Statement of the Metro Mayors Coalition on the Governor’s Housing Choice Bill

The Boston region is in the midst of a housing crisis. The communities of the Metro Mayors Coalition represent over 1.4 million constituents in the urban core of Metropolitan Boston. Sale prices and rents in our communities are among the highest of any large metropolitan area in the country. Forty percent of households spend over a third of their income on housing, leading to financial stress and housing instability. That is why our Coalition announced a goal of producing 185,000 housing units in our region by 2030 to meet housing demand and reduce housing costs in our communities.

We view the Housing Choice legislation as an important municipal tool that will help our cities and towns meet our ambitious regional housing production goal, while simultaneously encouraging surrounding communities to do the same. We stand ready to support the bill’s speedy passage and urge the Legislature to act quickly.

The Housing Choice bill will help municipalities by allowing a simple majority of local board members to grant special permits for housing near transit, when those proposals include at least 10 percent affordable units. The current two-thirds supermajority requirement stands as a barrier to the adoption of progressive zoning proposals. We believe these modifications in state law, coupled with Governor Baker’s dedication of planning resources, technical assistance, and capital dollars, will help us address our regional housing challenges.

In light of upcoming Town Meetings, where many important housing and zoning proposals will be up for a vote, we hope to see Housing Choice advance quickly because we believe that passing this legislation can set the tone for making housing and zoning a top priority for this legislative session. We also believe that many additional steps, including the passage of policies to encourage housing production, modern planning and zoning tools for municipalities, and additional resources for affordable housing are needed if we are to make progress on this issue.

We are thrilled that the Governor re-filed this bill we are grateful for his leadership. We stand ready to advocate for quick passage of the Housing Choice bill and other crucial housing policies.

Click here to learn more about the Metro Mayors Coalition.

Click here to learn more about the Metro Mayors Coalition's regional housing production targets.