Late last month, the Boston Business Journal reported that brokers were grumbling about supposedly sluggish sales at 45 Province. The alleged culprit? A surrounding Downtown Crossing that was/is still in that foggy transition from 9 to 5 to 24-7. This week, the Journal has a Q-and-A with David Epstein, the head of the Abbey Group, 45 Province's developer. Epstein is also involved in the business improvement district covering Downtown Crossing, and says the neighborhood's more than getting there:
Even in its darkest hours in the late 80s and early 90s before the big clean up of Washington Street took place, there was still high rise residential buildings and people eager to live there. In the past seven to nine years there has been more residential construction in downtown than any other district in Boston. All of those rental building are fully occupied and the condos have done quite well, though it's taken some time for some of us. But condos are highly desirable. Epstein also talked about his firm's 1282 Boylston Street project, which will include 210 apartments and nearly 100,000 square feet of office space. It sits, of course, in the neighborhood du jour, Fenway.
· A Conversation with David Epstein [Biz Journal]
· Filene's Site Tower to Rescue 45 Province? [Curbed Boston]
· Epic Solar-Powered Fenway Project to Start: 5 Buildings, $450M [Curbed Boston]