On Wednesday morning, Mayor Marty Walsh addressed the Greater Boston Chamber of Commerce to share his imminent plans for the City of Boston. Along with announcing the forthcoming debut of a new permit tracker website for individual Bostonians and businesspeople alike, the mayor gave attendees a taste of what to expect in early 2015.
The new permit tracker website aims to give those involved a look at aspect step in the process, also providing the names of city officials who oversee each step along the way. This allows for companies to grow quicker and affords some peace of mind to those who no longer have to deal with an irksome system.
Mayor Walsh also touched upon a significant and growing need for middle and lower-income residents: affordable housing. Rent is notoriously high in Boston which makes it difficult for recent graduates, bootstrapped startup aspirants, city employees and laborers to live, work and play in the city. Mayor Walsh touched upon a solution he hopes will bring density and a lower-cost of living to areas in South Boston and Jamaica Plain.
The mayor hopes to build two transit-oriented mixed-use housing zones along the Orange Line and Red Lines. The Orange Line zone will run from Forest Hills and Jackson Square stations, and the Red Line between Broadway and Andrew stations.
Showing his commitment to making Boston the tech capital of the world, the mayor explained that his administration and the Boston City Council are helping locally-based LogMeIn with its continued expansion. With its worldwide headquarters located in Boston, LogMeIn is experiencing expedient growth and hopes to add 450 employees to its roster over the next five years.
Back in September BostInno’s Galen Moore reported that LogMeIn was looking to similarly expand its office space by 118,000-square feet, more than doubling its current office at Summer Street.
LogMeIn is poised to be a national and international beacon, an example to all of the invaluable success to be found in the city. Prospective companies will also have a Boston Redevelopment Director to turn to for further counsel in Brian Golden, who the mayor announced would be upholding the position after working it on an interim basis.
After a year in office, Mayor Walsh has set the bar high for 2015 and hopes to keep Boston forging down the innovative path it’s currently on. Enticing and retaining young talent is the key for a prosperous city, but that can only be achieved when other puzzle pieces like the aforementioned and more are put snugly into place.
