Opinion
Program Creates a Blank Slate for Artists
Massachusetts is home to thousands of “brownfields” – buildings and land that are blighted and hampered by chemical contamination – with many in Gateway Cities. This year marks the 24th anniversary of the launch of a highly successful investment program that’s redeveloped hundreds of these sites.
How to Prevent America’s Aging Buildings from Collapsing
Four recent catastrophic building collapses and a near miss are raising concerns about the state of America’s aging buildings and questions about who, if anyone, is checking their safety.
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.
Look Beyond Boston for CRE Opportunities
At City Realty, we have seen firsthand that there are still opportunities available in the office market and new tenants in the market to fill those well publicized vacancies. Our successful repositioning project in Quincy Center is just one example.
Recycle at Home, With Your Home
Scrap tires have been recycled for years into building products like flooring, infill decking and septic system drain fields. But they’re not the only thing. From coal ash to washed-up seaweed, our homes help reduce and reuse.
Prison Closures Offer Great Opportunities for More Housing
Gov. Maura Healey has promised to “go big” on housing as he pushes a multibillion-dollar spending plan. But three big pieces of disused or soon-to-be-disused state property show she’s got more work to do in that regard.
Banker & Tradesman’s Editorial Cartoon: Subtle Signalling
Fed Chair Jerome Powell is trying a new, prop-based form of “forward guidance” in his latest public appearance.
Setting the Record Straight on T Funding
For years, a pernicious notion has floated around certain corners of Beacon Hill that the MBTA is a black hole that tries to suck in any and all taxpayer dollars. Now the idea is threatening to rear its head again.
Gateway Cities Win with Governor’s Housing Strategy
With an assist from the Healey-Driscoll administration, Gateway Cities can pave the way for a new future – one where housing helps drive economic success.
Liberal Cambridge Takes a Pass on Rent Control
Is it time to put aside the old schtick about the “People’s Republic” of Cambridge? The city has been an outlier among its inner-core peers in not pursuing rent control last year. The reasons for that are rooted in history.
Uncle Sam Offers a Boost to Fixer-Uppers
The Federal Housing Administration is poised to update the 203(k) program, which allows borrowers to purchase a house and include the cost of repairs or rehabilitation in a single mortgage.
Banker & Tradesman’s Editorial Cartoon: What a Great Investment
At least one industrial real estate developer is having buyer’s remorse thanks to a slowdown in that sector.
Legislature Has Hands Full with Housing Bill
Gov. Maura Healey’s signature piece of housing legislation got its first hearing on Beacon Hill last week, a marathon affair that suggested that many of the main battle lines are being drawn over policy, not the bill’s fiscal impacts.
ChatGPT and Python: The Dynamic Duo Redefining Real Estate Marketing
If you want to become a dominant player in your market in 2024, it’s time to leave behind many of the old-school marketing and lead-generation strategies from the past.
Four Business Lessons from the Boston Tea Party
I am a business school professor who often drives by the Tea Party site while taking his wife to work. Each time, I ponder the lessons this “party” has for people in business. Many aren’t obvious.
Trust Gap Muddies Mayor’s Message
Wu is essentially asking developers to trust her over the next year as she tries to achieve things previously considered pie-in-the-sky dreams. But it’s hard for some parts of the real estate community to do that.
Banker & Tradesman’s Editorial Cartoon: NAR Merry-Go-Round
Step right up, folks! Ride the fastest ride in real estate: The National Association of Realtors President merry-go-round.
New Year, New Housing Policy Choices on Beacon Hill
Gov. Maura Healey’s housing bill boldly proposes a huge increase in affordable housing spending and equally needed policy reforms. But one provision, a transfer tax, would set Massachusetts back.
The DEI Lesson for Leaders in Dr. Claudine Gay’s Resignation from Harvard
Corporate leaders beware. These are not one-off actions that affect only academic institutions. They are the latest salvos in an escalating war against a key tool for future corporate success.
Is a Boston Housing Tax Break Really Just a ‘Work in Progress’?
Wu’s decision not to move forward at this time disappointed housing developers with projects stalled on the drawing boards, but industry circles aren’t losing hope just yet.