We're used to installing solar on the roofs (e.g. Atlas Lofts, Off-Centre Lofts, Coolidge School) but we recently installed a green roof at the RTH Community Center. Here it is, as viewed from the future youth center, and it is absolutely amazing! We couldn't also resist adding a few more sneak peak photos of some of our favorite spots in the gleaming new facility that opens this summer.
Offcentrelofts.com Launch!
The website for our latest project launched last week! Visit www.offcentrelofts.com for more information about leasing and availability in August 2014.
The Off Centre Lofts were created from a newly renovated historic school building in the heart of Jamaica Plain. Reclaimed wood floors, huge thermal windows, and modern finishes create unique studio and one-bedroom loft apartments.
Governor Patrick Opens Flats at 44
Last Wednesday morning, Governor Patrick visited the Flats at 44 to cut the ribbon (only four units remain!) and put a shovel in the ground at the Flats at 22 (opening November 2014). The Governor was also joined by Secretary Greg Bialecki, Undersecretary Aaron Gornstein, Senator Sal DiDomenico, Representative Dan Ryan, and Representative RoseLee Vincent.
During his keynote speech at the event, Governor Patrick spoke about making investments like those made in the Box District as a catalyst for growth in Massachusetts. You can read more about his remarks here.
In addition, we honored Rufus Phillips, Peter Hollands, and Kristin Blum who all provided key predevelopment and acquisition loans early in the project when it took a lot more vision to see what was possible.
Both projects expand on the previous successes within the Box District, an award-winning revitalization of a once vacant and blighted industrial area into a vibrant mixed income community. The revitalization was conceived by the City of Chelsea, The Neighborhood Developers, and Mitchell Properties, a highly successful public/non-profit/private partnership formed around this effort. With public and private funding seven new residential properties have been built over the past ten years providing high-quality, safe, and attractive housing for families, young professionals, and retirees. Residents are attracted by the Box District’s proximity to Boston and Cambridge workplaces, transit, and public amenities such as the Box District Park, installed and dedicated in 2013 by the City of Chelsea. In addition, The Flats at 44 is the first building to be completed utilizing the Commonwealth’s Housing Development Incentive Program, a program that provides Gateway Cities like Chelsea with a development tool to increase residential growth, expand diversity of housing stock, support economic development and promote neighborhood stabilization.
Construction for Flats at 44 started in July 2013 and opened to new residents in March 2014. The building offers studios, one-bedrooms, and two-bedroom homes and is over 80% leased. Flats at 22 recently started construction and is anticipated to open in the Fall of 2014. Each apartment comes fully equipped with stainless steel energy efficient appliances, in-home washer/dryer, hardwood flooring, gas cooktop, granite counters, 42” cabinets, 9-foot, and expansive windows. Amenities include a fitness center, a roof deck along and off-street covered parking.
Flats at 44 Over 60% Leased
With the first move-in's in March, after a month of being open we're over 60% leased and are on pace for a summer full-occupancy. New residents are recognizing the tremendous value that the Flats at 44 presents: hardwood floors, oversized windows allowing for generous natural light, energy efficient systems, fitness center -- with rents that start in the $1,400's for studios. For more information about the property visit www.flatsat44.com or www.boxdistrictliving.com
The Flats at 44 is a 46 apartment development located in Chelsea's Box District, a neighborhood revitalization effort that TC has been a part of since 2008. TC provided project management services for Atlas Lofts, which is next door, and involved the substantial rehabilitation of a historic box factory into 53 loft apartments. For more on Atlas Lofts visit www.atlas-lofts.com
Off Centre Lofts Update -- Windows Going In!
We knew all along that the windows at Norbert would be the highlight of these amazing living spaces and safe to say we were right! Here are a few photos from today's visit.
Roxbury Tenants of Harvard Community Center Update
The Roxbury Tenants of Harvard Community Center project has been hitting the major milestones these days coming through the winter and into what will be a very exciting 2014. The 28,000 square foot multipurpose facility will open in June of this year and in preparation, Tanya is working with RTH staff to plan for, bid out, and order furniture, fitness equipment, and audio visual equipment for the entire facility. Below are a few pictures from a recent visit and we can't wait for the first basketball and volleyball games this summer!
Box District Living
What makes living in the Box District so appealing? It's really about the value for your money and finding a place that balances a small neighborhood feel with all the conveniences of an urban location.
For example, in the Box District you can:
- Live 15 minutes away from Haymarket/North End in Downtown Boston with your monthly rent for a brand NEW one-bedroom with 9' ceilings, energy efficient systems, hardwood floors, and a roof deck for around $1,600/month. See www.flatsat44.com or www.atlas-lofts.com for more information about leasing opportunities now available.
- Be on major public transportation lines such as the 111 to Haymarket (click here) which connects you directly to the Orange and Green T Lines, or the 116 to Maverick Station (click here) which connects you directly to the Blue Lines. Oh, and let us not forget the Commuter Rail Stop in Chelsea. It's one stop into North Station along with all the points North.
