in the Press
Purpose-built GMP development site near Boston trades hands
Boston Real Estate TImesBOSTON– JLL Capital Markets announced that it has closed the sale of Billerica Crossing, an 18-acre land site in the northern Boston suburb of Billerica, Massachusetts.
JLL marketed the land site on behalf of the seller, Cabot Corporation, who will continue to operate its flagship R&D facility on the adjacent parcel. Boston-based Berkeley Investments, Inc. acquired the asset and plans on developing a 200,000-square-foot, purpose-built GMP facility.
Billerica Crossing is well located on Concord Road adjacent to Middlesex Turnpike and right off of Route 3; within one of Boston’s premier high tech and life sciences clusters. Driven by the highly educated labor pool residing along the Route 3 corridor, Billerica has emerged as “ground zero” for many of the world’s strongest and most innovative companies including those in real need of biomanufacturing space. The site also provides connectivity to Interstates 95 and 495, which provide easy access into Boston with a 25-minute drive.
“Berkeley continues to broaden its life science and cGMP platform, and we were thrilled to work with JLL and Cabot Corporation to unlock the potential of what we see as a strategically located site within the well-established Billerica corridor while also meeting the growing needs of our tenants for cGMP space,” said Berkeley’s Director of Development Morgan Pierson.
More capital flowed into the life science eco-system in Greater Boston in 2021 than any other year. Accordingly, the GMP market demand has grown rapidly, with increased demand from Boston-based life science companies that require manufacturing facilities near their research and development operations and corporate headquarters. However, supply has been limited, with few options for conversions and little new construction development, which has pushed asking rents well north of $60 triple net leased for this market.
The JLL Capital Markets Investment Sales Advisory team was led by Managing Director Brian Morrissey, Senior Directors Michael Restivo and Martha Nay, Director Lenny Pierce and Associate David Coffman.
“This represented an excellent opportunity for Cabot Corporation to divest excess land, while allowing Berkeley Investments to continue to build out their strong life science development platform,” Restivo said.
As Boston Biotech Overflows, Its Suburbs Go Platinum To Soak Up The Spillover
Boston BisnowLife sciences properties in Boston and Cambridge are essentially full, giving cities and towns in the surrounding area a golden opportunity to attract high-paying jobs and new development to their borders if they can capitalize.
As these suburban municipalities jockey for spillover growth, local officials have come to view improving their place on the MassBio’s “BioReady Communities” list, a ranking of towns and cities in Massachusetts based on how ready they are to host life sciences companies, as a key to winning the economic development race.
Malden Strategic Planning Officer Kevin Duffy, whose town was upgraded to platinum, the list’s top tier, in 2016, said that upgrade was a key goal of its life sciences strategy.
“Everybody in the Greater Boston area is chasing life sciences,” Duffy said. “We weren’t terribly optimistic just because so many other [cities] had a huge head start on us, but we had started to lay the groundwork and do the things that you need to have in order to move up from the bottom ranking.”
Vacancy hit new lows of 1.4% in Boston and 0.8% in Cambridge in the first quarter, according to Colliers’ Q1 report. With the minuscule vacancy rate and lack of buildable land, more developers and companies are starting to branch out to the suburbs.
And with the pandemic creating higher demand for more life sciences space, towns and cities that may have been overlooked in the past have started to adopt policies to become more attractive to developers and biotech companies searching to find space for manufacturing facilities, a segment that has seen tremendous growth.
The list, launched in 2008, has grown to include 90 towns and cities across Massachusetts that have taken guidance from MassBio to attract developers and biotech companies. Since 2020, three towns have been added to the list and five others have been elevated to platinum as the need for life sciences facilities has risen, said Ben Bradford, vice president of economic development and workforce at MassBio.
The list has four tiers: bronze, silver, gold and platinum. To be given a ranking, a town needs to have specific zoning requirements to allow for biotech labs and manufacturing facilities. To achieve a platinum rank, a town or city’s board of health must adopt National Institutes of Health guidelines, and the community needs to have at least one building permitted for biotech use.
