[{"_1":2,"_100":-5,"_101":-5},"loaderData",{"_3":4,"_26":27},"root",{"_5":6,"_17":10,"_18":19,"_20":21,"_22":10,"_23":-5,"_24":-5,"_25":10},"user",{"_7":8,"_9":10,"_11":10,"_12":-5,"_13":-5,"_14":15,"_16":-5},"roles",[],"isAuthenticated",false,"isPremium","planName","subscriptionStatus","featureFlags",{},"insightsBudget","isDevelopmentHost","userPreferences",{},"recaptchaSiteKey","6LcvOJcUAAAAAHsB-gPGfGktcRlKpH7OTIU_dMTD","isImpersonating","impersonation","affiliateStatus","isFreedomPortal","routes/v2/article/layout",{"_28":29,"_30":31},"notFound",true,"relatedArticles",[32,76,88],{"_33":34,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":40,"_41":42,"_43":44,"_45":46,"_47":48,"_49":50,"_51":52,"_53":54,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":60,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":66,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":74,"_75":74},"mediaId",6211923,"mediaKeyId","3686686-dd2059b23e1360360ba9e013bf7dd5c5","parentId",3686686,"title","Rep. Kasner asks for special commission to repurpose vacant offices and ready Massachusetts for ‘next economy’","audioSeconds",401,"startMs",4115000,"endMs",4516000,"viewUrl","/Search/View?dp=1&key=3686686-dd2059b23e1360360ba9e013bf7dd5c5&start=4115&end=4516","thumbnailUrl","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/3686686-dd2059b23e1360360ba9e013bf7dd5c5/thumbnail_4115000.jpg","articleUrl","/articles/6211923/Massachusetts/Rep-Kasner-asks-for-special-commission-to-repurpose-vacant-offices-and-ready-Massachusetts-for-next-economy","mediaUrl","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6211923-af0044dba528d42fc004c068e7a8cb00/orig.mp4?Expires=1770646800&Signature=TcEFdi5pinAfogQIz5tgEUiKNRDiICd~InOyEAGMY5bq5l1mSkVY3LPguenEnggPGl4OGySgJkBGvhoTp6ri40GtrjywSxn~fcD~JN2g3XJSdd2xXOqNjSBOpkM5V296vrr4M9pCAgvXjKyVd5JImBuMcnbZmH1XxmimHp4uUB0P86v7IlG9xUxHI2Y~udrL23V-ddnMy3sdF2zQ2ZI0t0u6Tuz63x2xdysRGsgZ8nVfTM33q-1lBAk6FR7puqbnV3mg7Djfu~X6PJx-5hS-VoFys6MYC5HQ8l7zg0e6hDmCGs9njd0VBr40EdX5edp3E03rtVqWCOGIoQJDM3srkw__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","author","Massachusetts State Legislature","date","2025-06-05T00:00:00Z","article","Representative Kristen Kasner told the joint committee that H.490 would establish a special commission to assess the commonwealth’s existing built environment, permitting practices and infrastructure needs to help communities adapt vacant or underused space for emerging industries.

“This bill, H.490, establishes a special commission to inventory our assets, diagnose our barriers, and identify opportunities, specifically around the existing built environment, infrastructure, permitting practices, and local land use regulations to open the door for these opportunities,” Kasner said.

Kasner noted the rapid change in demand for space after the COVID‑era shift to remote work and cited a report the Boston Policy Institute released showing Boston office values could fall “35 to 45% from their 2024 levels,” a statistic she used to underline the importance of repurposing and stabilizing property values. She said the commission would develop a framework to coordinate businesses, educational institutions, infrastructure partners and government to guide re‑use toward housing, climate and energy technology, advanced manufacturing and the arts.

Lawmakers asked about the commission’s membership and data sources. Kasner said she welcomed suggestions to ensure the panel includes representatives from underrepresented business communities, the creative economy and stakeholders from across the state. Committee members suggested leveraging existing data sources — including the Massachusetts Data Hub and state GIS — and coordinating with agencies such as DOER and DEP to avoid duplicating work.

