JohnAKeith
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The New Retail Thread
- Thread starter jass
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Empty buildings are blight. The BRA should take them by eminent domain.
fattony
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I'm not sure that tactic would lead to a robust retail environment. You'd end up with the city owning a bunch of empty buildings that nobody would ever consider buying (lest it get snatched away on the city's next whim).
A tax surcharge on vacant storefronts might be a little less draconian.
FenwayResident
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Maybe a tax surcharge that increases for every year the store is vacant? For the sake of argument, let's say there'd be no charge for the first year, then a quick ramp up to something untenable like 25% of assessed value per year after five years.
That would certainly discourage owners to sit on empty storefronts for years at a time (or even decades, if you look at Sahara Syrian Restaurant in the South End). It also wouldn't hurt owners that experience normal turnover.
The state won't let the city (or any municipality) impose their own taxes.
Give them to DND to redevelop as housing and local small business storefronts. Just the idea of this happening would kick Drucker et al into redeveloping the buildings.
JumboBuc
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The city has control over how it applies and assesses its property taxes. Just as they charge higher taxes on non-owner-occupied housing they could charge higher taxes on on non-occupied retail space.
No, they do not have that ability without permission from the state. For example, the residential exemption is allowed by the law in Chapter 59, Section 5C. There is nothing similar for non-occupied retail space.
Of course, you're obviously referring to a different BRA other than the one that was officially found to be "incapable of... collecting rents on public property."
And of course the BRA can always, always be trusted when selling off blighted property to not rig the appraisal/sales process so as to reward its friends/punish its foes.
And of course the BRA, as a governmental entity, can always, always be trusted to strive at all costs to not miss a favorable market cycle in all aspects of its buying/managing/selling of any properties...
lol.
JohnAKeith
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! Mohr & McPherson in the South End has announced they're closing (retiring) in November, according to the South End Community Board.
https://www.facebook.com/groups/SountEndCB/
https://www.facebook.com/groups/SountEndCB/
I drove through downtown waltham the other day, and I'm surprised that none of the retail at the merc on Moody and main has been rented out. Waltham must have a glut in retail space with that, all of the older businesses on Moody and main, the new Polaroid development, the newish main Street market place, and a new small strip mall on trapelo road. I have a feeling that Waltham is just overbuilt with retail, it stinks that such a central location has so many empty spots.
BostonDrew
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A new restaurant is already slated to open in the Tavern Road space by the end of this year: http://www.bostonmagazine.com/restaurants/blog/2017/09/06/smoke-shop-fort-point/
tjrileymass
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Waltham has a (rather stupid in my opinion) policy whereupon expanding or incoming business have to pay for sewer (influx and infiltration) improvements.
The effect is that Waltham only gets cellphone stores and hair/nail salons for the most part.
Cool. Never been to the Smoke Shop location in Kendall, but have heard good things. Looking forward to it and am glad that it adds some variety to the area.
For all of Moody St.'s funky quirky charm, the fact is the immediate surrounding neighborhoods are low-income, with small exceptions. So, yes, plenty of affluent out-of-towners drive in on weekends to support the scattered posh restaurants. But, draw a 5-minute, 10-minute, 15-minute walking radius and get average household income for those concentric rings? That's not going to get you anything remotely competitive to lure competitive retail. In that sense, not surprising at all that it's sat unoccupied.
Smoke Shop BBQ is awesome. One of the best around Boston (still doesn't hold a candle to the south....) -- and will be a great replacement for Tavern Road. They do a big takeout business, too. Very helpful for Fort Point to have both options.