Downtown Crossing/Financial District | Discussion

Whew. Bullet dodged for now ... but for how long?

Wayside Commons in Burlington is also on the closing list. And that's a pretty recently opened store, too.

Strange that Borders gave that list to the WSJ but didn't put it on their own website nor on bordersreorganization.com .
 
Ron Newman said:
If that happened, the building would be reverting to its original purpose. But that would be a shame for the plaza and the shopping area.
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not only that but, with the closing of Barns and Noble several years ago, that would leave zero book sellers in the area save for the vintage/used/collectors stores.
 
Peabody B&N: North Shore Mall
Burlington B&N: Burlington Mall

Closing Peabody Borders: North Shore Mall
Closing Burlington Borders: Burlington Mall


Not sure on others.
 
The Burlington Borders is at Wayside Crossing, several miles away from the Burlington Mall. (The Burlington B&N is across the street from the Mall.)
 
Ron Newman said:
The Burlington Borders is at Wayside Crossing, several miles away from the Burlington Mall. (The Burlington B&N is across the street from the Mall.)
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When I Google'd it, it looked like it was right down the road. I just checked again (don't know why, but definitely looks different from last time) but it's still pretty close. Nobody is going to walk to it here, so it's still in good competition with this B&N, IMO.
 
Wow, Google Maps is way way off for the location of the Burlington Barnes & Noble (it's across Middlesex Turnpike from the Mall, not way up by Sun Microsystems).

I'm surprised to see that it's only two miles from the Burlington Borders, because it certainly feels like longer -- maybe because of the huge hill you have to climb to get from one to the other.

Anyway, we should probably find a different thread for discussing this chain's problems outside Downtown Crossing.
 
http://www.bostonredevelopmentautho...ch-lecture-series-creating-bostons-first-bid/

Creating Boston?s First BID:* Developing and Launching
The Downtown Boston Business Improvement District
March 24, 2011
12-1pm

Presented By:
Rosemarie E. Sansone
President, Downtown Boston Business Improvement District Corporation
John Rattigan Chairman, Downtown Boston Business Improvement District Corporation
Partner, DLA Piper
Jane Williams
Vice President, Downtown Boston Business Improvement District Corporation
Managing Director, ING Clarion Partners
Blair McBride
Vice President, Block-by-Block
Jack Spurr, Treasurer, Downtown Boston Business Improvement District Corporation
President, A.W. Perry Inc.
Kate Trainor
Vice President, CHT Group
In just a few shorts weeks The Downtown Boston Business Improvement District (BID)?the first-ever in the City of Boston?will officially begin delivering supplemental services for Downtown Boston, including hospitality and cleaning ambassadors, capital upgrades, beautification programs, and enhanced marketing/promotions. This lunchtime discussion will cover the formation, planning, implementation and public launch of the Downtown Boston BID.
Hear from BID property owners and board members, public relations experts, and a nationally recognized BID management vendor about this exciting new entity in the heart of Downtown, which includes Downtown Crossing and also the Theater, Ladder and Financial Districts.
BRA Board Room, 9th Floor, City Hall
RSVP: Marketing.bra @cityofboston.gov
SAVE-THE-DATE: March 31st, 1pm-2pm
BOSTON?S COMPLETE STREETS INITIATIVE
Design Guidelines*for Multimodal, Green and Smart*Public Spaces
Vineet Gupta, Director of Planning
Boston Transportation Department
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It is VOLUNTARY! There is no police power behind enforing this, therefore it is not a tax. You can call it a "tax" (or a "tree", or a "cow bell", or a "Susan" or anything else you may want) but you will be wrong because it is not and will not be a tax.
Words have meanings. This is important.
 
Payment is voluntary, but non-participation in a BID has serious consequences.

Representatives of the Downtown Boston Business Improvement District Corporation have been willing to issue press releases in an attempt to tarnish the reputations of those property owners that are unwilling to pay.

