Matt Martinelli

[Matt Martinelli @MattJMartinelli]

@FortPointer @bycathcarlock IMO, a far better location for USPS is Widett, which is surrounded by highways. MBTA owns a plot there. Some sort of land trade should be broached.

And I’m with the transit experts’ past views on SS expansion being a shortsighted half measure. NSRL is the true goal.

[Matt Martinelli @MattJMartinelli]

The idea that they’re extending bus route hours, but they’re not extending the # 7 bus hours is disconnected from reality. It stops at South Station (where commuter rail drops off) and stops within a quarter mile of about 5 different hotels nearby.

[The Boston Globe @BostonGlobe]

Massachusetts officials say Boston is ready for FIFA World Cup matches in Foxborough https://t.co/mZesnoAIh9

[Matt Martinelli @MattJMartinelli]

If it kept up its 2008 share of the budget, Boston would have $685 million more in local aid.
Only one-third of that ($232 million) would have been enough to keep residential property tax rates flat year over year in FY26.
3/3

[Matt Martinelli @MattJMartinelli]

Some numbers to put this in context for Boston’s budget:

Since 2008, the state budget has grown by 215%, while Boston’s budget has grown at a slightly slower pace of 204%.
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[Boston Herald @bostonherald]

A new study has been released on the effects of Proposition 2 ½ as state and local officials increase efforts to get around the law due to budget shortfalls caused by stagnating local state aid. https://t.co/ixAiO1HSBd

[Matt Martinelli @MattJMartinelli]

The local aid from the state to Boston has decreased by 13% since 2008 ($74M). That outpaced growth at the state level means the state went from giving 2.2% of its total budget to Boston in local aid in 2008, to just 0.9% of its state budget in local aid to Boston in 2025.
2/3

[Matt Martinelli @MattJMartinelli]

@jarjoh @FortPointer I will just point out that the North Station/South Station BRT would actually provide a missing link connecting two stations not currently connected.
One of the BHA criticisms is that you just get dumped out to regular traffic. It doesn’t connect directly to a T stop.

[Matt Martinelli @MattJMartinelli]

@FortPointer Hard to calculate cost as we don’t know how much asphalt is wasted each day. You could conceivably take any leftover asphalt from a pothole-filling truck to a private street at end of a day. Most public potholes are filled somewhat quickly. The wait comes when it’s utility patch.

[Matt Martinelli @MattJMartinelli]

@FortPointer Many folks bought on these private ways without even knowing they were private. There have been Council hearings on this in the past if you need more info.

[Matt Martinelli @MattJMartinelli]

@FortPointer It’s a tweak to the current law to allow the filling of potholes on these private ways with asphalt rather than the dirt/cinder the city is currently allowed to use.
There is also a mechanism to allow for larger patching (up to 25% of a road).

[Matt Martinelli @MattJMartinelli]

@FortPointer There are a lot of normal-looking streets in Dorchester, Mattapan, etc. that are “private,” but they function as public streets. This allows for them to have potholes repaired - something that’s far cheaper for a city to do than residents to contract out privately.

[Matt Martinelli @MattJMartinelli]

@FortPointer There is no “maintenance” beyond that. Nothing with sidewalks, utilities, parking, etc. And certainly not making them public, which requires them to be up to city code and would cost millions.

[Matt Martinelli @MattJMartinelli]

@SeanGrandePBP @John_Karalis And who controls the WNBA? The NBA. This is on all the NBA owners for being unwilling to give up any control of the WNBA, and primarily on the Celtics owners for not OKing Pagliuca’s bid.

[Matt Martinelli @MattJMartinelli]

@FortPointer @leung Anyways, back to Suffolk Downs. You would offer the tax break on any nonresidential or apartment building, if they turned a portion of the project to condos. The tax break wouldn’t make sense for the actual condos since the developer is selling those.

[Matt Martinelli @MattJMartinelli]

@FortPointer @leung I’m guessing this got caught up in some of the systemic funding issues with affordable housing condos vs affordable housing apartments. The funding system (federal and state) is very much rigged in favor of affordable rentals, which of course means a forever-rent-burdened cycle.

[Matt Martinelli @MattJMartinelli]

@FortPointer @leung Ugh. Can’t* and not*

[Matt Martinelli @MattJMartinelli]

@FortPointer @leung I cat recall - Just the current office-to-resi conversions, which is a success but long-term that great for tax revenue.
Somehow getting any new downtown residential towers to be condos over apts would be a huge win for the city’s tax base-and ultimately a win for all homeowners.

[Matt Martinelli @MattJMartinelli]

@FortPointer @leung I look at One Dalton, which generates $15M in taxes because its condos (and hotel), as opposed to Avalon North Station, which is 500 apartment units and only generates $3M in taxes.

[Matt Martinelli @MattJMartinelli]

@FortPointer @leung They can’t force them. But they could theoretically offer the carrot of a tax break for a certain amount of condo units where it pencils. It doesn’t happen because the investors want the long-term certainty of rental returns. But the city would make far more tax $ from condos.

[Matt Martinelli @MattJMartinelli]

@FortPointer I can’t speak firmly to methods/objectives.

But to clarify, the fan meetups are city organized/planned. This stuff is likely fluid since it’s not public yet, so my guess is the objective would be to get it relocated before it’s made public. But that part is a guess.