News: Wu’s housing play

Friday, April 22, 2022

Wu’s housing play

Apr 22, 2022

Presented by National Grid

PLANS ARE USELESS, PLANNING IS INDISPENSABLE — Boston's development community is recalibrating after a week of rapid-fire announcements that set the stage and the stakes for Mayor Michelle Wu's housing policies.

Brian Golden, the longest-serving director of the Boston Planning and Development Agency, announced his resignation last week. A Walsh administration appointee, Golden oversaw a substantial modernization of the beleaguered BPDA, which controls some 13 million square feet of real estate in the city, as well as a shift toward long-term planning, not just fast-paced construction.

But those changes are still considered, by some, to be more of a rebrand than true reform. That includes Wu, who ran for mayor with plans to "abolish" the agency, which has been criticized for a history of messy bookkeeping, opaque processes and aggressive use of its powers that predated Golden. And she pledged to separate city planning from developers' project approvals. Now HUD alum Arthur Jemison is coming in as Wu's chief of planning to shake things up.

Here's where it gets tricky: Jemison is also expected to be appointed as the BPDA's new director in May. That's creating some confusion about his obligations to the 234 employees who would answer to him — and, by extension, the mayor — because the BPDA is technically an independent state-established agency, which past mayors have often used to maintain plausible deniability about their influence over city development.

The BPDA is also bleeding staff. Eighteen BPDA staffers left in 2020, followed by 47 in 2021 and another 15 so far this year. That's not counting the seven staffers who have submitted their resignations but have not yet departed. Attempts to fill the 35 open full-time posts at the agency are haunted by the prospect that the whole place could be gutted, sources tell Playbook.

The stakes are expensive. Boston's budget lives or dies by the building market, with about 70 percent of its annual revenue coming from new development and property taxes. If the development pipeline tanks, so do the most reliable streams of cash for the mayor's ambitious long-term projects like expanding affordable housing. At the same time, affordable housing advocates have been calling for a slowdown in development until more robust planning can take place, fearing widespread displacement.

Political observers and the development community see two paths. On one hand, Jemison is an established figure in the Massachusetts housing world — a former employee of the development agency and a Patrick administration housing and community development alum who's worked in Boston, Detroit and Washington, D.C. He could be a long-term bridge between Wu and the BPDA, which are in a chilly communication cycle.

But that's going to be a lot harder if Wu follows through on literally abolishing the BPDA. The mayor's been dodging questions recently about her intentions. Either way, she'd need the support of lawmakers: any effort to strip the agency's powers or abolish it entirely would need to go through the Boston City Council and the state Legislature.

Right now, the mayor is extending an olive branch to developers. The Boston Globe reported this week that the mayor will be hosting a select group of Boston real estate heavyweights at the Parkman House later this month. Jemison himself may attend, but an invitation obtained by Playbook says city brass, including "representatives" from the BPDA, will join the mayor.

GOOD FRIDAY MORNING, MASSACHUSETTS. I'm Jennifer Smith , a Boston-based reporter and Lisa's co-host on The Horse Race podcast. She handed me the Playbook reins for the day, and instead of letting her rest I talked her ear off about Boston development and now you all get to come with us. If you want to hear me talk about something else, something a bit more gubernatorial, I'm on GBH's "Talking Politics" this evening with Adam Reilly and the Boston Globe's Adrian Walker. And for the third day/night in a row, huge thanks to Madison Fernandez.

TODAY — Rep. Jim McGovern meets with agriculture advocacy groups at 9:30 a.m. in Lancaster. Sen. Elizabeth Warren discusses the need for continued public investments in rail at 11:05 a.m. at North Shore Community College. Boston Mayor Michelle Wu hosts an Earth Day Celebration at noon in Chinatown and offers remarks at a community Iftar dinner at 7 p.m. in Roxbury.

THIS WEEKEND — Sen. Ed Markey hosts a media availability about his visits to Poland and Brussels at 11 a.m. Saturday at the JFK Federal Building in Boston. State Rep. Tami Gouveia kicks off a signature-collecting drive for her LG bid at 11 a.m. Saturday in Lowell. COP26 President Alok Sharma speaks at Tufts' Fletcher School at noon on Saturday.

SUNDAY SHOWS — Northeastern journalism professor Dan Kennedy is on WBZ's "Keller @ Large" at 8:30 a.m. Sunday. Rep. Ayanna Pressley is on WCVB's "On the Record" at 11 a.m. Sunday.

