In the closing days of 2022, The Druker Co. — recognized as a leader in downtown revitalization —submitted a proposal for a 588,000-square-foot office and lab space at 1033-1055 Washington St. in Boston’s South End. Located between East Berkeley/Herald streets and Shawmut Avenue, the site is currently home to a one-story commercial building and surface parking. It lies at the heart of a neighborhood that has witnessed a flurry of activity following the development of Ink Block, which includes several luxury housing projects and forthcoming labs at 321 Harrison Ave. and 1000 Washington St.
The company’s plan is to build two properties — linked via “an above-grade connection” — that would encompass lab and office spaces, along with ground-floor retail; an area for community gatherings or nonprofit use; and two levels of below-grade parking. The project would also include a landscaped pedestrian plaza connecting Washington Street and Shawmut Avenue.
The Washington Street project — the largest proposal in months for the development of a life sciences space — could provide an important boost to the local life sciences sector, which has shown signs of a relative slow down. Throughout 2022, an estimated 40 million square feet of proposed or permitted life sciences developments were fed into the Boston pipeline. However, a report by Newmark suggested that sector growth could consolidate within more established nodes as investors and landlords alike (confronted with rising interest rates and the prospects of layoffs) aim to reduce risks in the near future.
Notably, this isn’t Druker’s only undertaking in the Boston office market. Last May, its proposal for an office and lab development at 80 East Berkeley St. was approved, while the company also broke ground on its nine-story office building project in Back Bay, right across the street from the Boston Public Gardens. Scheduled to be completed by the end of 2025 or early 2026, Druker already secured a lease deal with Bain & Co. for 221,000 square feet within the building.
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