Winthrop Center | 115 Winthrop Square | Financial District

Re: 111 Federal St. | Formerly Trans National Place (Winthrop Square) Part 2

+1 ^
 
Re: 111 Federal St. | Formerly Trans National Place (Winthrop Square) Part 2

JeffDowntown said:
Because not every development really adds long term value to the city.

I know this is subjective, but there are essentially two questions that should be answered for a development to qualify for tax incentives:

1) Can we, the City, only get the development we want (when we want it) on this site with incentives? (it is both what and when that matter)

2) Is the value that development creates for the City greater than the cost of the incentives?
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So the real question is Who actually determines who gets the tax incentives to help their projects move forward?

This is only based on somebody's opinion that this project would add long-term value to the city.

In theory every project creates real jobs and Tax revenue.
What is the difference between one location or the other? Basically somebody opinion.
 
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Re: 111 Federal St. | Formerly Trans National Place (Winthrop Square) Part 2

TheRifleman said:
So the real question is Who actually determines who gets the tax incentives to help their projects move forward?

This is only based on somebody's opinion that this project would add long-term value to the city.

In theory every project creates real jobs and Tax revenue.
What is the difference between one location or the other? Basically somebody opinion.
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Yes, but you missed filter number one -- incentives are only warranted if we can only get those jobs and tax revenue (and other benefits from development, housing, nice skyline, street activation, collateral development, marketable industries....) by way of the incentives.

Subjective -- sure, like most of life. Everything is a judgment call on some level.

Can it be abused -- obviously, like almost everything involving money.

So should we never offer incentives because they are a judgment call and can be abused? If we never did anything that was a judgment call or could be abused, life (and our City) would be pretty boring.
 
Re: 111 Federal St. | Formerly Trans National Place (Winthrop Square) Part 2

The issuance of an RFP for this site is on the agenda for the BRA Board meeting today. Participants will not be limited to the 8 who responded to the RFI that was issued what seems like eons ago. You can read the BRA Board memo regarding the proposed RFP by clicking on the link in today's BRA Board agenda.
 
Re: 111 Federal St. | Formerly Trans National Place (Winthrop Square) Part 2

Ooh Shirley's not gonna be happy!
 
Re: 111 Federal St. | Formerly Trans National Place (Winthrop Square) Part 2

I think Shirley's right on this one - following the rules / law is often the right thing to do.
 
Re: 111 Federal St. | Formerly Trans National Place (Winthrop Square) Part 2

I think Shirley is wrong, which I have been vocal about on boston.com messageboards

Putting ones own zealotrous ideology ahead of the collective good is the definition of selfishness. This site needs to be developed and every year it does not get developed is 15-20 million dollars a year less for the City, money that will presumable come from the taxpayers.

To stop a project that would have this kind of benefit over a procedural matter, that may (and I stress may) get the city a few pennies back more but jeapordizes the whole project whoch could bring back hundreds of millions to the city, simply because you don't believe in development is absurd

No reasonable person could look at the location of this project and say it is not a good place for a large development
 
Re: 111 Federal St. | Formerly Trans National Place (Winthrop Square) Part 2

+1 ^
 
Re: 111 Federal St. | Formerly Trans National Place (Winthrop Square) Part 2

++1^
 
Re: 111 Federal St. | Formerly Trans National Place (Winthrop Square) Part 2

This is an unseemingly quick turn around for an RFP for a major property. I question the wisdom of the timeframe. Double the response time and you avoid the appearance of impropriety. And probably save time over the long haul that will be wasted over the need to justify the unnecessarily short time frames.

Just so you know where I'm coming from, I favor a nice big building here, want the tax revenue, and have significant experience litigating bidding issues!
 
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Re: 111 Federal St. | Formerly Trans National Place (Winthrop Square) Part 2

I assume that it's 30 days to respond after the RFP is issued, correct? Either way it's quick for a development of this magnitude. It seems geared towards those that have already submitted on the RFI. A lot of those proposals were pretty well developed.
 
Re: 111 Federal St. | Formerly Trans National Place (Winthrop Square) Part 2

Accordia!
 
Re: 111 Federal St. | Formerly Trans National Place (Winthrop Square) Part 2

I need height, I need significance and I need brilliance

Accordia. Or someone needs to surprise us
 
Re: 111 Federal St. | Formerly Trans National Place (Winthrop Square) Part 2

bobthebuilder said:
I assume that it's 30 days to respond after the RFP is issued, correct? Either way it's quick for a development of this magnitude. It seems geared towards those that have already submitted on the RFI. A lot of those proposals were pretty well developed.
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Yeah. Most can just resubmit their RFI proposals as the RFP. The developers went waaaaay overboard on the RFI, which is a good sign of the eagerness to build here.
 
Re: 111 Federal St. | Formerly Trans National Place (Winthrop Square) Part 2

So what happens to all those submissions made last time? (Last April.)
 
Re: 111 Federal St. | Formerly Trans National Place (Winthrop Square) Part 2

JohnAKeith said:
So what happens to all those submissions made last time? (Last April.)
Click to expand...

See my post literally above yours. The "submissions" last time weren't submissions at all. They were just supposed to be Requests for Interest (RFI) letters. Instead the developers went nuts and pretty much did Request for Proposal (RFP) work. They'll probably just resubmit and possibly do some very rough Schematic Design stuff like programming, plan & section sketches, etc.
 
Re: 111 Federal St. | Formerly Trans National Place (Winthrop Square) Part 2

Don't you know by now I don't actually read anyone's posts I just randomly post shit and rant?
 
Re: 111 Federal St. | Formerly Trans National Place (Winthrop Square) Part 2

Sort of shit and run, eh?
 
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