As space becomes tighter, developers are looking for more opportunity, whether that means converting underperforming office buildings or buying cheaper space in a town outside of the big clusters.
“With how tight the vacancy is, a lot of developers are looking at these outlier markets,” said McKenna Teague, vice president for CBRE’s New England Consulting Group.
Communities such as Waltham and Watertown west of Boston have already seen major development, but developers are going north to towns like Burlington and Woburn, which are close to the big life sciences clusters in Boston and Cambridge but are far enough away to offer more opportunity.
“We all know that there’s only so much developable land in Cambridge and Kendall Square and not everybody’s going to be there,” said Jeff Myers, research director at Colliers. “As we move further out, you’re looking for similar traits of proximity. I think that’s one of the things that has helped a place like Watertown to get that development. There’s land for it, and there are buildings that are ready for conversion.”
Duffy said he credits the success Malden has seen to its platinum ranking, which the city was awarded after attracting In Vitro AMDET, a Maryland-based cell therapy company, to its downtown back in 2015.
“They manufactured [cryogenically preserved liver cells] in Maryland, but their market was over in Kendall Square and they decided to move their manufacturing facility closer. They were coming around looking at some spaces that might work, and they had identified a building in Malden,” Duffy said.
Since then, Malden has seen increased interest from developers and companies. In 2018, Berkeley Investments bought property in Malden and began developing 200 Exchange St., a four-story 250K SF mixed-use building in the city’s center that was initially mostly office space. In December, it announced it received financing to convert the building to lab space to meet the rapidly growing demands from life sciences users.
“The fact [Malden] had a platinum BioReady rating gave us confidence in transitioning and converting the building to lab [space],” said Dan McGrath, senior vice president at Berkeley Investments. “It was a demonstration that the municipality was forward-thinking as it relates to encouraging life science companies to come to the city.”
Berkeley Investments recently bought 18 acres of land in Billerica, another platinum-ranked town, in hopes to develop it into a 200K SF purpose-built GMP building.
Another town, Chelmsford, a suburb on the southern border of Lowell, was bumped up to platinum last year after adopting NIH guidelines and noting the existing life sciences companies that were already operating within the town, including Azenta Life Sciences and Triton Systems. This paved the way for the town to begin marketing and rebranding its business overlay district, Chelmsford Crossroads at 129, to include more biotech.
“We’ve really been advocating for our available space and wanting to attract the advanced technologies, the sciences, communications, robotics, things like that,” said Lisa Marrone, Chelmsford’s director of business development. “Our zoning has been very aligned with the market demand with overlay districts and things like that and … the biotech rating was also just another incentive for businesses to look at Chelmsford.”
In 2020, Thermo Fisher Scientific, a Waltham-based life sciences and medical devices company, acquired an 85K SF building on 220 Mill Road in Chelmsford to meet its higher needs for bioprocessing in the state. The company plans to open the facility later this year.
As more biotech companies and developers begin to flock to suburban towns like Billerica and Chelmsford, more communities need to be ready to welcome them, Bradford said.
“That’s why this list was created, because we know that it takes the whole commonwealth of Massachusetts to support these companies as they grow,” Bradford said. “As we look at manufacturing as a potential next wave of the life sciences industry in Massachusetts, there’s certainly going to be opportunities for even more nontraditional municipalities to get involved.”
Malden to open its first Starbucks store
The Boston GlobeMalden is finally getting a Starbucks. The seemingly ubiquitous coffee shop chain will open its first-ever location in the city this fall, the developer of an office building in Malden Center said Monday.
