City Moves Forward in Securing Retailers for Dudley Square
Jul 15, 2013
CB Richard Ellis/Grossman Retail Advisors selected to assist City project team in securing exciting retailers for Dudley Square Municipal Center
Mayor Thomas M. Menino today announced the selection of retail real estate firm CB Richard Ellis/Grossman Retail Advisors (CBRE/GRA) for advisory services in leasing retail space at the future Dudley Square Municipal Center. CBRE/GRA will build on Dudley Square’s existing retail offerings by assisting the City of Boston’s project team with securing exciting retailers to further activate the street and provide amenities to the new facility.
“The new Dudley Square Municipal Center is an important step forward in the development of a historic neighborhood on the brink of population and economic booms,” Mayor Menino said. “Bringing an experienced firm like CBRE/GRA on board ensures we include the kind of stores and restaurants that will further grow and enhance Dudley Square.”
CBRE/GRA will advise the Public Facilities Department of the City of Boston on leasing the 18,000 square feet of street-level retail space housed in the Dudley Square Municipal Center. Results from a survey of buying and spending habits in Dudley Square commissioned by the Boston Redevelopment Authority will also inform the planning of retail space within the Municipal Center.
The construction of the $115 million Dudley Square Municipal Center, at the site of the historic Ferdinand Furniture building, is part of The Dudley Vision Project, a City-funded initiative launched by Mayor Menino in 2007 with the goal of enhancing the Dudley Square retail district by focusing on real estate, economic development, and community engagement. In addition to space for street-level retail businesses, the Dudley Square Municipal Center will house an estimated 500 municipal employees from the Boston Public School Department and will include open space for student work, school events, and community gatherings to help better serve the public schools in the area. In June, Mayor Menino celebrated a topping off at the site. The project is slated to open in fall 2014.
The Public Facilities Department selected CBRE/GRA from a field of four Boston-based respondents to an RFP, including R.E. Hill & Co., The Dartmouth Company, and Colliers International New England. CBRE/GRA is a full-service, global retail real estate firm with New England headquarters in Boston. Since 2000, CBRE New England has sold more than 45 million square feet of retail property in the region.