Commercial Interests
A Banker & Tradesman Blog
The Specter of the ’70s Stalks Downtown Boston
The Boston of the mid-2020s is far richer and more tolerant than it was half a century ago. But downtown is a weak spot in this success story as a new round of economic uncertainty strikes.
Another Terrible Year for Home Construction
Boston and other progressive cities and states are struggling to produce new homes, even as red states boom. Just call it a case of the blue state housing blues.
Mass. Environmentalism Has Hurt Our AI Prospects
As they spend billions on new AI ventures, tech companies are specifically seeking out states with nuclear plants, which can provide the kind of consistent, reliable power.
Healey’s Next Housing Push Can’t Forget Single-Family Homes
Too narrow a focus? That’s the big question about the Healey administration’s efforts to tackle the housing crisis to date, which have been skewed towards apartment projects.
Kraft Hits the Mark with Critique of Wu’s Housing Policies
The mayor’s defense of her housing policies ignores the experience of other cities. They dramatically hiked affordability requirements, only to see housing production collapse.
Is Housing a Vulnerability for Wu? She Seems to Think So
With Boston’s mayor being challenged on her housing record, she seems to be trying to burnish her credentials by taking credit for homes permitted under her predecessors.
Beacon Hill Should Be Bargain-Hunting on Infrastructure Right Now
Amid a big drop-off in private-sector construction, a relatively booming public sector beckons for contractors seeking to stay afloat.
Healey’s Pro-Housing Nonprofit Seems to Rack Up Few Wins
The nonprofit Gov. Maura Healey formed to help fund pro-housing fights appears to be doing just enough to anger some local voters but only delivering modest financial support for its cause.
State Needs New MBTA Communities Strategy
The debacle in Needham last week should be a wake-up call for the Healey administration, which needs to reconsider its whole approach.
Why It Matters that Mass. Is Missing Out on the Data Center Boom
Despite being home to research powerhouse, Massachusetts is nowhere to be found on the top 15 markets across the country for data centers. That’s hurting our ability to access this new source of blue-collar jobs.
Could North-South Rail Link Help Build More Housing?
It could be just the ticket to stop the MBTA in its tracks as it forges ahead with one of the most outrageous government boondoggles in recent years.
In White Stadium Fight, Echoes of Boston’s Past
A quarter-century separates Boston Mayor Michelle Wu’s controversial soccer arena plans and the city’s last major sports stadium battle. Could they end the same way?
Government Workers Are Key to Downtown Boston’s Revival
Boston’s mayor and Massachusetts’ governor have been cheerleaders for downtown firms to bring their employees back to the office full-time. But they could be doing a lot more with their own workforces.
Boston Mayor Angers Neighborhood Activists
Has Boston Mayor Michelle Wu managed to unite real estate developers and neighborhood activists against her with pending tax increases on homeowners and the White Stadium redevelopment?
Mass. Is Losing Our Youngest. Blame Taxes and the Cost of Living
A pair of studies suggest the accelerating departures mean a state revenue bump from the Millionaires Tax will be relatively fleeting.
A Top Developer’s Stark Warning on Housing Construction
Don’t look now, but the housing shortage that has driven home prices and rents to insane levels is about to get even worse. And many towns and cities still aren’t doing their part.
Lower Fed Rates Haven’t Opened the Housing Floodgates
Developers pulled building permits for just 82 new Boston units in the last two months, the worst fall showing in nearly a decade. The cost of city policies is partly to blame.
Notable Biz Groups Absent from Deal on Boston Tax Rate Hikes
Next time it may not be so easy for Boston’s mayor. And given current market trends, not only will there almost certainly be a next time, and it won’t be long in coming, either.
On Linnaean Street, a Divide that Helps Keep Housing Costly
It was one of the most telling exchanges of Democratic Sen. Elizabeth Warren’s debate with Republican challenger John Deaton. And it reveals a lot about why bolder action on housing costs has been so elusive.
Boston Faces a Bigger Office – and Budget – Crisis Than You Think
Gone unnoticed amid all the heated debate are signs that the underlying problem – the decline in office building values – may be even more serious than first thought.
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