Kasner asked for a favorable report out of the committee so the commission could begin inventory and recommendations to “modernize our processes at all levels to remain competitive in the world economy and provide for the needs of our people.” No committee vote was taken at the hearing; staff accepted written testimony for the public record.","mediaType","Video","parentTitle","Joint Committee on Economic Development and Emerging Technologies - 6-5-2025\t","oneSentenceSummary","Representative Kristen Kasner told the Joint Committee on Economic Development and Emerging Technologies that H.490 would create a special commission to inventory the built environment, identify permitting and infrastructure barriers, and recommend changes to prepare Massachusetts for growth in technology, green energy and advanced manufacturing.","taxTitle","2025 Legislature MA, Massachusetts","taxId",77682,"location","Massachusetts","headline","","shortSummary",{"_33":77,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":78,"_41":79,"_43":80,"_45":81,"_47":82,"_49":83,"_51":84,"_53":85,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":86,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":87,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":74,"_75":74},6211928,"Resident urges ‘community trustee’ and right‑of‑first‑refusal in bill to protect local institutions",263,322000,585000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=3686686-dd2059b23e1360360ba9e013bf7dd5c5&start=322&end=585","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/3686686-dd2059b23e1360360ba9e013bf7dd5c5/thumbnail_322000.jpg","/articles/6211928/Massachusetts/Resident-urges-community-trustee-and-rightoffirstrefusal-in-bill-to-protect-local-institutions","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6211928-4ae58adb23e0e785ba9b221eee38ab49/orig.mp4?Expires=1770646800&Signature=SP2kkV1gDSJ4Qv-kCRN8fpl9LRZStQdvbb2GQHzC~KeCvLjHHeH74sZHEASzsFJWPb0uEYzkqndHnnTZ~IXSfdLWPo8omEg-TzqAbOBMU99sMPKOViYWHkFnleW14GGQKEpfFNnTRc~mlNdleisUhp7uLiofG5rYk9VR0UeOs9uuJ6HNh85PL7y4bQ-fjBd2~x8wWyYhZGRde-sGtO6A0k2aUxjZcJNmmI~RWPdU9yAS0WkUCv6joqsTHEDJUi3Mtz88hPVLqavd12UZjP99-XRVvhG0LFAUW8137QfBm5j2Otwj-0-DUZQ0VioYGcg6Y~rW1TF9zDYKLG0UexBUhg__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","Vincent Lawrence Dixon, a Winchester resident, told the Joint Committee on Economic Development and Emerging Technologies that S.303 would give communities more tools to preserve locally valuable institutions when owners cease operations or abandon property.

“This proposed legislation recognizes these unique and wonderful realities and provides some dynamics of communities,” Dixon said, arguing the bill would offer “a caution light that is community friendly” without preventing ordinary transfers of property.

Dixon described situations where churches, historic schools, small downtown businesses and other local institutions become vacant or stalled after a controlling organization decides to close or walk away. He said the bill would establish definitions for “community institution landmarks,” formalize a right of first refusal for local groups in some cases, and permit appointment of a “special community trustee” to shepherd reuse or preservation while preserving constitutional property protections.

Dixon told the committee the proposal is “not an eminent domain taking,” and he described the bill as “carefully designed to be flexible and responsive to local communities and local government officials.” He urged the committee to give S.303 a favorable recommendation.

Committee members asked Dixon for examples and process detail. He cited churches and downtown commercial properties as typical cases where local leaders have wanted to preserve ongoing activity but been blocked by a controlling owner. Dixon said additional rulemaking and public‑process protections would be needed to implement the trustee mechanism, and he offered to work with the committee on drafting.

No formal committee action was taken on S.303 at the hearing; staff accepted written testimony for the public record.","A Winchester resident testified in favor of S.303, a proposal that would create community‑level mechanisms — including defined community institution landmarks, rights of first refusal and a special community trustee — to help preserve locally important businesses, schools and churches when owners close or abandon properties.",{"_33":89,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":90,"_41":91,"_43":92,"_45":93,"_47":94,"_49":95,"_51":96,"_53":97,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":98,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":99,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":74,"_75":74},6211933,"Lawmakers hear broad support for bills to expand employee ownership and give workers a right to buy",4198,892000,5090000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=3686686-dd2059b23e1360360ba9e013bf7dd5c5&start=892&end=5090","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/3686686-dd2059b23e1360360ba9e013bf7dd5c5/thumbnail_892000.jpg","/articles/6211933/Massachusetts/Lawmakers-hear-broad-support-for-bills-to-expand-employee-ownership-and-give-workers-a-right-to-buy","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6211933-adcab9176af9fee5ce2746286afe5e27/orig.mp4?Expires=1770646800&Signature=dNADx5T6RtTpAYnnGGOJvGvw2dGMaViedeuG-lXaJA2jbKndfDLq2GZFsgCnMu9IwX6mRH~KEjm2jMiSKrebj2Pw1Ve36ST5OkB7~Nu4qXBKZqSgEdVt621DqCnB-Qmdr0Sk0vop1Mm0ukS37NEav7gXaEyAHnjXoTw4CUXBVkrzFF6aYtvzvhUlSdYXE27TZ9QZiZJs0Yn8WDYJgpMadTShDtl2CbGZCmUjkETBrjGiHZ4X9lHtckGWagmEHOmEXTPdlGZDsRg3IdufOWDv3t1D1T6hvn6m8-HV14kp1wl5AJJHflFwBTSs7b6HEuF50Tw~yFeCG5sWU18cY6JMMw__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","The Joint Committee on Economic Development and Emerging Technologies heard hours of testimony in support of bills that would include worker‑owned businesses in state economic development programs and give employees a formal right to purchase firms when owners sell.

