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.
Has the Post-COVID Economy Broken Inclusionary Zoning?
Bravo to Mayor Michelle Wu and her team for thinking boldly about ways the city can get housing development unstuck. But her preferred solution – significant tax breaks – raises questions about the viability of high affordable housing mandates.
A Developer Poised to Capitalize Market Conditions
Turbulent financial markets have whipsawed the commercial real estate industry, but from where Cappy Daume sits at The Davis Cos., evaluating potential acquisitions, there’s a lot of opportunity to take advantage of the situation.
Condo Construction on Collision Course with IDP Changes
Policymakers in Boston could be facing a catch-22 while pursuing a pair of popular but potentially contradictory goals: encouraging developers to build more residential condominiums while requiring a higher percentage of income-restricted units.
What Do North End Restaurants and Development Fees Have in Common?
What does Boston Mayor Michelle Wu’s decision to ban outdoor dining in the North End have to do with her increasingly controversial real estate policies? More than you might think.
Top Official Disputes Wu’s Policies Aiding Development Downturn
Sheila Dillon, Boston’s chief of housing, lays the blame for a downturn in the construction of new units at the feet of larger economic headwinds and high interest rates.
Overseeing a Diversifying Portfolio in Massachusetts
Gary Kerr is the face of Greystar’s expanding profile in Massachusetts commercial real estate, as its developments rise in East Bridgewater, Somerville and Everett.
Michelle Wu’s High-Wire Act
Will Boston’s mayor kill the city’s golden goose? That’s the question on the lips of many in the development community as Michelle Wu lays out her proposals to increase development fees and affordable housing requirements.
Boston Affordability Hikes Could Backfire, Other Cities Show
Boston Mayor Michelle Wu has rolled the dice on maybe one of the biggest gambles she’ll take in office. But Cambridge’s and San Francisco’s experiences with similar affordability mandates suggest Wu risks curtailing Boston housing construction.
Letter to the Editor: Wu Just Did Suburbs a Favor
A dramatic hike in Boston’s linkage fees for all types of new commercial projects, with a big penalty aimed at biolabs will benefit Boston’s neighbors.
Wu Confirms Rent Control Pitch Coming Next Year
Despite the uncertain environment facing the real estate world as 2023 looms, Boston Mayor Michelle Wu says she still plans to bring a rent control proposal to state legislators “their next legislative session opens up in 2023.”
Why Is Wu Excluding Vocal Opponents from Key Real Estate Panels?
In what looks to be an emerging trend, Boston’s mayor is leaning heavily on housing advocates for advice on highly-charged real estate issues, while excluding outspoken critics.
Fair Housing Struggles Far from Over
Boston should add new enforcement clout to its fair housing policies as vulnerable populations contend with higher-than-ever roadblocks to keeping roofs over their heads, concludes a report culminating a three-year study of local conditions.
Boston’s Inclusionary Development Program Is Not a Panacea
IDP does not successfully address the more systemic, underlying issues of destabilized neighborhoods. But what it can do and has done is create needed affordable housing that would not otherwise be built.
New Routes to Affordability in the Fenway
As the Fenway, Chinatown and South End continue to face gentrification and housing displacement pressures, contributions from four private developers could deliver more than 700 new income-restricted housing units in coming years.
‘Herculean’ Efforts Preserve 97 Affordable Units in Lower Roxbury
A partnership between Fenway Community Development Corp. and Schochet Cos. will renovate and preserve affordability for 97 housing units in Lower Roxbury.
New IDP Delivers On Mayor’s Goals
Shortly after taking office in 2014, Boston Mayor Martin Walsh issued a detailed report entitled “Housing a Changing City,” with ambitious plans to create 53,000 new dwelling units in Boston by 2030 for a population expected to exceed 700,000 residents by that date.