Berkeley Investments confirmed that Starbucks will occupy about 2,500 square feet in the ground floor of Exchange 200, a research and life-sciences project Berkeley is completing this year near the Malden Center MBTA station. The Starbucks will take the place of a Caffe Nero shop that had been planned in the building prior to the COVID-19 pandemic. Two full-service restaurants — 110 Grill and Evviva Trattoria — opened at the building earlier this summer. Malden Mayor Gary Christenson first broke the news in a tweet last week. “Since I came into office, I have to say that Starbucks was our most requested franchise,” he said. “We have been on the hunt for all these years.” — TIM LOGAN
Berkeley Investments Purchases Sasaki Watertown Headquarters
Boston Real Estate TimesBOSTON– Berkeley Investments and Sasaki announced that Berkeley has purchased the Chase Mills building at 64 Pleasant Street, in Watertown, MA. Sale terms were not disclosed.
Berkeley plans to invest in the building’s historic structure to convert the space to life science and office uses. Sasaki began planning for a sale of the property in 2019 and is currently finalizing the details of its relocation to Boston, with a formal announcement forthcoming.
Sasaki has owned and occupied the historic mill building complex sited on the banks of the Charles River since the 1950s but will soon be moving to a new office space of Sasaki’s own design to meet the contemporary needs of a growing global practice. Sasaki sought a visionary steward for its longtime Watertown headquarters and selected Berkeley as a developer who would creatively and sensitively recast the unique property to the benefit of Watertown and the area’s growing life sciences sector.
“Historic buildings are home to a range of features that are attractive to life sciences companies, and we see great synergy between the needs of the market and the benefits this building provides,” said Young Park, president of Berkeley. “We look forward to collaborating with Watertown to bring exciting new innovation to the community and to continuing our partnership with Sasaki as we reinvest in this special space.”
“We have been a Watertown firm since our inception and have enjoyed the tremendous opportunities the Chase Mills site affords. As a growing firm of 300 people needing to collaborate in new ways to meet the needs of clients locally, nationally, and globally, we have outgrown the space, and the time has come for us to relocate,” said James Miner, Sasaki CEO. “Throughout this process, it was critical to us that this special space be cultivated creatively and thoughtfully. Berkeley’s experience converting historic mill buildings in the area combined with their inspired vision for 64 Pleasant Street and invitation to keep us involved in the future design process made it clear they were the right choice.”
Berkeley plans to preserve and modernize the 97,000 square foot building while maintaining the current square footage. The updates will include better airflow and energy efficiency, improved ADA accessibility, and new interior architectural elements such as higher ceilings and exposed beams. Sasaki will be part of a design team led by SGA to update the space and surrounding site.
The project will support growth in downtown Watertown by attracting small and midsize, fast-growing life science companies looking for a smaller lab footprint in the heart of a bustling community. The project is expected to create a new diversity of job options within walking distance to Watertown Square.
The Chase Mills building has served a variety of workforce uses in its 150+ years, including as a paper factory, garment manufacturer, screws and machining project, and laundry. Sasaki’s and now Berkeley’s adaptive reuses represent an evolution of industry in the space.
This acquisition adds to Berkeley’s growing portfolio of life science investments within the greater Boston area including their multi-story redevelopment in Malden Center as well as the nearby ground up mixed-use development on Lincoln Street in Allston.
Sasaki sells its longtime home in Watertown
Boston GlobeThe design firm plans to move to Boston; its former offices will be renovated to attract life science companies.
Prominent design and architecture firm Sasaki, planning a move to downtown Boston, has sold its longtime home in Watertown to a developer that will turn it into office space for life science companies.
Berkeley Investments will renovate the 97,000-square-foot building, part of an old mill complex along the Charles River near Watertown Square, adding to a wave of life science development in Watertown.
“Historic buildings are home to a range of features that are attractive to life sciences companies, and we see great synergy between the needs of the market and the benefits this building provides,” said Berkeley president Young Park.
Terms of the sale were not disclosed, but a deed filed Thursday in Middlesex County showed a purchase price of $23 million.
Sasaki, a global design firm has designed a number of major Boston-area projects and is currently leading a redesign of Copley Square. It has been headquartered in the Watertown building since the 1970s. The 300-person firm, which also has offices in Denver and Shanghai, plans to move into Boston but wouldn’t yet say exactly where; a lease deal on its new home is still being finalized.
