Many comments about this column this morning.
Not so much a column, but an observation about how many businesses have left the section of Park Ave between May Street and Webster Square. Maybe this may be the best thing that ever happened this section and it will be redeveloped better then it ever was. At the same time, you can not argue the facts that many businesses have left this section of Park Ave in the past two years.
Here is one of our concerns.
Clark University already owns 455 Park Ave (Peppercorns), assessed $945,167, that still pays property taxes and 501 Park Ave (two buildings on the corner of Maywood across from the Blarney) assessed at $956,800, that pay no property taxes.
You may see Clark University expand their real estate holdings into this section of Park Ave to compliment these two existing parcels and expand their campus in this direction, while removing more properties from the tax rolls. Again maybe this will be a great thing?
At the same time our City Council should be working with colleges and non-profits in advance to come up with agreements to make some type of tax payment when they remove tax-paying parcels from the tax rolls now. Instead of asking for PILOT payments after the fact, which we know how that has gone.
We will see what happens….
501 Park Ave