Lisa's still under the weather, but please email all your tips and scoops her way: lkashinsky@politico.com.

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There Is A Better Way. National Grid is announcing our path to a fossil-free energy future. By using renewable natural gas, and green hydrogen produced from water using wind energy, we can achieve a fossil-free energy future by 2050 or earlier.

THE LATEST NUMBERS

— "Massachusetts reports 2,528 new COVID cases, virus hospitalizations increase," by Rick Sobey, Boston Herald: "The 2,528 daily virus cases in the state was down from 2,962 reported cases last Thursday. However, testing dropped 11% from last Thursday's report."

DATELINE BEACON HILL

— "Climate, downtowns, housing focus of Baker spending bill," by Shira Schoenberg, CommonWealth Magazine: "Gov. Charlie Baker on Wednesday filed a $3.5 billion economic development bill that focuses on climate-related projects, downtown revitalization, and housing. The bill is chock-full of specific local projects, a strategy likely aimed at getting the support of individual lawmakers — and getting municipal officials to lobby their lawmakers to pass it."

— " Ex-state lawmaker leaves prison for community confinement," by The Associated Press: "A former Massachusetts state lawmaker who pleaded guilty to various corruption charges has been released from prison and will serve the rest of his sentence in home confinement or at a halfway house. Former Democratic state Rep. David Nangle, of Lowell, was sentenced in September to 15 months in prison after pleading guilty to illegally using campaign funds to pay for personal expenses, defrauding a bank to obtain loans to buy a home and repay personal debts, and collecting income that he failed to report to the IRS."

— " AG Healey signs off on acquisition of state's largest independent doc group," by Jessica Bartlett, Boston Globe: "Massachusetts Attorney General Maura Healey's office has signed off on Optum's acquisition of Atrius Health for $236 million, a critical step to allowing the national health care group to acquire the state's largest independent physician organization. The deal will transition nearly all of Atrius's assets from a nonprofit to a for-profit entity and will still have to be reviewed by the state's Supreme Judicial Court."

— " Private pay childcare providers say they're being forgotten," by Shira Schoenberg, CommonWealth Magazine: "When the state required most daycares to close in the early days of the COVID pandemic, Gov. Charlie Baker reassured providers that they would continue getting state subsidies during the closure. … Two-plus years later, daycare providers who are paid privately by families say they continue to feel left out, struggling for acknowledgment in policies that prioritize providers who take state subsidies."

VAX-ACHUSETTS

— MORE GUIDELINES THAN ACTUAL RULES: Massachusetts cities and institutions experiencing an uptick in Covid-19 cases are suggesting people continue wearing masks indoors but stopping shy of issuing mandates (for now).

As Boston's positivity rate ticks up to 6.9 percent, Bisola Ojikutu , executive director of the Boston Public Health Commission said, "we are recommending that individuals protect themselves and others by masking indoors, particularly in crowded places."

In an campus-wide email obtained by Playbook, UMass Boston Chancellor Marcelo Suárez-Orozco said masks are "strongly recommended" on campus and required on UMass shuttles despite the MBTA dropping its mandate on buses and trains. Tufts University abandoned its plan to lift mask mandates this week, the Tufts Daily reported, as 6 percent of its undergraduates tested positive upon returning from spring break.

— "14 sick due to COVID-19 outbreak at Chelsea Soldiers' Home ," by Arianna MacNeill, Boston.com: "The cases were discovered during 'routine testing' over the holiday weekend, according to a statement from a spokesperson for the state Department of Veterans' Services. … The Soldiers' Home in Holyoke was the site of a major outbreak of COVID-19 in spring 2020. At least 76 residents died after testing positive. It's thought to be one of the worst outbreaks in a long-term care facility across the country."

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FROM THE HUB

— THE TONIEST OF TOWNS: The Globe has a rundown this week — complete with charts! — of American Community Survey five-year data on the wealthiest municipalities in the state.

Massachusetts is the state with the third-highest average annual household income, $84,385, behind only Maryland and New Jersey. Twenty Massachusetts cities and towns have no households reported below the poverty line — including Dover, where its just over 2,000 residents have a median household income of $250,000.

That's by no means the norm. Holyoke reported 23 percent of its residents live below the poverty line and a median household income of $43,537. Even closer to the Hub, Newton's $154,398 median household income is twice that of Boston as a whole.