- Live steps away from eateries where foodies come from miles away to visit, such as Fusion Foods (read a great recent review here) or the Mystic Brewery (their website is here). For all those everyday needs, there is Home Depot and Market Basket around the corner.
- Become part of a community that really cares about each other and is absolutely intent on become a better place to live. How about movies in the park across the street with your neighbors or great organizations such as The Neighborhood Developers as your neighbor? That's all happening in the Box District as we speak.
To give you a better sense of how convenient the Box District is, we've put together the map below and if we've missed anything let us know!
We're Hiring an Asst. Project Manager!
We are excited to announce that we're hiring for the following position. If you know of any qualified candidates, please encourage them to be in touch with us.
Entry-level position at growing real estate consulting and development company based in Boston’s Back Bay and opportunity to be a key staff member in the planning, design, construction, and continued stewardship of multi-family, mixed-use, mixed-income portfolio. In addition, there will be exposure to the financial structuring, strategy, and reporting for all projects that we work on. For more information about our company visit www.traggorthcompanies.com
Start Date: Immediate. Compensation is commensurate with the candidates experience plus benefits (phone/medical/dental/vacation).
How to Apply: Send a cover letter, resume, and any other supporting materials (portfolio, website, work product, writing sample) to dave@traggorthcompanies.com
Construction/Design
Assist in the design development process, working with architects/engineers/consultants to help ensure that lessons-learned and cutting-edge design thinking is incorporated into design documents;
Track pre-construction estimates, qualifications, and assumptions to identify specific variances and inform the design and ownership teams;
Attend construction meetings for multiple projects under construction and track owner responsibilities and priorities, follow-up on issues, review and carefully analyze change orders, and assist in making sure construction information is relayed to the rest of the project team;
Assist architect and contractor in punch-list review on behalf of owner;
Manage ancillary owner contracted items such as utilities, solar, and furniture/fixtures/equipment;
Track construction costs across multiple projects in order to help inform design process and financial planning.
Finance
Assist with public resource application creation and distribution;
Assist with the creation and coordination of materials, needed for various tax credit applications, especially as they relate to design and construction
Assist in the assembling and preparation of requisitions for lender and investor partners.
Existing Assets
Make regular property visits to review and report on conditions, leasing, management;
Lead in the drafting, coordination, review, and distribution of monthly and quarterly reports to lenders, investors, and third parties;
Troubleshoot issues with TC staff and property managers and assist in the implementation of solutions and follow-through
Other duties as required by the team.
Qualifications
Bachelor’s degree in engineering, construction management, or architecture;
On the job practical experience or internships in construction or property management;
Demonstrable problem solving skills in a variety of different disciplines;
Ability to read and interpret civil, landscape, architectural, MEP construction drawings and specifications at various stages in the design process;
Team player;
Clear and concise written and verbal skills;
Multi-tasker and forward thinking;
Computer skills: MS Office with high proficiency of MS Excel; Bluebeam or similar estimating and design mark-up software.
2013: The Year in Review
One Greenway, Chinatown, Boston, MA
The Roxbury Tenants of Harvard Community Center under construction
The Flats at 44 under construction in Chelsea, MA
Thanks to all of our colleagues, friends, and partners for making 2013, the first of TC, a very special year.
- Tanya joined us in April bringing her many talents and determination to the team. She wasted no time jumping into the deep end by managing the closing of the Roxbury Tenants of Harvard Community Center New Markets Tax Credit closing with our friends at MHIC.
- Cassandra joined us in July as an accountant/office manager and does an amazing job keeping us in line and laughing all along the way.
- Nick joined us for a great summer and now knows why "One-Stop" strikes fear into affordable housing developers across Massachusetts.
- We broke ground on three fantastic projects totaling 63 apartments and 21,000 sf of community space: The Flats at 44 in Chelsea, The Off-Centre Lofts (aka Norbert School) in Jamaica Plain, and The Roxbury Tenants of Harvard Community Center in Boston's Mission Hill. All three will be completed in 2014!
- We celebrated with our friends at The Neighborhood Developers when funding was announced for the Silver Line Extension to Chelsea and the Box District Station to go along with it. Read more about this from the Chelsea Record here.
- We were honored to assist the New Boston Fund and the Asian Community Development Corporation with the affordable financing closing at Parcel 24, now called One Greenway. It will be such an important project for Boston and the Chinatown neighborhood with 95 affordable apartments. Read more here.
- We celebrated with The Community Builders on the opening of 225 Centre and look forward to an exciting 2014 as we continue to manage the retail leasing of the project.
- And finally...we moved upstairs to Suite 833 to provide ourselves with a little bit more elbow room!
We're looking forward to a fun and productive 2014 and wish you all a Happy New Year!
Flats at 44 Comes Together in 4 Days
It's been an exciting week for the Flats at 44 team to say the least. The modular boxes were delivered and set into place over 4 days and fit perfectly into place. Whereas last week we had just steel and concrete foundations, today we have a three story double loaded corridor building where all of the units already have hardwood floors, appliances, cabinets, tile, carpet installed. That means we're on a path to be completed three months from now! Stay tuned for marketing updates as we launch later next week.
