0 North Station Transportation Plan gets $400k

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development near Boston north station

Credit: B&T

The integration of transportation, services and infrastructure is paramount to a city’s success. Boston’s North Station is now benefiting by receiving $400K towards a transportation plan that will look at short and long term solutions.

Banker&Tradesman reports, “the nine-month project will encompass the West End, Bulfinch Triangle and Government Center, where nearly 8 million square feet of commercial and residential projects are expected to be completed in the next few years…The Boston Redevelopment Authority (BRA) and the city’s transportation department are overseeing the project designed to analyze the existing network and future needs…The $400,000 is expected to cover the entire cost of the project, BRA spokesman Nicholas Martin said.”

More information is available on B&T, here.

0 Putnam nearing HQ move in Boston’s Financial District

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100 Federal St. Boston office building

Credit: BBJ

Putnam appears to be in the final throws of swapping one side of Post Office Square for another and leaving their address of 1 P.O. Square that they have had since 1981.  Why move and why move now?

A number of reason play into this from how office space is used to overall economics.

According to the BBJ, “Putnam is close to signing a lease for 275,000 square feet of space at 100 Federal St. and vacating its offices a short walk away in PO Square…at One PO Square, Putnam occupies multiple floors and has lobby-level signage…The fund manager has more than 800 employees at the location, a workforce that includes its primary investment and trading operations as well as its senior executive team.”

You can read additional details on Putnam’s move on the Boston Business Journal.

0 Map Indicates Walking Time to the Nearest MBTA Station

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The largest concentration of office space north of New York City is the Boston Financial District.  A frequently asked question is, “what the nearest T line and how far is the walk?” Thanks to Aaron Doucett, we now have an answer.

Boston walking map of MBTA stations

Credit: Doucettmaps

From Boston.com:

[Doucett’s] current creation is a map that MBTA riders can use to visualize the walking distance between their home or office and the nearest MBTA station.

“I wanted to create something that anyone living in Boston or the surrounding cities would find interesting and useful,” Doucett said. “I think this map would also be very helpful for someone looking to move to the area, who is searching for apartments or jobs and wants to estimate their commute.”

Follow this link to view the MBTA walking map.

0 Ron Druker Explains the Business of Condos

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Millennium tower in boston rendering

Rendering of Millennium Tower in Downtown Crossing

Ron Druker of The Druker Company wonders, is it luck or skill with successful real estate projects?

From Bisnow:

Condos are a tricky business, especially compared to the reliable apartment…there’s a limited window for selling the units, Ron tells us. The developer who misses it can have trouble. Even when the project goes according to plan, Ron says, the risk is high and the reward may not be great. Sales can be strong, but the revenue is booked as ordinary income, which means that taxes can take a big bite. He says he was lucky twice: with The Heritage on the Garden in Back Bay and Atelier 505 in the South End. “I’m not sure I would be so again and choose not to tempt fate.” He’s also not about to build a big office/mixed-use project on spec.

You can read the full article on Bisnow’s website, here.

0 Tesla Opens first Boston Store, Mulls Area Expansion

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Tesla in Boston back bay

Credit: BBJ

Boylston Street in Boston’s Back Bay continues to one of the nation’s top technology roads for retailers.  Tesla @800 Boylston will open shorty and will accompany other tech retailers like:

  • Apple @ 815 Boylston
  • Verizon @ 699 Boylston
  • AT&T @ 745 Boylston
  • Microsoft @ 800 Boylston

Some history of Boylston Street from Wikipedia:

Boylston Street is the name of a major east-west thoroughfare in the city of Boston, Massachusetts. The Boston street was known as Frog Lane in the early 18th century and was later known as Common Street. It was later again renamed for Ward Nicholas Boylston (1747–1828),[1][2][3][4] a man of wealth and refinement, an officer of the Crown, and philanthropist. Boylston, who was a descendent of Zabdiel Boylston,[5] was born in Boston and spent much of his life in it. The Boylston Market was named after him as was the town of Boylston, Massachusetts.[3]

According to the BBJ, “A second new store will open in the Derby Street Shoppes in Hingham in December…Tesla spokeswoman Alexis Georgeson said the company also has an interest in opening a store in Chestnut Hill, but has no plans right now.”