— "'Just one paycheck away.' Report finds 142,000 low-income Mass. families need affordable housing," by Alexa Gagosz, Boston Globe: "The majority of the lowest-income renters in Massachusetts spend more than half of their income on housing alone, putting them at risk of homelessness, according to a newly released report. … In Massachusetts there are 47 rental homes for every 100 extremely low-income (also known as ELI) households, which are households with incomes at or below the poverty level of $32,000 for a household of four. In Rhode Island, that number is 51. In New Hampshire, it's 37."

— "Boston police unions threaten legal action over tear-gas ordinance," by Sean Philip Cotter, Boston Herald: "Some of the city's police unions are threatening legal action against Mayor Michelle Wu as they make noise about an ordinance passed last year around pepper spray and rubber bullets. The letter from the Boston Police Superior Officers Federation and the Boston Police Detectives Benevolent Society, dated Wednesday, is taking issue with the measure that limits the use of tear gas, pepper spray, rubber bullets, flash-bands, beanbag rounds and other related tools against protests, demonstrations or other gatherings of people. Cops now can only use such measures in narrowly defined situations and only after warnings."

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ON THE STUMP

HI PLAYBOOK FAM! Lisa here with a few quick dispatches:

— ABOUT THAT CLIMATE DEBATE: State attorney general hopefuls Shannon Liss-Riordan and Quentin Palfrey will take part in a climate debate hosted by 350 Mass in late May. Liss-Riordan's campaign says it's "unclear" whether Andrea Campbell will participate. Liss-Riordan challenged her rivals to a climate debate a couple weeks ago, things quickly escalated, and this is where we've ended up. "Perhaps the spirit of Earth Day will encourage Andrea to join us in this conversation," Liss-Riordan said in a statement.

— SPEAKING OF DEBATES: All three Democrats running for AG will participate in a Boston College Law School forum at noon next Thursday, moderated by the Boston Globe's Kimberly Atkins Stohr. GOP AG hopeful Jay McMahon declined to attend because of a prior commitment, organizers said.

— FEATURED SPEAKER: Rep. Byron Donalds (R-Fla.) will keynote the MassGOP convention next month in Springfield, Chair Jim Lyons announced yesterday, calling him "a shining example of what the Republican Party is all about" and "someone who is unafraid to speak out against the Democrats' radical agenda." Donalds is a conservative Black Republican and supporter of former President Donald Trump who pushes back against accusations that Republicans are racists.

— " Mass. lieutenant governors officially have little power. Yet 8 candidates are seeking the job," by Anthony Brooks, WBUR: "More people are running for lieutenant governor than for any other state office in Massachusetts. The current crop of eight candidates includes six Democrats (state Rep. Tami Gouveia, state Sen. Adam Hinds, Salem Mayor Kim Driscoll, state Sen. Eric Lesser, businessman Bret Bero and Scott Donohue); and two Republicans (former state Rep. Kate Campanale and former state Rep. Leah Cole Allen). But what's the attraction of a job with so few official duties?"

— " GOP governor hopefuls spar over Chris Doughty's debate challenge," by Amy Sokolow, Boston Herald: "GOP gubernatorial candidate Chris Doughty has repeatedly jabbed rival Geoff Diehl this month, urging him to accept a debate challenge ahead of the party's convention. Diehl has finally responded, with his own suggestions."

— WBUR's Miriam Wasser has a rundown of the Democratic gubernatorial hopefuls' "ambitious, but complicated" plans for climate change: "How should Mass. tackle climate change? Here's what the candidates for governor say."

PLANES, TRAINS AND AUTOMOBILES

— "Boston could allow double-decker buses, to dismay of some," by Marie Szanizslo, Boston Herald: "Three Boston sight-seeing businesses are fighting to prevent two double-decker bus companies from being approved by the city and state."

DAY IN COURT

— "Convicted Murderer Thomas Koonce Released From Prison," by WBZ: "Thomas Koonce, who was sentenced to life in prison for murder, has been freed."

JOIN US ON 4/29 FOR A WOMEN RULE DISCUSSION ON WOMEN IN TECH : Women, particularly women of color and women from disadvantaged socioeconomic backgrounds, have historically been locked out of the tech world. But this new tech revolution could be an opportunity for women to get in on the ground floor of a new chapter. Join POLITICO for an in-depth panel discussion on the future of women in tech and how to make sure women are both participating in this fast-moving era and have access to all it offers. REGISTER HERE.

