Residential property values raise tax base; Rise 65% from FY '03 to '07.
WORCESTER - The city's total tax base increased by 65 percent between fiscal 2003 and 2007, fueled largely by a $4.4 billion rise in residential property values, according to a survey released by The Research Bureau's Center for Community Performance Management. That $4.4 billion represents a 74-percent...

Council OKs wind turbine ordinance; Proponent blasts rule as restrictive.
Byline: Matthew Bruun FITCHBURG - The City Council last night approved an ordinance allowing wind turbines to be erected on residential property, but the Oak Hill Road couple whose plans to produce wind power sparked the debate blasted the legislation as overly restrictive. Gregory Lemay...

Arab property: can the boom continue? From Casablanca to Dubai, prices for commercial and residential properties have trebled since 2000. But experts warn this boom could sour--causing more economic dislocation than any war.
ALONG THE BEACHES STRETCHING away from Dubai's famed Creek, armies of construction workers are racing to complete giant housing complexes which will permanently change the lie of the land. Demand is so great along Jumeirah Beach that most tower apartments are sold within hours of plans being unveiled. High-end...

It ain't necessarily low; Assessors gauge balance of property values, taxes.
Byline: Matthew Bruun Assessors describe similar scenes: A property owner walks into City Hall to check out his or her home's latest assessed value and sees a decline. The homeowner greets as good news that his or her taxes will be going down. "I hear...

BPOs seen driving RP property growth.
The Philippine real estate industry is expected to sustain its growth momentum in 2008, driven by continued demand in the business process outsourcing (BPO) and traditional business sectors, an increase in the number of real estate players going public, and higher foreign investment according to CB Richard Ellis Philippines...

Thrift banks boost real estate loans 11% to P84.4 billion in 2007.
Thrift banking sector's outstanding real estate loans rose by 11 percent to P84.4 billion in 2007, the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) said yesterday. Of this amount, P66.83 billion are residential loans and P17 billion are commercial loans. The BSP said thrift banks' real estate...

Bylaw could affect hotel's development; Zoning to be decided at town meeting.
Byline: Elaine Thompson SHREWSBURY - A proposed zoning bylaw change that will be decided at the annual town meeting will have a significant effect on the Value Place extended-stay economy hotel proposed for Route 9 and Lake Street. The Board of Selectmen, at a special...

Tax rate remains same for homes, businesses.
Byline: Ellie Oleson OXFORD - Selectmen last week voted unanimously to maintain a single tax rate rather than take the chance of driving businesses out of town by setting a higher tax rate on commercial properties. Jennie L. Caissie, chairman of selectmen, said, "You just...

Coburg officials give go-ahead for wastewater treatment system.
Byline: Karen McCowan The Register-Guard COBURG - The last local city still using septic tanks has pulled the trigger on a $25 million wastewater treatment system, more than two decades after its leaders first tried to do so. City residents resisted such efforts back in...

Firefighters, zoning bylaws on warrant.
Byline: Michael Kane WEST BOYLSTON - Voters will be presented 51 articles when the Semi-Annual Town Meeting convenes next Monday, May 19 at the high school at 7 p.m. While neither of the two issues that kept voters busy until after 11:30 p.m. last May...