Turn to page B1 for Banker & Tradesman’s monthly coverage of all things commercial real estate.
THE FINANCIAL SERVICES AND REAL ESTATE WEEKLY FOR MASSACHUSETTS BY THE NUMBERS
PAGE 6
County close-up: Hampshire Spotlight: Hatfield
Kevin Deabler’s architecture firm has seen progressively larger development hotspots pop up along the Red Line corridor where it’s been active for over a decade. A Boston-based architect since 1996, Deabler co-founded RODE Architects with Eric Robinson in 2005.
IN PERSON
PAGE 8
WEEK OF MONDAY, FEBRUARY 25, 2019
COMMERCIAL REAL ESTATE BY THE NUMBERS
GOING MOBILE
Boston-based HqO’s tenant engagement app is used by commercial landlords including Innovation and Design Building owner Jamestown and Cambridge Crossing developer DivcoWest.
$10,000 The price of most virtual reality systems used in the construction field. See Jay Fitzgerald’s story on page B1. Source: DPS Group
250
OFFICE LANDLORDS ADD SMARTPHONES TO AMENITY ARSENAL
Corporate rental firm Blueground plans to offer 250 apartments Boston. See Insider Insights on page B2. Source: Zack Hughes, general manager, Blueground Boston
65 acres A 65-acre Burlington development uses an app to improve tenant retention. See Steve Adams’ story on page A1. Source: National Development
$87 million The amount in tax breaks GE must return to taxpayers. See Scott Van Voorhis’ column on page A2. Source: General Electric
8,000 square feet Commercial space in The PostMark, a mixed-use revitalization of a historic Reading post office. See Hot Property on page A7. Source: 136 Haven Street LLC
100 percent Tenant experience apps connect all tenants with building managers. See Dan Koh’s column on page B4. Source: Dan Koh
Tenant Engagement Apps Invade the Workplace BY STEVE ADAMS BANKER & TRADESMAN STAFF
F
or office landlords competing to land the next big lease or hang onto an existing tenant, the latest must-have amenity is one you can slip in your
1.6 million square feet The size of the Winthrop Center skyscraper, which will use a proptech app. See Steve Adams’ story on page A1. Source: Millennium Partners
400 Boston Properties collected over 400 comments supporting a project using CoUrbanize. See Karin Brandt’s column on page B8. Source: CoUrbanize
Unless otherwise noted, all data is sourced from The Warren Group’s Mortgage Market Share Module, Loan Originator Module, Statistics Module and/or proprietary database. For more information please visit www.thewarrengroup.com/business/ datasolutions.
pocket. Some of Greater Boston’s biggest de-
velopers are rolling out tenant engagement software, in the form of mobile apps that notify office workers about everything from ice cream socials to the arrival time of the next employee shuttle. These digital concierges foster community by promoting social events in multitenant buildings, provide wayfinding on massive corporate campuses and keep tabs on building access and conference room reservations. Leah Harsfield, a vice president at Newton-based National Development, credits a mobile tenant app created by
Boston-based HqO with improving tenant retention at The District, a 1.3-million-square-foot office park spread across 65 acres in Burlington. “I started hearing about companies meeting at the bar and realizing they have a connection and can do business together,” Harsfield said at a recent NAIOP-Massachusetts forum. “These stories I hear time and time again. Those connections wouldn’t have happened if there wasn’t this software to bring people together.” Continued on Page 7
COMMERCIAL INTERESTS
D I S R U P T I O N D E L AY S
GE Headquarters Shows Problem Trading Tax Breaks for Promises
Finding a Sponsor Bank is Crucial to Scale
By Scott Van Voorhis | Banker & Tradesman Columnist
By Bram Berkowitz | Banker & Tradesman Staff
Massachusetts Needs a Bank’s Core Technology, Better Development Strategy Attitudes Limit Fintechs
Commercial Real Estate PAGE 3
Banking & Lending PAGE 9