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People with more money than they know what to do with live in the Back Bay
By adamg on Thu, 06/13/2013 - 2:37pm
Curbed reports the IRS sold two foreclosed parking spaces in back of 298 Comm. Ave. for $560,000.
Yes, $560,000 for two parking spaces. Two uncovered parking spaces. Two uncovered parking spaces that are actually just one parking space long enough to fit two cars. Two uncovered parking spaces that cost more than the 2013 assessed value of one of the units in the building itself (although less than this one). Two uncovered parking spaces that do not come with valet service or weekly wine-and-cheese parties at which to meet the neighbors. Two uncovered parking spaces that cost more than an entire house with a garage in Roslindale.
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Comments
The car is King
or something like that.
So, uhm...
What does the IRS do with the money received from this auction? Does it go to the Treasury?
A New Training Video
Directed by Michael Bay
lol, what money?
lol, what money?
I'd have to assume so.
Unless there's some weirdness I'm not aware of, the whole reason why the IRS is in the business of auctioning off property is because they seize property from people who can't pay their taxes. So presumably this money will be sent off to the Treasury for that purpose. This rather generous price might exceed the original taxes owed, but even so, collecting money for the government is kind of the whole reason why the IRS exists.
Rental income
A possible rental income of $500 to $600/month with very little maintenance or property tax makes the cost slightly more reasonable.
Sure makes the guy who didn't pay taxes look like a fool. Lost half a million dollars by losing it to the government and not selling it.
$560k
And all the sad sacks get pissed when people put out parking space savers.
What really blows my mind
Is how nobody could see all of the money you would make by building more garages nearby and use some political influence (and cash) to get the approvals necessary...
Where would you propose those
Where would you propose those garages be built?
To elaborate on anon
What would you bulldoze to build your garage?
How would you justify deadening that space?
How would you deal with the added traffic congestion induced by all those added parking spaces?
And how would you mitigate the air quality impact of said traffic?
Rozzie?
I'd rather live in a closet in the back bay than a mansion in Rozzie. People try to fool themselves into thinking a Hispanic corner store and awful Ethiopian food is some sort of cultural nexus of enlightenment amidst triple deckers and that's just sad.
A Rozzie troll!
Welcome, enlightened person who obviously hasn't been to Roslindale in, oh, ever. Where is this awful Ethiopian food of which you speak?
No, Roslindale is not the Back Bay. Yes, large portions of it feel more like a tree-lined suburb than the heart of a big city (you know what I see when I look out our kitchen window? Trees in front of a golf course in front of an actual forest). Different strokes for different folks, pal.
Oh, and good thing you'd rather live in a closet, since Roslindale's only mansion is already occupied.
Cool story, bro.
Cool story, bro.
Cost of the bike lane on Mass Ave?
So the real cost of the bike lane replacing parking on Mass Ave would be, what, say, $200k times about 75 spaces? $15 million? How much do cyclists pay to use it, um, nothing.
Another way to look at the $560k parking space sale is consider how many bicycles could park in those two parking spaces and how much parking income from bicyclists could be gotten. Oh, that's also nada.
Except last I checked, the
Except last I checked, the parking spaces on Mass Ave werent going for $10 an hour.
Come back when Boston charges market rate for those street spaces, everywhere.
What you failed to factor in
What you failed to factor in is the shitload of money Boston makes from issuing parking tickets. Ticketing is non-stop in Back Bay which means a whole lot more going to the coffers than just $10 per hour per meter. However if you think wealthy suburbanites driving into the city and spending their coin here diesn't count then by all means ban street parking and heck while you're at it, ban driving in the city entirely. Screw everyone who requires a car, truck or bus to make a living!
Oh seriously, clutch your
Oh seriously, clutch your pearls and apply some Bengay to your tender hole, already.
"Screw everyone who requires a car, truck or bus to make a living!"
Yes, indeed. Screw all you arrogant slits who feel you can double park, block hydrants, park on sidewalks, pull into curb-cuts, or sit in crosswalks. You are a menace that can't be ticketed enough. Your arrogance "business owner" stance is bullshit. You're all idiots. Stop it !
Suburban shoppers don't use meters
Of course a slight exaggeration - but if you live around here you learn that many (most?) of the spots are used by small biz owners and their employees. Every couple hours it's the hairdresser shuffle. I can't imagine anybody thinking- I'm only going into the city if I get a street parking spot. The regulars know the routine - where to park, which blocks have meters v. resident parking etc. If a suburban shopper gets a spot - fine - but most of the people I know coming in for whatever reason throw their cars in a lot or take the T.
Suburban shoppers do use meters
You have no idea what you're talking about. Do you live in the Back Bay? Do you work in retail in the Back Bay?
Stop cycling through the parks where it's prohibited.
Lived in the Back Bay for 20 years
And I know a lot of people in retail, hair dressers etc. and they all use street parking.
