Facing criticism for not addressing steep tax hikes in Boston and a legislative stalemate on Beacon Hill, the Senate plans to sidestep the House and possibly advance its own proposal that could deliver limited relief in any Massachusetts city or town.
The solutions are viewed as either a Band-Aid or desperately needed residential relief, but it’s clear that property taxes in the city of Boston are again a focus of City Hall and State House debate.
Boston residential property tax bills are projected to increase an average 13 percent starting in January, reflecting continuing declines in commercial valuations that pass the bill to homeowners.
Twenty-seven years after it was first conceived, developer Hines’ South Station Tower finally opened Thursday afternoon to the sounds of a French jazz trio.
Opponents of Boston’s downtown “Skyline” rezoning proposal are mounting a last-minute campaign as it heads to a vote of the Boston Planning & Development Agency board of directors Thursday.
After suffering a blistering preliminary election loss to incumbent Boston Mayor Michelle Wu, Josh Kraft announced Thursday night that he’s suspending his campaign.
The first residents of the first downtown Boston office building converted to apartments with city tax incentives have moved in.
Boston Mayor Michelle Wu announced Monday her administration is putting $200,000 into a new pilot program called SHORE-UP aimed at helping seniors stay in their homes long enough to access affordable housing units.
Boston needs to further streamline its permitting to accelerate housing development and fight displacement, according to comments received in response to the city’s first-ever anti-displacement plan.
Boston Mayor Michelle Wu and challenger Josh Kraft sparred over the latest report predicting a steep decline in office valuations and the implications for the city’s fiscal health.
Both Moody’s Analytics and S&P Global said office tower values could fall further, but many homeowners can afford to pick up the slack in city property tax collections.
His abrupt reversal comes after his entry into the race was all but assured last week, and leaves the field to Mayor Michelle Wu and other challengers hoping to topple the first-term incumbent.
The city will also launch its first-ever anti-displacement program, Mayor Michelle Wu said during her annual State of the City address.
The senator who last year was one of the most vocal opponents of a Boston Mayor Michelle Wu plan to shift property taxes more onto commercial payers said he is friendlier to parts of a new-filed tax relief package meant to temper residential tax spikes through a plan tied to rebates.
It’s massive, it’s divisive, but no matter what you think of it, it’s undeniably emblematic of a key moment in city history. And now, Boston City Hall has the historic landmark designation to prove it.
“We don’t have time at the city level to play games,” Boston Mayor Michelle Wu said on GBH’s “Boston Public Radio” on Wednesday.
Despite compromises struck between the city and stakeholders, Spilka said she has “heard clearly that there currently is not sufficient support for this proposal.”
Sen. William Brownsberger, who represents parts of Boston and is the number-three Democrat in the Senate, called for the bill to be laid aside and for Boston to finalize its property tax rates without any shift.
Business organizations urged Beacon Hill legislators to pause approval of a new property tax structure raising rates on commercial properties in Boston following the release of new assessment data.
A Boston senator delayed action on a controversial home rule petition for the second time this week, pushing consideration off after new data emerged about the city’s property tax outlook.
