Project of the Month: HallKeen Commercial completes redevelopment, lease-up, and refinance of Allston retail property

HallKeen Commercial has recently completed the multi-million dollar redevelopment of a two-building retail property. The project began when CVS signed a long term lease, prompting improvements to the entire retail center. CVS moved to the 15,000 s/f store, relocating from a unit in the adjacent 8,000 s/f building. To make way for the new tenant, the existing structure was completely renovated. Starck Architects and BWC Contracting completed the interior work, which included new electrical, mechanical, and fire systems. The renovation focused on sustainability: rooftop units were replaced with high-efficiency units and interior fluorescent lighting is high-efficiency as well. Both the carpet and the exterior metal panels are comprised of post-consumer recycled content. A cardboard compactor promotes recycling, while the addition of a drive-through adds convenience for customers. Simultaneous to the interior renovations, extensive exterior work was designed by Cambridge Seven Associates and completed by Metric Construction Corp. The façades and roofs of both buildings were completely rehabilitated, giving the retail center a much-needed facelift and new energy. Beneath the new ADA-compliant parking lot and sidewalks, a storm-water management system was installed, including 48 Storm-Tech chambers to prevent phosphorus from entering the Charles River Watershed. New landscaping with full irrigation makes the retail center an attractive business location, while LED lighting illuminates the parking lot and building exteriors, creating a comfortable ambiance for evening shoppers. The once bland shopping center now stands out with its clean, bold look. HallKeen, in conjunction with Metric, managed all facets of the project. The director of commercial management, Chad Boulay, remarks on his involvement in the redevelopment, lease-up, and refinance, saying, "we certainly had to wear 'several hats' as we navigated through this." He credits Metric's team for the success of the project. "Metric Construction was a great partner throughout this project. Their detailed job coordination combined with an amazing project management team resulted in completing the project under budget and ahead of schedule." Metric, a thirty-year-old general contracting company in Boston, takes pride in comments like this. "We strive to compete at the highest level," president Geoffrey Caraboolad says. "With this project we were able to provide a superior-quality product, while meeting our clients' schedule and budgetary goals." Boulay stresses that the entire project team made a huge impact. "The owners of the property and HallKeen were very fortunate to work with such a great group of contractors, architects and engineers throughout the project. This project involved an amazing amount of coordination between the contractors, management, and existing tenants to keep the plaza operations throughout the project with minimal disruption." The redevelopment was also made easier by local authorities. "Having the support from the great folks at the Allston Civic Association, Allston Village Main Streets, and city councilor Mark Ciommo made this project a lot easier to coordinate," Boulay said. Other tenants benefitted from the changes as well. H&R Block doubled the size of its office space and signed a long term lease. Dunkin Donuts, also an existing tenant, and Mount Washington Bank both signed as long-term tenants. Luis Hair Salon, an existing tenant, resigned for several years. Project team included: * Property & Project Manager: HallKeen Commercial * Construction Manager & General Contractor: Metric Construction Corp. * Architect: Cambridge Seven Associates * General Contractor for CVS: BWC Contracting, Inc. * Interior Architect for CVS: Starck Architects * Civil Engineer: Vanasse, Hangen, Brunstlin, Inc. * Site Contractor: Trillennium Services, Inc.