Sutton, who has been in the real estate business for seven years, relates that the identity the Seaport has created has been a “huge driver” for companies in and around Boston in considering relocating there. He said that the tech companies and design-oriented companies that have called the Seaport home for years are now being joined by large national companies, such as GE, that are trying to create a new corporate identity for themselves by moving into the now chic Seaport District.

The Seaport's amenities that are driving corporate relocation interest include its location and its proximity to mass transit. “Its proximity to South Station is of paramount importance to any group looking within the Boston region,” Sutton says. He adds that the Seaport and Downtown have attracted quality talent from the area universities that are now living in and around the district.

Becker notes, “It is almost a lifestyle center and it is in its early stages.” The 35-year commercial real estate veteran says that the tech-oriented groups that incubate from Cambridge and from other suburban locations to the Seaport and Downtown Boston are attracted to locations that offer a “Millennial lifestyle” that does not require someone to own a car but has easy access to work and urban lifestyle amenities.

Both Sutton and Becker agree that they expect GE to put its stamp on the Seaport District in a big way. However, the specifics and particularly the size of the company's corporate headquarters are still unclear. “It sounds like they want to implement an innovative style, which is quite different from old world headquarters offices like IBM,” Becker notes.

He says GE might decide to utilize its space more efficiently and only devote 100 square feet to 125 square feet per employee, which based on the projected 800 employees that will be housed at the Boston headquarters, would come out to 80,000 square feet to 100,000 square feet. Years ago, some large old-style corporate headquarters requirements would devote 220 square feet per employee, which for a company looking to house 800 workers, would involve approximately 176,000 square feet of space. However, they add that GE might devote significant space to non-traditional uses, such as shared spaces, common areas, outdoors spaces and social areas, and develop an urban collaborative campus instead of the traditional urban or suburban office design, which could dramatically increase the size of GE's new headqurters.

Both Becker and Sutton stress that the brokerage community has little information on what GE intends to do in the Seaport.

“They have the opportunity to build an urban campus and they still have the square footage to take a large piece, to build something iconic, something new and cutting edge,” Sutton says. “They have the wherewithal to do that. They have the land and they have the city backing them.”

He says that GE may indeed look to have it Boston headquarters help brand the company for the next 50 years while also “setting the pace and the tone for the next tech companies or the large firms to keep innovating and trying something new.”

Sutton says that in looking at the big picture, no matter the size or the design of the GE office, the decision by the firm to relocate to the Seaport District “validates this area and Boston. Everything that has been happening with Mayor (Thomas) Menino started with the Innovation District is coming to fruition,” he says.

Both men expect GE to bring other businesses and necessary support services to further transform the Seaport District. One of the key issues the area will face will be the impact the additional workers will have on the transportation system.

BOSTON—To say that business leaders, particularly those that are located or do business in the Seaport District, are anxiously awaiting any news on General Electric's corporate headquarters plans here would be an understatement.

Earlier this month, GE announced it was postponing a planned public meeting on Feb. 18 when it was to provide some specifics on its corporate headquarters relocation. Since then, the company, which announced in January it would be relocating its headquarters operations and 800 workers to Boston and specifically to the Seaport District, has yet to provide specific details on a location and size of its future operations here.

GE spokesman Seth Martin tells Globest.com that while no specific meeting date has been set as yet, the company expects to hold the event sometime in April. He adds that the company has yet to announce its selection of a property in the Seaport District to house its headquarters.

Benjamin Sutton, vice president, and Jeffrey Becker, senior vice president of NAI Hunneman, talked with Globest.com about the chatter around the water coolers and on the Internet among those in the real estate community about the impending GE relocation and the anticipated benefits it will bring to the city.

Sutton, who has been in the real estate business for seven years, relates that the identity the Seaport has created has been a “huge driver” for companies in and around Boston in considering relocating there. He said that the tech companies and design-oriented companies that have called the Seaport home for years are now being joined by large national companies, such as GE, that are trying to create a new corporate identity for themselves by moving into the now chic Seaport District.

The Seaport's amenities that are driving corporate relocation interest include its location and its proximity to mass transit. “Its proximity to South Station is of paramount importance to any group looking within the Boston region,” Sutton says. He adds that the Seaport and Downtown have attracted quality talent from the area universities that are now living in and around the district.

Becker notes, “It is almost a lifestyle center and it is in its early stages.” The 35-year commercial real estate veteran says that the tech-oriented groups that incubate from Cambridge and from other suburban locations to the Seaport and Downtown Boston are attracted to locations that offer a “Millennial lifestyle” that does not require someone to own a car but has easy access to work and urban lifestyle amenities.

Both Sutton and Becker agree that they expect GE to put its stamp on the Seaport District in a big way. However, the specifics and particularly the size of the company's corporate headquarters are still unclear. “It sounds like they want to implement an innovative style, which is quite different from old world headquarters offices like IBM,” Becker notes.

He says GE might decide to utilize its space more efficiently and only devote 100 square feet to 125 square feet per employee, which based on the projected 800 employees that will be housed at the Boston headquarters, would come out to 80,000 square feet to 100,000 square feet. Years ago, some large old-style corporate headquarters requirements would devote 220 square feet per employee, which for a company looking to house 800 workers, would involve approximately 176,000 square feet of space. However, they add that GE might devote significant space to non-traditional uses, such as shared spaces, common areas, outdoors spaces and social areas, and develop an urban collaborative campus instead of the traditional urban or suburban office design, which could dramatically increase the size of GE's new headqurters.

Both Becker and Sutton stress that the brokerage community has little information on what GE intends to do in the Seaport.

“They have the opportunity to build an urban campus and they still have the square footage to take a large piece, to build something iconic, something new and cutting edge,” Sutton says. “They have the wherewithal to do that. They have the land and they have the city backing them.”

He says that GE may indeed look to have it Boston headquarters help brand the company for the next 50 years while also “setting the pace and the tone for the next tech companies or the large firms to keep innovating and trying something new.”

Sutton says that in looking at the big picture, no matter the size or the design of the GE office, the decision by the firm to relocate to the Seaport District “validates this area and Boston. Everything that has been happening with Mayor (Thomas) Menino started with the Innovation District is coming to fruition,” he says.

Both men expect GE to bring other businesses and necessary support services to further transform the Seaport District. One of the key issues the area will face will be the impact the additional workers will have on the transportation system.