Off-Centre Lofts Starts Construction
The Off-Centre Lofts in Boston's Jamaica Plain neighborhood started construction this past week and the building is already starting to reveal what spectacular living spaces it will have to offer. We removed the old grid ceiling that was dropped several feet from the original ceiling in the mid-80's to completely uncover the amazing windows that we will be replicating and replacing this winter.
Off-Centre will be completed in the late summer early Fall of 2014 and offer 6 one-bedroom lofts and 15 studio lofts for rent. Look for more updates here as we progress through construction.
Our general contractor is Stack + Co. (based in South Boston) and our architect is RODE (based in the South End).
A sneak peak inside the spectacular space that will be the Off-Centre Lofts in Jamaica Plain
225 Centre Opens!
225 Centre Street in Jamaica Plain opened for business and the first residents will be moving in soon!
While our partners at The Community Builders, Inc. have done a great job managing the project, we've been focused on the retail leasing of the project. There is a ton of interest given the proximity to the Jackson Square T-Stop, Southwest Corridor Park, Columbus Ave, and Centre Street, and we look forward to a vibrant retail space serving the needs of JP and Roxbury's residents. For more information about retail leasing contact Boston Urban Partners here.
Visit the property website for more information about residential leasing.
For more coverage of the ribbon cutting with Mayor Menino click here.
Flats 44 Update
We're now building in two locations simultaneously; full-time: in the factory (in what equates to a large airplane hangar) and on site in Chelsea. Over 100 carpenters, plumbers, painters, and electricians are buildings walls, hanging drywall, insulating, placing tile, hanging cabinets, and much, much more, and they're on schedule to be completed and shipped in the beginning of November.
Meanwhile, on the site we're wrapping up concrete, placing steel, fine grading, and prepping for the big delivery. Photos are below!
We expect that in the second week of November the individual boxes will arrive on site and be craned into place. In addition to all the building activity, we're ramping up marketing and will soon launch our new logos, with a website to follow shortly after that. Stay tuned...
For more information about the project or general questions, contact e-mail Dave or feel free to call us at 617-542-6500.
Dave Participates in ULI Boston Technical Assistance Panel
A few weeks ago, Dave spent the day with other Urban Land Institute members in Dedham, MA at the request of the town in order to help them consider the impacts of the forthcoming consolidation and centralization of town services into one building outside of Dedham Square, the historic small business center of the Town. Specifically, the group looked at the use and viability of two separate surplus municipal buildings that would be created by the move: the current Town Hall and Police Station, both of which are located in Dedham Square.
The full report is forthcoming, but in the meantime, download the presentation delivered that night here. For more information about the Urban Land Institute's Technical Assistance Panels click here.
RTH Community Center Steel Topped Off
With excavation and foundation concrete completed, within the past three weeks a bulk of the steel has been put into place at the RTH Community Center. It's been exciting to watch the building take shape!
For more information about the project and TC's involvement click here.
We've Moved Upstairs to Suite 833
We're excited to announce that over the weekend we moved within Park Plaza Building from Suite 520 to Suite 833. The new office provides us with expanded office and meeting space and will us the needed flexibility over the long term. Special thanks to Cassandra for making the transition as seamless as possible!
Please update your records and stop in to say hi!
TC/MP Close on The Flats at 44
Mitchell Properties and Traggorth Companies is pleased to announce the closing on construction financing for The Flats at 44. Construction lending is provided by The Property & Casualty Initiative and Northeast Interiors is the General Contractor.
The Flats at 44 is a unique project in that it will be the first modular construction project completed by TC/MP utilizing KBS out of South Paris, Maine. Starting in the end of August, construction will begin at the factory in Maine with scheduled placement at the end of October.
The Flats at 44 is just the first phase with a planned construction closing of the Flats at 22 later this year.
Traggorth Companies has managed the design, planning, and financial closing on behalf of Mitchell Properties, and will continue through construction and lease-up. Stay tuned for more pictures and updates as the project progresses.
Roxbury Tenants of Harvard Closes on New Markets Tax Credits
Roxbury Tenants of Harvard recently closed a New Market's Tax Credit allocation in June which provided more than $2M in equity for the construction of the RTH Community Center. The Community Center is mid-way through construction and expected to be completed in May 2014. TC staff coordinated the closing of the tax credits on behalf of the Roxbury Tenants of Harvard as part of the overall project management services provided for the project.
Read more about the closing and investment from MHIC and USBank here.
Chelsea Flats Begins Demolition
This past week, demolition of the 44 Gerrish warehouse began. In it's place will be Chelsea Flats - 46 new apartments opening in early 2014. The project is financed mostly through private and public financing, but is scheduled to be the first Housing Development Incentive Program (HDIP) project in the State.
Demolition of existing warehouse to make way for The Chelsea Flats.
Traggorth Companies is Hiring!
We are looking for an experienced, hard-working and enthusiastic accountant/office manager to join our growing team.
For more information about the position and how to apply, please download the job posting here.
We look forward to hearing from you!