B.R.A. deal with Sox a strikeout

http://www.bostonherald.com/business/real_estate/2015/10/bra_deal_with_sox_a_strikeout



$7.3M pact ‘flawed’

B.R.A. deal with Sox a strikeout
Matt Stout, Bob McGovern Tuesday, October 27, 2015

The Boston Redevelopment Authority’s controversial 2013 no-bid contract with the Red Sox — granting rights in perpetuity to Yawkey Way for all gameday and concert events — was “flawed,” lacked transparency and didn’t protect the “taxpayers’ best interest,” the state’s inspector general has found.

Inspector General Glenn Cunha’s scathing report — following a more than yearlong probe by his office — slammed the BRA on several fronts, including its claim of “urban blight” to justify granting easement rights on the public street to the Red Sox.

“The review found that the BRA did not exercise the due diligence it owes to the City and the taxpayer,” Cunha wrote in a letter to BRA director Brian Golden yesterday. “It failed to ensure that the sale price it negotiated was in the taxpayers’ best interest. Furthermore, its process for reviewing and approving the transactions was flawed, not supported by evidence and lacked transparency.”

The BRA board approved the $7.34 million deal in September 2013, giving the Sox permanent rights to close Yawkey Way for concession sales 120 days a year, plus the air rights for the Green Monster seats built over Lansdowne Street.