Partners vice president Rich Copp stressed that the organization will continue to maintain its corporate headquarters and roughly 10 million square feet of space in Boston. But Partners estimates that it would cost $50 million more to build the project in Boston than it will in Somerville. And that didn’t sit well with an organization struggling to bring down the cost of health care, said Copp.
Mayor Tom Menino scoffs at the $50 million price differential and called Partners’ decision “a big disgrace.’’ Besides, say members of the Menino administration, Partners is sitting pretty on almost $3 billion worth of tax-exempt property in the city. If taxed at the commercial rate, Partners would have to pony up $92 million annually, according to the city assessor’s office. Meanwhile, it pitches in about $14 million in voluntary payments in lieu of taxes and community benefits.
It’s safe to assume that Partners would have warmed up to the parcel in Roxbury if Menino had been sticking around for another four years. After all, he understands power and how to wield it to help the city’s poor. With Menino out of the way, however, the temptation to embrace a hot new address in Somerville could only grow stronger.
