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Walsh proposes 42% increase in housing, job-training fees that developers of larger projects have to pay
By adamg on Tue, 02/09/2021 - 11:43am
Mayor Walsh said today he's asking the BPDA board to approve the increase in the "linkage" fees developers pay the city for the right to put up new buildings.
Under Walsh's proposal, which goes before the BPDA board on Thursday, developers of projects large enough to require BPDA oversight would have to pay a fee of $15.39 per square foot, of which $13 would go into a BPDA fund for building or acquiring affordable housing and $2.39 would go into a similar BPDA fund aimed at workforce training.
By increasing Linkage requirements we will substantially increase revenue streams to fund the affordable housing and workforce training programs that will help our residents recover and thrive in a post-COVID economy.
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Comments
how about
how about keeping the linkage fees in the neighborhood that's being affected!
right now the Fenway is getting killed with developments, and almost all of the linkage fees are going to other neighborhoods, rather than preserving housing affordability for people who work in the Fenway who would like to live near where they work
How about no?
Why should someone else pay your rent?
it wasn’t
for me
Some of us think about the welfare of others.
Do you ever?
2017 report
Here's a report from 2017 showing what the Neighborhood Housing Trust has done with $135M over the years. I'm sure there are reasons for it, but the money is certainly spent more in some neighborhoods than others. Only 2 projects and less than 1% of the money was spent in Allston-Brighton
https://www.boston.gov/sites/default/files/embed/n/nht_report_2017_17010...
Great job!
Keep piling those fees on until only $3000/sqft Seaport condos are profitable, that'll take care of housing shortage!
MA sure loves a good lottery system
Which is what "affordable" housing is at the end of the day. Sadly, enough people in charge actually believe that think that these fees don't just get passed onto the people buying the housing. And enough people voting believe those people are actually doing something that isn't grossly counter-productive
Which to review, current policy primarily ensures:
1. The middle not qualifying for assistance is squeezed out further (as demand for assistance rises and must be found in more and more places like these fees)
2. The only people who are able to pay will be the wealthiest… yet are increasingly mobile and able to work remote, and likely to be the ones leaving for places that don't have backward housing policy in time leaving things in a pretty bad state.
California is going to be caught up in a remote work whirlwind, losing significant tax revenue to other states soon enough. We'll see what happens here… but it mostly appears we're making the same mistakes.
Deregulate housing across the GBA and drive the cost to build down. It's the only way out of this.
Exactly
All the red tape and fees make new construction extremely expensive for developers, and needless to say developers are not charities and if it costs them a minimum of $600/sqft to build things will only get built in places where prospective buyers are willing to pay mote than $600/sqft.
Yeah
"We keep raising the cost of building. Why aren't prices falling?"
Housing for whom? The
Housing for whom? The number of homeless people wandering streets all over the city and its neighborhoods has increased and they all look to be in pretty bad shape physically and mentally.
What a charming farewell gift
What a charming farewell gift from Marty. This along with his police commissioner appointment make one wonder what other surprises are in store as he heads for the door.
Developers want the good old days
When they just had to grease the palms of a few dirty politicians, now they have to bribe and pay an increased fee?
Developers
Want money, and all the fees and red tape ensure that nothing but the most expensive apartments in the most expensive parts of the city make them that money. Which leaves you and everyone else demanding even more fees fighting over that $599,999 900sqft flat in a crumbling triple-decker on a garbage-strewn street because the only new construction apartments still profitable after all those fees are in the seven figure range.
I'm not demanding more fees.
I was making an observation on what the Developers will now face if the increased fees are approved.
Bribes and increased fees.
Oh Marty, have the padre
Oh Marty, have the padre punch your ticket on your way out the door.