Winthrop Center | 115 Winthrop Square | Financial District

Re: 111 Federal St. | Formerly Trans National Place (Winthrop Square) Part 2

^^^If that's the case, go Shirley K.
 
Re: 111 Federal St. | Formerly Trans National Place (Winthrop Square) Part 2

Regarding one of the delays, the City Council on Monday discussed the sale of this site to the BRA:

http://www.bostonglobe.com/metro/20...MO/story.html?p1=Article_InThisSection_Bottom

Council decided to postpone voting:

http://www.universalhub.com/2015/council-puts-vote-letting-bra-sell-old-garage

That Globe headline strikes me as misleading: this isn't looking terribly snarled, this is looking like the usual messy process. If the Council voted against the transfer to BRA, now that would look like a snarl.

Not for nothing, but shouldn't the city council have raised this issue long ago... as in before it went out for proposal? This inner agency squabbling will just delay it even more.
 
Re: 111 Federal St. | Formerly Trans National Place (Winthrop Square) Part 2

Not for nothing, but shouldn't the city council have raised this issue long ago... as in before it went out for proposal? This inner agency squabbling will just delay it even more.

Well it would have helped if the BRA had realized earlier that because they didn't actually own the site they can't really legally start the development process. The BRA messed up here, and they continued to mess up by not providing the details of the transfer with enough time to review them before the vote.
 
Re: 111 Federal St. | Formerly Trans National Place (Winthrop Square) Part 2

The BRA has a no trespassing sign on the garage. If they don't own it, do they even have that right? lol
 
Re: 111 Federal St. | Formerly Trans National Place (Winthrop Square) Part 2

Not for nothing, but shouldn't the city council have raised this issue long ago... as in before it went out for proposal? This inner agency squabbling will just delay it even more.

It did not go out "for proposal." The submissions we saw were part of a "*RFI" (Request for Interest), meant to simply gauge interest and were not responses to a RFP (Request for Proposals). The developers ended up treating the RFI as if it was a RFP and developed elaborate renders and plans.

*"RFI" in the AEC industry actually means Request for Information. It is different in the business/development realm.
 
Re: 111 Federal St. | Formerly Trans National Place (Winthrop Square) Part 2

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Re: 111 Federal St. | Formerly Trans National Place (Winthrop Square) Part 2

Good enough to be considered news. From 8/5/2015...

https://www.bisnow.com/boston/news/office/title-48792

If the City taps Trans National by year-end, Justin says the company might be able to start construction in ’17 for occupancy in ’20.

Despite the open issue with the sale of the site to the BRA, and the fact that the Belkin proposal was unanimously voted the worst proposal, it looks like Belkin/CBT could be the team that gets this thing going.
 
Re: 111 Federal St. | Formerly Trans National Place (Winthrop Square) Part 2

Ugh. The Belkin proposal is a turd.
 
Re: 111 Federal St. | Formerly Trans National Place (Winthrop Square) Part 2

I see nothing at this link to suggest the Belkin / CBT team has an edge. The key word in the quote pulled was "IF".

Biznews.com is going to host a little $80 a pop breakfast roundtable in a few weeks. One of the panelists is an Exec VP at Trans National Properties. So in advance publicity of the roundtable breakfast, said EVP and a biznews writer sit down for a preview of that discussion. There is nothing wrong with such an article, but let’s be clear that the point of the article is to prime the pump on attendance at the roundtable.

In the preview, the Trans National guy mentions a City RFP about Winthrop Square, which they responded to with a bid. The article then relays that quote your pulled: “If the City taps Trans National by year-end, Justin says the company might be able to start construction in ’17 for occupancy in ’20.”

OK.

And if the City taps any of the other RFP respondents, they might be able to start construction in ’17.

Or am I missing something conclusive in that article?
 
Re: 111 Federal St. | Formerly Trans National Place (Winthrop Square) Part 2

I see nothing at this link to suggest the Belkin / CBT team has an edge. The key word in the quote pulled was "IF".

Biznews.com is going to host a little $80 a pop breakfast roundtable in a few weeks. One of the panelists is an Exec VP at Trans National Properties. So in advance publicity of the roundtable breakfast, said EVP and a biznews writer sit down for a preview of that discussion. There is nothing wrong with such an article, but let’s be clear that the point of the article is to prime the pump on attendance at the roundtable.

In the preview, the Trans National guy mentions a City RFP about Winthrop Square, which they responded to with a bid. The article then relays that quote your pulled: “If the City taps Trans National by year-end, Justin says the company might be able to start construction in ’17 for occupancy in ’20.”

OK.

And if the City taps any of the other RFP respondents, they might be able to start construction in ’17.

Or am I missing something conclusive in that article?


You're not missing a thing.

