Last spring a developer began the first steps to turn the historic 1615 Beacon St property in Waban Square into a 40B housing development.
Months of wrestling and wrangling with the neighborhood, Newton’s ZBA, the city and state Historic Commissions, and the Mass Housing Partnershio have come to an end.
Rather than go forward with the 40B development, the property has been sold to the Suzuki Music School and it will become their permanent home. They’ll leave the historic building intact – renovating the inside but leaving the exterior as it is.
Are they property tax exempt?
@Mike Striar – An educational non-profit? Yes, I would assume they are exempt.
Good result. And yes, if owned by a tax exempt, off the property tax rolls. At some point though, the net loss is probably worth it for a historic home, good village use, etc.
The Suzuki School will, while preserving the exterior of the house and as much of the landscape as possible, run a pre-school and also offer music lessons in our village center from the Staples/Craft House, a farmstead that is a most important historic Waban residence. With all due respect to the successful Newton Nomadic Theater, I am delighted that Suzuki has found a permanent home in Waban and will need no longer to roam 😉 The School was permitted under the Dover Amendment, allowing an educational institution to override local zoning. I am looking forward to enjoying this new neighbor’s company!
Its funny how affordable housing in Waban is always so much more “complicated” than other parts of the city.
So true, Paul….funny about that….
If they can afford to buy a $2M property, they can afford to pay the property tax. Every property owner should pay their fair share. Property owners that take advantage of property tax exempt status make Newton less affordable for everyone else. At least that’s the way I see it. I welcome the opinion of others.
Thank you Mike, I completely agree. I don’t understand why people aren’t upset about the lost opportunity for low income housing. How is this different from the Waban fire station?
@Mike Striar – Non-profits, i.e. 501(c) 3 are by definitions organizations that the tax code recognize as serving some public service and in return grants them tax free operation. So are you suggestion that non-profits shouldn’t exist at all? or the government should be more restrictive of what organizations are allowed non-profit status? or non profits should be tax free except for property taxes?
Hi Jerry– I believe every property owner, including those that are currently exempt, should pay property taxes…
I believe that religious institutions should be required to pay both income and property tax, and the current legal basis for them avoiding those taxes is not only outdated, but unconstitutional as well. “Separation of church and state” was never intended as tax policy. It was intended to keep religious organizations from gaining too much influence and control over government.
In the case of the Suzuki Music School… My assumption is, if they can afford to buy a $2M property, they should be able to afford to pay property taxes like you and me. We [V-14 participants] frequently give opinions on affordable housing. It is fact, not opinion, that every tax dodging–property tax exempt institution raises everyone else’s taxes, and effectively raises the barrier for people of modest income seeking to move to Newton.
“There are nearly 1,000 tax-exempt properties in Newton, valued at a combined $3.68 billion.
If taxed at a commercial rate, the properties would yield more than $80 million annually — the equivalent of 25 percent of the city’s total property tax revenue.
Many of those properties are owned by city and state agencies, but more than half of the valuation belongs to private institutions.” http://newton.wickedlocal.com/news/20160817/newton-pilot-program-lags-behind-other-communities
I remember discussions on having to make hard choices when the Red/Blue Ribbon Commissions gave their reports. I don’t remember if these discussions every happened.