“Chase Mills and the city of Watertown have served us well during our time there,” said Sasaki CEO James Miner. “But as a firm with a growing national and global presence, we are excited for what the future holds for us in Boston, both for our incredible staff and the clients we serve.”
Sasaki is designing that new space. The firm also will have a hand in redesigning its old home, joining architecture firm SGA on Berkeley’s design team for the project. Berkeley plans to keep the same general size of the building, at 64 Pleasant St., but upgrade its airflow, energy systems, and interior architecture.
Park said he hopes to attract smaller drug companies that want to be in a walkable neighborhood such as Watertown Square. Just east of there, along Arsenal Street, a number of life science developments are underway, hoping to lure drug companies that are spilling out of Kendall Square but still want proximity to Cambridge and the workforces in nearby communities.
Berkeley Investments’ Exchange 200 Redevelopment in Malden now complete
Wicked LocalBoston-based real estate developer Berkeley Investments has confirmed that its comprehensive redevelopment of Exchange 200, a four-story, 310,000-plus square-foot mixed-use building in Malden Center, is now complete.
Working closely with the city of Malden, architectural firm Stantec and builder Dellbrook JKS, Berkeley has transformed the transit-oriented property, directly across from the Malden Center MBTA station, into a modern innovation hub that is ready to accommodate a wide variety of laboratories, research and development companies, flexible spaces and office users. In particular, this redevelopment positions the property to provide modern lab space to the life sciences sector, which continues to experience growing demand for space.
“The life sciences market in greater Boston continues to be one of our strongest sectors, and we continue to see demand for lab space that outweighs supply, especially in urban locations directly across the street from the T/commuter rail like Exchange 200,” says Molly Heath, managing director for JLL, which is serving as the exclusive leasing broker for the office, flex, and lab components of the project. “In addition, Malden has a young, educated population, many of whom already commute to East Cambridge or Boston for work.”
“I could not be more pleased with the exterior renovations of Exchange 200 and I thank Berkeley Investments for their vision and efforts. Our team continues to work hard to create employment opportunities in the life sciences for our residents and I have no doubt that some of the best companies in the region will be clamoring to lease space in this building,” said Malden mayor Gary Christenson.
Berkeley’s investment in the property, which previously served as a bank operations center, include a complete replacement of all systems with advanced new HVAC and mechanical infrastructure, a new façade of floor-to-ceiling glass, a new two-story atrium lobby and adding an assortment of new amenities including fitness center, locker rooms, showers and bike storage. In addition, Exchange 200 offers a number of features that will appeal to prospective life sciences and lab tenants, especially for a building that’s across the street from public transit, a short bike ride to Cambridge, and less than 15 minutes from downtown Boston. According to Dan McGrath, Berkeley’s senior vice president and director of asset management, other features include large, flexible floor plates; high-capacity power infrastructure; the option of having redundant power; high ceilings; heavy floor load capacities; and six loading docks with secure, private load-in.
McGrath also predicts that Exchange 200 will appeal to an assortment of other companies like technology start-ups, robotics, health care and nonprofit office tenants who are looking to engage with a transit-oriented workforce but who may have space and infrastructure requirements that are more typical of suburban locations.
“Exchange 200 provides these characteristics in close proximity to the urban core, with extensive transit options in the form of the Orange Line, commuter rail, and bus service, but at a significant value compared to the rents companies will face in Boston or Cambridge,” said McGrath. “We’re incredibly excited to launch the new Exchange 200 to the market. The building’s amenities and its desirable location across the street from the MBTA Orange Line will be a huge draw for forward-thinking, creative companies who crave a dynamic urban experience.”
The redevelopment of Exchange 200 also includes the creation of new street-level retail by replacing an uninviting brick façade with floor-to-ceiling glass storefronts, offering nearly 15,000 square feet of new retail space. To date, Berkeley has signed leases with European coffeehouse Caffè Nero, as well as restaurants 110 Grill and Evviva Trattoria, to occupy space on the ground floor, which will also include outdoor patio space. These retail spaces will serve not only as amenities for the building’s occupants but will also add to the dynamic urban environment that continues to grow in Malden Center.
