Committees finalize sale, notice and historic-protection language for 110 State Street in capital-bill amendment

A joint conference of the Senate Institutions and House Institutions and Corrections on May 21 finalized language that would alter how the state may dispose of 110 State Street and how committees are notified of future sales. The committee agreed to replace a right-of-first-refusal with a notification-of-intent-to-sell requirement and to require covenants developed in consultation with historic-preservation stakeholders to be included in any sale contract.

Committee staff explained the change removes a prior right of first refusal but preserves statutory fair-market-value protections by striking the clause that previously allowed sales below market (the transcript discussion described this as removing the 'notwithstanding' language so the statutory process and FMD review remain effective). The draft requires the commissioner to provide the chairs of the committees of jurisdiction with copies of any related RFPs and any contract for sale of 110 State Street promptly after each becomes available.

Members asked whether the purchaser notification obligation applies to every subsequent sale or only to the original purchaser; staff clarified the current draft refers to the referenced purchaser (the obligation is not framed as indefinite for all future owners), and they offered to add an explicit initial-term clause if the committee preferred.

The committee also confirmed that covenants tied to historic-preservation objectives will be included in sale contracts and that the secretary of administration and the commission of PGS (the draft uses the acronym PGS) would be the offices notified by a purchaser so they can promptly alert committee chairs of a potential sale.

Why it matters: 110 State Street is under consideration for disposition as part of a broader amendment to last year’s capital bill (Act 33). The change shifts enforcement away from deed‑recorded rights toward a reporting/notice mechanism while preserving statutory fair‑market‑value safeguards, and it gives committees an explicit line of sight to RFPs and sales contracts.

Next steps: Committee members agreed to send the agreed draft to editing so a clean copy will be available for signature the following morning; staff said they will circulate the final document to editors and to budget‑team staff for a last check.