Gov. Patrick's take on the current Massachusetts real estate

Gov. Deval Patrick had real estate on his mind yesterday during a lunch address at NEWIRE, telling the crowd that:

• the industry should press the Legislature to pass zoning reform
• the state’s permitting ombudsman is there to help
• there will be more stimulus money coming for construction-related projects, but the state is looking at all sorts of resources, including those from bonding and MassDev
• “smart growth” principles are important
• he wants “to see more opportunities for design…we can make it functional and iconic.”
• people need to sense that there is economic activity in order to be more optimistic about the economy. “I want to see a whole bunch of cranes and hardhats.”

--- Tina Cassidy is a Vice President at Solomon McCown & Company. She can be reached by email at tcassidy@solomonmccown.com