Lets face it, the negotiations are not going good. Actually there may be a good cause, who would UNUM be negotiating with anyhow-Hanover/Berkeley?
That said I never really liked the idea of UNUM going to City Square anyhow. Here we have a large employer already downtown that own a sizable amount of real estate. Myself I would rather see them looking for TIF's whereby they invest in their current properties and bring more jobs into the City of Worcester.
Moving jobs from their current location to City Square, almost gives them more flexibility to disinvest from their current real estate holdings and eventually leave the city for Maine or Tennessee. Bottom line is that I hope UNUM does not move downtown, but we get other comparable companies that are not currently located in Worcester to call City Square home.
Same Time Next Year
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It’s been nearly a year since I wrote about the problems that come from
having 11 bosses who are not on the same page about anything, as well as
suggestion...
4 months ago
5 comments:
If they don't move to City Center then they will move out of town, then where does that leave us?
I agree, its not the best solution, when they move who will be moving into their space? It will likely creat another vacant building, but the reality is they want to move. So we move them in the City or loose them altogether which doesn't help at all.
I was always puzzled by the fact UNUM didnt just take all their Worc operations to Tennessee. Tenn.is such a low cost state to do business in relative to Mass. I mean just look at where Fidelity is doing their expansions and/or where they are cutting back the least or expanding the most?
Any Speculation as to what the real troublesome part of negotiations are?
Cost of Union Labor?
Lease term?
Lease cost?
Please remember last Sept or Oct we had an agreemtn in principle. I have to think that if anything the movement has been backwards since then? I said back then that agreements in principle really dont mean all that much
I also continually raised the issue of Berkely being able to obtain financing.
If a gun was to my head, I would have say it will happen. I wont say on what scale or when. But Konnie will that place razed come hell or high water. Maybe her Pathfinder is buried under the parking garage?
Where's my friend Dewey been of late? Must be gettign some EMC OT?
Bill,
The understanding I have is that Unum IS moving. The only question is "Where are they moving to?".
There have been rumors of a move to Marlboro.
I say scrap the whole shibang. Get the Lottery Commission to buy the place and put in a casino. There's already an Interstate Highway, a train station, plenty of parking, a newly redone common and more. It will bring in 5-8000 new jobs. The whole idea is to get people downtown--there it is.
Who's got a better idea?
ben
Now ask yourself a question and answer honestly.
If you walked in UNUM's shoes, how long would wait for the contractor to finish your new house before you exercised your opt out option and took your deposit back?
City Sq razing was supposed to happen in March 2006. Just ask Tom Hoover UNUM showed up on the scene when.....2 years ago?
Patience is a virtue..........but........
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