Greg Vasil

The push to build more housing in Massachusetts has reached a critical point.

After weeks of fierce debate between neighbors and clear calls from Gov. Maura Healey and Attorney General Andrea Campbell for Milton to vote yes on zoning changes that would comply with the MBTA Communities Act, the town voted down the package, and with it, the path for creating thousands of desperately needed homes.

The wealthy town’s refusal to reduce barriers to housing creation highlights how NIMBYism remains a deeply influential force in Massachusetts with Winthrop, Wrentham and Rockport now openly mulling the idea of following Milton’s lead and ignoring their legal responsibility to rezone for new housing despite the state attorney general’s decision to sue Milton for breaking the law.

Regardless of how long and loudly these NIMBY voices persist – and make no mistake, they will persist – the state must stand firm on easing restrictions to housing creation across the commonwealth. If it gives in to NIMBY demands, our state’s population will continue to fall, shrinking our employee base and harming our economic competitiveness.

Massachusetts isn’t the first state to challenge NIMBY communities. After decades of housing underproduction, California’s legislature has passed more than 100 reforms since 2017 aimed to boost its housing stock. As in Massachusetts, cities and towns have furiously pushed back. But the state hasn’t given in. Instead, it has stood firm, compelling the affluent seaside community of Coronado to zone for the creation of more than 900 affordable homes, and settling with the city of Fullerton to make room for the creation of 13,000-plus homes. The state of California continues to battle other communities in court in the hopes of securing their compliance.

Massachusetts must follow this playbook and refuse to give in to a vocal minority that wishes for fewer families to call the state home.

On top of that, state leaders must think beyond the MBTA Communities law and embrace additional, proven tools to create more homes and lower overall costs.

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For example, the state should invest in the production and upkeep of affordable low-income housing to alleviate long wait lists and serve the most vulnerable residents. Currently, nearly 200,000 individuals sit on the years-long waitlist for public housing – a tragic and frustrating outcome given the thousands of units sitting vacant across the state. Fortunately, the governor’s housing bond bill aims to help address this, investing $1.6 billion into the state’s public housing system.

Policymakers must also pass another pivotal element of the governor’s bond bill: Accessory Dwelling Units (ADUs). Another housing reform Massachusetts NIMBYs have long opposed, ADUs would offer everyone from seniors looking to downsize to single people looking for an affordable place to live.

The policy has proven successful in housing-starved California, where more than 80,000 ADUs have been approved since they were legalized across the state in 2016. In 2022 alone, more than 23,000 ADUs were approved, and over 17,000 were built. Given that nearly 1 million homes across the commonwealth have the space to accommodate at least one ADU, Beacon Hill must move rapidly on this reform.

State leaders must prioritize developing housing on unused state-owned land too. The governor declared this one of her priorities in last year’s inaugural address, and she has already begun making good on this pledge when she sold land in New Bedford for the creation of 28 rental units. The state must explore selling all types of unused state-owned land, such as schools and factories, to make way for homes essential to retaining families already living here and attracting future ones.

Steps like these, alongside ensuring the implementation of the MBTA Communities law across Massachusetts, will equip state leaders with some of the essential tools they need to help overcome the housing crisis. No longer must the few NIMBY voices that so loudly dominate public conversation be able to hold Massachusetts back. Our state’s future depends on it.

Greg Vasil is CEO of the Greater Boston Real Estate Board