By Jon Chesto and Don Conkey
Patriot Ledger
May 24, 2007
http://www.patriotledger.com/articles/2007/05/24/news/news02.txt
Braintree - "I would never charge the House of the Lord the market rate," billionaire developer Thomas Flatley said of the possible move of administrative offices of the Catholic Archdiocese of Boston to a building he owns in Braintree.
Sources close to the archdiocese confirmed that a move to the four-story office building on Brooks Drive in Braintree is likely, and will be announced by the end of the week, if final details are ironed out.
The move of major functions of the archdiocese's chancery office and its 200 employees from Brighton has been opposed by Boston Mayor Thomas Menino, who says the shift would be damaging to the charitable mission of the church and its history in Boston.
 |
| The Archdiocese of Boston may be moving its administrative offices to this building at 66 Brooks Drive in Braintree. The property is owned by Milton developer Thomas Flatley. Photo by Lisa Bul |
Flatley said in a telephone interview yesterday that discussions with the archdiocese have been under way for six months and that he is optimistic that a deal can be reached.
Flatley, a Braintree-based developer who serves on the archdiocese's finance council, said yesterday that he is deliberately not attending a finance council meeting this week because the issue might come up, and he wants to avoid the appearance of a conflict of interest.
"I believe they are more interested in it, from what I hear," Flatley said. "I would love to see them there. ...They happen to be the follower of the guy who has been taking care of me all of my life. Why wouldn't I want them to be there?"
If the financially struggling archdiocese decides to move its headquarters to Braintree, Flatley said he would charge a discounted rate for the property. But he said the final terms of any deal haven't been worked out.
Flatley is a native of Ireland who lives in Milton and is a longtime church supporter. He said church officials have visited his Brooks Drive building several times in the past six months.
The 150,000-square-foot, four-story building sits in a secluded area off West Street near the Randolph line. It's being vacated by Boston Financial Data Services. The Quincy-based financial company is moving employees from Braintree to Canton, and Flatley said all of the Boston Financial workers in the Braintree building will be gone by the end of the year.
Flatley said the property would give church officials an opportunity to consolidate operations that are currently spread out over a campus in Brighton. Boston College may buy the chancery property, which is near its main campus.
Braintree Selectmen Chairman Darrin McAuliffe welcomed news of the potential move.
"They are great neighbors to have and we welcome them with open arms," he said.
If Flatley transfers the property to the archdiocese, the property would become exempt from property taxes. With an assessed value of nearly $9 million, a loss of tax revenue from the building would cost the town about $170,000 annually.
If the archdiocese leases the property from Flatley, it would stay on the tax rolls.
The archdiocese's move to Braintree would be part of an effort by the church to address a financial crisis that has been caused in part by the clergy sexual abuse scandal.
If the chancery were to move, the 4.75-acre chancery property, and possibly a portion of the 13.5-acre St. John's Seminary property, probably would be purchased for millions of dollars by Boston College, whose main campus is nearby.
Three years ago, the Jesuit college bought an ornate church-owned mansion and 46 acres of former archdiocese property in Brighton, where it plans to build dormitories, a baseball stadium and a home for 70 to 90 Jesuits.
The chancery serves as the administration center for the nation's fourth-largest Catholic diocese with about 2.1 million members. A move is expected to make the administration more cost-efficient.
St. John's Seminary, which opened in the 1880s, would remain in Brighton if the chancery moves.
The clergy sex abuse scandal cost the Boston Archdiocese millions of dollars in settlements, including an $85 million settlement in 2003 with more than 550 abuse victims.
Donations fell in the years after the scandal came to light The archdiocese has closed or consolidated 64 parishes, and sold the mansion and other real estate holdings.
Any original material on these pages is copyright © BishopAccountability.org 2004. Reproduce freely with attribution.