Mass. Should Say: ‘Yes in God’s Backyard’
Significant drops in religious affiliation have left many shrinking congregations struggling to maintain large buildings and surplus land. A new bill makes it easier to help them with affordable housing.
Cambridge Legalized Multifamily Housing Citywide. Just as Remarkable: How They Got There
Just as significant as the ordinance itself: It was adopted by an almost unprecedented 8-1 City Council vote. Achieving that consensus took time.
In Search for Mass. Housing Fixes, It’s Land, Ho!
Many believe that solving our own housing crisis is out of our control because we have no land to build on, but that is not so. What is lacking is broad political will.
Towns, Cities Need Partners When Repurposing School Buildings into Senior Housing
Consistent public school enrollment declines mean that surplus school buildings could be a real source of new homes, but towns and cities often lack the expertise to do it themselves.
Housing Bill’s Momentum Fund Has Potential for Outsized Impact
Designed to provide flexible financing to invest directly in market-driven, mixed-income housing projects that are currently stalled, this innovative fund holds significant promise.
Proposed State Stormwater Regulations Will Undermine Our Housing Goals
Rigid and in some cases overengineered solutions would not make projects more resilient, and instead could significantly cut the amount of housing we can produce.
Municipalities Will Not Lead on Housing
As passions around the MBTA Communities law rise, it’s time to take a fact-based look at the law, put it in context with what other states are doing and plan accordingly.
Housing Tax Credit Bill Should Be on U.S. Senate’s To-Do List
A bill making its way through Congress could spark the largest increase in resources for affordable rental housing in nearly a quarter of a century and reduce project costs.
Rampant Insurance Increases Are Stifling Housing Production
There’s a new threat to affordability that is jolting the rental apartment real estate industry, especially those in market-rate and affordable multifamily housing: insurance premiums.
A Workhorse Affordable Housing Program Is Expanding Significantly
The need for more affordable housing in the Greater Boston area is at an all-time high, but construction is headed for a record low. Fortunately, Gov. Maura Healey has proposed tools that can help fix this.
Redouble the Effort to Support the Community Preservation Act
A few key reforms can help overcome the real obstacle to growing the number of housing units the CPA creates: the lack of local political will to seed new housing that CPA funds can be spent on.
Expanding HDIP Funding Offers Many Worthwhile Benefits
It’s a policy that can help downtowns be busier and healthier, assist cities with revenue and reduce the concentration of poverty by increasing their overall supply of housing.
ADUs Are No Longer a Fringe Housing Solution
There’s rarely a silver bullet solution to such a crisis, but state action to allow accessory dwelling units by right would clearly narrow the gap between supply and demand, and reduce housing costs.
‘Buy American’ Would Have Exacerbated Housing Shortage
The $1.2 trillion federal infrastructure law had an unintended consequence: Forcing affordable housing developments to abide by expensive and potentially unavailable U.S.-produced materials. Now there’s relief.
A Change in HUD Voucher Rules Improves Families’ Lives
A small shift in federal housing policy is yielding results that have the potential to better the lives of hundreds of thousands of low-income families.
Multifamily Housing Law Puts Responsibilities on MBTA Communities
Communities with concerns about Massachusetts’ new transit-oriented zoning reform were heard. We need to engage in our communities to ensure that this law achieves its promise.
Question 1 Is a Generational Opportunity for Mass.
For us in the real estate community, the Fair Share Amendment is a chance to support the housing needs of our workforce using the better transit infrastructure the tax will fund.
Accessory Dwelling Units Are One Obvious Way to Create Homes
One of the most unfortunate casualties of the end-of-session scramble on Beacon Hill was a failure to legalize the creation of accessory dwelling units on many single-family lots statewide.
It’s Time to Take Notice of Growing Single-Family Rental Sector
The need to expand Massachusetts’ stock of single-family homes is palpable. The shortage of homes has resulted in bidding wars for properties and a ratcheting up of prices. It is also the reason that young families are leaving our region to purchase a home somewhere...Congress Must Move to Unlock Pandemic Aid’s Housing Potential
A grant given to fund an affordable housing project reduces the cost basis for developers and thereby reduces the amount that can be raised in private funds through the LIHTC program.
