"That building won't stay vacant for very long," opines DTZ FHO Partners principal Sean Teague, among several South Shore brokers offering high praise for a building with a high profile that provides vistas of the Boston skyline, 10 miles away, and visibility towering over Route 128 that could be a valuable image-enhancer for Braintree Hill Business Center's occupants. "It's a fantastic location," states one of Flatley's local competitors who also predicts a solid response from the tenant community.Veteran broker J.P. Plunkett rates the Braintree Hill Business Center as an "A-plus" property that has all the necessary ingredients sought by new millennium companies. "I would have to say it is the nicest office building you will find south of Boston," says the Cushman & Wakefield executive director, ranking only Flatley's nearby Crown Colony complex in Quincy as a potential challenger and terming the new building as "a great way to finish up the park."

Plunkett does voice concern of a sudden slowdown in leasing activity in suburban Boston, and says there is a dearth of tenants sporting a requirement able to take down all 160,000 sf. But he concurs with other observers that most top firms looking will put Braintree Hill Business Park on their property tours, and says he thinks Flatley can be especially competitive, since the firm did not have to first acquire the land upon which the building was constructed. Even if Flatley cannot find a full-building tenant, Plunkett says firms needing one floor will be eager to consider Braintree Hill, citing the 40,000-sf floor plates as "ideal" for certain users.

Flatley leasing director Bernie Campbell says the rental rates will depend on factors including deal size and length of commitment, but he maintains Braintree Hill Business Center can be a value alternative for firms both migrating out of Boston and Cambridge, as well as suburban suitors. The rental rate range will likely be from the high $20s per sf to the low $30s per sf., and Campbell says he believes the developer's focus on energy efficiency will further help tenants curb expenses. Features include tempered glass; waterless urinals and other water-saving fixtures; plus highly efficient boilers, cooling towers and heat pumps. "We paid a lot of attention to that," says Campbell, whose firm was also mindful of recycling site materials and employing other environmentally sensitive techniques.