Deal Tracker: Portion of Eversouce's Westwood HQ on Market for Lease

An aerial of The Summit at Station Drive in Westwood, MA.

WESTWOOD, MA—Energy provider Eversource has put a portion of its Massachusetts headquarters facility on the market for lease. The Boston office of Colliers International has been hired to market in excess of 75,000 square feet of subdividable space at its 368,000-square-foot headquarters at The Summit at Station Drive in Westwood, MA. The Colliers team of Jim Elcock , David Goodhue and John Hines are serving as exclusive leasing agents for the space at 247 Station Drive now on the market. The property, built for Eversource (formerly NSTAR), has served as its Massachusetts headquarters since its construction in 2001. The space being made available in the building will be ready for occupancy by as early as October 2016. Eversource has committed to major upgrades to the common areas of the building, including the full service cafeteria and fitness center. The property is located n the heart of the University Station project. Eversource transmits and delivers electricity and natural gas to 1.7 million customers throughout Massachusetts, including approximately 1.4 million electric customers in 140 communities and 300,000 gas customers in 51 communities. LEASING BOSTON— Perkins Eastman , Beacon Hill Staffing , Seed Global Health and Wegowise have leased a total of approximately 32,000 square feet of space at Faros Properties ‘ 20 Ashburton Place in Downtown Boston. The long-term ease deals bring the 55,388-square-foot mid-rise building in Beacon Hill to 90% leased. Perkins Eastman leased 13,300 square feet, Beacon Hill Staffing leased 8,103 square feet, Seed Global Health leased 6,200 square feet and Wegowise leased 4,200 square feet at the building. The boutique office building recently underwent a significant capital upgrade program that included a new main lobby with an enhanced canopy entrance and a modernization of all common areas and bathrooms. JLL managing directors Ben Heller , Tom O’Regan and SVP Kelly Lockberg represented Faros Properties in the lease transactions. Heller and associate Bobby Jangro also negotiated on behalf of international planning, design and consulting firm Perkins Eastman. BOSTON—Global design and consulting firm Aru p is relocating its Massachusetts offices from Cambridge to Boston. The firm is moving operations from 12,577 square feet of space at 955 Massachusetts Ave. in Cambridge to 16,175 square feet of leased space at 60 State St. in the Financial District. According to Colliers International ‘s Boston office, Arup is expanding its Boston presence in both capabilities and staff and was seeking a central urban location that would be more accessible to employees, clients and collaborators. The firm found such a location at 60 State St., a Class A building owned by Oxford Properties. Colliers International’s Michael Shakespeare and Legacy NY ‘s Ken Fishel represented Arup. Oxford Properties was represented by JLL ‘s Dan Cavanaugh , Patrick Nugent , Ryan Enright and Ben Heller . NEW HIRES, APPOINTMENTS BOSTON— Skanska USA recently reported that as part of its plans to grow its operations here, it has hired several new executives and promoted a number of others to higher positions with the firm. Robert Coutts , previously a vice president at SPS New England, joined Skanska as a project executive overseeing civil infrastructure operations in the region. With more than 25 years of experience, Coutts has worked on some of the largest public projects in New England, including 15 years on the Central Artery tunnel project. Russell DeMartino , previously senior director of design and construction for Tishman Speyer Properties, joined Skanska as vice president of development operations focusing on multiple aspects of the development process and 121 Seaport, which is currently under construction. DeMartino brings more than 13 years of experience in construction design, development and leasing to Skanska, and managed the design and construction of Pier 4, a mixed-use office tower/condominium with ground floor retail in Boston’s Seaport District. Carolyn Desmond and Levi Reilly were promoted from development manager to development director. In this new role, they will be responsible for leading all aspects of the development process including site acquisition, entitlement, financial analysis, design, construction, leasing and execution. Reilly has more than 10 years’ experience in commercial and residential development, three of which at Skanska where he led the development and execution of 101 Seaport, a 463,000-square-foot LEED Platinum office tower in Boston’s Seaport District. She will continue to oversee the development of 121 Seaport, a 450,000-square-foot office tower in Boston’s Seaport District. Desmond has previously worked in the Washington D.C. and Warsaw, Poland offices for Skanska Commercial Development. Jason Reynolds was promoted to the newly created role of director of marketing creative services. Previously, he served as marketing manager in both the Metro New York and New England regions. Reynolds has 18 years of experience in marketing and graphic design, 10 of which were at Skanska. FINANCING BROCKTON, MA—The 106-unit Bixby Brockton Apartments in Brockton secured $10.4 million in financing from MassHousing that will finance upgrades to the complex and ensure tenants have affordable rents through year 2036. Affordable Housing and Services Collaborative, Inc ., which owns Bixby Brockton, refinanced the property through MassHousing’s Multifamily Accelerated Processing Ginnie Mae Joint Venture program with partner lender Rockport Mortgage Corp . As a condition of the MassHousing financing, the owner will extend the federal Section 8 Housing Assistance Payment Contracts on 104 of the 106 apartments at Bixby Brockton, extending affordability through 2036. Among the improvements slated for the property are refurbishment and reconfiguration of common areas with the addition of a fitness room and computer center, plumbing repairs, boiler replacement and building facade work. TECHNOLOGY BOSTON—More than 30 of National Development ‘s Boston-area properties, totaling more than 3 million square feet of office space, have been awarded Wired Certification. To achieve certification, properties must meet rigorous standards that include the number and quality of Internet service providers, bandwidth capabilities, and the reliability of connections based on the building’s infrastructure. National Development sought out Wired Certification to distinguish its buildings for offering superior tech infrastructure. Launched in 2013 in partnership with the City of New York, WiredScore pioneered the international Wired Certification standard that evaluates and distinguishes best-in-class Internet connectivity in commercial buildings. “Strong connectivity has never been more important to companies seeking office space, particularly as Boston’s tech sector flourishes,” says Arie Barendrecht , CEO and co-founder of WiredScore. “By certifying a vast swath of its portfolio, National Development is demonstrating its commitment to providing tenants with the high-quality tech capabilities they need to succeed.” The 34 certified buildings are located in Boston, Bedford, Burlington, Charlestown, Foxborough, Framingham, Medford, Woburn, Westborough, and Westwood and include The District Burlington, Unicorn Park, and Constitution Center. More than 650 properties—totaling 250 million square feet of office space in more than 50 cities—have achieved Wired Certification.