0 Seaport Car Race Faces Contention

Posted on October 9, 2015 by Wil Catlin

Credit: Boston.com

This is a great venue for our city and should move forward. The impact is minor and the venue is only over a weekend, while the benefit extends our city to a new audience.

According to Boston.com, “Residents at a Seaport condo building want Boston to nix a planned IndyCar race in the neighborhood next Labor Day weekend, and sent a letter to Mayor Marty Walsh Tuesday detailing their problems with the event…It argues against the race series on several fronts, including: a lack of public input or meetings prior to the announcement of the race; concerns about noise, traffic, safety, the environment, and access to the condo building; legal claims arguing state law bars street racing and that the use of the roadways should have been put out to public bid; the possibility that the city will be on the hook to pick up some related costs; and more.”

You can read the full article on Boston.com

0 Who’s Going to Fund the Northern Avenue Bridge Renovations?

Posted on March 26, 2015 by Wil Catlin

South Boston, Seaport Northern ave bridge

Credit: Banker&Tradesman

Should the bridge be used by developers or not? Well, they might not actually cross it, but fund the renovations for it. Why you ask, zoning relief.

From Banker&Tradesman:

An advisory group of stakeholders – ranging from walking and bicycling advocates to preservationists and Seaport businesses – has discussed a public-private partnership as a funding source, said member Greg Galer, executive director of the Boston Preservation Alliance…The group has been meeting since December and will submit a recommendation to Walsh as soon as next month.

“There’s benefits to the development community from this bridge,” Galer said. “You see all of the complaints from their employees who work over the bridge, and the neighborhood constituents such as the Barking Crab (restaurant) and Hook Lobster properties.”

0 Fort Point Drinks and Dining Reference: Top Spots to Hit After Work

Posted on March 10, 2015 by Wil Catlin

Best eats in the Seaport/Innovation/Fort Point area of Boston for startups. What does where you dine say about where you work? Bostinno.Streetwise.co has put together a handy reference to reflect the “favorite spots to hit after a long at the office” in the Fort Point neighborhood.

Credit: Bostinno.Streetwise.co

The article includes the following venues, and is available on the Bostinno website:

Tavern Road, 343 Congress Street
Bastille Kitchen, 49 Melcher Street
Blue Dragon, 324 A Street
Barlow’s, 241 A Street
Lucky’s Lounge, 355 Congress Street
Row 34, 383 Congress St

0 Northern Avenue Bridge Closure Impacting Local Businesses

Posted on February 12, 2015 by Wil Catlin

View of the northern avenue bridge in Boston illuminated by purple lights at night

Credit: The Boston Globe

How do you get from the Financial District to the Seaport? This question sounds simple enough; drive, public transit or walk. All three have their challenges and with the closure of the Northern Avenue bridge, some pedestrians and business are feeling the pinch.

A recent Boston Globe article assessed the impact the bridge closing is having on local businesses:

“The short answer is yes, it has,” says Alex Blake, director of operations at The Barking Crab, when asked if the closure of the footbridge has affected business. “Our pedestrian business. The Northern Avenue Bridge was an easier bridge to cross than the Moakley Bridge is. We are more difficult to find, because the Northern Ave. Bridge would drop people right off at our front door.”

You can read the full article on the Boston Globe’s website.

0 Will Boston Restore Northern Avenue Bridge?

Posted on January 9, 2015 by Wil Catlin

We need to continue to invest in our cities infrastructure to ensure we can service both the day time and bedtime communities. Simply put, without access people will go elsewhere.

Credit: Boston Globe

The Boston Globe offered this image:

the sound you just heard was the unmistakable sloshing of preservationists paddling up Fort Point Channel coming to the rescue of a bridge that has long served as a historical gateway between the Financial District and the South Boston Waterfront. We may never get the tens of millions of dollars needed to restore the bridge, but at least we had fun dreaming about it.

0 Boston Wharf Co. Building at 51 Melcher Sells for $52.7M

Posted on August 23, 2014 by Wil Catlin

For $513.49 PSF Synergy Investments has sold 51 Melcher Street to Zurich North America. The building went through a complete renovation and was delivered fully leased to WeWork, Life is Good, and NetSuite.

According to Banker & Tradesman, “Synergy spent millions of dollars repositioning the building in the market, including base building renovations, a new main entrance and lobby, HVAC systems, new and restored windows and new roof, restrooms, plumbing, electrical service and elevators.”

Pricing with the Seaport Class B Market now is running in the upper $30’s to low $40’s PSF.

Click to view the full size graphic

0 Boston Office Market Shifts to the Financial District

Posted on January 8, 2014 by Wil Catlin

The Downtown Boston Office Market continues to be strong as firms seek better value options than the high-priced Seaport or Back Bay submarkets. Pricing in the Class B market is still in the low-to-mid $30’s PSF downtown, while the Seaport has pushed into the low to mid $40’s.

B&T recently reported that “the popularity of the Seaport and Back Bay, where office building vacancy rates have been at historical lows in recent months, has been a boon to the city’s traditionally staid, button-down financial center, where younger and tech-related firms have opened up shop.”

Additional information is available on the Banker & Tradesman website.

0 Seaport Traffic Growing

Posted on August 20, 2013 by Wil Catlin

Summer Street office building in Boston's seaport district

321 Summer Street

This is a citywide problem that is not just plaguing the Seaport. As we know, Boston is an old city with both old and new infrastructure. The solution is changing the habits of our commuting population, do we need our car at work every day? Perhaps the city and or employers can offer incentives to keep our cars at home? In London, there is a toll to enter the city during rush hour and as a result that reduces the number of passenger vehicles on the roadways.

The Boston Globe recently looked at how the growth of the Seaport submarket is playing out on the roadways:

“While the morning commute is tolerable, everyone seems to head out at 5 p.m., creating bumper-to-bumper traffic along the main spine on Seaport Boulevard, spilling out onto Atlantic Avenue, and clogging side roads throughout the area…’All this growth wasn’t supposed to happen until 2025,’ said Mayor Thomas Menino. ‘It’s a wonderful success. Because of the success, we’re having a problem. It’s amazing to me.’”

The complete article is available on the Boston Globe’s website: Seaport District Faces Gridlock