You can read more on Tesla’s planned Boston expansion on the Boston Business Journal.

0 Check out Analytics Co InsightSquared’s new Boston HQ

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Cool office space in Boston

Credit: Boston Business Journal

Have a peak at what groups are doing with their new office space.

The BBJ posted a photo gallery of InsightSquared’s new Boston HQ, and notes the following:

The new headquarters, which InsightSquared cemented with an office-warming party last week, is a far cry from where they started in 2010. Back then, they were working out of a tiny space at Bessemer Venture Partners.

“It feels great to be here,” said CEO Fred Shilmover at the company’s office-warming party last week. “It feels like our first grownup office.”

InsightSquared is backed by $27 million in venture funding and employs 170, up from less than half that amount in 2014.

0 Back Bay Office Tower Approved by BRA

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Boston commons

Credit: Boston Globe

The BRA has given the green light for 625,000 square foot towner at 380 Stuart Street.

Banker&Tradesman reports, “the Boston Development Authority (BRA) board of directors approved four development projects totaling approximately $374.7 million at a recent meeting…John Hancock received approval to construct a new $350 million, 26-story office tower in Back Bay that will include a public lobby with restaurant and retail space, a roof deck and four levels of underground parking. The 625,000-square-foot tower on 380 Stuart St. will be home to a new signature office building for the company. The $350 million dollar project is expected to create 454 construction jobs.”

You can read more about the Back Bay development projects on B&T’s website, here.

0 Map out the Inside of your Office Buildings

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software to map building interiors

Credit: Bisnow

Maps are no longer just about city streets and highways, they are for indoors as well.  Look to Google and Apple to see what’s on the inside of a building near you.

From Bisnow:

Google uses a rucksack contraption to create indoor maps of large venues like the British Museum in London. Apple is also getting in on the action with its “Indoor Survey App,” which allows users to map interiors by “dropping points,” CityMetric reports. And while Google and Apple offer nice 2D maps, Harvard University and Redlands, CA-based SmarterBetterCities are taking it to the next level. They’re working together to create 3D interior maps of Harvard’s campus, using ESRI’s arcGIS platform.

0 Envoy Hotel Offers Comfortable Getaway within Boston’s Seaport

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view from Envoy Hotel in Boston Seaport

Credit: Boston Herald

How far is far enough to “get away?”  Well, according to Moira McCarthy the Seaport Envoy Hotel fits the bill.  Check it out next time you are considering a Boston destination.

From the Boston Herald:

Tucked into the edge of Boston Harbor (it gazes down upon the iconic Barking Crab restaurant), the hotel offers a new and distinctive feel for a Boston stay, but with enough classic Boston and seaside to remind us what an amazing city we live in. There’s even a rooftop bar…Warm and almost beachy, and touched with the hotel’s signature yellow and lots of reclaimed wood, the lobby featured classic games such as Connect Four, deep and comfortable conversation-pit-style couches, artistic touches like a chandelier made from reclaimed materials, and an open feel.

You can read a first-person account’s of their stay in the Boston Herald.

0 Boston Garden Gets Design Approval

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BP is on the march in North Station area of Boston with approvals Boston Civic Design Commission.

Boston Garden project rendering

Credit: Boston Business Journal

From Bizjournals’s Boston vertical:

When fully built out, Boston Garden will be a 1.87 million-square-foot mixed-use development with a residential tower and an office tower sitting atop a multi-level podium connecting North Station and TD Garden to Causeway Street…The project’s first phase is a $285 million steel-and-glass podium named “Champions Row.” Beyond creating a transportation hub for North Station commuters as well as crowds at TD Garden, the “Champions Row” podium is slated to include a Star Market grocery store; a 20,000-square-foot sports bar that can hold up to 500 patrons; a 50,000-square-foot entertainment venue that could seat up to 1,000 people; a movie theater; a bowling alley; and additional retail space.