THE NEW ENGLAND MOBILE BOOK FAIR of my childhood wasn’t exactly mobile; it was a cavernous cinderblock warehouse of a store in Newton. Yet visiting the store was like going on a voyage, something like a trip to the Dead Sea caves where you might stumble upon ancient scrolls. A couple of years ago, I […]
Growth and Development
Posted inEconomy
Mega misses — or wins?
LIKE A HIGH SCHOOL KID working to move past an unrequited crush, Boston told Amazon it just wasn’t that into the e-commerce giant anyway. Mayor Marty Walsh said he was proud to have made it to the “short list” in the HQ2 sweepstakes, but added, “our future will not be defined by a single company.” […]
Posted inThe Download
Mega misses — or wins?
Like a high school kid working to move past an unrequited crush, Boston told Amazon it just wasn’t that into the e-commerce giant anyway. Mayor Marty Walsh said he was proud to have made it to the “short list” in the HQ2 sweepstakes, but added, “our future will not be defined by a single company.” […]
Posted inEconomy
Think tank sees peril in Boston luxury towers
A NEW REPORT from a Washington-based liberal think tank raises concerns about the proliferation of luxury condominiums in Boston and urges policymakers to identify who all the new owners are and impose new taxes on them. The administration of Boston Mayor Marty Walsh has largely welcomed the jobs and investment associated with the luxury construction. […]
Posted inEconomy
Club to pay $36m toward $86m stadium
THE CITY OF WORCESTER is building a new $86 million stadium for the Boston Red Sox Triple-A affiliate and charging the team roughly $36 million – two separate $3 million payments at the end of 2019 and 2020 and roughly $1 million a year in lease and tax payments spread out over 30 years. The […]
Posted inEconomy
Worcester lands the PawSox
IN A COUP THAT WAS three years in the making, Worcester officials were able to woo the owners of the AAA Pawtucket Red Sox to move the team into a to-be-built publicly owned and financed $90 million park that will be the cornerstone of a $340 million major redevelopment in the Gateway City. “Aren’t you […]
Posted inEconomy
Community benefit districts facing headwinds
STATE HOUSE NEWS SERVICE RECENT CONTROVERSY over legislation that would allow local organizations to levy fees on property owners to improve their neighborhoods has led the leader of the House Republican caucus to question his support for the bill he cosponsored. North Reading Rep. Brad Jones, the House minority leader, was a cosponsor of a […]
Posted inEconomy
Gateway Cities discover the power of food
PHOTOGRAPHS BY KEN RICHARDSON FOOD HAS ALWAYS LOOMED LARGE in the life of Dimple Rana. While growing up in Revere, she helped her parents, immigrants from India, work in Indian grocery stores in Somerville. Later, she helped manage convenience stores owned by her family. But working retail wasn’t her ambition. She promptly left Revere after […]
Posted inOpinion
What am I missing at Allston Landing?
THERE ARE OCCASIONS in the making of public policy when you are left scratching your head, because the decision-making just doesn’t make sense, and you wonder what you may be missing. I’m thinking today of Allston Landing, the vast urban wasteland of industrial, highway, and rail uses that for generations stood as a stark example […]
Posted inOpinion
Severe storm effects are the new norm
ONLY TWO MONTHS after surging tides and high winds flooded MBTA stations, knocked out power and sent three feet of water into the streets of Boston, it’s all happening again. The governor and the mayor call press conferences to lay out preparations, urge caution and call up the National Guard. Schools close. Businesses get out […]