STATE HOUSE NEWS SERVICE ABOUT HALF of the people camped in a stretch of Boston known as “Mass. and Cass” most recently resided in another city or town, underlining the regional nature of the addiction and homelessness crises straining the area, Mayor Michelle Wu said Monday. While her administration continues to grapple with how to […]
Housing
Posted inThe Download
Report: Massachusetts needs another 108,000 homes
Massachusetts needs another 108,000 housing units to meet the demand, according to a new national study, which ranks Massachusetts 11th among states in its housing underproduction. Up for Growth, a Washington, DC-based housing nonprofit whose members include housing developers and economic development organizations, released a report Thursday that examines housing underproduction nationwide. The problem is […]
Posted inHousing
Report: Massachusetts needs another 108,000 homes
MASSACHUSETTS NEEDS another 108,000 housing units to meet the demand, according to a new national study, which ranks Massachusetts 11th among states in its housing underproduction. Up for Growth, a Washington, DC-based housing nonprofit whose members include housing developers and economic development organizations, released a report Thursday that examines housing underproduction nationwide. The problem is […]
Posted inOpinion
Don’t pit housing crisis against climate crisis
TODAY IN MASSACHUSETTS, both the Baker administration and the Legislature – and some individual communities, too – are working on proposed “net zero” policies to address the climate crisis. Dramatic building code changes are intended to reduce greenhouse gas emissions from buildings. However, they would undeniably also impose increased costs on new residential construction, and […]
Posted inOpinion
Is Harvard replicating the Seaport in Allston?
SLEEK EXPENSIVE apartment houses with river views. Laboratory and office buildings in symmetrical rows. A hotel, a conference center, a central plaza. Upscale retail at ground level. Trees, planters, native plants. An enclave of privilege. Such is Harvard’s vision so far for its new Enterprise Research Campus in Allston. Alternatively, consider this: a dense aggregation […]
Posted inOpinion
Landlord resents ‘bullying’ by Somerville officials
HIGH RENTAL HOUSING costs have long been a source of concern among Greater Boston housing advocates. Rapidly rising inflation and a continued shortage of new housing construction have amplified activists’ fears in recent years, with strong emotions directed at landlords. As a small residential property owner, I should know. Last fall, my investment group purchased […]
Posted inOpinion
Falmouth is demonstrating that ‘Housing Choice’ can work
IT HAS BEEN A LITTLE over a year since Gov. Charlie Baker’s “Housing Choice” legislation was signed into law, providing an innovative bundle of tools for municipalities to incentivize housing construction. In a state which has among the nation’s highest home sale prices and lowest residential production numbers, the reaction in many communities seems to […]
Posted inOpinion, Race/Racism
Zoning has played a major role in racial segregation
IN RESPONSE TO decades of rising housing costs across the Commonwealth, Massachusetts recently amended the state zoning act to require local governments to reform their zoning laws. The amendments are part of a broader goal of addressing the barriers that prevent the supply of housing from keeping up with growing demand. In many communities, local […]
Posted inOpinion
Right to counsel needed on housing issues
WHEN A DISABLED VETERAN with diabetes fell behind on his rent in 2020, his landlord illegally denied him heat during the winter, forcing him to reside in inhumane and unlivable conditions. Without knowing his rights, this veteran had to move out of his home and into a transitional shelter, giving the landlord control of the […]
Posted inOpinion
A strategy for tackling housing, climate crises simultaneously
TWO CRISES are bearing down on our state. There’s the critical shortage of affordable housing, which leaves ever more of our neighbors unable to keep a roof over their heads. And there is the climate crisis, which promises more powerful storms, flooding, and deadly heat waves. These crises demand urgent action. Now, a diverse coalition […]