Heather Boujoulian and the Next Big Seaport Buildings
Heather Boujoulian is the Berkshire VP overseeing new multifamily construction JVs in the eastern half of the US, including One Seaport Square. She rarely dwells on the fact that she’s one of few highly placed women in Boston commercial real estate development. But she knows that to be successful, a woman has to prove she’s as good or better than the guys, ask questions of those doing the next job she wants, get involved with professional groups, build a network, and display grit and passion. To compound the difficulty, there isn’t a clear educational path into the industry.
Managing the development of one of the largest Seaport District projects is a tremendous challenge and opportunity. As she prepares for a spring ground breaking of One Seaport Square (above), Heather’s team is evaluating systems to ensure that the complex is protected from climate change and storm surges. (They're also in negotiations with mighty Poseidon.) The Seaport market is one-of-a-kind. She’s watched it struggle to take-off since the late ‘90s, when she did a Harvard Graduate School of Design internship there. Now, with multifamily rents 5% higher than anticipated a year ago, it’s fair to say the Seaport District has arrived.
There hasn’t been a new Boston neighborhood like this created since the 1800s, when the street grid for Back Bay was laid out. (They did have us beat in the top hat market though.) But, Heather says, the market started to prove its depth when Liberty Wharf (above) opened. With completion of the Big Dig, it’s the only place in town where the north/south and east/west highways intersect. The development team is planning on a wide range of residents being attracted to the two multifamily buildings at One Seaport Square. One building will have sweeping views of the Financial District, and the other will include 96 innovation units and collaboration space.
Heather and her husband Mike, a VP at Cabot Cabot & Forbes, had competing projects underway in Cambridge before she joined Berkshire in ’12. Luckily, no matter what each is working on, they love to talk real estate and they’re each others' best support system, she says. Heather’s interest in building started early. Growing up in Western Pennsylvania, she helped out her father, a carpenter. She was trained as an urban planner. Among her favorite projects during 15 years as a multifamily developer: Jefferson at Providence Place, the redevelopment of a warehouse completed in ’03. It transformed an abandoned area and attracted new residents to the city.
