BOSTON — Apartment and condo complexes across the Boston area are scrambling to make space for a record number of incoming deliveries.
Demand for delivery has been on the rise through the pandemic with many people avoiding brick-and-mortar stores.
That’s forced residential properties to adapt to an noticeable increase in packages arriving at all hours of the morning, afternoon and early evening.
The general manager at Pier 4 luxury condos in Boston’s Seaport told Boston 25 News that approximately 80 to 100 packages are being delivered to the 106-unit building daily.
“It’s a 24/7 operation. Luckily, we have the staff here to handle them seamlessly,” said Jeremy Diflaminies with FirstService Residential.
Packages are sanitized and scanned on arrival throughout the day at Pier 4.
Diflaminies said the building has employed full time staff to clear the 600 square foot storage room at least five times a day.
“We had to adapt on the fly,” he said. “Now that people are accustomed to ordering online, I think that trend is going to continue even after the pandemic is over.”
Massachusetts properties run by Alliance Residential are also evolving to the surging number of deliveries.
“It’s security, it’s technology and it’s certainly the size we use of the spaces to manage this,” said Michael Boujoulian, Managing Director of Alliance Residential Company.
Some adjustments have included multiple package rooms in buildings and a covered loading dock where a truck can pull in for deliveries.
“It’s about understanding how much people are depending on these packages for their everyday lives,” explained Boujoulian.
The VP of Development for Lynnfield-based Procopio Companies told Boston 25 News the e-commerce trend is also impacting future projects.
“In some of these bigger properties, you could have 300 or 400 packages a day coming in and cluttering up these package rooms,” said Michael Procopio with Procopio Companies.
Procopio said his company is doubling the size of package rooms in new designs. For larger projects, the means a space that ranges from 1,000 to 1,800 square feet.
“We’re also seeing a massive uptick in what I would call non-traditional delivery services, and a huge shift toward prepared foods and meal prep,” added Procopio. “Some of it requires refrigeration and a speedy process to get it to the resident.”
Procopio Properties utilizes Hello Alfred services to streamline the process from mailrooms to residents.
Cox Media Group