A series of events over the last week illustrates just how difficult it can be to build more student housing in any city as part of a larger solution to our housing problems. But that can’t be an excuse for moving slowly.
One is better than none, but when only one out of 34 people running for seats on the Boston City Council appears to truly get what needs to be done to fix the housing crisis, we’ve got a problem.
Boston’s housing market is failing. If policymakers can unlock development of student-specific housing, particularly in the city, they have an opportunity to make an outsized impact.
Gov. Maura Healey declared a state of emergency Tuesday morning over “rapidly rising numbers” of migrant families arriving in Massachusetts and threatening to overwhelm the state’s shelter system.
A major shortage of available rental units has pushed apartment prices to all-time highs in the Greater Boston area. The data suggests this is fundamentally rooted in a supply delivery conundrum.
A new study from listings portal Zillow has sought to quantify the effects of a decade or more of under-building in the nation’s housing markets by estimating how many families are doubled-up – or worse – in apartments.
It’s a policy that can help downtowns be busier and healthier, assist cities with revenue and reduce the concentration of poverty by increasing their overall supply of housing.
New research into one of the globe’s most ambitious upzoning experiments contains potentially bad news for Massachusetts – just not quite what you’d think.
Massachusetts has a new housing boss, and in a crisis of unaffordability leading to housing insecurity for many and hurting the state’s competitiveness, his mantra is “more, faster.” But details are still thin.
Marx and Engels would surely roll in their graves to know that their intellectual descendants in Massachusetts were embracing a politics that directly and substantially benefits the bourgeoisie and the rentier class while pummeling workers.
While the reason for high housing costs – a lack of supply – is broadly understood, the scale at which we’ve failed to meet production needs is stunning when compared to the rest of the country.
Rhode Island representatives overwhelmingly approved a bill Tuesday designed to make it easier to convert office buildings, schools, churches, shopping malls, mills and other commercial real estate into housing.
Lt. Gov. Kim Driscoll seemed to move up the timeline for hiring a new housing secretary Tuesday, telling local officials that the Healey administration is planning to fill the new post “in a quick manner” after it becomes “available” later this month.
There’s rarely a silver bullet solution to such a crisis, but state action to allow accessory dwelling units by right would clearly narrow the gap between supply and demand, and reduce housing costs.
Boston’s rent control proposal isn’t just about imposing a rental cap. It’s a government takeover of the private housing industry – something sure to drive investment far away from Massachusetts.
Gov. Maura Healey has begun looking for a housing secretary to fulfill a long-promised campaign pledge as the state legislature gears up to take action on her plan to officially create the role.
With a new legislative session has come new leadership to the state legislature’s Joint Committee on Housing: Sen. Lydia Edwards. She’s just starting her first full term, but she’s already established herself as a housing policy leader among her colleagues on Beacon Hill.
Boston’s housing supply shortage has reached a tipping point. Allowing landlords to add bedrooms to apartments without the slow, confusing and expensive variance process will rapidly address this vast need.
Gov. Maura Healey will file long-promised legislation in March to create a standalone housing secretariat in her executive branch, and the head of that proposed office is not likely to start their work until “closer to the fiscal year” that starts July 1, Lt. Gov. Kim Driscoll said Tuesday.
With so much in play, WinnCompanies’ experience may be a helpful blueprint for multifamily owners in balancing the need to keep vulnerable residents housed with the necessity to generate revenue.
