New plans for Quincy building call for waiving taxes for 40 years. What we know

QUINCY − A request to pay no taxes for 40 years is included in plans a new downtown medical facility filed with the city's planning department.

Commercial real estate and development firm FoxRock Properties describe a four-story medical building, a 500-space parking garage and two retail buildings to be constructed on the site of the former Ross Garage, which was demolished in the summer of 2016.

The site of the proposed project, named "Switchpoint Quincy," runs parallel to Burgin Parkway and the MBTA Red Line, bounded to the north by Granite Street and to the south by General's Bridge. It would be accessed via McConville Way.

A 40-year tax exemption for the medical building

Under Chapter 121 A of Massachusetts state law, developers in urban renewal areas, such as downtown Quincy, receive 15-year exemptions from real and personal property taxes when they build public amenities on properties considered to be blighted.

In its application, FoxRock requested a 25-year extension of that exemption for a total of 40 years, the maximum allowable under 121A.

To be eligible for the maximum 40-year tax exemption, developers must show that their project provides certain amenities. In its application, FoxRock listed medical services, high-paying jobs and economic stimulus as such amenities warranting the exemption.

The application also says that without the long-term exemption, the project would not be financially viable due to “construction costs, suburban office rents and the high interest rate environment."

Deputy Planning Director Robert Stevens said the medical center would be the second project in the downtown district to receive tax exempt status. One Chestnut Place, the residential high-rise developed by Peter O'Connell, received a similar incentive, though O'Connell agreed to pay 10% of gross revenues in lieu of property taxes.

Planning Director Jim Fatseas said that only the medical use will be exempt, so that FoxRock would pay taxes on the other elements of the project.

The site is made up of two parcels: 37R Parkingway and 86 Parkingway. FoxRock bought the smaller, 0.4-acre lot at 37R Parkingway from a private seller in January 2018 for $5.3 million. It bought the larger, 2.27-acre parcel at 86 Parkingway in September 2023 from the city for $4.25 million, according to city records.

FoxRock's latest plans for a new medical center in downtown Quincy

The planning board application describes the project as a four-story, 110,000-square-foot medical building.

In addition, the plans includes a 197,000-square-foot, 500-space parking garage with eight levels including the basement and rooftop. Connected to the parking garage are two retail spaces, each two stories high: an 8,800 square-foot restaurant and 18,100-square-foot general retail building.

The developer says in the application that new medical services will provide a public benefit to Quincy and surrounding towns, and that the new garage will serve all residents on evenings and weekends. The project will also restore and revitalize a blighted open area, the application says.

The plan also promises open space, including a “pocket park at the northern end of the project site” and a “streetscape with benches and bike racks.”

FoxRock, co-founded by Jason Ward and billionaire Granite Telecommunications owner Robert Hale, has made a series of proposals since late 2016, when it promised to return hospital-like services to Quincy after buying the former Quincy Medical Center for the below market price of $12 million. FoxRock converted the former hospital grounds on Whitwell Street into the 465-unit Ashlar Park residential community.

Proposals by FoxRock in 2018, 2021 and 2022, all on a larger scale than the current plans, didn't materialize, but city officials said they believe this time will be different. In October, Beth Israel Deaconess announced a lease agreement with FoxRock to manage the facility, providing primary care, urgent care, cancer care, OB-GYN, orthopedics, radiology and lab services and a retail pharmacy.

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A look back at different FoxRock proposals for the site

In December 2018, the developer had much grander plans for the site, when it envisioned medical offices, a 140-room hotel and 110 "workforce housing" apartments inside a 200,000 square-foot, nine story edifice.

Almost three years later, in September 2021, FoxRock put forward new plans for a 125-room hotel, 200 market-rate units and a restaurant inside a 20-story tower. The plan, which also included a six-story office building and parking garage, drew criticism from city councilors for its lack of defined medical space or any mention of affordable housing.

In January 2022, FoxRock scrapped the hotel and 200 residential units, instead proposing a 250,000-square-foot medical office and life science building. The plan also included a 510-space parking garage and 13,000-square-foot restaurant.

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This article originally appeared on The Patriot Ledger: Plan for new Quincy medical building asks for no taxes for 40 years