Top Boston-Area New-Construction Development Projects of 2017 Update 01/05/18

2017 was a banner year for Boston real estate, a year in which multiple large-scale developments years in the making were completed and a substantial new wave of development was proposed and approved. Below are the Boston-area’s Top 10* new-construction buildings and development projects of 2017:

*Top projects based on our database activity.

1. The Hub on Causeway


Located in Bulfinch Triangle next to Boston’s landmark TD Garden, The Hub on Causeway is one of the largest development projects currently underway in the City of Boston. The three-phase development will consist of 1.87 million square feet of retail, office, hotel, restaurant, cinema and residential space, and new features for TD Garden including a new entrance and a 64,000-square-foot expansion.


Rapid7, a leading cybersecurity and IT operations analytics solution provider, is the first announced anchor for The Hub on Causeway’s office space. WeWork is also rumored to be leasing space at The Hub on Causeway. Retail tenants at The Hub on Causeway will include a Star Market supermarket, an ArcLight Cinema with 15 screens and a new entertainment venue by Big Night Entertainment Group and Live Nation New England featuring a nightclub, a restaurant, a concert venue and a bowling facility.


Rapid7’s new office and all three announced retail options will open within Phase One of The Hub on Causeway, which is expected to open by the end of this year. The Hub on Causeway is one of many developments coming to Bulfinch Triangle, an up-and-coming neighborhood of Downtown Boston which, given the sheer number of technology companies moving there and projects taking place, received an unofficial new name in 2017: Uptown. Learn more >>>



2. Echelon Seaport


The largest and most expensive development granted a building permit in the City of Boston in 2017, the 1.3-million-square-foot Echelon Seaport will consist of three mixed-use towers containing 733 apartment and condominium residences as well as 125,000 square feet of retail and restaurant space. Echelon broke ground in Summer 2017 with a special ceremony featuring a special presentation by James Beard award-winning chef and Blue Dragon restaurant owner Ming Tsai.


Echelon will be oriented about a pedestrian mall with multiple passageways and abundant outdoor seating, bringing increased public space to the Seaport District. Public spaces within Echelon will include Autumn Lane, a new pedestrian mall, and Harbor Square, a new courtyard. Echelon is the Seaport District’s latest residential ownership condominium option; pre-sales of condominiums began in Fall 2017 in advance of Echelon’s expected 2019 opening. Learn more >>>



3. The Benjamin & VIA


The Benjamin & VIA, the City of Boston’s largest mixed-use development in over 30 years, opened Summer 2017 and features two mixed-use apartment towers containing 832 luxurious apartment residences and three levels of premium restaurant, entertainment and retail space totaling 250,000 square feet. A total of four private outdoor terraces are located across the buildings, in addition to amenity spaces such as entertainment and relaxation lounges, work spaces, fitness centers and 24-hour concierge service


The Benjamin & VIA has been instrumental towards the Seaport District’s transformation into a live, work and play neighborhood. Key entertainment options are now open at The Benjamin & VIA, including two nightclubs, The Grand and Scorpion Bar & Restaurant, as well as the Kings Bowl bowling experience center and the 10-auditorium, 860-seat Showplace ICON movie theater. Conveniences such as Seaport Barbers have also opened within the development, as well as new locations of Caffe Nero and La Colombe Coffee and new restaurants such as Tuscan Italian Kitchen & Market. Learn more >>>



4. One Dalton


2017 saw the beginning of the rise of One Dalton, Boston’s future third tallest building and the Northeast’s future tallest residential building, into the Boston skyline. One Dalton will stand 740 feet and 61 stories tall, and will feature 180 luxury condominium residences atop a 215-room Four Seasons hotel.


One Dalton’s most exclusive residences will be the tower’s Penthouse Flats on floors 55 through 59, and three two-level Penthouse Estates on the top two floors. Though the tower is months from completion, one Estate has reportedly sold for about $40 million, and one has reportedly sold to Dell Technologies Chairman & CEO Michael Dell. Though the sale has not yet closed, $40 million would be Boston’s most expensive condominium sale in history.


