Congressman Jake Auchincloss addresses members of the Charles River Regional Chamber on March 31, 2025. Photo by Sam Drysdale | State House News Service
The campaign to legalize starter home lots across Massachusetts picked up its highest-profile supporter yet on Wednesday: Congressman Jake Auchincloss.
Auchincloss made his endorsement of the Yes on 7 campaign, also known as Legalize Starter Homes, at a Charles River Chamber event Aug. 5.
“Young Americans who work hard and plan ahead should be able to own their home by the time they’re 30 years old. That’s not possible in Massachusetts—and Bay Staters are leaving because of it. Starter homes are one of the solutions,” Auchincloss said in a statement provided by the campaign.
The ballot initiative seeks to override local zoning laws that require more than 5,000 square feet of lot to build a single-family home on lots served by public water and sewer infrastructure. That size, roughly analogous to a basketball court, would make it much more financially viable to build new, single-family houses, proponents led by housing scholar Andrew Mikula claim.
About 2,200 to 5,700 starter homes could be built annually under the measure, Mikula told lawmakers during a March hearing.
The limited polling conducted on the topic so far appears to show widespread public support for the concept this summer. But leading lawmakers have indicated they’re skeptical such a reform would actually cut down on the number of “McMansions” being built, as it would not restrict the size of homes that could be built on those lots.
Voters will take up the question, along with a number of other ballot measures, in the November general election, but lawmakers will have the option to modify the measure, should it succeed, once they return to session in January.
“We’re grateful to have Congressman Auchincloss join our growing coalition of housing advocates, community leaders, and supporters who believe Massachusetts must build more homes that people can actually afford,” Mikula wrote in an email to supporters Friday.
Auchincloss’ district covers Newton, Brookline, Needham and other Boston suburbs and exurbs with a long history of resistance to new housing development, plus South Coast communities like Taunton and Fall River.
“[H]is support underscores the growing momentum behind our effort to make homeownership more attainable for young families, working people, and seniors,” Mikula said.
The ballot measure has already been endorsed by advocacy group Abundant Housing Massachusetts, numerous business and real estate trade groups, and three prominent state senators: Jamie Eldridge (D-Acton), Lydia Edwards (D-East Boston) and John Cronin (D-Fitchburg)
