DOUGLAS FOY
A ‘premier’ priority

If Bay State homebuilders had any doubt that the Romney administration was serious about boosting housing production, the governor’s chief housing advisor may have dispelled those notions last week.

“That [expanding housing opportunities] is one of the governor’s premier priorities,” said Douglas Foy, secretary of commonwealth development.

Foy, who was the keynote speaker at the annual awards banquet of the Home Builders Association of Massachusetts last Tuesday, said the governor is committed to keeping a campaign pledge to double housing production. “As you know, Gov. Romney has campaigned on a platform of doubling housing starts in the state. He’s been extremely serious about that promise. It’s a tall task, and it’s not going to be easy,” said Foy, who oversees the state’s housing, environmental, transportation and energy agencies.

Yet despite the challenge, Foy noted that some progress has been made – including the establishment of a task force created to look at Chapter 40B, the state’s so-called anti-snob zoning law, which unveiled a report with its recommendations in early June. Soon the administration will appoint a similar task force to consider zoning reform, he said.

“We are planning to announce within a few weeks a similar task force on [Chapter] 40A to deal with zoning reform,” said Foy, an environmentalist who headed the Conservation Law Foundation for 25 years.

‘A Fast Lane’

In discussing 10 principles that will guide his staff, Foy vowed to take steps to improve and speed-up the permitting and appeals process that builders must go through.

“We will try very hard to make the environmental permitting process more transparent, more accessible. We’ll make much better use of the Web. We will be a bit clearer. We hope to make it quicker,” he said. “I hope to get a fast lane created in the courts so appeals can be processed quickly and resolved. You may get a no, but at least you’ll get a no in a reasonably quick time. We’re going try to be fair in the way we regulate and do a much better job on that front.”

Those announcements were welcomed by the homebuilders, who feel their industry has been under attack in recent years by towns that don’t want any more growth. Builders have had to contend with building caps and restrictions that towns and cities throughout the state have enacted to control housing growth. Those types of restrictions, builders say, are driving the cost of land and homes up so much that it’s significantly hurt the state’s overall economy.

While Foy urged and challenged the homebuilders to help him by coming up with new ideas, the Home Builders Association has shown its eagerness and willingness to provide guidance on the housing front. HBAM already has tapped Jeff Rhuda, a Beverly developer who served on the Chapter 40B task force, to also serve on the new zoning reform task force, according to Kevin Sweeney, the past president of the organization.

“You have very active members who have been terrific in a variety of the housing initiatives that are unfolding in the state,” Foy said.

Saying he was “very impressed” with Foy’s comments, Mark Leff, chairman of the HBAM’s legislative committee, said he thought the state leader clearly honed in on the message that reforms were necessary to increase housing production. Leff was also encouraged that Foy mentioned streamlining the appeals process that developers go through.

“That was a recommendation of the barriers commission,” said Leff, referring to a commission set up by former Gov. Paul Cellucci to examine obstacles in Massachusetts that block housing construction.

However, immediately after Foy’s speech, Gregory P. Spier, a Foxboro builder, turned to the state leader and rhetorically asked him how the changes the administration is making are going to increase housing opportunities – particularly given the restrictive nature of regulations.

“That’s our question,” Spier said to Foy.

During his speech, Foy spent some time lamenting the loss of New England villages.

“Why can’t we build New England villages anymore? Why is Concord illegal?” he asked. “If I try to build Concord today in Concord’s form, it’s illegal. You all know that. You deal with all these zoning ordinances, right? It’s nuts that Concord is illegal.”

Foy added that he had a “homework assignment” for the homebuilders and they had a month to complete it: “We need to have the ability to reframe the way we regulate this process so that we can build New England villages again and I need your help,” he said.

Foy’s appearance before the homebuilders came after a lengthy hearing about changes to Chapter 40B. More than 70 bills have been filed to change the law. The building industry, which supports the law, feels that communities’ concerns have been adequately addressed by regulatory changes adopted by the Department of Housing and Community Development last year.

At the homebuilders’ dinner last week, dozens of builders were honored. In addition, the association presented an award to Thomas Gleason, executive director of MassHousing, for his efforts in expanding housing opportunities and supporting the homebuilding industry. The association also installed its new officers: Paul M. Novak, president; Gregory P. Spier, vice-president-elect; Finley Perry, senior vice president; Andrew Crane, vice president; Robin Ward, treasurer; and Dwight Thompson, secretary.

Aglaia Pikounis may be reached at apikounis@thewarrengroup.com.