Developer Don Chiofaro says his escalating battle with City Hall is not about his proposed waterfront towers, but about the future of the Rose Fitzgerald Kennedy Greenway. At a press conference today at International Place, Chiofaro said tearing down the Harbor Garage and erecting towers full of offices, condos, and hotel rooms in its place […]
Growth and Development
Posted inEconomy, Politics, The Download
Chiofaro to crank it up
By Bruce Mohl The sparks are about to start flying between developer Don Chiofaro and Boston Mayor Thomas Menino. Chiofaro wants to build a pair of 625-foot towers on the site of the Harbor Garage along the Rose Fitzgerald Kennedy Greenway, but recently released city zoning guidelines for that area allow building heights of only […]
Posted inEconomy
Raised stakes
any debate over the possible arrival of casinos in Massachusetts (see “Ka-ching”) has to take into account how much we already rely on the state lottery, and whether scratch ticket sales will suffer against a rival outlet for gambling. In FY 2008, according to the North American Association of State and Provincial Lotteries, the Bay […]
Posted inEconomy
Job prospects
the no. 1 issue on the minds of voters this year is jobs, and politicians on Beacon Hill are responding with a flurry of proposals. Most of them fall in one of two categories. They’re either initiatives to create jobs directly or calls for more systemic changes in tax and regulatory policies to foster an […]
Posted inEconomy
Private developers ape BRA controversial resale fees
the controversial resale fees assessed by the Boston Redevelopment Authority may be coming to a private development near you. In the Winter 2010 issue of CommonWealth, we reported how the BRA collects resale fees equal to 1 percent to 4 percent of the gross sales price every time a condominium unit or house is sold […]
Posted inEconomy, Politics
Galvin gets less secretive about tax credit recipients
secretary of state William Galvin is starting to lift the veil of secrecy surrounding his management of the state’s historic rehabilitation tax credit program, which provides financial incentives for developers to restore historic buildings. Galvin recently posted on his state website the names of companies and projects receiving tax credit awards during the latest round […]
Posted inEconomy
Ka-ching!
UPDATE: On April 7, after two months of deliberation, Pennsylvania’s gaming control board renewed the Sands’ operating license and approved the casino’s application to introduce table games in Bethlehem. At the same hearing, the Sands announced that the community would not have to wait much longer for the long-stalled hotel; construction will resume in May. […]
Posted inEconomy, State House News Service, The Download
Transparency provision defeated
By Bruce Mohl The Massachusetts Senate unanimously passed an overhaul of the state’s economic development agencies, but rejected by a 21-13 vote a measure that would have required greater public disclosure of companies receiving state subsidies and how many jobs they are creating with them. The transparency issue has been a focus for CommonWealth magazine, […]
Posted inEconomy, Opinion
DeLeo’s “jobs” bill
Let me be very clear: The legislation I’m proposing to you today is a jobs bill. It creates a new sector of our economy that will create jobs and help keep our residents employed. It is a balanced approach that maximizes the benefit to Massachusetts. It helps our economy by directly creating construction, hotel and […]
Posted inEconomy, Opinion, Politics
Economic development reform bill missing key transparency provisions
Senate President Therese Murray’s economic development bill scheduled for debate this Thursday includes a number of smart ideas. Topping the list are proposals to make state economic development spending more effective by: Forming a performance management office to evaluate state economic development investments; Requiring new administrations to develop a statewide economic development strategy; and Establishing a […]