The Boston Globe Editorial Board followed up on a recent article with this assessment, "By refusing to contribute to this initiative, Equity Office Properties, Tishman Speyer, the Napoli Group, and others have signaled a lack of civic commitment."

This type of PR effort may impact a non-participating property owner's hard-earned reputation, and that owner's right to privacy.

And if you have business before the City, you'd be wise to know how your bread is buttered.

As a final word, the current administration at City Hall attempted and failed to find the legal means to make BIDs mandatory.

I'm sure that process to make participation mandatory continues.
 
So, the BID is created, but where is/was it written that the 'Downtown Crossing Partnership' would be in charge of it? Shouldn't the BID contributors be able to choose who leads their group, not the DCP?

This smells like shit.
 
Will it improve the district, and help fill retail vacancies? If it does, I'm for it, no matter how it is governed and financed.
 
To clarify what you mean by "it" in the question "Will it improve the district?"

"It" is a select group of property owners that will now pay $1.10 per 1000 square feet.

In addition to their property taxes.

In addition to paying 5-7% property tax hikes each year, as I do as a resident of Boston.

While other property owners are exempted from property taxes.

And while the City abandons its own obligations to Downtown Crossing and abutting neighborhoods, offloading responsibility for maintenance and programming to unelected boards of BIDs, Conservancies and "Friends of ______" organizations.

Do you support the creation of a BID at any cost, despite the fact that inequities in the proposed system resulted in questions regarding the legality of mandatory collections?
 
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I guess it's a matter of personal opinion.

I'm not a fan of Union Square. More generally, I'm not a fan of districts in NYC or SF where management of large tracts of land, including its civic and public spaces, have been turned over to the enlightened self-interest of property owners.

Unlike Boston, NYC and SF are large cities, so areas that are Disney-esque may have a place ? there are plenty of other "downtown" districts for me to enjoy. I resist the notion that Downtown Crossing is better off in the hands of an unelectable board which is likely to be dominated by larger property owners who can afford the time and cost of diligent participation.

And I question the idea that the City collects property taxes purportedly for some of the same purposes with which the BID is also collecting fees. I'd like to know if City Hall is turning over property taxes to the Downtown Crossing BID (as I think the City of SF does with the Union Square Park BID).

As for Post Office Park, I've weighed in before about that. To a degree it serves as an example of what I am saying above. It works incredibly well because it serves the enlightened self-interest of its caretakers ? predominately owners of office buildings. So, it looks pristine, is incredibly active from 11-1 PM on weekdays. It serves no other purpose whatsoever, and doesn't have to. Most other uses of ordinary parks are not allowed in Post Office Square Park, which makes sense for that particular location. The RKG Conservancy is already moving to restrict certain recreational activities which don't serve the enlightened self-interest of its administrators.
 
statler said:
It is VOLUNTARY! There is no police power behind enforing this, therefore it is not a tax. You can call it a "tax" (or a "tree", or a "cow bell", or a "Susan" or anything else you may want) but you will be wrong because it is not and will not be a tax.
Words have meanings. This is important.
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The reality is if you don't participate in BID the city won't provide it's daily duties that it should be providing with basic tax's, now you will be in the blackbook not to get any city services on regular basis. This is nothing more than an old fashion shakedown mobster style.
 
Sure whatever, but it still not a tax.

It's not just a matter of semantics. There is a long, complex legal history behind what can and cannot be considered a tax. The distinction between the two is actually quite important to how our society functions.
 
The cities of Boston and San Francisco don't differ that much in population.

I'm willing to give this experiment a chance because it's clear that current policies and practices aren't sufficient to keep the district healthy.
 
I agree with Ron. If DTX were closer to functional, I might be suspicious of instituting a BID, but the truth is we need a hail mary, and this is it.

Also (again agreeing with Ron), how can Sicilian make the statement that San Francisco is big "unlike Boston," when they are physically nearly identical in size, and fairly close in population?
 
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