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Vacant office buildings are emerging as a new source of downtown Boston development activity as hotel developers explore acquisitions for conversion projects. Rhino Capital is preparing to seek approval for a hotel conversion at the former CBT Architects headquarters at 110 Canal St. Photo by James Sanna | Banker & Tradesman Staff
Another Option for Vacant Office Buildings
By Steve Adams
New hotel construction has slowed to a crawl in Boston since COVID but a new source of room supply is emerging in conversions spurred by the city’s struggling office market.
Commercial Interests: Don’t Let NIMBYs Kill Green Power
By Scott Van Voorhis
NIMBY local pols and naysayers wrecked the housing market in Massachusetts. Now, they’re threatening to do the same thing with the state’s new clean energy industry unless Beacon Hill can stop them.
Walden Mutual Growing Well, One Year On
By Jay Fitzgerald
New England’s first new mutual bank in 50 years is seeing strong growth after a little over 12 months in business.
In Person: Middle-Market Firms’ Financial Priest
By James Sanna
When a bank borrower is in trouble, Tom Desmond gets a call. As the founder and managing partner at New England Consulting Partners, he helps middle-market companies rescue themselves and keep creditors whole.
Hot Property: All-Electric Wilmington Warehouse
A partnership between Camber Development and Wheelock Street Capital has begun construction of a 238,000-square-foot warehouse and distribution facility in Wilmington.
The Gossip Report
The first and last homes in this week’s Gossip Report come with ocean views – Boston Harbor in the case of the first home and Cape Cod Bay in the other.
The Housing Scene: Fixed-Rate Loan Payments Can Go Up
By Lew Sichelman
If you have a fixed-rate mortgage, your payments will always stay the same, right? Wrong. Taxes and insurance premiums invariably rise – which means your house payment does, too.
What Has Zoning Reform Accomplished in Cambridge?
By Magda Maaoui
The city sought to remove barriers to affordable housing construction by cutting permitting times and costs. And while funding shortfalls will hurt its full potential, it already appears to be working.
Pursuing a Balance of Perspectives in Boston Development
By Malia Lazu
Rather than viewing development as a zero-sum game, in which every win represents someone else’s loss, the conversation needs to shift to collaboration.
We Now Have a Playbook for Big Projects. Let’s Start Planning
By Rick Dimino
Massachusetts recently won critical federal financial help for two huge infrastructure projects. But key to that was having projects that were shovel-ready, and few of the other projects we need to build are in a similar state.
