Housing

Highlights Bureaucratic licensing process and appeals as areas to fix

This issue of The House Call covers Massachusetts' recent legalization of accessory dwelling units, as well as a bill filed in the state legislature last month that would broadly prevent localities from enforcing certain housing-related regulations. 

This issue of The House Call covers the implementation of Boston's energy efficiency standards for large buildings. It also provides an update on the MBTA Communities Act after a busy fall Town Meeting season featuring rezoning votes, forced referenda, and - more recently - the SJC's Milton case decision.

Today, the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court ruled that the MBTA Communities law (Section 3A) is constitutional and that AG Andrea Campbell may enforce the letter of the law by litigating against noncompliant municipalities, a major victory for the state’s economy and environment....

Pioneer Institute is debuting The House Call, a monthly newsletter covering housing-related news and market trends in Massachusetts. The first issue explores reform options for Boston's arcane development approvals process and major reform items from the state's November 2024 economic development bill. Read our December issue today!

Boston, Mass. – A Pioneer Institute review of reforms enacted in metropolitan areas across the country finds that to achieve more affordable housing in the coming decades, Greater Boston should focus on policies such as making it easier to build small multi-family projects, retrofit commercial areas with new housing, and loosen parking and minimum lot size requirements.

Lexington’s approach seen as a model BOSTON – As Massachusetts’ Supreme Judicial Court prepares to hear a challenge by the Town of Milton to the enforceability of the MBTA Communities Act, a new Pioneer Institute study finds that the 177 municipalities covered...

On August 1, 2024, the Massachusetts state legislature finalized and passed a $5.2 billion housing bond bill meant to address a dire shortage of affordable homes. Governor Maura Healey has until August 11 to sign the bill into law, and she will...

Massachusetts is a relatively rich state, with an average assessed home value of $194,497 per capita. Many of the Commonwealth’s communities have undergone significant changes in the last several years. For example, Suffolk County, which includes Boston, Revere, Winthrop, and Chelsea, has...

While disparities in LIHTC awards and issuances are to be expected, the mismatch points to inhibitors of housing production that are outside the scope of the program's impact.