The House took initial action on housing legislation Monday, advancing bills dealing with multifamily development rights and smart growth housing production to a third reading during informal session Monday as other high-profile proposals remain pending before the Ways and Means Committee.

Shedding some insight into their approach to longstanding housing issues, the House gave initial approval to two proposals that were among a broader package the Housing Committee backed late last month. While the House still has to vote to formally back the bills, Monday’s move signaled the chamber’s support for both measures.

One bill filed by Housing Committee Co-chair Rep. Kevin Honan (H.1281) would require accessory dwelling units and cluster developments to be permitted by right in single-family residential zoning districts. The legislation would also allow multifamily housing developments by right in zoning districts that are at least 1.5 percent of the developable land area in a city or town, have a housing density of up to 20 dwellings per acre and are suitable for multifamily development.

The other bill (H.1280) would lower the local voting threshold required for creation of smart growth or starter home zoning districts, which could have greater density than standard residential districts and qualify for money from the Smart Growth Housing Trust Fund. If approved, local legislative bodies would only need a simple majority rather than a two-thirds majority to create those overlays.

That mechanism is similar to a proposal Gov. Charlie Baker has been pushing for years to allow many zoning changes, not just those for smart growth districts, to be made with approval from a majority of a local legislative body rather than two-thirds as current law requires. Supporters argue lowering the threshold will accelerate housing development and address a shortage of available units.

The Housing Committee reported a version of that bill (H.4263) favorably in December, and similar language was included in another Honan bill (H.4262) that the committee also advanced. Both pieces of legislation were sent to the House Ways and Means Committee, where they remain Monday with an uncertain future.

Updated: 1:31 p.m., Jan. 7, 2020: An earlier version of this story mischaracterized H.1281. The legislation would permit multifamily development by right in one or more zoning districts that together cover not less than 1.5 percent of the developable land area in a city or town.