The tech cluster glut

Every attempt at tech-cluster development around Boston has Cambridge looming in its rear-view mirror. Kendall Square is the hub of New England’s innovation economy. And notwithstanding South Boston’s recent encroachment into Cambridge’s lunchbox, Kendall is as huge a draw as ever. Three recent deals, by Novartis, the Broad Institute, and Biogen more than replaced the square footage vacated by Vertex’s defection across the Charles. Biogen’s tentative move is especially significant. The biotech firm decamped Cambridge for sparkling new headquarters in Weston just last year, and got buyer’s remorse almost immediately afterward. The company reportedly missed the community and access to talent that Cambridge offers. Now it’s scrambling to get back into Kendall, and it will likely pay a premium to do so.

So far, the South Boston innovation district is as much of a marketing tool as it is a formidable cluster. Vertex, the neighborhood’s big prize, tried to jump from Cambridge to the waterfront in 2008, back when City Hall was calling the area the Seaport district. Vertex’s continued commitment to South Boston does speak volumes about the mayor’s dogged recruitment efforts. But the development projects that should make the area a unique draw for entrepreneurs - cheap, European-style live-work apartment complexes - remain sketches on city planners’ desks. Without housing, South Boston remains Kendall Light. Despite all its growing pains as a tech destination, though, there’s a real buzz on the waterfront. Companies are crossing the Fort Point Channel. Cheap converted warehouse space is filling up. The innovation district isn’t the throwaway line it seemed to be when it was first announced. City Hall sunk serious political capital into South Boston, and it’s paying off.