Each week, Abington News is asking the four residents running for the Select Board a question to help voters better understand them as candidates. Election Day is Saturday, Sept. 21.
This week’s question was:
The town’s commercial tax base continues to shrink relative to the residential tax base. This means more and more of the tax burden is being borne by homeowners.
What specific ideas do you have to reverse this trend, grow the town’s commercial tax base, and help out the town’s homeowners?
(You may also disagree with the premise of this question)
Responses are provided in the order they were received.
ABBY GENDREAU
In terms of splitting the tax rate between commercial and residential taxes I do not believe that is a good idea for the town of Abington. With the proposition 2.5% law in place, we can only increase the taxes by 2.5% annually. When it comes to splitting the tax rate that would only shift the burden of taxes, but not increase the amount of tax revenue that Abington receives. Abington has a lot of local, small businesses that would also get this increase in taxes, such as Mal’s Kitchen, Martin’s Restaurant and Seoane’s Landscaping, to name a few. We would also be discouraging others from coming to Abington and opening new businesses and possibly making it difficult for our current establishments to stay, pushing businesses into surrounding towns. A split rate is more effective with communities that have larger percentages of their town being commercial properties, whereas Abington’s commercial tax base is only around 8 percent.
Although it’s tempting to say Wal-Mart, Target, Lowe’s and other big businesses in town should be paying a hirer rate, overall, we would be making Abington less desirable to small business owners, sending them into surrounding towns. Essentially, losing those tax dollars while also losing our small-town appeal.
Perhaps, as I previously stated, during my Community Chat interview on Abington CAM we could look where all money is currently being budgeted and see if there are any other places where we could reallocate those funds as to not increase the tax rate, as a whole.
MATTHEW LYNCH
This is a complex issue without a straightforward answer. The first step is determining why this is occuring. It may be that while more houses are being built, there is no corresponding increase in commercial space. Alternatively, it might indicate that housing levels are stable but the number of businesses is declining.
If the issue is an increase in residential properties then we should prioritize zoning for commercial properties. For example, we could utilize part of the old Naval Air Station by building an access road and zoning it primarily for commercial use, which could attract businesses to the area, thus alleviating the burden on homeowners.
If the number of businesses is decreasing, we need to investigate why. Are local businesses failing? Are commercial tax rates lower in other towns? Are there more appealing commercial properties elsewhere? Why aren’t new businesses starting here? Identifying the underlying causes will help us address them effectively, inturn, increasing the commercial tax base.
WILLIAM CORMIER
It’s no secret I am an advocate for small business owners whom are in a lot of cases our neighbors. A lot of local business become a fixtures within our community. That being said I support a single tax rate across the board.
We aren’t going to attract or keep businesses by punishing them with a higher tax rate. The majority of Abington business owners are struggling just like you and I with the current economy. We all know how much the cost of living has gone up to support our household , can you imagine the struggles that our business owners are facing. I for one would like to look into creative ways to not only attract business but also make sure they stay in business. There are to many vacant store fronts and buildings within Abington.
In order to build a better commercial tax base we truly need to start thinking outside of the box. I’d like to see possibly looking into tax increment financing (tif) program. This would be similar to how we kept Cape Cod Lumber from leaving town. We could also look into other programs and incentives to offer. We also need to look at the long term and how to keep these businesses here. We need to be creative to increase the commercial development and growth.
Keep in mind the importance of attracting small businesses they like you invest in Abington. I know I’ve never seen Walmart or Lowe’s printed on the back of a youth sports shirt. I have seen many other local business though and if we increase their taxes we may not see this type of support from them in the future.
I would also like to look into having some kind of festival in the town centers to celebrate and bring awareness to the local business community in those areas. Perhaps a holiday stroll similar to Rockland or Fall Festival etc……. Let the owners know we will support them.
Another long response but so many thoughts and ideas on a subject that has been on my radar for years. Driving through both centers or past a vacant store front is certainly incentive enough to make sure we get on the right track.
AMANDA ZOMPETTI
Growing the commercial real estate base for Abington has been discussed for years now it seems. With major state routes passing through town, big chain stores like Target, Wal-mart and Stop & Shop having a presence, why aren’t we as desirable? What is preventing small, medium and large businesses from setting roots here?
My first thought when I read the email with this question: I’m sad I missed the meeting a couple weeks ago! On September 4th, Town Planner Liz Shea hosted a meeting to discuss plans to revitalize downtown Abington. I’ve been told that ‘downtown’ Abington is technically at the Washington Street and Brockton Ave intersection area, but that never felt right to me. North Ave and its line of shops, restaurants and more makes the most sense. I’d love to see that be treated as a true New England downtown, and recognized as the finish of our pride and joy, the St.Patrick’s Day parade. I’m excited to see what came out of that meeting in terms of deciding what to do with the grant funds.
I think what is stopping that from being a bit more successful is the elephant in the room/eyesore for all to see: the New England Art Building. Imagine that removed, and a small pedestrian plaza with shops on both sides….reminds me of the large brick alleyways of downtown NYC or Worcester. Grabbing a coffee with a friend on the brick walkway, away from traffic, fall and winter festivals. It’s such a large piece of land adjacent to our downtown that is being heavily underutilized at the moment. I do not see a need for that building as it stands now.
Another step in attracting more to the commercial base is supporting our current businesses. I look to Yaz’s Table and their cafe expansion, Terra Nossa and their expansion into table service, Rt 18 Sunoco and their expanded garage bays, and Seaone’s expanding to offer workshops and small classes. Offering incentives for growth to those that have already chosen Abington as our home should be the first step in the process to expand.
Next would be offering smaller, more manageable access to commercial space for smaller businesses. We have many home based businesses in town, such as those offering baked goods, real estate, consulting and more. To expand from a home office to a commercial space can be daunting and near impossible. Rent for space in town with just a quick search starts at 2500$ a month. But what if we helped create co-working spaces? Shared commercial kitchen spaces available for rent? You’ll find options like this in local communities like Scituate, Rockland and Hanover. Again, this strategy leans towards the first step-support those already in our community and try to help them expand while staying here.
In terms of larger businesses, I am not sure how else we could immediately expand there. Do we put a bulletin out to Chili’s, Gap, Starbucks, or any other major brand? Do we even want more national chains that would be competing with our local smaller businesses?
I think starting with what we have already, and leaning into their growth will support not just the commercial tax base that we need to expand, but will also maintain that community feel of Abington that we all love.