Contour Enthusiasts Group Archives Forums Branches New England [wanted] Office space in central MA

Hi there - I am looking to find some office space for one of my firm's partners in central MA (he is in Ashburnham/Gardner). His needs are very basic - a place to sit, and a reliable, high-speed Internet connection, e.g. >= 128Kbps. The need for this space is immedate and would be for the forseeable future.

I know some of you guys are from out that way I believe...any advice or leads is greatly appreciated - thanks!

There have been some significant restoration efforts made in downtown Fitchburg. I live on Main St. and there have been several buildings that have been restored and turned into Law offices. The same with Main St. in Leominster. The great thing about this area is that the real estate market is cheap and the commuter rail trains run right from Main St. Fitchburg and thru North Main St. Leominster, theres an airport in Fitchburg and Rts 2, 140, 190, 12 and 13 all intersect.

Not a bad area and it would be a short commute. Have your business partner swing thru the area, there should be several places availible. I could try to bump into my landlord, hes pretty connected in the area (city councilman I think), he may have some ideas, if not a place he could offer.

Thanks Ryan - that sounds like a great idea. The last straw today was when I called him to see if he was going to make a client meeting, and he was unable to get out of his (1/3 mile) driveway due to snow and fallen trees. He had to use his ATV and a chainsaw to get out. That is of course after he used his neigbhors snowblower last night, an old Chevy 6.2 Diesel with a plow and sander on the back. Furthermore, he can't get decent internet access outside of a T1, and with the lame satellite service he uses, he has horrible bandwidth, not to mention bad service when it gets cloudy out (!)

If we can park this guy in an office nearby I can make him ride his ATV to work - no excuses!

I would also call the Buildings Manager at Devens to see if they have any single-occupant/shared offices they can lease out. MassDevelopment manages the property. Give them a call and see what ideas they have for you.

Also, call CB Richard Ellis about their Wanalancit (pronounced "wah-nah-lan-sit") building in Lowell. My dad's office is there and they definitely have a lot of vacancy. The building is very nice, old mill style with parking and high ceilings. It's also close to UMass and has high-speed (T3?) access.

The CBRE web site has a pretty good search engine too. Here's what I dug up on a quick search.

313 Boston Post Road
Marlborough, MA
Office Building
2,000 - 9,800 sqft
$23.5 /sqft

12 Union Street, Bldg C
Westborough, MA
Office Building
2,200 sqft
$16.00 /sqft

12 Union Street, Bldg E
Westborough, MA
Flex Space
4,000 sqft
$0.01 /sqft

The last property has a ridiculously low rate. Either it's a typo or that does not include "build-out". So, he'd have to hire a builder to put in walls and heat and stuff. The others are completely built out for office use.

There's PLENTY of real estate on the market right now. Just fish around!

One more thing...If you want something IN BOSTON, there are at least 4 buildings on my block leasing or subleasing spaces under 2,000/ sqft. Probably for around $30/sqft.

AND IF YOU NEED AN ARCHITECT PM ME!