Commercial & Industrial

Lab Landlord Field Continues to Grow
By Steve Adams | Banker & Tradesman Staff | Mar 7, 2021 | Reprints | Unlock Link
The field of Greater Boston lab developers is widening. So who are they? What are their strategies? And who have they hired to execute their plans?
Air Purification in Commercial Buildings Can Make the Difference Against COVID-19
By Steve Boutin | Special to Banker & Tradesman | Mar 7, 2021 | Reprints | Unlock Link
This question is of special significance with the emergence of new COVID-19 mutations and variants that can be more easily transmissible or deadly. Whether you’re a bank CEO or the property manager of an office park, this has immediate implications for you.

Hot Property: 61 Leona Drive
By Steve Adams | Banker & Tradesman Staff | Mar 7, 2021 | Reprints | Unlock Link
A 75,000-square-foot lease by fitness equipment manufacturer Peloton has brought National Development’s 61 Leona Drive property up to 100 percent occupancy.

Worry About the Explosion of Lab Projects, But Not Safety
By Scott Van Voorhis | Banker & Tradesman Columnist | Mar 7, 2021 | Reprints | Unlock Link
There’s seemingly a new lab project under construction on every street corner in Boston and Cambridge, with everyone and their brother looking to cash in on the life-sciences boom. But there are growing signs a backlash is brewing.
Banker & Tradesman’s Editorial Cartoon: It’s Morphin’ Time
By Peter Paul Payack | Banker & Tradesman Cartoonist | Mar 7, 2021 | Reprints | Unlock Link
Architects predict a post-COVID transition to more flexible office spaces with “morphable floors.” That’s inspired a few nostalgic coworkers.

Mariano Expects Climate Bill Won’t Change Much
By State House News Service | Mar 5, 2021 | Reprints | Unlock Link
Almost a month after Gov. Charlie Baker returned sweeping climate legislation to lawmakers with a series of recommended amendments, House Speaker Ronald Mariano said he’s willing to work with the governor on some technical changes but will “not back down on our ambitious emissions reduction targets.”

Baker Pushes to Make Half of State Workforce Remote Post-COVID
By State House News Service | Mar 5, 2021 | Reprints | Unlock Link
The Baker administration has been quietly planning for a permanent “hybrid” work model for as much as half of the state workforce, and over the course of 2021 will be redesigning office space and equipping employees with the technology to support the effort.

Downtown Apartment Rents Took Biggest Hits in 2020
By Steve Adams | Banker & Tradesman Staff | Mar 5, 2021 | ReprintsApartment rents dropped by double digits in many high-priced Boston neighborhoods in 2020 amid a rate war as tenants opted for suburban locations for savings, according to a new report.

Barros Jumps Into Boston Mayor’s Race, Promises More Housing
By James Sanna | Mar 5, 2021 | Reprints | Unlock Link
John Barros, until recently Boston’s top economic development official, has entered the increasingly crowded field of candidates vying to replace Mayor Marty Walsh.

Amazon Warehouse In the Mix for Widett Circle
By Steve Adams | Banker & Tradesman Staff | Mar 5, 2021 | Reprints | Unlock Link
The team that acquired the 19-acre Widett Circle property in Boston last year is leaning toward industrial uses for the redevelopment of the site near I-93, including a potential Amazon warehouse and other distribution tenants.
Construction Worker Killed When Cambridge Stairwell Collapses
By The Associated Press | Mar 4, 2021 | Reprints | Unlock Link
One construction worker was killed and a second was critically injured in Cambridge on Wednesday morning when a section of the concrete stairwell in a city-owned parking garage collapsed, authorities said.

Fed Survey Finds Modest Economic Gains in February
By The Associated Press | Mar 4, 2021 | Reprints | Unlock Link
A Federal Reserve survey of business conditions across the United States has found that economic activity was expanding at a modest pace in February.

Green Energy Company Expanding with Move to Devens
By Steve Adams | Banker & Tradesman Staff | Mar 4, 2021 | Reprints | Unlock Link
A Cambridge-based energy company that’s collaborating with Massachusetts Institute of Technology on climate change-fighting technology will occupy a new 160,000-square-foot manufacturing facility developed by King Street Properties of Boston at Devens.

Tax Bills May Be Slapped on Small Biz Recovery Grants
By State House News Service | Mar 3, 2021 | Reprints | Unlock Link
Thousands of small businesses have received hundreds of millions of dollars in state recovery grants since December, helping them to pay the rent and make payroll, but one top House Democrat said Tuesday he’s worried many of these businesses owners might not know what’s coming – a tax bill.

Developers Unveil Everett Residential Tower Plans
By Steve Adams | Banker & Tradesman Staff | Mar 3, 2021 | Reprints | Unlock Link
A development firm co-founded in 2020 by a former Encore Boston Harbor lobbyist unveiled plans for a 21-story residential tower and rooftop restaurant run by the Strega restaurant team.

Sanofi Manufacturing Facility Sold for $33M
Mar 3, 2021 | Reprints | Unlock Link
A Northborough life science facility leased to Sanofi Genzyme has been acquired by a joint venture of Wheelock Street Capital and Camber Development for $33 million.

Somerville’s Curtatone Will Not Seek Reelection as New Boom Looms
By The Associated Press | Mar 2, 2021 | Reprints | Unlock Link
Somerville Mayor Joe Curtatone announced Monday that he will not seek reelection.

CDC Head Doubles Down on Warning as Mass. Opens Up
By State House News Service | Mar 2, 2021 | Reprints | Unlock Link
The head of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention doubled down Monday on her warnings against rolling back COVID-19 restrictions at the state level, while Gov. Charlie Baker expressed confidence that his plan to loosen economic reopening rules is...

Newly-Developed Amazon Distribution Center Hits Market
By Steve Adams | Banker & Tradesman Staff | Mar 2, 2021 | Reprints | Unlock Link
After landing Amazon as anchor tenant for a speculative distribution center project in Northborough, developers are putting the 600,000-square-foot facility on the market.

Newton Developers Buy WNBA Team
Mar 2, 2021 | Reprints | Unlock Link
Larry Gottsediener, chairman of Newton-based Northland Investments, is now the owner of a professional sports team.