North End Parking for Lovers – And It’s Free!

Love Stories of the North End

This Valentine’s Day, Cupid has returned to the North End to celebrate the love stories that flourish here through a project started by Holistic Health Coach and North End resident Jody Grimm. Earlier this month, Jody set out to discover what makes people fall in love and stay in love. Whether it’s love for a Read More…

City Hikes Property Tax Rate by 11.8%

The City of Boston has announced a property tax rate increase for fiscal 2010 with the residential rate going up by 11.8% and the commercial rate up by 8.4%. The tax rate is one of the two factors that will result in total property tax bills. The second factor is the property’s assessed value, which is surveyed every three years. Residents should have received a recent notice of the change in their assessment. Overall, the City’s assessed values went down by 3.5% although certain areas have increased. Anecdotal reports show a mix of increases and decreases in the North End/Waterfront area, although several properties on the waterfront saw their assessments go up substantially.

The rate will increase from $10.63 per $1,000 in assessed value to $11.88. The commercial rate for businesses will also increase from $27.11 per $1,000 of assessed value to $29.38.

The City blamed the increase mostly on a decrease in State aid and said the rate is the first increase in three years. The increase will increase the total tax by $65 million to $1.465 billion. Bills will be sent out in a few weeks with a due date of February 1, 2010.

Below is the press release from the City.

Downtown View: The Scoop on Snow Plows

In a snowstorm, we’re lucky to live downtown. The electricity stays on. Many shops stay open. We don’t need to drive. Outside it is silent, at least until your neighbor starts to shovel. If you’ve got a fireplace, so much the better. If someone decides to make soup, even more comforting. Now we have something Read More…