founders, JP Iberti:

“When I select a space I like to go in places where I feel like the neighborhood is a little bit underserved so you can really start kind of a bond with the neighborhood,” Iberti said. “It’s important with a cafe; it takes time to build.”

“The way we design cafes is more of a linear way, rather than stamping them out. You’re not going to see this cafe if we open two more cafes in Boston, three more; you’re not going to see the same bar,” he said. “Maybe you’ll see a sense of flow and a sense of space, in terms of how light comes into the space, how we move people, how we want people to feel.”

“For us, every cafe is kind of a continuation of the design. We try to make sure that people don’t focus on how many stores we’re doing,” Iberti said.

0 Boutique Hotel Planned on North Washington St. near North End

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North end boutique hotel on north washington street

Credit: Boston Business Journal

From parking cars to a place to park yourself for a good night’s rest in a 15-story boutique hotel on North Washington Street.

According to an article on the Bizjournals Boston site, “Tom MacKay of LIMAC LLC and consultant Fred Mannix, who has developed the 112-room Hotel Onyx in the Bullfinch Triangle, filed the proposal March 17 with the Boston Redevelopment Authority that calls for a 74-room hotel at 88 North Washington St…The hotel will be developed on the 2,100-square-foot site along with a lobby and cafe.”

You can read the full article on the Boston Bizjournals website.

0 Range of Boston Offices Considered for GE HQ

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GE Fort Point Seaport offices

Credit: Boston Business Journal

The selection for GE’s site didn’t come without evaluating many other options that ranged from Back Bay to North Station.

From the BBJ:

Boston officials initially considered 20 development sites, both a mix of private and publicly owned buildings and land parcels, to pitch to GE. And first on the list that Boston officials considered was Fort Point’s “100 Acres Area” — a master-planned effort to transform the existing surface parking lots around the Procter & Gamble/Gillette plant, and GE’s ultimate final choice for its permanent headquarters locations.

The sites were eventually narrowed to seven final options, five of which were located in the Seaport District, in a Dec. 1 pitch book to GE (NYSE: GE) executives. GE’s ultimate choice for a headquarters — a 2.5-acre plot on the Fort Point Channel owned by Procter & Gamble Co. — was not highlighted in the final pitch book.

0 Boston Office Tower Construction Surging

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back bay south end gateway

Credit: Banker&Tradesman

They all won’t happen in this cycle, but it will be interesting to watch the Boston skyline evolve as projects come out of the ground.

From Banker & Tradesman:

Three office towers totaling 113 stories and nearly 2.5 million square feet, already bearing the Boston Redevelopment Authority’s stamp of approval, are to be built near the MBTA’s Haymarket, North and South stations.

The transit tower trend ratchets up with Boston Properties’ latest vision of a 1.3-million-square-foot development at Back Bay station, including a 26-story office tower. And the BRA is getting into the high-rise act as it seeks an “iconic” redevelopment up to 700 feet for its defunct Financial District garage at 115 Federal St.

0 Interest Renewed in South Station air-rights Development

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Architects rendering of south station air-rights development

Credit: BBJ

Texas and South Station come together. It appears that Hines from Texas is dusting off the plans of South Station that last saw the light of day over 10 years ago.

From the Boston Business Journal:

The Boston Redevelopment Authority in 2006 initially approved a development plan from Hines and Tufts University affiliate TUDC Inc. for a 1.8 million-square-foot mixed-use air-rights development, to be built in three phases between the back of South Station and the existing bus terminal. At the time, plans included a 40-story office tower, a nine-story office building and a 13-story building that contained 200 hotel rooms as well as up to 195,000 square feet of residential space. The three towers were slated to range in height from 183 feet to 678 feet total, according to a 2006 development plan.

Representatives from Hines have been to Boston’s City Hall several times in recent months to discuss the project and potential changes. If Hines were to move forward with a project that’s significantly different than the project the BRA approved in 2006, the firm would need to file a notice of project change, said BRA spokesperson Nick Martin. That would kick off additional project reviews such as a public comment period and approval from the BRA board, Martin said.