Baker Pushes Sale And Development Of Unused State Property
It won't fit under anyone's Christmas tree, but the state is trying to sell off or utilize a lot of its real estate property. Since taking office, Gov. Charlie Baker has led an effort to get the most out of state land.
Twenty-two state-owned sites have already been sold, leased or are under agreement for use, resulting in more than $400 million in revenue for the state, according to Baker's administration.
Baker said Thursday his initiative was a challenge to the state's various agencies and organizations to find ways to increase job creation, affordable housing, energy, open space—or just plain make money off of—property the state holds. The Commonwealth is, after all, the state's largest landowner.
"The state has a goal and an objective to do the best it can to get the biggest bang for the buck out of it's sites... if a site's going to sit fallow and do nothing for the next 20 years after it sat fallow for the last 20 years, that doesn't generate anything," Baker said.
Read more: http://news.wgbh.org/2016/12/22/politics-government/baker-pushes-sale-and-development-unused-state-property