AIRBNB FILED SUIT against the city of Boston Tuesday seeking to block officials from implementing new regulations on short-term rentals set to take effect January 1, claiming the rules illegally require the company to turn over private host information and to bar investors from listing multiple units. In its lawsuit, Airbnb portrays itself as merely […]
Technology
Posted inTransportation
New option for Pike redesign
THE PANEL OF experts tasked with redesigning a 1,500 foot stretch of the Massachusetts Turnpike and rail tracks running along the Charles River has thrown a new wrinkle into the plans, coming up with a concept that would keep the highway and trains traveling along the ground while elevating a section of Soldiers Field Road. […]
Posted inTransportation
Uber, Lyft expanding to bikes, scooters
Uber and Lyft are expanding their vision of ride-sharing to include not just cars but bicycles, electric bicycles, and electric scooters. Uber jumped in first, adding the electric bikeshare company Jump to its app earlier this year in San Francisco and then acquiring the company outright in March for an estimated $100 million. Lyft earlier […]
Posted inOpinion
Senate gives special treatment to Airbnb
REAL ESTATE INVESTORS are increasingly reshaping local residential neighborhoods by acquiring homes and apartments and converting them into full-time tourist lodging as “short-term rentals.” What began about a decade ago with a few homeowners offering an occasional room for rent is now a hot investment trend—producing record earnings for absentee owners, but also threatening housing […]
Posted inOpinion
The right prescription for biomed innovation
JUST AS ATLANTA has a booming film industry and Silicon Valley has become synonymous with technology, Boston has earned its place as America’s hometown for biomedical innovation. With a hyper-educated workforce, a cutting-edge biopharma and medical device sector, and massive investments in research and development, it’s no wonder Beantown has seen such a surge in […]
Posted inGambling
Making book on Beacon Hill
MONDAY’S RULING FROM the U.S. Supreme Court that states are free to legalize sports betting opened the door to the possibility of a further expansion of gaming in Massachusetts, a topic Gov. Charlie Baker is planning to talk about with legislative leaders Monday afternoon. The decision in Murphy v. National Collegiate Athletic Association, which the […]
Posted inOpinion
Time to update state’s appliance standards
MASSACHUSETTS HAS MADE great strides in reducing electric and gas usage through state policies and our nationally recognized energy efficiency programs. These programs have provided billions of dollars in rebates to thousands of residential and business customers for investments in boiler upgrades, motor replacements and lighting changes. But there is more to be done, particularly […]
Posted inOpinion
Boston’s brand as tech destination is muddled
WHEN WE CHOSE BOSTON as the US beachhead for our international software company, we knew we’d get a critical benefit: close proximity to innovators and other highly skilled professionals. Boston’s relatively easy access to Europe, where we do much of our business, also helped with our decision. But we also knew what we wouldn’t be […]
Posted inEnvironment
Tax that dirty water
LISA MURPHY DOESN’T have any control over how much rain or snow falls on her property in Milton, but she is nevertheless being charged a special fee for stormwater runoff. The fee is calculated based on the amount of impervious surface on her property—her paved driveway and patio as well as the footprint of her […]
Posted inEconomy
Pot board high on Worcester
THE STATE BOARD regulating the legal marijuana industry will set up permanent shop in Worcester as its headquarters with a satellite office in Boston. The five-member Cannabis Control Commission on Tuesday voted unanimously to seek a 13,000-square foot office space in the state’s second largest city and find a smaller, 5,000-square foot office in the […]