Tag Archives: Greater Boston

Boston Mayor Marty Walsh Announces a City-Wide Rollback to Modified Phase II: Greater Boston Communities Expected to Follow Suit

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Today, Mayor Marty Walsh announced that the City of Boston will rollback to a modified Phase II based on the most recent public health metrics for a minimum of 3 weeks. In his announcement, Mayor Walsh also indicated that Lynn, Newton, Somerville, Brockton, Winthrop, and Arlington are moving forward with similar actions today. In the City of Boston, these actions go into effect on Wednesday, December 16.
Changes in this update include but are not limited to:

  • Museums, movie theaters, aquariums, and indoor event spaces will temporarily close to in-person use.
  • Indoor recreational and athletic facilities will close for general use.
  • Indoor facilities for lower contact activities will also temporarily close, including bowling alleys, batting cages, driving ranges, and rock climbing gyms.

Activities that continue as part of Phase II include:

  • Retail stores and personal services like hair salons and barber shops can remain open.
  • Office space will remain limited to 40% capacity.

Additionally, indoor dining at restaurants and bars may continue, with strict adherence to City Guidelines and State Sector Specific Protocols.

Recent Statewide Actions

As a reminder, last week Governor Baker announced a statewide rollback to Phase III, Step 1 in the Commonwealth’s Reopening Plan. In the Executive Order, Governor Baker also announced updates to the the protocols governing workspaces, restaurants and indoor dining, and office capacities. These requirements went into effect on Sunday, December 13.
Sector specific guidance has been updated. All information related to Massachusetts’ Reopening Plan can be found by visiting mass.gov/reopening.

NAIOP Raises $151,500 for Heading Home

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This post was submitted by Marc Margulies, principal at Margulies Perruzzi Architects and president of Heading Home’s Board of Directors

On June 6th, NAIOP Massachusetts held its 24th Annual Charitable Golf Tournament to benefit Heading Home, raising $151,500 to support programs to end homelessness in Greater Boston. This record-breaking sum is the largest in the tournament’s history, bringing the total donated to Heading Home to more than $1.85 million. The commercial real estate community should be proud
that its steadfast commitment to Heading Home reaps real rewards for homeless families.

In 2011, Heading Home helped more than 2,000 homeless people in Greater Boston by providing them a place to call home and opportunities for self-sufficiency. Two-hundred and fifty units of housing have been created since 2006, with 61 new units created in the past year alone.  More than 400 volunteers annually commit their time and energy to Heading Home, and the commercial real estate community provides a large number of those volunteers. The monies raised by NAIOP will continue to support Heading Home’s programs to end homelessness locally.

Andrew Hoar, president of CB Richard Ellis/New England and chair of the 2012 NAIOP Massachusetts Charitable Events Committee, led the effort to make this record-breaking donation possible. Andy has been on the Heading Home Board of Directors since 2007, and he, his wife, and his firm are longtime contributors to the organization. Andy’s efforts this year hit the fundraising goals out of the park!

Another ardent Heading Home supporter who deserves special recognition is NAIOP Massachusetts CEO, David Begelfer. David has been actively involved in the struggle to end homelessness for more than 24 years, and started the annual NAIOP golf tournament to support Heading Home. In 2010, David received the Bob Ray Partnership Award from the Massachusetts Housing and Shelter Alliance for his commitment to ending homelessness. His support of Heading Home, including serving on the organization’s Advisory Council, has been unwavering through the years.

Since the first NAIOP Golf Tournament that raised $5,000 for Heading Home, the commercial real estate industry has continued to come together to show support for homeless families and individuals. Thank you to NAIOP’s member volunteers, staff, and generous donors who helped to raise this record-breaking donation for Heading Home. It is only through their support that the tournament is able to raise funds needed to help Heading Home accomplish its goal of ending family homelessness.

View pictures from the event.

NAIOP Bus Tour: 10 Facts Learned on the Trial Run

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The following blog post was submitted by Duncan Gratton, Senior Managing Director, Principal at Cassidy Turley FHO.

This year marks the 10th Anniversary of NAIOP’s Bus Tour, and as the Vice President of the Bus Tour Committee, I had a hand in planning and designing it. The 2012 Bus Tour, What’s Big and Breaking in Greater Boston, is a fast-paced live market update on some of the most dynamic markets in the area, including Boston’s Seaport, Fenway, Longwood and Cambridge.

The actual date of the Bus Tour is May 2, but this week – along with Bus Tour Captains and NAIOP staff – I went on a dry run of the route. We saw a lot of projects breaking ground and learned several interesting facts from the knowledgeable Bus Tour Captains! Here are the ten I found most interesting:

  1. The largest private construction project in the US is located at Fan Pier. The Vertex buildings are 1,100,000 SF and $900,000,000!
  2. Three of the largest academic/medical clusters in the US are located in Boston. They are:MGH/Partners

    Longwood Medical/Harvard

    Boston Medical Center/Boston University

  3. Kendall Square in Cambridge was supposed to be the original site of NASA. After JFK was assassinated, Lyndon Johnson became President and being from Texas, he chose Houston as the new location.
  4. Boston University is one of the largest landlords in Back Bay/Fenway. They control over 1,000,000 SF of commercial and non-academic real estate.
  5. There are three new life science buildings under construction in Kendall Square (Pfizer, Novartis and Broad Institute) and two new office buildings (Biogen Idec). All are 100% leased.
  6. Rents in Kendall Square and the Seaport District have jumped over 10% in the last 12 months.
  7. New apartment construction is booming – at least six new projects are underway or about to start in Boston!
  8. New Balance has announced plans for four new buildings at Brighton Landing, including a new 250,000 SF world headquarters building. In addition, they are planning a 345,000 SF sports facility that will include a hockey rink and track.
  9. Harvard is constructing an ‘Innovation Lab’ in the former WGBH buildings on Western Avenue in Allston.
  10. Boston University has announced that construction will commence this summer on a new lacrosse stadium on Babcock Street, thanks in part to a $3,000,000 donation from New Balance.

I hope you will join us on May 2 to learn more about What’s Big and Breaking in Greater Boston. Get a sneak peek of what’s in store.