Commercial Interests
A Banker & Tradesman Blog
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.
The Worst of Boston’s Tax Problems May Be Yet to Come
The good news is that Boston’s 2025 tax revenue crisis may not be as bad as some have feared. The bad news is office values may have further to fall.
State Leaders Celebrate Without a Victory
If political happy talk could be converted into housing units, the cost of a home wouldn’t be nearing $1 million in Greater Boston. But it’s a reality our state and local pols seem incapable of grasping.
Muted Reaction to Wu’s $100M Housing Fund, Return of Top Planner
Developers and real estate executives weren’t tapping furiously at their keyboards and burning up my phone line in praise of the mayor’s announcement of a $100 million “Housing Acceleration Fund.”
Progressive Leader Misses the Mark with Housing Plan
Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez rose to national prominence with her Green New Deal. Now, she’s turning her attention to the nation’s housing crisis with similar fanciful thinking.
The Fed’s Cuts Come Too Late for Housing
The Fed’s long-awaited cut comes too late to save the housing market, which is now mired in what is likely to be a prolonged slump that could take years to climb out of.
YIMBYs Should Fear Trojan Horse Accusations
If huge housing complexes next to transit hubs are allowed to become the de facto symbol of YIMBYism, the cause is all but doomed in our politically polarized country.
Beacon Hill Should Examine Deeper Cause of Biomanufacturing Shrinkage
The reminders are all around us that Massachusetts helped give birth to the Industrial Revolution. We still can revive that legacy with attention from state leaders.
YIMBYs Look to Dems with Hope
Has the national Democratic Party finally embraced the YIMBY cause? It certainly feels that way after two big speeches in the last 10 days.
Big Landlords, Big Rent Increases and Big Mistakes
When will local progressive politicians see – and act – on how their policies are enabling sizable rent increases by stifling housing construction?
Beacon Hill’s Mad Dash Ends in Frustration
Each of the high-profile bills Beacon Hill passed or failed to pass last week deserved public scrutiny and debate, including votes at normal times open for all the public to see.
Madame Vice President, Look to Mass., Not California
Kamala Harris should look to former Boston Mayor Marty Walsh, Gov. Maura Healey and former Gov. Charlie Baker for tips on winning over swing states with a pro-growth agenda.
Rent Control? Say It Ain’t So, Joe
President Joe Biden last week jettisoned decades spent crafting an image as a moderate Democrat in a transparent ploy to rally party progressives to his foundering campaign.
Beacon Hill Faces New Housing Choice
A YIMBY tide is rolling across the nation. And the only question for Massachusetts is whether it will ride it willingly or get dragged along kicking and screaming in its wake.
The Case of the Missing ‘Housing Bubble’
The last time home prices went on an epic tear, there was no escaping the talk of a real estate bubble. This time, the commentariat is far more sanguine despite our epic housing supply-demand imbalance.
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