For Artisan’s Asylum, moving day is coming
The Harvard GazetteNonprofit collaborative will settle in at Harvard space in Allston
Harvard has announced that Artisan’s Asylum, a local nonprofit arts collaborative, will begin moving its facilities to Allston-Brighton later this year.
The move sets the stage for a significant long-term partnership between the University and Artisan’s, a nonprofit organization founded in 2010. It will allow Artisan’s, which is currently located in Somerville, to expand its new space and continue to grow its operations.
Plans call for transforming a warehouse at 55 Antwerp St. into a vibrant community center. Another project is planned at 176 Lincoln St., now under development by Berkeley Investments; that project is currently under community review.
“Harvard is thrilled to welcome the Artisan’s Asylum, and its cutting-edge, innovative maker space to the neighborhood. Their plans for the Allston space represent an exciting opportunity to strengthen the region’s creative economy and support community-wide creativity and collaboration,” said Harvard Executive Vice President Katie Lapp. “Artisan’s is a vital community resource that complements and widens our shared goals of nurturing creativity, collaboration, and economic impact.”
“We are delighted to begin our move to Allston-Brighton, and excited to make our new home in a neighborhood that is teeming with artistic innovation, ingenuity, and collaboration,” said Lars Hasselblad Torres, executive director of Artisan’s Asylum.
“All of us are grateful for the ongoing support from Harvard, and we look forward to our continued partnership in the months and years to come,” said Steve Derezinski, the group’s chair. “This is an exciting, transformative time for the organization.”
“An inclusive refuge for teaching, learning, and practice of fabrication,” Artisan’s maintains affordable studios and workspaces for craftspeople in a variety of specialties, including jewelry, 3D printing, woodworking, and robotics. It has more than 160 studios, 15 shops, and access to hundreds of tools, and has developed a range of educational programming for learners of all ages, including classes, featured speakers and special events.
Since its inception, Artisan’s Asylum has placed a heavy emphasis on local entrepreneurship, and has contributed more than $70 million in economic development impact. It leads the nation in development of innovative spaces and programs that support creative expression and entrepreneurship. By exchanging ideas and sharing skills, it has fostered startups such as
Atlas Devices, GeoOrbital, 3D Doodler, Unruly Studios, RailState, and Cantux Research, among many others. Over the years its investments have helped create more than 100 jobs and helped contribute to the livelihood of hundreds of independent creatives.
“We are excited to welcome Artisan’s Asylum to Boston and grateful to Harvard for this innovative partnership. We are looking forward to expanding on the work we did together [in 2020] on employment for returning citizens, and look forward to the additional partnerships that will be fostered as a result of this exciting new resource in Allston,” said Boston Mayor Marty Walsh.
Last summer, Harvard welcomed a satellite of Artisan’s to Allston, where its members and volunteers ramped up efforts to create personal protective equipment (PPE) gowns to be used in nonsurgical settings among a variety of users, including dentists, hospitals, and even child-care centers. In doing so, it worked with the Harvard Ed Portal, as well as the cities of Boston, Cambridge, and Somerville, and was able to hire and train new immigrants and formerly incarcerated workers.
Artisan’s plans to expand its programming and benefits in response to local community input. It also plans to work extensively with the community and Berkeley Investments on the intersection of innovation and arts in Allston-Brighton.
“Harvard is committed to ensuring that the arts remain central to the University’s campus in Allston,” said Marika Reuling, managing director of Harvard’s Allston Initiatives team. “One of the University’s top priorities remains continuing to engage in efforts to support the region’s robust artist community and to [continue] to bring a diverse mix of uses in the neighborhood. Through its ongoing support of local artists through programs such as the Allston-Brighton Winter Market, the Western Avenue Arts Walk, and Zone 3’s Pop-Up! Artist Shop, and more recently announced Window Shopping experience, the University is working steadfastly to ensure that the arts continue to thrive throughout the region.”