A skyscraper of One Dalton’s magnitude in Boston will be a key component of the Boston skyline for years to come, with prominence comparable to the iconic Hancock and Prudential Towers. Completion of One Dalton is expected in the end of 2018. Learn more >>>



5. Bulfinch Crossing


2017 saw the start of Bulfinch Crossing, a 2.9-million-square-foot mixed-use development that will replace the hulking Government Center Garage with an iconic, pedestrian connection between Bulfinch Triangle, Beacon Hill, the North End, the West End and the Financial District. Bulfinch Crossing’s first phase, a 45-story, 480-foot-tall luxury residential building featuring 368 apartments and 55 condominiums, broke ground in January 2017. A unique ceremony was held to mark the start of the tower’s construction in which Boston Mayor Martin J. Walsh, City officials and members of the Bulfinch Crossing development team ceremonially swung sledgehammers at a faux concrete wall to mark the beginning of the garage’s demolition. Bulfinch Crossing will construct a total of six buildings containing 800+ housing units (apartments and condominiums, including affordable units), 200 hotel rooms, 1.15 million gross square feet of office space and 82,500 gross square feet of retail space. Learn more >>>



6. Union Point


Located just 12 miles south of Boston and offering direct commuter rail and highway access, the 1,550-acre Union Point is the Northeast’s first transit-oriented smart-city. 2017 marked the beginning of an autonomous car pilot program at Union Point, in which MIT-spun startup Optimus Ride is moving residents and visitors around Union Point in two fully autonomous vehicles. Additionally, Union Point master developer LStar Ventures has partnered with General Electric (GE) to install high-tech street sensors, solar panels and other experimental technology throughout the community. Union Point also emerged in 2017 as a leading potential contender for Amazon’s 8.1-million-square-foot second headquarters campus.


In total, Union Point will feature 10 million square feet of commercial space, 4,000 private residences, 40 restaurants, 1,000 acres of open space and 50 miles of hiking and biking trails. Around 2,000 residents already call Union Point home, and Prodrive Technologies broke ground in Fall 2017 on its’ new 350,000-square-foot United States headquarters at Union Point. Learn more >>>



7. Landing 53


2017 marked the completion of Landing 53, a mixed-use development that has revitalized a long-underutilized parcel in the heart of Downtown Braintree with 172 apartment residences and 12,000 square feet of ground-floor retail. The five-story building features amenities such as an outdoor pool, a fitness center and 198 vehicle parking spaces. Landing 53 is one of many housing developments that have sprouted in suburbs around Boston, as rents and condominium prices in Boston continue to rise and the demand for housing continues to increase. Learn more >>>



8. Clippership Wharf


Located on the East Boston Waterfront overlooking Boston Harbor and the Boston skyline, Clippership Wharf will feature 478 residences, including 398 apartments and the 80 sold-out Slip65 condominiums, with approximately 30,200 square feet of retail and community space, including a cafe and a restaurant. Slip65 condominiums went on sale in June 2017, at which point 40 condominiums were made available over 36 hours and all were sold. Slip65 reached 95%-sold in just six weeks of sales, selling out 100% in just over two months.


Slip65 represents the extraordinarily strong demand for condominiums on the East Boston Waterfront, and the emergence of East Boston as a hot condominium market in 2017. The 119-unit Hodge Boiler Works development on the East Boston Waterfront, originally proposed as apartments, has switched to a condominium development, and the nearby 70 Bremen Street and 135 Bremen Street developments have also switched to condominiums from apartments. Learn more >>>



9. 14 WEST


Set to open this April, 14 WEST is a new 10-story mixed-use building located across from the Broadway MBTA Red Line station in South Boston. 14 WEST will feature 49 one-to-four-bedroom condominium residences and a 350-seat ground-floor restaurant. Resident amenities at 14 WEST will include a fully-equipped private fitness center, a covered portico offering 24-hour valet parking with direct access to the building's lobby and a private roof deck with sweeping views. Next to 14 WEST is the Cambria Hotel at 6 West Broadway, a 159-key boutique hotel opening in the first quarter of 2019. Learn more >>>



10. 345 Harrison


Expected to open early this year, 345 Harrison is a mixed use development project featuring two 14-story buildings with 585 rental apartments and 40,000 square feet of retail space. Set to become one of Boston’s South End’s largest residential developments, 345 Harrison will feature amenities such as a resort-style pool, a fitness center and a 13th floor Sky Lounge. 345 Harrison is located across from the Ink Block in one of Boston’s newest neighborhoods, the Upper South End. On 345 Harrison’s ground floor will be a 10,000-square-foot CVS Pharmacy, with a bar and restaurant concept and a dog day care also potentially in the works. Learn more >>>


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