Tufts Daily published an article about the sale of the former Anheuser-Busch site to the MBTA. The transaction has come under fire not only due to a lack of transparency, but also because the land is considered highly valuable. Critics argue that the city could have used the site to generate much-needed revenue—or better yet, to develop rent-controlled housing, which current city councilors frequently claim the city desperately needs.
Nate Merritt, pictured above, weighed in on the article and raised tough questions that remain unanswered by the mayor.
From the article:
Nate Merritt, a candidate for City Council who lives near the Riverside Avenue site, expressed concern about the potential financial loss for the city. He criticized the project’s lack of transparency, noting that Mayor Lungo-Koehn’s failure to communicate between her initial statement about ongoing sale negotiations involving the MBTA and Market Basket, and the final sale itself, left him searching for answers.
“What is the net benefit for having the MBTA with a bus garage at that 21-acre property? The [transfer of] the car barns don’t make up for it,” Merritt said.
As it was a private sale, Lungo-Koehn had limited power over the final decision. Lungo-Koehn serves as Vice Chair of the MBTA Advisory Board, which makes recommendations over planning and allocation of funds for MBTA operations and capital projects. The Advisory Board, composed of city leaders from 187 municipalities, does not make any final decisions on behalf of the MBTA.
Merritt suggested that in addition to the property’s lack of direct neighborhood benefit is a missed opportunity, noting it could have housed a recreational center for children, among other uses. He believes that more could have been done to encourage a business, rather than a city agency, to purchase the property.
“Did we actually reach out? Because [with] a property developer, ‘if you build it, they will come’ doesn’t always work,” he said.
Full article can be read here – https://www.tuftsdaily.com/article/2025/09/residents-officials-concerned-over-sale-of-21-acre-medford-property-to-mbta-for-bus-facility
Nate’s facebook page can be found here – https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61577914151614
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