DORIS BUNTE, who died this week at age 87, was a wonderful woman, a magnificent mentor, and a prodigious politician. But the word that describes her best is “Mother.” Doris was a mother, a grandmother, and a great-grandmother. She was also a mother to many more than her biological offspring. As the first African-American woman ever elected […]
Housing
Posted inOpinion
Call for net zero homes is too costly
MASSACHUSETTS IS POISED to adopt sweeping climate legislation that will set ambitious goals for the Commonwealth to reduce emissions by 2050. No one doubts the importance of this effort or the need to make commitments to the adoption of clean energy. The question, rather—particularly when it comes to housing—is how do we get there. For […]
Posted inEconomy
Baker signs $626 million economic development bill
Gov. Charlie Baker on Thursday signed a $626 million economic development bond bill, which will provide money for a variety of COVID-19 relief funds as well as other state projects. The bill also includes significant zoning reform, which Baker had been lobbying to enact for years, which is expected to increase housing production in […]
Posted inUncategorized
Distribution of housing assistance funds lagging
DESPITE EFFORTS to bolster staffing, the Baker administration is having trouble getting housing assistance funds to families facing eviction. According to state officials, $22.6 million of the $100 million available through the Residential Assistance for Families in Transition, or RAFT, program has been dispensed so far. The amount is up $5.1 million over a month […]
Posted inEconomy
Developer sees glass half-full on commercial real estate
ONE OF BOSTON’S top developers, a self-described half-glass-full guy, says he remains bullish on commercial real estate despite the rise of remote work during the coronavirus pandemic. Tom O’Brien, the founding partner and managing director of the HYM Investment Group, has two big projects under development – a massive mixed-use complex at the site of […]
Posted inTransportation
Lots of bills land on Baker’s desk
IN THE EARLY HOURS of Wednesday morning, the Massachusetts Legislature wrapped up its two-year session with a flurry of last-minute lawmaking that didn’t end until 4:41 a.m. Major compromise bills on transportation and economic development emerged from conference committees after midnight and were swiftly passed. The transportation bill included new state fees on rides provided […]
Posted inTransportation
House, Senate finish by moving finish line
WITH SOME LEGISLATIVE sleight of hand, the House and Senate extended their sessions from Tuesday night into Wednesday morning and succeeded in passing most of the major pieces of legislation still pending on Beacon Hill. A trimmed down transportation bond bill, an economic development bill without sports betting, legislation dealing with college campus sexual violence, […]
Posted inTransportation
Economic development, transpo bills coming down to wire
A FAR-REACHING climate change bill that could affect almost every facet of daily life whisked through both branches of the Legislature on Monday and landed on the governor’s desk, but time is running out for economic development and transportation bills that have been stuck in conference committees for close to six months. Key lawmakers said […]
Posted inUncategorized
4,524 eviction cases filed so far
IN THE TWO MONTHS since the state’s eviction moratorium ended, 4,524 landlords have filed cases against 5,912 tenants for non-payment of rent. Most housing advocates and landlords are expecting a wave of eviction filings, but it’s still too early to gauge how bad it’s going to get. Case filings jumped from 164 in October, after […]
Posted inOpinion
A holiday wish list for legislative action on housing
WHEN IT COMES to Massachusetts affordable housing policy, it is easy to have a vigorous debate about whether the glass is half full or half empty – and both sides would have a strong argument to make. The half-full proponents would point to the fact that Massachusetts is one of the only states with state–funded public housing, […]