IT'S NOT EASY BEING GREEN

— "U.S. Climate Envoy John Kerry stops by MIT to deliver urgent message on climate change," by Amy Sokolow, Boston Herald: "John Kerry, the country's first climate envoy, stopped by his home state, where he warned of the dangers of political polarization standing in the way of climate change."

FROM THE 413

— "Chicopee School Superintendent Lynn Clark indicted by federal grand jury for lying to FBI," by Jeanette DeForge, Springfield Republican: "A federal grand jury has indicted Chicopee Superintendent Lynn A. Clark on charges of making false statements to FBI agents investigating threatening messages to a candidate being considered for the police chief's position."

— "Massachusetts Trial Court says cleaning, filtration is addressing mold in Springfield courthouse ," by Jim Kinney, Springfield Republican: "Remediation efforts, upgraded building filtration and the use of portable air-cleaning units are addressing mold in the troubled Roderick L. Ireland Courthouse according to a report from the Massachusetts Trial Court."

— " UMass Amherst to transition campus to entirely renewable energy; officials to unveil details Friday," by Erin Tiernan, MassLive.

THE LOCAL ANGLE

— "Millbury, Spencer parents sue schools over alleged harm to children from mask mandates," by Jeff A. Chamer, Worcester Telegram & Gazette: "A group of Central Massachusetts parents is suing school officials over alleged physical and emotional injuries to their children caused by school mask mandates. ... The parents — including Michelle Frigon and Ashley Kavanagh-Russo from Millbury, Kristen Herholz from Spencer and Nichole Gustafson, who previously lived in Spencer but now lives in Texas, according to court documents — are suing 22 defendants for $24 million."

MEANWHILE IN NEW HAMPSHIRE

— "Bill adding exception to NH abortion ban headed to governor," by Holly Ramer, The Associated Press: "A bill adding an exception to New Hampshire's new abortion ban for cases in which the fetus has been diagnosed with 'abnormalities incompatible with life' is heading to the desk of Gov. Chris Sununu, who has said he will sign it. Since Jan. 1, New Hampshire has outlawed abortion after 24 weeks gestation, with exceptions only for pregnancies that threaten the mother's life or health. Doctors who provide late-term abortions can face felony charges, and ultrasounds are required before any abortion."

FEELIN' 22

— "A New England Patriot and a conservative billionaire are trying to take down a GOP senator ," by POLITICO's Alex Isenstadt

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We will use renewable natural gas, green hydrogen generated from wind and solar power, battery storage, and greater energy efficiency to make our National Grid system fossil-free by 2050 or earlier. Climate scientists say renewable natural gas is a win-win for the environment.

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TRANSITIONS — Miriam Cash, deputy press secretary for Sen. Elizabeth Warren, is leaving for the House side of the Hill, multiple sources tell Playbook. Cash will move to the office of Rep. Mondaire Jones (D-N.Y.).

HAPPY 6TH ANNIVERSARY — to the Boston Guardian.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY — to Yasmina Vinci and Evan Dobelle.

HAPPY BIRTHWEEKEND — to state Rep. Brian Ashe, 90 West founder and CEO Alex Goldstein, Taylor Pederson, Terrence Clark, Kerry Talbot, GOP gubernatorial hopeful Geoff Diehl and former Massport Police Chief Joe Lawless, who celebrate Saturday; and to Sunday birthday-ers Matt Vautour, Melrose Mayor Paul Brodeur, Romney alum Charlie Pearce, Chris Wayland, and Mass. Sierra Club Deputy Director Jacob Stern.

NEW HORSE RACE ALERT: STOP, DROP AND POLL — Jenn is flying solo to talk with MassINC Polling Group research director Rich Parr about statewide races and why Massachusetts residents are less worried than you might expect about the threat of climate change in this here Bay State. Subscribe and listen on iTunes and Sound Cloud.

Want to make an impact? POLITICO Massachusetts has a variety of solutions available for partners looking to reach and activate the most influential people in the Bay State. Have a petition you want signed? A cause you're promoting? Seeking to increase brand awareness among this key audience? Share your message with our influential readers to foster engagement and drive action. Contact Jesse Shapiro to find out how: jshapiro@politico.com.

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