Artisan’s Asylum Expanding to Harvard Properties in Allston
Banker & TradesmanHarvard University’s latest development plans in Allston arrive at the perfect time for makerspace
Artisan’s Asylum, as it faces an expiring lease for its Somerville home.
By Steve Adams, Banker & Tradesman Staff Jan 12, 2021
Harvard University’s latest development plans in Allston arrive at the perfect time for makerspace
Artisan’s Asylum, as it faces an expiring lease for its Somerville home.
The university is leasing a combined 52,000 square feet at a pair of its Allston properties to the group
and reserving additional ground-floor space at Berkeley Investments’ proposed 176 Lincoln St.
development. With more room to operate at a pair of Harvard-owned buildings on Antwerp and Holton
streets, Artisan’s Asylum plans to expand its shared work and makerspaces and add new teaching
space and meeting areas, Executive Director Lars Hasselblad Torres said. The relocation is scheduled
to begin late this year.
A third location is proposed as part of the 176 Lincoln St. project, in which Boston-based Berkeley
Investments proposes 548,000 square feet of office and lab space and 314 apartments at a longdormant
development site that’s ground-leased from Harvard University. Artisan’s Asylum will occupy
approximately 10,000 square feet of ground-floor space, said Morgan Pierson, director of development
for Berkeley Investments.
While many office landlords have recently focused on attracting unique ground-floor tenants, the life
science development boom is just starting to embrace the strategy, he said.
“One of the things we’ve been talking about internally is watching how much office space has evolved to
have a much higher level of amenities, and life science has been left out,” Pierson said. “The old thinking
is the people who are in lab coats all day are not having the same needs, and that’s not correct.”
Low-cost studio space for artisans is disappearing in the urban core as industrial properties continue to
be acquired by developers of multifamily housing and distribution space. Artisan’s Asylum faced few
attractive options to replace its 42,000-square-foot Somerville location, but Harvard offered “highly
realistic terms,” Torres said in an email.
Berkeley Investments toured Artisan’s Asylum’s Somerville property two years ago and immediately
considered the group to be a desirable future tenant, Pierson said. Founded in 2010, the nonprofit
currently has 160 artist members who rent studios and have shared access to equipment including 3D
printing, woodworking and screen printing.
Artisan’s Asylum required a large and flexible space to accommodate its diverse mix of artisans and
makers, ranging from graphic artists to welders, making the former warehouse at 55 Antwerp St. a good
fit for the first phase of a mini-campus in Allston, Pierson said.
“Our team always wanted to include arts of all kinds within the project and make it more dynamic, so it
felt like a tremendous fit,” he said.
Editor’s note: This report has been updated to clarify that Berkeley Investments ground-leases the 176
Lincoln St. property from Harvard University.
An empty warehouse will become a ‘center of gravity’ in fast-changing Allston
The Boston GlobeA developer has filed plans to turn the site into a complex with 800,000 square feet of space for life science offices, housing, and parks.
By Tim Logan Globe Staff, Updated October 9, 2020, 3:46 p.m
The site of a long-empty warehouse along the Massachusetts Turnpike could soon be a new “center of gravity” for a part of Allston-Brighton that’s exploding with new development.
Berkeley Investments on Friday filed detailed plans with the city for a three-building campus of life science office space, housing, and parks on the site of an enormous warehouse that has sat empty on Lincoln Street since it was built two decades ago.
Berkeley says the project — encompassing just over 800,000 square feet — would transform a long-forlorn pocket of the neighborhood, and serve as a connection between the Boston Landing complex across the Pike and the rapidly developing Western Avenue corridor to the north.
“This project can really be a center of gravity connecting all of Allston’s Harvard-driven development and everything going on around Boston Landing and then Longwood Medical Area,” said Berkeley president Young Park.
