From: bizjournals.com

Image from: BBJ | W. MARC BERNSAU

In his annual State of the City address Tuesday night, Mayor Martin Walsh announced several measures with a potentially big impact on businesses, including plans to put $100 million toward public housing, $1 billion toward the city’s school buildings and to file legislation to make it harder to displace residents from their homes.

All that, in addition to making traffic lights less annoying.

Walsh’s third annual address since taking office in 2014 touted some impressive economic statistics, for sure. An all-time low unemployment rate of 2.4 percent. The construction of 19,000 new homes since he became mayor, and 35 million square feet of new living and working space during the same time. He said Boston has become not only “a global headquarters city,” but also “America’s shoe capital, home to New Balance, Converse, Reebok, Puma, and M. Gemi.”

“We’re ranked the best city for startups and a leader in venture capital success. We brought the startup economy to the neighborhoods, beginning with the Roxbury Innovation Center. We built Boston’s first citywide system of small business support, and we’re encouraging worker-owned co-ops,” he said.

But while there was no big news in the address that hadn’t been known before, Walsh announced several items that could affect the business community. Among them are:

1. Plans to use the $100 million from the Winthrop Square Garage sale for boosting the city’s neighborhoods. “That money will go to revitalizing public housing in East Boston and South Boston, major investments in Franklin Park and Boston Common, and finally completing the original plan for the Emerald Necklace,” Walsh said.
2. The filing of five new bills at the State House to “protect residents from displacement.” Walsh touted his efforts to help residents “stay in their homes and neighborhoods,” through creating an Office of Housing Stability and helping first-time home buyers. The protection from “displacement” could entail anything from making it harder for landlords to evict tenants to creating barriers to gentrification.
3. “A plan to bring cutting-edge traffic-light technology to Boston’s busiest streets.” Walsh said he’s planning to bring in traffic signals that “adapt to traffic in real time and work together to keep it flowing,” eliminating the experience of driving through the city and hitting every red light.
4. Legislation to offer free pre-kindergarten to every 4-year-old in the city.Walsh said the initiative would be funded by existing tourism taxes that result in a surplus in the Convention Center Fund ever year. “It’s only fair that Boston’s success benefits all Boston’s children,” he said.
5. A $1 billion investment in Boston’s school buildings, under a 10-year Facilities Plan to be unveiled in coming weeks. “We will create high-quality 21st-century classrooms for every student, connected to every neighborhood, college, and workplace in our city,” he said.
6. The creation of Neighborhood Trauma Teams in Roxbury, Dorchester, Jamaica Plain, East Boston, and Mattapan. “In the aftermath of violence, health centers, hospitals, and community groups will coordinate immediate response and sustained recovery for all those affected,” he said. “Together we’ll break the cycle of suffering and violence and bring healing to our city.”