While construction in Boston has been booming for more than five years, New England’s smaller cities are only recently getting in on the action. Participants in this year’s ENR New England Top Contractor and Top Specialty Contractor surveys are reporting brisk business in both large and small metropolitan markets.
Mixed-use development in smaller cities such as Portland, Maine, and Burlington, Vt., is at “peak intensity,” says Jay Fayette, president and chief operating officer of PC Construction. “Almost every older building or older parking lot [in these cities] is being viewed as an opportunity for high-end or mid-level residential development.”