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Jan. 22, 2024
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Focus on real estate

Parking paralysis: Developers, activists, and city officials say parking requirements are blocking needed development

Eric Casey

With concerns over a lack of affordable housing dominating headlines, communities across the country are starting to reconsider the issue of mandatory parking minimums.

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    Holy Cross grad to be next JetBlue CEO, as airline inaugurates new Worcester route

    Eric Casey

    An executive with ties to Worcester is set to become the first woman to lead one of the country’s largest airlines.

  • Advice
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    Advice

    Sleep well to lead well

    Bob Martel

    You know it’s true: Better sleep leads to better performance. Better performance leads to better business success, and everyone is happier as a result.

  • Advice
    Advice

    10 Things I know about ... Sustainable development, part 2

    Samantha McDonald

    Worcester has ambitious climate goals and is making progress.

  • Advice
    Advice

    Solid foundation of an estate plan

    Rachael Poirier

    Life gets busy for everyone. Far too often, people do not think about their estate plan until much later than they should.

  • Advice
    Advice

    101: Hiring for in-office positions

    Emily Micucci

    Most managers will agree hiring and retaining talented employees is more difficult than it used to be. The labor market is tight, costs make it harder to offer attractive benefit packages, and of course, most professionals became well acquainted with remote work during the coronavirus pandemic and generally enjoyed it.

  • Editorial
    Editorial

    Editorial: Reduce parking requirements for new developments

    Stringent parking requirements can be a significant barrier to development, plain and simple, and right now, we need to make sure parking regulations are not excessive.

  • Opinion
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    Opinion

    Viewpoint: Liberal arts' impact on the economy

    Greg Weiner

    The liberal arts are often afterthoughts in the conversation about workforce development, but employers want to hire liberally educated people. That appears most clearly in the skills employers say they value.

  • Editorial
    Editorial

    From the Editor: I love dogs

    Brad Kane

    While they’ve fulfilled my life in ways only furry friends can, caring for dogs over their lifetimes is an expensive endeavor, which is why I feel the pain of local animal nonprofits.

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    Opinion

    A Thousand Words: Worcester's aging housing stock

    Ramón L. Sandoval

    A study from the San Diego research firm Construction Coverage has found the Greater Worcester metro area has the nation’s eighth oldest housing stock among all midsize metropolitan areas.

  • Movers & Shakers
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    Movers & Shakers

    Movers & Shakers for Jan. 22, 2024

    Central Massachusetts professionals are getting hired and promoted at companies like Mechanics Hall, Mirick O'Connell, MutualOne Bank, and Bowditch & Dewey.

WBJ Web Partners

Today's Poll

Should Massachusetts significantly reduce the environmental review time for new housing projects?
Poll Description

In an effort to increase the pace of new housing development in Massachusetts, Gov. Maura Healey has proposed streamlining the environmental review process for certain new housing projects, with the goal of reducing the time spent on the process from about one year to 30 days. Environmental reviews are a hallmark of community planning, to ensure new development doesn't negatively impact surrounding properties or natural resources, even though the process does add significant time and often cost to projects. Healey's proposal comes after Massachusetts fell behind the national average in new housing production, despite adding 90,000 new units since she became governor in 2023.

New England already averages the longest timeline in the nation to build a single-family home once the developer has been giving the authorization to move forward with construction, according to U.S. Census statistics compiled by the National Association of Home Builders. In 2023, single-family homes in New England averaged 13.9 months from permit to completion. The South Atlantic states have the lowest average of 8.9 months while the region that includes Texas, Oklahoma, Arkansas, and Louisiana is the second quickest at 9.4 months. The second-longest average after New England is the New York, New Jersey, and Pennsylvania region, which takes 13.2 months.

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