Thinking Differently About Commercial Space

by | Nov 27, 2015

Texas native Rick Muraida moved to the Boston area for school and, like many before and after him, wound up staying on after he completed his studies. He got an introduction to banking through a summer job and started in commercial banking in the lending servicing function. Two years ago, he joined Rockland Trust as it set its sights on the Boston market. When Muraida isn’t banking, he enjoys attending concerts – particularly classical music.

Spreading Biotech Growth Across The Bay State

by | Nov 27, 2015

In my first weeks as CEO of the Massachusetts Life Sciences Center (MLSC), I have heard a great deal in real estate circles about Kendall Square in Cambridge. Everyone lauds the district as the leading life sciences R&D cluster in the world. As the former executive director of the Kendall Square Association, I witnessed firsthand the neighborhood’s transformation not only into a district that the world’s leading biopharma companies, venture capital firms and early stage life sciences companies call home, but also a 24/7/365 urban melting pot where people live, work and play. Perhaps because of this newfound identity, some also express concern that the boom in life sciences is pricing out companies that can no longer afford the rent.

Photo by Steve Adams | Banker & Tradesman

A Blank Slate, Permits In Place

by | Oct 4, 2015

Millions of square feet of abandoned mills have been resurrected as housing in post-industrial Lowell, but finding developers capable of completing new commercial and residential projects on vacant parcels in the city’s center has been a steeper challenge.

Chiofaro Misses The Boat

by | Sep 27, 2015

A year ago, Don Chiofaro fretted aloud in this column that his proposed twin-tower waterfront office and condominium palace might miss the current real estate cycle, given the glacially slow pace of the city and state review process.

Falling Behind

by | Aug 17, 2015

We like to think we are so amazing here in Massachusetts, especially in Greater Boston – the envy of the nation, if not the world.
To any doubters, we can simply point to development boom that is seeing new tower and research palaces take shape from downtown Boston

N2 Corridor Busy With Development

by | Aug 17, 2015

Needham changed its zoning to allow taller buildings along Route 128 and snagged TripAdvisor as a trophy tenant for a tired business park.
A subsequent $300-million phase of development would transform a three aging research and development buildings into two office buildings totaling 423,000 square feet and a 128-room hotel, with plans for 390 apartments waiting in the wings.

City Takes A Look In The Mirror

by | Aug 10, 2015

Economic stagnation was the bane of Boston when the last citywide master plan was completed in 1965. Jobs and residents were migrating to the suburbs, and most development was driven by urban renewal schemes that bulldozed entire

Boston 2016 A Gold Medal Year

by | Aug 3, 2015

The city of Boston’s building boom is reflected in many elements: groundbreakings that seem more frequent than Red Sox wins; cranes redrawing the skyline day by day; and the steady deluge of new project filings that reflect developers’ unshakable confidence.
There’s currently $6.9 billion worth of development underway in Boston, spanning 66 projects that total 14.6 million square feet, according to Boston Redevelopment Authority data.

Towering Ambitions For Dudley Square

by | Jul 27, 2015

Developers Kenneth and Cecil Guscott retired 10 years ago after more than three decades in the Boston real estate industry and sold their company to its employees. The current real estate boom in Boston – and its potential to transform urban neighborhoods such as Roxbury – brought them back with an agenda to build the neighborhood’s tallest structure.

Seriously – Not In My Backyard

by | Mar 15, 2015

Women with eating disorders, frail seniors and renters with kids are the latest targets of the NIMBYs here in Massachusetts, a truly special breed that sees danger and community despoliation lurking behind every building proposal, however seemingly innocent or benign.