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Remarkable how the same states and markets continue to dominate biotech. California, Mass, and New York State account for 75% of funding, New Jersey, PA, and Wash State another 6%. Texas and Florida are rounding errors.
Biotech and R&D space in Boston is truly getting out of control. Nearly every week, there's an announcement about new lab space and research construction in pockets all over Boston and Cambridge.
The sad reality is, these developments are about as sterile as it gets. It leaves these little areas of the city completely void of a soul. It's even starting to stretch into places like Allston and Brighton and Somerville.
Look at the modern day Kendall Square/"Canal District". 360 views of midrises, new construction, and some first floor markets and coffee shops. A couple of trees. Maybe a brick sidewalk here and there for kicks. I mean, this is less than a mile from downtown.
Biotech and R&D space in Boston is truly getting out of control. Nearly every week, there's an announcement about new lab space and research construction in pockets all over Boston and Cambridge.
The sad reality is, these developments are about as sterile as it gets. It leaves these little areas of the city completely void of a soul. It's even starting to stretch into places like Allston and Brighton and Somerville.
Look at the modern day Kendall Square/"Canal District". 360 views of midrises, new construction, and some first floor markets and coffee shops. A couple of trees. Maybe a brick sidewalk here and there for kicks. I mean, this is less than a mile from downtown.
Seaport, at least to me, is the only exception that found nice balance between Bio, tech, and full time living and entertainment.
Yea it’s totally out of control and going in without any influence or input from the city at this point. Housing starts have slowed to nearly nothing. Far more lab space being built than residential space. It’s made places virtually unrecognizable with the sterility of the new architecture. And just continues to shoot the COL there higher and higher. The city and everyone in it know labs are terrible for vitality and foot traffic. They’re wide buildings without ground floor retail and they don’t actually have many people in them at any one point.
Lab space is seeping into Roxbury Dorchester and the suburbs. It’s crazy to think 10 years ago you rarely heard about “labs” now it’s all that built- even the liquor stores, news headquarters, breweries, and auto shops have become lab space.
Biotech and R&D space in Boston is truly getting out of control. Nearly every week, there's an announcement about new lab space and research construction in pockets all over Boston and Cambridge.
The sad reality is, these developments are about as sterile as it gets. It leaves these little areas of the city completely void of a soul. It's even starting to stretch into places like Allston and Brighton and Somerville.
And a ton in worcester too. But for now, apartment starts are outpacing (after rents have almost doubled in the last 2 years)
Labs SHOULD be full of people. The typical density is similar to offices, and lab jobs mostly have to be onsite vs. WFH.
I'd say modern midrise/lowrise offices are similar in how they affect neighborhoods. They like big floorplates and limited retail as well.
No midrise commercial district will support great retail. No midrise residential district either. Retail in these neighborhoods has to be concentrated, like on a key street. (Unless the area is a regional shopping district drawing from all over.) Mixing uses does help, because a restaurant for example can open weekdays, nights, and weekends.
Boston, SF, and SD are making some of us jealous. About 25 years ago every city tried to jump onto the biotech bandwagon, and only a few have succeeded in a big way. Others, like Seattle, have done ok in a second tier but would love to be more like you.
Labs SHOULD be full of people. The typical density is similar to offices, and lab jobs mostly have to be onsite vs. WFH.
I'd say modern midrise/lowrise offices are similar in how they affect neighborhoods. They like big floorplates and limited retail as well.
No midrise commercial district will support great retail. No midrise residential district either. Retail in these neighborhoods has to be concentrated, like on a key street. (Unless the area is a regional shopping district drawing from all over.) Mixing uses does help, because a restaurant for example can open weekdays, nights, and weekends.
Boston, SF, and SD are making some of us jealous. About 25 years ago every city tried to jump onto the biotech bandwagon, and only a few have succeeded in a big way. Others, like Seattle, have done ok in a second tier but would love to be more like you.
Is it really?- most people I know who talk about city vitality and street life complain that there are not actually a lot of people in a lab at any given time vs an office (when it's fully occupied).
From afar at least, It seems there is growing sentiment in Boston that lab space is harmful to the overall well-being of the city's social infrastructure and commercial activity. Many people say it's eating away at much-needed space for housing and recreation.
It's more profitable to build lab space over housing and that's why its breaking this way.
Lab space is permitted & built so readily for the same reason cities love tourists - they spend a bunch of money and barely use municipal services. More specifically:
(1) You don't have to build out surrounding services (e.g. trash, power, waste management, fire, etc.) to accommodate to the same degree you would residential development
(2) Property taxes on commercial developments is significantly higher than residential, effectively subsidizing homeowners in the area
(3) Provides relatively high-paying jobs, which flow back to the city/state via taxes
(4) Employees spend money (food, drinks, etc.) at local businesses around the lab
(5) No risk of "undesirables", "higher crime" or "ruining neighborhood character"
(6) Lab space is much more straightforward to build than residential. You don't need kitchens for every unit, laundry, bathrooms, etc. Much easier to build out a couple of lab spaces to scale than 100+ units in the equivalent space.
(7) Adding onto previous point - lab spaces are rented out on long term (8+ year) leases to businesses. Less work/risk on the part of the property owner.
(8) More likely to raise property values for homeowners
Always find it crazy that 270 corridor near DC ("Suburban MD") never has that much VC money, but remains a large biotech area thanks to the gov't (i.e. NIH).
Quote:
Originally Posted by BostonBornMassMade
Yea it’s totally out of control and going in without any influence or input from the city at this point. Housing starts have slowed to nearly nothing. Far more lab space being built than residential space. It’s made places virtually unrecognizable with the sterility of the new architecture. And just continues to shoot the COL there higher and higher. The city and everyone in it know labs are terrible for vitality and foot traffic. They’re wide buildings without ground floor retail and they don’t actually have many people in them at any one point.
Lab space is seeping into Roxbury Dorchester and the suburbs. It’s crazy to think 10 years ago you rarely heard about “labs” now it’s all that built- even the liquor stores, news headquarters, breweries, and auto shops have become lab space.
Meanwhile in MD most of the new "lab space" are always in the suburbs (MoCo extending up to FredCo now), cheaper land, occupy enough suburban offices that had been struggling (with the trend of offices being move back to central city at least pre-pandemic), and not taking up spaces that could be use for higher density development. I believe it's similar to Raleigh/Durham.
SD is similar to Boston from what I read, though...
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