The Boston-based Medical, Academic and Scientific Community Organization is projecting a growth of 10,000 new jobs in the next decade-plus in the Longwood Medical and Academic Area. Just last fall, the area saw the construction and occupation of a 400,000-square-foot facility for Harvard Medical School and a 430,000-square-foot facility for Children’s Hospital Boston.
The Medical, Academic and Scientific Community Organization, based in Boston, is projecting a growth of 10,000 employees in the Longwood Medical and Academic Area over the next 10 or more years. The projection, based on both proposed projects and those already under construction, will require an expanded public transportation system, according to MASCO President and Chief Executive Officer Marilyn Swartz-Lloyd.
The update was shared with more than 300 commercial real estate professionals at a National Association of Industrial and Office Properties event last week. The program, “Beyond the Crystal Ball: Major Real Estate Users Forecast Future Space Demand,” also touched on the high-tech, financial services, retail and medical device fields.
MASCO – formed in 1972 to address common concerns within the Longwood Medical Area – bases its job creation projections on the 1.1 million square feet of space approved or under construction, another 1.1 million square feet approved but not yet under construction and 1.9 million square feet of proposed development. The figures include 19 medical institutions, colleges and secondary schools in the Longwood neighborhood.
The area continues to be a hot spot for growth. Just last fall, Harvard Medical School completed and occupied a 300,000-square-foot building and Children’s Hospital Boston completed and occupied its 430,000-square-foot research building.
“In the past, when it came to planning, this area was thought to take care of itself,” Swartz-Lloyd noted.
Supporting Research
But with the current rate of growth, MASCO executives remain concerned about the public transportation system and its ability to handle the projected number of additional riders. MASCO predicts that it will have an additional 10,000 round-trip fare-goers in the next 10 or so years. About 35 percent of current LMA employees are Boston residents, while 55 percent commute from Cambridge, Brookline, Newton and other communities.
Currently, two commuter rail lines stop at Ruggles and Yawkey Way, but only 34 percent of the time, according to Swartz-Lloyd. The remaining runs go straight into Boston. More are needed, Swartz-Lloyd says. She’s meeting with MBTA officials on alternative plans for future demand.
“If our employees are having problems getting here now, it will be even worse in the future,” she said. “In cities and states where they’re trying to bring in these types of jobs, they’re spending money on infrastructure. We want them to use some of the money they’re using to attract new business to support the companies that are already here.”
If the state doesn’t support the existing industry, researchers will indeed go somewhere else, Swartz-Lloyd said. Other states across the nation, eager to capture biotechnology business, are catering to executives. In Oregon, a “people mover” transports workers up a hill to create an easier commute for biotech employees. And in Texas, biotech companies can stretch out across 700 acres vs. Boston’s 210 acres.
“Because research is so important, most states do everything they can to support it,” she said.
In the meantime, MASCO pushes its members to use alternative transportation through its “CommuteWorks” initiative. Through incentives for car-pooling and discounts for the MBTA and the commuter rail, CommuteWorks has reduced the number of single-occupant vehicles entering the LMA by 11 percent over the past 10 years.
The initiative also encourages employees to bike, walk, jog or roller-blade to work through a Commuter Incentive Program. Mile credits, and special bonus points, can be saved for a total of 500 miles. Prizes start at Level 1 with a water bottle and graduate at Level 8 with an electric pedometer or a Bicycle Coalition membership. Bikers, walkers and roller-bladers, through one previous program, also had the opportunity to earn $200 for outdoor gear.
Drivers also have incentive options. Eligible registered parkers in the Longwood Medical Area were eligible for $210 of free transit by joining the Commuter Incentive Program – and they didn’t have to give up their parking space during the program. Some of the incentive programs received so much attention that many of the programs reached capacity and are temporarily suspended.
MASCO member institutions include the Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Brigham and Women’s Hospital, the Center for Blood Research, Children’s Hospital, Emmanuel College, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Harvard Medical School and the Massachusetts College of Art.
