This content originally appeared as part of an article in The Boston Globe.
The linkage fees that commercial developers pay, meanwhile, are currently $15.39 per square foot, for projects 100,000 square feet or larger. Wu has proposed cutting that threshold to 50,000 square feet, doubling the linkage rate to $30.78 for lab developments, and boosting it by 50 percent for other commercial projects. The changes to linkage fees would be phased in over two years, the city said.
Kendalle Burlin O’Connell, incoming chief executive of the Massachusetts Biotechnology Council, said Thursday that the group had “deep reservations about increasing the cost of doing business in the city” during times of inflated construction costs and cooling lab demand. Boston already has some of the most expensive rent for life-science space in the country, O’Connell said.
“When costs like this go up, rents go up,” she said. “That being said, we also recognize that the long-term competitiveness of the Massachusetts economy depends on the affordability and availability of housing, and a strong and diverse workforce pipeline.”