Urban Village for Spec Office
One team that is building on spec--LEED Gold, no less--is Samuels & Associates led by Steve Samuels (right, with Sweet Cheeks owner Tiffani Faison, marketing consultant Antonio Bertone, and Samuels’ EVP Leslie Cohen, who we snapped at a recent NEWiRE event). Construction is underway in the Fenway on the $315M Van Ness: 172 apartments, 232k SF of spec Class-A offices, and 200k SF of retail (with a Target). Success with the office depends on creating a pedestrian-friendly urban village. Since Samuels has permanent long-term financing, they're willing to wait for the best fit on tenants, principal Peter Sougarides says.