Sure - shoppers use them if they can find them - but if you are coming into the city with the expectation you'll find a meter - be ready to drive around for a long time - most of the spots are taken by meter feeders who are here early. Sometimes they start enforcing the 2 hour limit and people will trade spots at shift changes etc. Check on who really parks there and you'll find a disproportionate number of local employees, contractors etc. Don't know if shoppers/errand runners are technically a minority - but a lot of those spots are hogged day in and day out by people here to work.
It's true!
I have a regular elderly client who uses me to take her to her hair appointments on Newbury Street. She can be in there up to three hours sometimes and I have to usually start by live parking at the hydrant or in a loading zone until a space opens up. I usually only have to wait about 20 minutes before I get one, but the vast majority of parkers in the AM on Newbury are either contractors or other service people taking the spaces.
The high horse here might be
The high horse here might be too high for you to jump off, but let's get this straight:
This has nothing to do with bike lanes. You can still park with a bike lane beside you. Bikes can be parked on sidewalks, cars cannot. Why don't you go live in Arkansas, in some little podunk town, where there is free parking galore and none of those pesky cyclists to bother your drive. Seriously dude, get the hell over it. You sound like some bitter old 90 year old who conceived his child the backseat of some muscle car. Yikes.
paging Dr. Freud!
Hmm... that last line of yours. Trying to reveal something about yourself?
More Mass. Ave. parking!
What if we got rid of the travel lanes on Mass. Ave. too? Then there'd be even more room for parking! After all, cars don't pay to use Mass. Ave. so we should just turn the whole thing into a parking lot!
cars do pay to use Mass Ave
Drivers pay to use roads by the gallon of fuel used doing so. The tax on fuel goes to pay for roads. It doesn't completely fund roads, but then bicyclists are not using any fuel, thus not paying anything for each mile they ride on roads.
Gas Tax Fallacy
Gas taxes are nowhere near enough to pay for road maintenance.
Most local roads are maintained with state and local taxes - which cyclists pay.
If you look at money in versus cost to accomodate vehicle, cars don't even come close on the gas tax. Factor in that most cyclists are local and pay local property tax, and many motorists are not local and it skews even more.
Took over an hour!
strike up the band!
So the real cost of charging
So the real cost of charging well below market price and maintenance cost for all on street parking spaces in Boston proper would be what?
Now that's
Just a boldfaced lie!
Better view
Minimum parking requirements add $250,000-500,000 to the cost of building a residential unit there. Whether you want it or not.
That's your housing cost crisis, right there.
Also, resident street parking is equivalent to handing out a big fat welfare check worth tens of thousands of dollars, if not more.
Funny, I don't hear any conservatives talking about that kind of handout.
Just another tax
Is there a minimum parking requirement in Back Bay? What is it? Part of the problem with parking spots in Back Bay, beacon hill, or North end is having mostly parking spots at ground level instead of multi-story parking to match multi-story residential buildings.
Resident street parking isn't free. Property taxes pay for it. Its a simpler system than yet more taxes and fees in an ala carte model. Landlords would be the winners if parking were extra everywhere, having their property tax reduced and tenants having to pay the extra cost to get parking, or make parking spaces on their properties (say, replacing the front yard with asphalt and parking). So, the handout is for renters and the lack of fees keeps more green space on streets.
Can you provide us with a
Can you provide us with a source for the $250-$500k figure you cited?
>How much do cyclists pay to
>How much do cyclists pay to use it, um, nothing.
This argument has been on UH before, we all pay for the roads via our taxes, gas taxes alone don't cover the cost of fixing/building roadways. The more people who bike vs driving, the less maintenance the roads need. Also, many of those cyclists probably own cars but are sick of all the traffic and parking BS or prefer to bike for their health.
>Another way to look at the $560k ...
Is that it would cover the cost of really nice home somewhere, or the cost of one of those "fancy" Back Bay buildings 20 or 30 years ago. The other problem with shit like this, is it makes it harder and harder for regular people to live in this hood as it drives up property evaluations and the related taxes. However, I wouldn't be surprise if a lot of people start selling their parking spots and a glut of supply reduces the cost of parking spots.
Of course you're going to spend a cool quarter-mil for a space
What's the alternative? Driving around for an hour every night looking for street parking like some peasant, some plebe, some schmo? Resident stickers are for little people.
A wanne-be
Any serious rich dude would just have a driver.
A serious rich dude would also not...
live on such an unfashionable block of Comm Ave in a building where you share walls with strangers and doesn't have a private garage.
I used to live (in a rental) around there. I managed to rent half of a tandem parking space on the alley and was grateful for it.
Strangely enough..
I rarely pick up anyone who lives in the Back Bay. Most people there use Uber now, from what I'm told by my fellow drivers.
Now Chestnut Hill, Weston, South Natick, Wellesley, Weston, that's where the real money is.
Judging by how difficult it
Judging by how difficult it is to find a residential spot in the Back Bay, I date say plenty of people iwn a car. Some of us work outside of the city you know.
You mean a helicopter pilot.
.
Neighborly
bidding war.
i believe the woman's husband
i believe the woman's husband is a managing director at baupost group. if true, her buying these parking spaces is like most of us buying a cheeseburger.
More about the buyer
http://www.foxnews.com/us/2013/06/14/boston-woman-...