AG Gets Serious About Enforcing MBTA Communities Law
The attorney general’s lawsuit suggests that she will not wait to find out whether the loss of access to specific state funding programs will eventually persuade Milton to adopt compliant zoning.
Court Upholds Defective Foreclosure Deed
The vast majority of mortgage loans are repaid without incident, but when they go into default, peculiar twists and turns can ensue. A federal district court decision issued in January, involving a home in Framingham, offers an example.
Perseverance Pays Off in Fitchburg for Nonprofit Developer
The new Fitchburg Arts Community demonstrates a potential playbook for successful financing of housing through public subsidies in Massachusetts’ Gateway Cities.
Serial ADA Plaintiff Makes a Hasty Retreat
The Supreme Court’s decision to dismiss an activist’s case, however, leaves the question unsettled of who can sue over Americans with Disabilities Act violations.
The Transit Zoning Rules that Matter
What rules to municipalities have to follow in complying with the MBTA Communities transit-oriented zoning law? What deadlines matter? Who decides if a town is doing the right thing?
Rent Acceleration Clauses Alive and Well After SJC Decision
The Supreme Judicial Court has upheld the validity of rent acceleration clauses in commercial leases in a recent case.
Antique Maps Guide Court’s Judgement in Graves Ledge Case
Graves Light marks the outer edge of the Boston Harbor Islands and a huge, semi-submerged ledge. But a dispute involving a property tax bill ignited a question: What town is it in?
Legal Liability When an Algorithm Screens Tenants
Landlords of apartment buildings in Malden and Canton hired a Texas company to screen tenant applications automatically, prompting a pair of rejected tenants to file a court challenge.
Court Rules COVID Shutdown Doesn’t Cancel Rent
Many disruptions from the COVID pandemic are now behind us, but litigation related to those disruptions continues to work its way through Massachusetts courts.
Supreme Court Deals Setback to Tax Takings
A new Supreme Court ruling is likely to affect the enforcement of property tax liens in Massachusetts.
New Mandates Loom for Massachusetts’ Vacationland
Changes are coming to regulations affecting wastewater management on Cape Cod and southeastern Massachusetts, but their potential impact on property owners are still taking shape.
Courts Force Abutters to Take Appeal Bond Seriously
A recent Supreme Judicial Court ruling imposes new requirements on abutters challenging the approval of housing developments.
How a Smart Growth District Changed Downtown Reading
The Smart Growth Zoning and Housing Production Act, also known as Chapter 40R, has had mixed results. But the Boston suburb of Reading has embraced embraced it, with positive outcomes.
Future of Rent Acceleration Clauses in Doubt
Commercial leases typically give landlords several rights and remedies when tenants default. But for some landlords these remedies are not enough, so they add rent acceleration as an additional remedy.
Economic Disruptions Threaten Financing for Salem Wind Project
A major industrial investment in a Gateway City north of Boston could come undone thanks to economic disruptions and a dispute between a major multinational company and state power regulators.
A Tale of Two Turnpike Air Rights Developments
Boston is an attractive city with many desirable attributes, but it remains scarred by the 20th century public transportation project known as the Massachusetts Turnpike, an urban canyon that separates the Back Bay and South End.
A Serial Plaintiff Gets Another Day in Court
Hotels that fail to comply with ADA requirements for online reservation systems face increased risk of liability in the wake of a recent court ruling about who has standing to sue in such cases.
In Falmouth, Illegal House Sold to Affordable Housing Developer
A Falmouth builder recently learned the hard way that building permits and certificates of occupancy do not protect illegally built structures from timely forced removal orders.
In Andover, a Welcome Mat for Biotech Growth
Andover already has about 2 million square feet of building space devoted to life sciences, and is looking to add even more.
Appeals Court Allows Broker’s Claim Against Former Clients
A Winchester couple learned the hard way that a real estate broker can enforce an unwritten exclusive brokerage contract against them, even if the broker did not produce a closing.
