Boston’s Conversion Conundrum
Tens of millions square feet of office space across America is undergoing conversion to apartments. So why is Boston seeing so little conversion activity?
Massachusetts Shoots for Leadership in the ‘Hard Stuff’
Massachusetts lost biomanufacturing jobs last year, raising questions about the sector’s future in the state. But local and state leaders are planning initiatives to show the Bay State remains a formidable powerhouse.
Massachusetts Studies Sewers as Sustainable Energy
A potential solution to Boston’s green energy transformation offering major cost savings is flowing through its sewers, sustainability experts say. So why aren’t more developers diving in?
Attleboro Jumps Aboard Transit-Oriented Development Pipeline
While city officials must still shepherd their 600-unit development vision near Attleboro’s commuter rail station to fruition, a wave of new housing projects in recent years is fueling multifamily momentum.
Luxury Market Takes a Breather
Boston’s luxury multifamily market is showing signs of a slowdown, and it is unlikely things like luxe amenities will move the needle in generating more sales.
Patios Offer Path to Enhanced Profitability
The biggest dining debate in Boston’s North End is over the state of outdoor dining – something that’s having a much more upbeat rollout elsewhere in Massachusetts this season.
Live-Shop Combination Transforms Retail Properties
The viability of widescale office-to-residential conversion projects still is up for debate, but signs point to a greater awakening to incorporate multifamily housing into underutilized retail centers across Greater Boston.
Will Decarbonization Shut Off the Affordable Pipeline?
Construction costs are already sky-high in Greater Boston, and there is fear decarbonization regulations can add even more strain on affordable housing developers’ wallets.
Architecture Grapples with the AI Question
Time is money in design and development. Is artificial intelligence the wonder drug for commercial projects in a costly market like Massachusetts?
Lynn Is Having a Moment
Developers have also found an increasingly receptive audience with city leadership in Gateway Cities just outside Boston at a time when many point to an increasingly high cost of doing business within city limits.
No Rapid Path to Housing Boom After MBTA Rezoning
A vital ingredient in generating more housing across Massachusetts is moving forward in several municipalities ahead of an end-of-year deadline. But that doesn’t mean there’s suddenly a silver bullet for housing creation, developers say.
Office Vital Signs Point to ‘Year of the Tenant’
Construction cranes everywhere. Big tenants’ space backfilled when they move to a new tower. If you didn’t know better, Boston’s office market might seem like it’s humming along in a strong economy.
Revamped Office Parks Welcome Lab Tenants
The lab and life science market in Greater Boston and across the nation might be cooling off, but there are still some tailwinds benefiting suburban office-to-lab conversions that were set in motion in recent years.
Biotech Developers May Have to Widen Horizons
Experts say Greater Boston’s huge volumes of lab space under construction could give international biotechs without a local presence an opportunity to plant their flag.
Regulators Eye ‘Embodied Carbon’ in New Buildings
Is another sustainability regulation coming down the line for Boston developers? Traditional commercial building materials such as steel and concrete are drawing scrutiny from regulators as a potential contributor to the building sector’s carbon footprint.
Will Biomanufacturing Make It in Massachusetts?
Biomanufacturing was supposed to be a big part of the next “Massachusetts Miracle,” but tenant requirements have been cut in half in the last year. But its believers have faith in the sector’s durability over the long term.
Naming Rights for Residences Is the New Normal
From the Seaport to the Back Bay, it might seem like every new condo building going up in Boston has a condo component attached to a well-known luxury brand. And new data shows it’s happening for good reasons.
Liquor License Proposal Seeks Middle Ground, Equity
A rising thread of criticism says some of the speed of development in the Seaport came at the expense of other neighborhoods – and specifically, local entrepreneurs’ access to profit-generating liquor licenses. But it doesn’t have to be this way, retail experts say.
Hope for Union Square’s Mom-and-Pop Retail
The developer behind the neighborhood’s massive, 2.7 million-square-foot project says it plans to bring local retailers into its new buildings alongside national credit tenants amid fears longtime businesses could be displaced.
SVB Sends Ripples Through Housing Development Circles
What’s keeping affordable housing developers up at night? The financial sword of Damocles currently dangling over the regional banking sector. Silicon Valley Bank has been a major lender to community development corporations.
