Speak Up for Zoning Reform in Boston
Boston has a housing crisis of its own making. We let unelected, vocal minorities block the new homes that would get us out of this mess.
Letter to the Editor: Reviving Chapter 257 Will Imperil Small Landlords
Instead of extending outdated policies, as Banker & Tradesman called for in a recent editorial, we should increase housing production and create needs-based rental aid programs, where property owners receive the funds directly.
Letter to the Editor: Correcting the Narrative on Property Owners
Late last month, members of the Boston City Council chose once again to vilify the people who are working to build and maintain housing for the many Boston residents who need it.
Letter to the Editor: Become Part of the Solution to the Racial Homeownership Gap
We are inviting the Massachusetts real estate community to join us in our efforts to close the racial wealth and homeownership gap with a fund whose results have already been transformative for those it has already helped.
Letter to the Editor: Deleading Rentals Will Take 150 Years. Help Us Change That
MassLandlords is calling all legislators to co-sponsor SD.862 and HD.2630, each “An Act to Further Lead Remediation in Rental Housing by Increasing The Deleading Credit.” These bills are drawing a diverse, statewide, cross-aisle coalition of co-sponsors.
Letter to the Editor: Keep Rent Control Buried in the Cemetery of Failed Ideas
Sadly, the proponents of rent control insist upon unearthing a long-buried corpse, only to put lipstick on it in the name of “innovation.”
Letter to the Editor: Make 2023 a Great Year
As bankers and investors, we know the value of compound interest with our money. But what about compound interest in our lives? Improving just a little bit every day can create a life-changing impact over time.
Letter to the Editor: Wu Just Did Suburbs a Favor
A dramatic hike in Boston’s linkage fees for all types of new commercial projects, with a big penalty aimed at biolabs will benefit Boston’s neighbors.
Rent Stabilization Is a False Hope
Applicants of color cannot compete in a market made even more restrictive by rent control. Let us create more rental housing to solve both high rents and housing inequality.
Letter to the Editor: Don’t Sugarcoat the Bitter Truth About TOPA
The Small Property Owners Association disputes the TOPA Coalition’s duplicitous defense of TOPA as a “good housing policy” in its June 19 column in Banker & Tradesman.
Will Mass. Legislature Meet the Moment?
Banker & Tradesman’s editorial board is right to underscore the legislative urgency of this moment. The impacts of the pandemic and the damaging legacy of racial injustice continue to put our entire commonwealth’s future at risk.
Rental Broker Fee Bill Hurts Agents
If broker fees are pushed onto property owners, there will be several unintended consequences; one of which is that we just won’t allow brokers to lease our units.
Cape Project Doesn’t Make Sense
Scott Van Voorhis’ one-sided, Jan. 9 column stereotypes Cape Cod residents who care about building the housing we need while also preserving open space that our families deserve.
Strip Malls: Housing’s New Frontier
As the region’s suburbs work to tackle their housing, environmental, economic and racial justice challenges, one of the keys to success may be hiding in plain sight: the humble strip mall. Learn more at an MAPC webinar on Jan. 11.
Affordable Overlay an Effective Tool for Boston
I applaud Mayor Michelle Wu for making Boston’s housing affordability crisis an early focus of her administration. Cambridge shows that a zoning overlay which boosts affordable housing development can produce more affordable units than inclusionary zoning.
ARPA Money Can Help Fund Housing
I applaud Gov. Charlie Baker for proposing $1 billion in new funding for new rental and homeownership opportunities. At the same time, we also must seize this opportunity to invest in our existing housing stock to make it more affordable.
Boston Buyers: Try North Central Mass.
A recent Banker & Tradesman article shined a bright light on the soaring housing costs in and around Boston. I wanted to offer readers a less expensive but equally vibrant choice.
Buyers Can Do Better Than FHA
Real estate professionals who do not make their clients aware of non-FHA options are doing them a great disservice. In this hot housing market, LMI buyers need more buying power, not less.
Harbor Decision Protects the Public
The Superior Court decision on the Downtown Municipal Harbor Plan, or MHP is a victory for protecting open access to Boston’s beautiful waterfront. It’s also an opportunity to reimagine what waterfront development should look like. What it is not is a decision about any one individual project.
The Best Way to Predict the Future is to Invent It
With all that happened in 2020, it’s only natural to feel a bit unsettled about the future, Fidelity Chairman and CEO Edward F. Manzi Jr. writes.
