EV Vol. 32, No.49 -FREEEVE ER TT Your Local News & Sports Online. Scan Here! ADDOCCO TEAT www.advocatenews.net Future unclear for proposed professional soccer stadium in Everett Legislative budget compromise leaves out key zoning provision needed to move forward on 25,000 seat stadium near Encore By Steve Freker T he future of a proposal to site a 25,000-seat professional soccer stadium at a prime waterfront parcel in Everett is unclear at best, following a recent passage of a latein-the-year spending bill. A budget deal between the Mass. House and Senate resulted in Gov. Maura Healey signing a $3.1 supplemental budget bill Monday after weeks of legislative delays, debates and disagreements. The primary need for the bill was to address the heavily-challenged and underfunded — due to the infl ux of new migrant families— Mass. emergency shelter system and public employee raises. Left out of the bill was a provision which would have streamlined zoning for 43-acre Everett land parcel where a closed power plant now sits. At present, the area is considered a “Designated Port Area,” limiting what can be built on the waterfront. An amendment that was considered as part of the supplemental budget bill had requested the Senate to remove that designation, for the purpose of converting the parcel into a professional soccer stadium and a waterfront park. The stadium, if built, would be the new home of the New England Revolution, owned by The Kraft Group, which also owns the New England Patriots, for a number of years has expressed wanting to move from Gillette Stadium to a site closer to Boston. For several years they have worked on a proposal to build a stadium on land directly across Rt. 99/Broadway from the Encore Boston Harbor casino in Everett. Wynn Resorts owns the 43acre land parcel in question, having purchased it from Constellation Energy for $25 million in March, this year. Wynn Resorts operates Encore Boston Harbor on behalf of the owner of the casino, Realty Income. The Mass. House had approved language addressing the zoning in a measure last year, but it did not advance. It FUTURE UNCLEAR | SEE PAGE 16 R SINCE 1921 Free Every Friday 617-387-2200 Friday, December 8, 2023 Lighting up the Holiday Season Mayor Carlo DeMaria, First Lady Stacy, their son, Carlo, and daughter, Caroline threw the switch to light Everett’s offi cial tree to kick off the holiday season during the City’s annual tree lighting last Friday evening in Everett Square. See pages 12&13 for photo highlights. City Council sets residential/ commercial FY’24 tax rates By Neil Zolot esidential property tax rates are rising in three of Messinger Insurance Agency 475 Broadway Everett, MA 02149 Phone: 617-387-2700 Fax: 617-387-7753 NEW COMPETITIVE AUTO RATES AND BENEFITS AVAILABLE ACCIDENT FORGIVENESS DISAPPEARING COLLISION DEDUCTIBLE 11% DISCOUNT WITH SUPPORTING POLICY 10% COMBINED PAY IN FULL DISCOUNT AND GREEN DISCOUNT 10% GOOD STUDENT DISCOUNT Celebrating 100 years of excellence! Monday thru Friday: 8am to 6pm Saturdays 9am to 1pm! Check out our NEW website! www.messingerinsurance.com the four property categories in Fiscal 2024. The total for the average two-family home is rising $126 per $1,000 of value from $6,047 to $6,173, refl ecting an increase in average value from $671,889 to $710,094. For the average single-family home, it is rising $68 per $1,000 of value from $4,063 to $4,131, the result of an increase in average value from $503,485 to $531,922. For the average three-family home, it is rising $58 per $1,000 of value from $7,661 to $7,819, the result of an increase in average value from $817,421 to $853,662. The only properties for which taxes are falling are condominiums, albeit slightly dropping $4 from $1,853 to $1,849, despite an increase in average value from $315,879 to $332,744. The fi gures are calculated with the City Council adopting a number of measures of relief, at their meeting on Monday, November 27. They include adopting a Residential Tax Factor at .737612%, the minimum factor, to reduce the residential sectors tax burden from 74% of the levy to 55% and raise the Commercial/Industrial/Personal Property (C/I/P) sector from 26% to 45%, which they did at their meeting Monday, November 27. (Personal Property covers items in commercial and industrial parcels, like office equipment and even barbershop chairs.) The Residential Factor governs the percentage of the tax levy to be paid by property owners. Under a Uniform Tax rate each class of property pays a share equal to its share of the total city value, a factor of 1, but communities can shift the burden from one classifi cation of property owner to another. “30% of cities and towns split the tax rate,” Assessor Bernard Deveraux explained. “It’s signifi cant in communities with a substantial commercial tax base. It doesn’t change the total, but delineates the share for each class.” Medford, a city with some TAX RATES | SEE PAGE 11
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