Scott Van Voorhis

Boston

Writer at ENR: Engineering News-Record

Reporter in Greater Boston for three decades. I put out a newsletter, Contrarian Boston, that covers local politics, development, and everything in between.

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Articles

Boston Media Is Missing the Big Story When Covering Megaprojects

1 week ago | bankerandtradesman.com | Scott Van Voorhis

Dead on arrival. That about sums up the prospects of two major, would-be mega developments in Boston, but you wouldn’t be able to tell if you’d read the Boston Globe’s coverage of either. Last week, Procter & Gamble unveiled plans for a “new neighborhood” for its acreage on the Fort Point Channel near South Station as it prepares to shift manufacturing from the old Gillette factory site to the suburbs.
Boston’s Mayor Finally Starts to Admit There’s a Money Problem

2 weeks ago | bankerandtradesman.com | Scott Van Voorhis

Vindicated. That’s what the Boston Policy Institute’s Greg Maynard now feels a year after city officials dismissed his warnings about a looming fiscal blowout in Boston. Boston Mayor Michelle Wu’s proposed $4.8 billion budget notes the threat – and now impact, as well – of falling office tower values on city tax revenues.
‘Unfunded Mandate’ Fallout: Is Beacon Hill Losing Its Appetite for Housing Fixes?

3 weeks ago | bankerandtradesman.com | Scott Van Voorhis

The MBTA Communities law requires cities and towns across the Boston area to open their doors to new apartments and condominiums. And it may be true that only a relatively small number of suburbs are openly challenging the 2021 law, which is designed to boost housing production and bring down rents and prices. But with a ruling by state Auditor Diana DiZoglio that the law is an unfunded mandate, that number is growing.
New Celtics Owner Has Lots of Reasons to Develop His Own Arena

1 month ago | bankerandtradesman.com | Scott Van Voorhis

After several months of suspense and all sorts of wild speculation, we now know who the next owner of the Boston Celtics will be. It won’t be Jeff Bezos, billionaire Red Sox and Globe owner John Henry or Jeffrey Lurie, owner of this year’s Super Bowl champs, the Philadelphia Eagles. All were names that popped up as potential bidders for the Celtics at a one point or another, though it’s not clear if any of them even put in a bid.
Pension Funds Losing Big from Slump in Office Values

1 month ago | bankerandtradesman.com | Scott Van Voorhis

A growing, multi-dimensional disaster. That’s one way to describe the meltdown of office markets in Greater Boston and across the country thanks to the cementing of remote work habits across corporate America. Boston and other cities face the loss of untold billions in tax revenue as companies jettison office space and the value of office downtown office towers crumbles.
The Specter of the ’70s Stalks Downtown Boston

1 month ago | bankerandtradesman.com | Scott Van Voorhis

These days, there’s an echo of the downright ugly 1970s when it comes to Boston and its beleaguered downtown. Crime was a big deal back in the 1970s. The Combat Zone was a real thing and Boston had the dubious distinction of being the car theft capital of the country. The Combat Zone is long gone, car theft isn’t the big issue it once was and the murder rate is at a decade-long low.
Another Terrible Year for Home Construction

1 month ago | bankerandtradesman.com | Scott Van Voorhis

Boston and other progressive cities and states are struggling to produce new homes, even as red states boom. Just call it a case of the blue state housing blues. Construction of new apartments and homes has all but ground to a halt in Boston while statewide, numbers are just starting to modestly bounce back after a big tumble following the interest rate shock of 2022 and 2023, federal and city housing data shows.
Mass. Environmentalism Has Hurt Our AI Prospects

1 month ago | bankerandtradesman.com | Scott Van Voorhis

Gas and electric bills are soaring for businesses and consumers across the state. Meanwhile, the AI revolution is bypassing Massachusetts as tech companies seek out nuclear-power-friendly states like Virginia to accommodate their heavy-duty electricity demands. So, are the Bay State’s ambitious green energy goals part of the solution? Or are they part of the problem? That’s the question as Gov.
Healey’s Next Housing Push Can’t Forget Single-Family Homes

2 months ago | bankerandtradesman.com | Scott Van Voorhis

Too narrow a focus? That’s the big question about the Healey administration’s efforts to tackle the housing crisis to date, which have been skewed towards apartment projects, with little mention of new home construction. The homeownership rate in Massachusetts? That’s nearly 62 percent. And the single-family home is by far the preferred form of ownership, with sales of homes outpacing that of condominiums by a margin of over 2 to 1 according to The Warren Group, publisher of Banker & Tradesman.
Kraft Hits the Mark with Critique of Wu’s Housing Policies

2 months ago | bankerandtradesman.com | Scott Van Voorhis

Mayoral contender Josh Kraft has released his plan to juice stalled housing production in Boston. And it can be summed up simply as: build, baby, build. The last time an incumbent lost a mayoral race in Boston was in the 1940s, so Josh Kraft has his work cut out for him as he looks to unseat Boston Mayor Michelle Wu this fall.