Yeah, about that.

Scott Van Voorhis writes what may very well be his first good column, this year:

The Boston Redevelopment Authority, which controls hundreds of acres across the city, has been selling some of its real estate empire in recent years to spur new housing construction.

But as it sells off real estate, the city authority is also cutting deals that give it a cut of condos sold on those sites, Paul McCann, a top BRA official confirmed.

The BRA sells the land, but attaches provisions to it that carry on, perhaps forever.

The typical agreement calls for a 4 percent chunk of the initial sale, followed by 2 percent of every resale.

I have no idea what the BRA uses the proceeds for - presumably to fund its operation, right?

As Mr. Van Voorhis mentions, projects that are subject to this extortion user-fee include Atelier 505, Parris Landing, and The Metropolitan.

The new Columbus Center, if every built, will also have a "transfer" fee - it will be collected on every re-sale, with proceeds going towards lease payments made to the Mass Turnpike Authority and MassHousing.

More: City hit over its land deals: BRA collects on condo sales - By Scott Van Voorhis, The Boston Herald