MassDOT Launches Latest Statewide Travel Study

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BOSTON — The Massachusetts Department of Transportation (MassDOT) recently launched the latest Massachusetts Travel Study, the first comprehensive statewide data collection project in over 10 years.

If invited to participate, residents across the Commonwealth will have the opportunity to share information about their travel behavior and help inform the future of transportation planning and service delivery.  

Households across the state will be randomly selected to participate in the study. If chosen, household members will be able to complete a short travel diary and questionnaire that asks about various trip purposes, and travel modes taken. Once complete, every participating household member will receive a gift card for use at select retailers.  

Invitation letters are currently being distributed to households and will continue to arrive in mailboxes all across the state throughout the Fall. MassDOT encourages all who receive an invitation to participate in the study, as this data will help MassDOT make capital investment, service delivery, and transportation planning decisions.  

For more information about the Massachusetts Travel Study, please visit https://www.mass.gov/massachusetts-travel-study  


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Berkshire Mall Owners Press for Road District Dissolution

By Breanna SteeleiBerkshires Staff
LANESBOROUGH, Mass. — Berkshire Mall owner JMJ RE Holdings says without a dissolution of the Baker Hill Road District, the potential sale and redevelopment with the mall would fall through.
 
The Select Board last week authorized two of its members to work on a compromise between the JMJ and the road district. The two entities have been at loggerheads over assessments to the district — and the district's purpose.
 
Tim Grogan, development consultant for JMJ RE Holdings, recently responded to iBerkshires' coverage of the meeting, during which the board discussed mediation but took no comments from the public or the mall owners. 
 
Grogan said JMJ has been under purchase contract with real estate developer Cypress Equities since May and has an intention to close in the fall.
 
"We are contractually obligated to deliver the property with the BHRD dissolved. If that does not happen, the mall will not get redeveloped. If the BHRD is not dissolved, the transaction with Cypress cannot close," said Grogan over email. "That is not a position JMJ adopted as leverage. It is the express term of a fully executed purchase and sale agreement. Should the town proceed in a manner that departs from the existing settlement framework, JMJ will evaluate all available claims to protect its contractual rights."
 
The town had initially agreed to seek the dissolution of the district through the Legislature based on JMJ paying $1.1 million to resolve all tax disputes. But that article was pulled from the annual town meeting when town officials said the mall's owners failed to make payment by the deadline. 
 
The road district was established 40 years ago to maintain the Connector Road between Routes 7 and 8 and assess the mall for fire and police protection. The mall closed in 2019 and its various owners since then have sought to redevelop the property. 
 
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