Multifamily Developers Face Unique Set of Challenges in Boston’s Seaport District

By Becky Bedwell, vice president of development, Cottonwood GroupAs one of Boston’s fastest-growing and most dynamic areas, the Seaport District has gotten a lot of attention as it has undergone a multitude of transformations over the past 150 years.The area has evolved from a bustling railyard and shipping area in the early 20th century to a no-man’s land of parking lots in the 1990s to its most recent iteration: The Innovation District. While the spotlight is only growing brighter …

March 30, 2022Development, Market Reports, Massachusetts, Multifamily, Northeast, Northeast Market Reports

Low Interest Rates Spearhead Uptick in Retail Investment Throughout Boston

By Taylor Williams The business of trading retail properties is booming across the greater Boston area, and the combination of cheap capital, a desire to recoup lost business and potential changes in tax law are prompting buyers and sellers alike to transact at a frenetic pace. As is often the case in times of robust investment sales activity, low interest rates are the straw that stirs the drink. At its latest meeting in June, the Federal Reserve opted to hold the federal funds rate — the …

August 6, 2021Life Sciences, Market Reports, Massachusetts, Northeast, Northeast Market Reports, Retail

Qualified Labor, Healthy Tenant Demand Drive Life Sciences Development in Boston

By Brendan Carroll, director of research, Cushman & Wakefield The rapid emergence of greater Boston in the first two decades of the 21st century as a global center of advanced, technology-assisted biology has been followed by an even faster rate of growth since the start of the new decade. We have reached a critical mass in the greater Boston market, where we have developed a combination of skills, institutions and collaboration between companies that is supported and financed by an …

July 28, 2021Hospitality, Life Sciences, Market Reports, Massachusetts, Northeast, Northeast Market Reports, Office

Rent Growth, Absorption in Boston Multifamily Market Begin to Exceed Expectations

By Simon Butler, vice chairman, CBRE; Biria St. John, vice chairman, CBRE; John McLaughlin, senior vice president, CBRE; and Colleen Pentland Lally, vice president, CBRE As we emerge from pandemic-era lockdowns and restrictions, Boston’s multifamily market is proving once again to be extremely resilient. With businesses, offices, restaurants and leisure activities rapidly returning to normal, both the overall economy and multifamily fundamentals are rebounding with a velocity that has far …

July 16, 2021Market Reports, Massachusetts, Multifamily, Northeast, Northeast Market Reports

Strong Fundamentals Drive Capital into Boston Industrial Market

By Brian Pinch, managing director, Newmark On a national level, the industrial market continues to perform well amidst the coronavirus-induced market correction that has impacted other asset classes. Industrial fundamentals ended 2020 on solid footing, with outsized demand, rising rents and a healthy supply pipeline. Despite the impacts of COVID-19, key logistics hubs like Los Angeles and the Inland Empire are doing well, as are smaller metros like Boston. The continued shift towards …

March 16, 2021Industrial, Market Reports, Massachusetts, Northeast, Northeast Market Reports

Suburban Submarkets Will Lead Boston Multifamily Market’s Recovery in 2021

By Steve Callahan Jr., vice president of business development, Callahan Construction ManagersDespite the turmoil caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, Boston has experienced significant job growth over the last 12 to 18 months in the life sciences, healthcare, technology and finance sectors.The health of these industries will require that employees in these fields have access to much needed, reasonably priced housing as companies continue to grow and build, creating more local …

February 12, 2021Market Reports, Massachusetts, Multifamily, Northeast, Northeast Market Reports

Specialized Labor, Tenant Demand Fuel Growth of Boston’s Life Sciences Market

By Brendan Carroll, research director, Cushman & WakefieldThrough the first three quarters of 2020, the Boston life sciences market is seeing record occupancy, a continuation of large new-building leases, stable rents at record levels, high levels of pre-committed new construction and an insatiable appetite for inventory in new submarket clusters.Cushman & Wakefield defines laboratory properties as facilities optimized for the physical scientific research of biotechnology …

October 30, 2020Healthcare, Life Sciences, Market Reports, Massachusetts, Northeast, Northeast Market Reports, Office

Wanted: Essential, Durable Retailers in Boston

By Alex Patton Retail real estate investors in Boston are cautiously evaluating the risk profiles of tenants even as businesses reopen following temporary closures due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The emerging consensus is that until a vaccine is developed to safely treat the virus, the safest investments are tied to essential tenants with reliable incomes. That short list includes grocers, drugstores, home improvement businesses and liquor stores. Like the rest of the country, all nonessential …

August 7, 2020Market Reports, Massachusetts, Northeast, Northeast Market Reports, Retail

Boston Life Sciences Market Shows No Sign of Slowing in 2020

At this point, it sounds like the movie “Groundhog Day,” but 2019 was another impressive year of growth and success for the greater Boston life sciences real estate market — and that growth shows no signs of subsiding any time soon.Duncan Gratton, Cushman & WakefieldStrong levels of venture capital investment, big pharmaceutical partnerships and merger and acquisition activity continued to fuel unprecedented demand for life sciences space, not only in and around …

February 18, 2020Life Sciences, Market Reports, Massachusetts, Northeast, Northeast Market Reports, Office

Selling Affordability is Crucial in Metro Boston

With a pressing demand for new housing in the Boston area and communities struggling to provide affordable options to mitigate the effect of rising prices, the barriers to providing new affordable multifamily properties remain significant. Here in the Boston region, the scale of the problem is immense. Boston’s Metropolitan Area Planning Council recently declared a need for 185,000 new units of housing over next 10 or so years in the 15 cities and towns that comprise the inner core of the …

January 22, 2020Market Reports, Massachusetts, Multifamily, Northeast, Northeast Market Reports