Best way to look at this is that 8 developers submitted proposals to redevelop Winthrop Sq. Garage, including Belkin/Transnational.

Zero indications from any official sources so far that Belkin/Transnational has any kind of "edge" in the process, despite the fact they control adjoining 133 Fed. and were the priorly designated developer.

So they're looking at 1 out of 8 chances, no? 12% likelihood of being selected. Not very favorable, all else being equal.

On the other hand, Krebs' commentary at the forum could be interesting, based on whether or not he is aware of whether any of the 7 other competitors are sitting in the audience.
 
Re: 111 Federal St. | Formerly Trans National Place (Winthrop Square) Part 2

So what I took as news from this is that there is no evidence that any of the other 7 developers are going to the forum, and that Belkin's team is heavily invested in this to the point of of actually talking to Curbed regarding why this is the perfect time to develop ASAP. And they are the only team that we have heard at least a peep from since the RFIs went out. God, one of the developers didn't even have a website.

Again, I'm not defending Belkin in any way.
 
Re: 111 Federal St. | Formerly Trans National Place (Winthrop Square) Part 2

So what I took as news from this is that there is no evidence that any of the other 7 developers are going to the forum, and that Belkin's team is heavily invested in this to the point of of actually talking to Curbed regarding why this is the perfect time to develop ASAP. And they are the only team that we have heard at least a peep from since the RFIs went out. God, one of the developers didn't even have a website.

Again, I'm not defending Belkin in any way.

Well, Belkin has a reason to be that invested - he's been publicly campaigning to develop this site (poorly) for a decade now. I don't think that companies like Millennium and Lend Lease just responded out of boredom. Remember - Millennium wasn't connected to the Filene's site until they suddenly were. It doesn't seem to me like big developers win projects by participating in panel discussions and publicly flaunting their interest.
 
Re: 111 Federal St. | Formerly Trans National Place (Winthrop Square) Part 2

The BRA has a no trespassing sign on the garage. If they don't own it, do they even have that right? lol

The site is boarded up. I guess it's not news since this quote was months ago. At least it shows they are serious about developing this lot sooner than later.







 
Re: 111 Federal St. | Formerly Trans National Place (Winthrop Square) Part 2

The site is boarded up. I guess it's not news since this quote was months ago. At least it shows they are serious about developing this lot sooner than later.

More like they're merely serious about preventing homeless from making nighttime incursions.

Unless you have a permanent heavily-armed police presence during the wee hours, this seems like the definition of an attractive nuisance.
 
Re: 111 Federal St. | Formerly Trans National Place (Winthrop Square) Part 2

Anyone know why this garage was built in the 1st place ,what was there before? 100 Summer has been a huge eyesore from day one IMO
 
Re: 111 Federal St. | Formerly Trans National Place (Winthrop Square) Part 2

Anyone know why this garage was built in the 1st place ,what was there before? 100 Summer has been a huge eyesore from day one IMO

Might as well ask why the former Post Office Sq. garage was built, or why Quincy Marketplace was allowed to be a parking lot, or why the elevated Central Artery was allowed to be rammed through the heart of downtown, or why the West End was allowed to be razed, or why or why... it was built during the urban renewal era, it's from the 1950s. Whatever was there before was probably a crumbling and blighted building symbolizing Boston's Curley-era economic malaise...
 
Re: 111 Federal St. | Formerly Trans National Place (Winthrop Square) Part 2

I might be "misremembering", but in addition to keeping out the "Arch Street irregulars", the property has structural issues.

In development augury, sometimes the plywood is just plywood.
 
Re: 111 Federal St. | Formerly Trans National Place (Winthrop Square) Part 2

Adam Castiglioni ‏@ConciergeBoston 47m ago Boston, MA

@BOSCityCouncil approves transfer of Winthrop Sq garage from City to @BostonRedevelop, City to get all $. @universalhub @BostonRedevelop

https://twitter.com/ConciergeBoston/status/674648902210048000

--

Adam Castiglioni ‏@ConciergeBoston 53m ago Boston, MA

.@LinehanBill says that sale of Winthrop Square garage for redevelopment could generate $30-$60 million for the city. @BostonRedevelop

https://twitter.com/ConciergeBoston/status/674648324826390528

This should enable the process to proceed forward!

To expand upon the tweets, the City will transfer the garage to the BRA at no cost and then when the BRA sells the garage to a developer, the money will go to the City, not the BRA.
 
Re: 111 Federal St. | Formerly Trans National Place (Winthrop Square) Part 2

Thank god I was hoping this would happen. If this can get started this cycle and add a 740 to 800 foot building downtown I would be so happy!
 
Re: 111 Federal St. | Formerly Trans National Place (Winthrop Square) Part 2

Awesome. Choose Accordia and let the demo begin.
 

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