Building quotas fall short

[unhappycamper]

http://www.bostonherald.com/business/real_estate/2015/08/building_quotas_fall_short



SHORTFALL: With construction booming in Boston, the city is still falling short of its jobs policy that requires large projects to employ Hub residents for 50 percent of the work, something Mayor Martin J. Walsh wants to fix.

Building quotas fall short
Friday, August 14, 2015
Jordan Graham

Construction is booming in Boston, with nearly 
$7 billion worth of projects underway and billions more in the pipeline, but only about a quarter of the work is going to residents, far short of city requirements, a Herald review found.

The Boston Residents Jobs Policy, passed in 1986 and later amended, requires that construction projects larger than 100,000 square feet employ Boston residents for 50 percent of the work, minorities for 25 percent, and women for 10 percent.

For active projects, the construction industry is surpassing the requirement for minorities but is badly missing the mark for residents and women. A Herald review of city data found:
• Boston residents have worked 28 percent of the construction hours.
• Women have worked 
4 percent.
• Minorities have worked 29 percent.

~snip~

Walsh said he is worried Boston residents are not getting the full benefit of the current construction bonanza because nearly three-quarters of the work is going to nonresidents. The Boston Redevelopment Authority said there is $6.8 billion in active construction, with another $14.3 billion approved.