October 01, 2011

College Square Howard Johnson

Remember that?   Great location for parents visting their kids at Holy Cross and right by the highway. If around today, it would be paying say conservatively $60,000 per year.  

Imagine if we had targeted this property with a "Philly Plan" maybe we could have kept it on the tax rolls, instead, it was bought by Holy Cross, torn down and pays nothing. 

4 comments:

David Z. said...

Bill,

CC District 1 candidate Tony Economou agrees with your push for the "Philly Plan". Which is one of the many reasons I am supporting Tony in his election bid as my district councilor.

Read this from the D1 debate prior to the preliminary election.

http://www.telegram.com/article/20110918/NEWS/109189786

Here is the excerpt from Tony speaking about the Philly Plan.

"His own idea is for Worcester to adopt a tax freeze similar to Philadelphia's plan. That is, companies could be attracted to locate or expand here by freezing their property taxes at a certain level for five or 10 years until they have a chance to invest and build their businesses, he said."

Bill Randell said...

The whole vote for or against the lowest residential battle has gotten us nowhere.

We need to all et behind the Philly Plan. This one location over ten years loses 600,000 to the City coffers.

Jahn said...

BIll, I cant recall the exact time that place was razed, but I have taken HC to task a few times on here re: the old HOJO's. Seems to me it was more like the mid 90's it came down.

Now they're doing the same routine with the Caro St houses. BRD (Buy, Raze, De-tax). ALmost sounds like some kinda municipality disorder. Here's how this De-tax disorder plays out.

a. Get your rowdy students living in nearby privately owned housing.

b. Students party hardy every weekend.

c. CIty C. complains.

d. Obrien has summit with HC bigwigs.

e. HC Bigwigs promise to address the problems.

f. HC buys up the houses in question.

g. Students vacate every May.

h. HC calls up F&D in June.

i. house razed & Propery removed from tax rolls.

THEN....THEN HC pulls a Clark U. ans ask for Caro St to be removed from city map. Then a few years later HC asks to be handed Caro St for nada. HC then builds a $30M non-taxable HC Village. All the politicians in the city then cheer, applaud HC, glad hand each other, get tossed from office by the voters, and end up on HC payroll.....after which city becomes aware that HC village has lotsa student housing in it. HC students revert to old behaviors on weekends. HC(Haller Councilor) complains a new to HC (Holy Cross).

NO PHILLY CHEESESTEAK FOR ME. WHY T F should my taxes be raised b/c someone (often newcomers to Worc) decides to build or improve a piece of Worc comm. property.

If I was ever to swallow the Philly Cheese steak plan which I probably still wouldnt do, the tax abatements would be escrowed until the end of the tax abatement period (often 10 yreas?) and after the abatemnt period if the Abateee has performed all their obligaitons they get their 10 yr. tax refund.

I mean how mnay GD times am I going to pick up the paper and read that another abatee flies the coop after rec'ing 3-4 years of reduced taxes and the 50 new employees they promised to hire ends up being more like 5 'ees and the business then closes.

Signman said...

Didn't the city own this and sell it to them?