#ParkingReform

This edition of The House Call discusses a pending bill in Connecticut that both requires municipalities to plan for more affordable housing and preempts local zoning rules on small multi-family buildings and parking requirements. The newsletter also explores the possible effects of banning landlords from imposing "broker's fees" on residential tenants.

The April edition of The House Call provides an update regarding the MBTA Communities Act's implementation, with some communities amending their zoning via either referendum votes or Town Meeting this spring. The newsletter also includes a discussion of communities that have eliminated minimum parking requirements in recent years.

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.