Downtown Boston is bringing its summer momentum into the fall with a growing number of pedestrians, new office leases, and cultural events bringing thousands into the district. Additionally, a proposed Federal Opportunity Zone designation for the Ladder District could help support further investment in housing Downtown.
It’s been a busy September!
Summer Street welcomed over 5,000 attendees for Embrace Boston’s Masso !Con Salsa! celebration where they danced the evening away to performances from DJ ArmandoTheTruth, Johnny Giraldo and legendary salsa orchestra El Gran Combo de Puerto Rico. Other events like the MassArt Night Market and Boston Fashion Week’s Open Runway brought artists, creators, and designers into Downtown’s public spaces, while giving Bostonians yet another reason to spend the evening in the city.
Downtown’s sidewalks have been getting a lot busier too. Domestic visitors rose 11.3% this summer compared to last year, with August alone up 10.1%. The district is officially on track to reach 32.3 million visits by the end of 2026, more than two million above last year’s total!
There’s movement behind the office doors as well. September saw the iconic Burnham Building relaunch and BUILD 617 make its debut, alongside news of more than 115,000 square feet of new office leases. One Federal Street will also welcome Rubin and Rudman’s team of more than 90 attorneys, joining over 170 Morgan Lewis attorneys already in the building, making it a key hub in Boston’s legal system.
And there’s more to come this fall!
Downtown’s fall calendar is packed with reasons to visit, from the Boston Asian American Film Festival and Boston Women’s Market to DBA’s very own Doggone Halloween Pet Parade on October 24. Theater lovers can also catch “Wicked” at the Citizens Opera House and “Operation Mincemeat” at the Emerson Colonial Theatre. With Halloween festivities, live performances, and local markets filling the calendar, Downtown isn’t slowing down anytime soon!
Big things could be coming to the Ladder District:
The Ladder District could soon gain another tool to help convert office space into homes. With support from the Downtown Boston Alliance (DBA) and a recommendation from the City of Boston, the Commonwealth has nominated Downtown for federal Opportunity Zone designation, with the nominated area covering 27% of the DBA district.
So what does that actually mean for downtown?
If approved, federal tax incentives could help bring investment to buildings ready for a new use and give the office to housing projects a push forward.
As the Commonwealth’s nomination described:
“This newly rezoned area includes multiple sites primed to benefit from . . . office-to-residential conversions. Designation has the support of multiple proponents . . . including a project that could create up to 800 new homes. Opportunity Zone resources are well suited to acquisitions and adaptive reuse projects and can be leveraged with other local and state sources to unlock more conversions.”
Up to 800 new homes in one project would be a HUGE addition to the city. More neighbors could mean more regulars at the corner coffee shop, shorter commutes to work, more customers grabbing dinner, and more life on the streets. That’s a future worth getting behind.