Supporters said the package — filed as H.491 and H.503 (and companion S.305 in the Senate) — would preserve jobs, expand local ownership, and give retiring owners an additional buyer option. “Before the closure ... I realized that without taking the power directly into the workers' hands, employees would not be able to mitigate the impact of these sorts of business decisions,” Caleb Zadehk, a founding co‑owner of Circus Cooperative Cafe in Cambridge, told the committee.

Backers described three main pillars in the proposals: (1) explicitly naming worker‑owned businesses as eligible for state economic development programs; (2) creating a formal right of first refusal that gives employee groups advance notice and time to organize if an owner seeks to sell; and (3) a capital‑gains tax exemption aimed at small businesses (an exemption applied to gains up to $1 million in the current drafts).

“The owner must give advance notice of the sale,” Alex Papali of the Center for Economic Democracy told the panel. “There's a 30 day window for initially for the owner to give advance notice of the sale. And that 30 day window is for, for the employees to decide whether or not they want to just bid ... After that, as soon as they give notice formally, it starts a 6 month, 180 day clock ticking.” Papali said the bills would require employees to meet any substantially equivalent market bid in good faith to trigger the right of first refusal and would exempt family transfers.

Speakers described practical examples and local scale. Halsey Platt, who said he is converting his residential construction business to an employee cooperative, told the committee, “we've built about $200,000,000 worth of residential, remodeling projects. We've got 55 employees, and I have currently got about 20 employees who are just terribly excited to, take over the business.”

Sarah Acefa, a board member of the Dorchester Food Co‑op, told lawmakers her cooperative currently employs 17 people — “half of whom are worker owners” — and has 2,152 member households. Technical‑assistance groups and lenders said they can finance and advise conversions but that owners and employees often lack time or notice to complete a sale without a statutory window and outreach.

Policy witnesses and practitioners cited national and state statistics to frame the bills. John Abrams, a business adviser and author, told the committee there are “approximately 3,000,000 American small businesses with employees, with founders over 55,” and warned of a large wave of ownership transfers if no additional succession options are provided. Papali and other witnesses said roughly 80 percent of Massachusetts businesses have revenues under $1 million and that only about 20 percent of businesses listed for sale actually find buyers.

Proponents argued employee ownership can improve resilience and local economic stability. “Worker cooperatives were much more likely to stay afloat” during COVID, Papali said, and Ethan Tupelo of the Massachusetts Advisory Board for Employee Ownership said worker cooperatives reduce pay inequality by narrowing CEO‑to‑worker pay ratios — “for corporations, the average median pay ratio between CEOs and workers was 268 to 1 … By contrast, worker cooperatives average a ratio of 4 to 1.”

Committee members pressed witnesses about details: why the $1 million exemption was chosen, how “substantially equivalent” price will be judged, and how long owners must wait while an employee group organizes. Witnesses said the $1 million threshold targets smaller firms (they said most Massachusetts businesses fall under that revenue level) and that the bill’s language is meant to preserve owners’ choice while creating a ready buyer when markets are thin.

No committee vote was taken. The committee accepted additional written testimony on the record and will consider drafting changes before reporting the bills out of committee.","At a public hearing of the Joint Committee on Economic Development and Emerging Technologies, business owners, worker-owners and nonprofit technical-assistance groups urged approval of bills that add worker‑owned businesses to state economic programs and create a right-to-buy pathway and tax incentive for employee purchases of small firms.","actionData","errors"]

Article not found

Rep. Kasner asks for special commission to repurpose vacant offices and ready Massachusetts for ‘next economy’

Resident urges ‘community trustee’ and right‑of‑first‑refusal in bill to protect local institutions

Lawmakers hear broad support for bills to expand employee ownership and give workers a right to buy