The warehousehas mostly been vacant since it was built as the Boston Tech Center, during the late 1990′s tech bubble. It was intended for a telecom company that went bust before it was finished. Harvard University purchased the building as part of its expansion into Allston in 2006, but has done little there since a land swap with the Boston Skating Club fell through. The university sought partners to redevelop it, and last year announced a long-term lease with Berkeley, a veteran Boston developer whose projects include much of Channel Center in Fort Point, the Waltham Watch Factory, and a new mixed-use development in Malden Center.
On Lincoln Street, Park says, it sees a big opportunity for life science companies looking to locate relatively near to both Harvard’s Allston campus and Longwood Medical Area. Several life science companies have already moved to Boston Landing, and nearby parts of Watertown and the Fenway, seeking more space and lower rents than they can find in Cambridge’s Kendall Square. And although the COVID-19 pandemic has dampened apartment rents and crunched demand for urban office space, the market for life science real estate remains strong.
“We really feel Allston will gradually take on a much bigger role in the region’s life science industry,” Park said.
In all, Berkeley’s project would include 548,000 square feet of lab or office space in two buildings, a third building with 314 residential units, and 20,000 square feet of ground-level retail. About two acres of the 5.2-acre site will be open space, and Berkeley is hoping to create an artsy vibe with “maker” space and 10 live/work units geared toward artists. The project will be designed to open up the site — which today is a large blocky warehouse — with through streets and open space, and planners, in a nod to pandemic outdoor dining, are aiming to provide generous outdoor seating and space for restaurants and retail.
Friday’s filing launches formal review at the Boston Planning & Development Agency, which Berkeley expects could take a year at least. Construction could take three years after that.
Many in the neighborhood have long wanted to see something happen at the old warehouse. Now they’ll be able to debate the details.
One point of contention could be traffic. The project would include 946 underground parking spaces, in an area not easily accessible from major highways. Park said those spaces are needed to serve both the office and residential buildings, but added that Berkeley will improve bike and pedestrian connections, and links to both to the nearby Boston Landing Commuter Rail stop and the Western Avenue bus lanes connecting into Harvard Square. Longer term, he sees the proposed realignment of the Massachusetts Turnpike, and eventual West Station transit hub, as a boon that will open up the the entire area.
There’s a lot going on in Allston-Brighton these days, he said. And this site, long unused, is right in the middle of it.
“It’s truly exciting when you take a step back and look at a map,” he said. “We’re in a pretty good place.”
Tim Logan can be reached at timothy.logan@globe.com. Follow him on Twitter at @bytimlogan.
Berkeley Investments’ Exchange 200 in Malden Center Welcomes Two New Restaurants
Boston Real Estate TimesBOSTON- Boston-based real estate developer Berkeley Investments announced that two new popular restaurants with solid footing in the Northeast – 110 Grill and Evviva Trattoria – will occupy two ground-floor retail spaces at Exchange 200, a four-story, 300,000+ square-foot mixed-use building being redeveloped for lab/life-sciences, R&D, and creative office uses.
Both establishments are expected to open in mid-2021 at this transit-oriented property located in the heart of Malden Center. 110 Grill and Evviva Trattoria join Caffè Nero, the premium European coffee house, which has also leased space on the building’s ground floor.
110 Grill, which offers upscale casual American cuisine, is expected to occupy 6,470 square feet of space across five main seating areas: main dining room with open kitchen, a large horseshoe-shaped bar, lounge with high-top seating, a private dining room and an outdoor patio with fire pit. Evviva Trattoria will occupy 5,830 square feet including an outdoor patio as well and features modern Italian food served in a comfortable and relaxed atmosphere.
110 Grill’s new Malden location will add to the restaurant’s growing presence across the Northeast. Based in Westford, Massachusetts with locations throughout Massachusetts, New Hampshire and New York, the group also plans to expand to Rhode Island and Connecticut this year and will soon reach 40 locations.
