Finally, Beacon Hill Could Strike a Blow for Housing
State legislators could soon have a chance to consign one real estate trend of 2019 to the scrap heap: inaction on the state’s housing crisis.
Governor’s Housing Bill Advances With Still-Uncertain Future
Gov. Charlie Baker’s proposal to make zoning changes easier at the local level is one step closer to passage after the Housing Committee voted to advance it alongside 20 other bills aimed at generating new housing production.
Signs of Life in Housing Choice Bill as Committee Polls Support
A key piece of zoning reform legislation that Gov. Charlie Baker has said could unlock the construction of over 100,000 housing units suddenly sprang back to live yesterday on Beacon Hill after months of hibernation.
Housing Commitee Co-Chair Faces Primary Challenge
A long-time figure in the state’s housing policy debates is facing a primary challenge from the left from a candidate focused on housing issues.
Anti-Development Towns Stall Housing Production Bill
While housing activists and progressive state legislators rallied for rent control legislation on the steps of the State House Tuesday, a co-chair of the state legislator’s Housing Committee said anti-development municipalities were blocking legislation that would help build more housing.
Walsh Challenges Developers on Housing Production
Boston Mayor Marty Walsh repeated his support for certain eviction protections and called on the commercial real estate industry to find a “balance between profit and [social] impact” in a speech before the Greater Boston Chamber of Commerce Tuesday.
DeLeo Cautious in Face of Calls to Pass Housing Bill by Year’s End
Despite calls from housing experts, municipal leaders and Gov. Charlie Baker himself, House Speaker Bob DeLeo said he wasn’t ready to commit to passing a bill aimed at spurring housing production by the end of 2019.
Polito Wants Housing Bill by Thanksgiving
Flanked by housing and economic development officials whose tenures in state government date back to 2004, Lt. Gov. Karyn Polito called on lawmakers to pass the Baker administration’s housing production bill in the next 11 weeks.
Baker Deploys Former Housing Secretaries to Push Bill
Four former housing and economic development secretaries plan to join the governor for a press conference Wednesday afternoon to highlight Baker’s bill (H.3507) and talk about negative economic impacts from the state’s housing crisis.
Is Zoning Reform Dead?
With lawmakers on Beacon Hill once again dithering over the state budget and, having blown a deadline weeks ago with the arrival of the new fiscal year, things certainly aren’t looking great for zoning reform legislation. But some are optimistic a turning point is near.
Landmark Report Shows State Needs Multifamily Zoning Requirements
A central, troubling theme emerges from the Dain report on Greater Boston multifamily land use policies: Land use decisions and plans in many towns and cities have a tenuous relationship with reality.
Progressive Lawmakers Launch Counter-Proposals to Baker Housing Bill
The realities of a housing market where affordable homes, condos and apartments are increasingly hard to come by for middle- and low-income residents has prompted numerous proposals on Beacon Hill for spurring housing development. But so far, there’s no consensus.
Baker’s Housing Choice Bill Faces Mixed Reception on Beacon Hill
As the state’s housing crunch rages on, opinion at Tuesday’s hearing on key zoning reform legislation is still split over whether the bill goes far enough to help those most affected by the situation.
Progressive Coalition Criticizes Baker’s Housing Bill
Ahead of a hearing next week on housing production bills, a coalition is speaking out on Gov. Charlie Baker’s proposal, saying it doesn’t do enough to help those hardest hit by the housing crisis.
Cambridge Affordable Housing Fight Shows Importance of Baker’s Bill
A debate unfolding in Cambridge in recent months over a proposal to make affordable housing easier to build by right in the city shows how important it is that the legislature act on Gov. Charlie Baker’s modest Act to Promote Housing Choices.
Focus on Market-Rate Housing Production Misses the Biggest Shortage
Efforts like Gov. Charlie Baker’s Housing Choice bill – which would amend state law to make it easier for local zoning boards to approve certain categories of housing – may assist in the creation of more market-rate housing in some communities. But it would not address the dire shortage of affordable housing units among the state’s poorest residents.
Secretary Warns ‘Time is Not Our Friend’ to Address Housing Shortage
Lt. Gov. Karyn Polito and others in the Baker administration to continue to try to build public support for a proposal to make housing-friendly zoning easier to pass. The legislature’s timeline for considering the measure, however, remains unclear.
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