While the relative merits of Boston Mayor Marty Walsh’s recent round of anti-displacement proposals are worthy of debate, what should not be up for debate is the need for these proposals (though of course that debate has already begun). Elected officials, housing advocates and developers alike are well aware of rising housing costs and what that will mean for the makeup of the city.
Many times in recent months this space has bemoaned the increasing unaffordability of living in the city of Boston. Too much repetition inspires a reader to change the channel, so we will not belabor the point this week. Rather, we commend the mayor for his commitment to addressing the issue.
Between his call to create 53,000 new housing units by 2030 to this most recent round of proposals to keep residents in their current homes, it seems Marty, at least, has a clue about what changing demographics and sky-high housing costs will mean for the composition and population of our great city.
Walsh recently released a package of five proposals to address the displacement of long-time residents as the city’s housing costs skyrocket (see Steve Adam’s story for full coverage).
After decades of calls for change and action, Walsh’s proposals may well be too little, too late, but at least he’s trying.
“Even as Boston sees historic levels of housing being built, we must make sure that no one is left behind. The people who have built this city into the thriving, attractive place it is today must be able to remain in their homes and neighborhoods, and we will not stop until we have significant protections in place for them,” Walsh said in a statement accompanying the release of the proposals.
“Historical levels of housing,” indeed. Too bad most of them are luxury units purchased at prices the average Boston resident is unlikely to earn in a lifetime, let alone spend on a condo in Southie, of all places.
There are some signs that the rental market in Boston may be softening slightly, which is good news for residents and newcomers alike, though not, of course, for landlords. Rents in Boston will always require a delicate balance between affordability and reparability. Our housing stock is old and expensive to maintain, but until the seas rise, wipe out Back Bay and necessitate a complete do-over, we’re stuck with what we’ve got.
And so the merits of the mayor’s proposals are worth debate – and will be debated, no doubt, in these pages and others. Theoretically and hopefully, rather than watering down the legislation, these debates will result in laws that are stronger and more beneficial to all stakeholders. That’s how democracy is supposed to work, anyway.
We hope the mayor is committed to his strongly-worded statement. He’s going to need the courage of his convictions to get this legislation approved in any kind of meaningful fashion. Kudos to him for attempting to protect the city’s residents from displacement and ensure we all have an affordable-ish place to live in the next decade.