Ryan Dion, Chief Operating Officer for 110 Grill, says “the menu in Malden will be similar to other locations and will feature our twist modern American cuisine.” He adds, “100% of our core menu is either naturally gluten free or can be modified to be gluten free and we have a very strong commitment to allergy awareness, including a recent award from AllergyEats as the 2nd most allergy-friendly restaurant brand in the United States.”
Some of the dishes featured on a 110 Grill dinner menu include Chimichurri Steak, Sesame Ginger Salmon, Pulled Pork Mac and Cheese, Steak Tips and Chicken Caprese. Appetizers include Crab Rangoon Dip, Spinach Dip Bread Bowl, Firecracker Shrimp and BBQ Chicken Nachos.
Evviva Trattoria, with locations presently in Wrentham, Westford, Marlborough and Maynard, features modern Italian food served in a casual setting. Evviva is known to take beloved Italian and American classics like Parmigiana, Picatta, Lasagna, Bolognese and more, and add their own culinary personal touches. Evviva’s core menu, designed by its Director of Culinary and Operations, Anthony DePalma, includes gluten-free options and offers primi / zuppa (appetizers), insalatas, paninis, secondi (entrees) and pizzas / build your own pizzas. Evviva’s Montanara pizzas made with fried crust are a popular option with guests. Catering will also be available for tenants of Exchange 200 and nearby companies.
Marcie Day, Chief Operating Officer for Evviva Trattoria adds, “We are looking forward to bringing the Evviva brand with its Italian inspired, locally made cuisine, to the Malden area. Guests will enjoy our comfortable, family-style atmosphere, friendly service and delicious food, as well as our great loyalty program.”
Malden Mayor Gary Christenson is also excited by the news, saying, ”I am very happy that we will be able to add these two highly-regarded destinations to our diverse dining scene in Malden. With upscale American cuisine and now a modern Italian kitchen in Malden Center, this only underscores one of my favorite sayings: Dine in Malden, Taste the World!”
“Offering both 110 Grill and Evviva Trattoria to prospective tenants and local residents is a real draw for Exchange 200,” says Young Park, President of Berkeley Investments. “Both restaurants perfectly complement the new breweries, other eateries, and exciting entertainment and gaming options that have emerged in Malden Center over the last several years. With the imminent completion of the Exchange 200 project, along with recent large-scale investments such as the new J Malden Apartments and new City Hall, Malden Center is in the midst of an exciting transformation that cements the city as one of the most dynamic, diverse city centers in Greater Boston. These new restaurants will add two exciting new destinations for the local workforce, visitors, and residents who call Malden Center home.”
Ryan Dion says they chose Exchange 200 because Malden Center will offer them the perfect customer demographic. “You can come in in a business suit and enjoy a rib-eye steak and a nice bottle of Cabernet. Or you can also come in with jeans and sneakers and have a burger and fries and a beer at the bar. Either way you’re guaranteed to fit in at both locations. We’re confident our restaurants will be highly successful here in Malden Center.”
Exchange 200 offers large, flexible floorplates, high-capacity power infrastructure, high ceilings, heavy floor loads, and six loading docks, all features that are unique in the market for a building with such immediate public transit access and a travel time of under 15 minutes to downtown Boston . Berkeley expects these features to be attractive to life-science and other creative economy tenants who may have R&D requirements that often can only be accommodated in more suburban locations. Park adds that Exchange 200 will also appeal to a wide assortment of prospective tenants beyond R&D and life science, including tech-start-ups, robotics, health-care and non-profit office tenants who are looking to tap into a talented, transit-oriented workforce but who may be looking for space at a significant discount to rents in places like Boston and Cambridge. Exchange 200 expects to open in Fall 2020.
Pat Paladino, Senior Managing Director of Newmark Knight Frank, represented Berkeley Investments in these transactions while Jeff White of Aries Commercial Real Estate, LLC, represented the restaurant tenants.
Berkeley Investments Inc.- 125 High Street - Suite #531
- Boston, MA 02110
- 617.439.0088