Healey Launches Plan To Build 222,000 Housing Units In Mass. By 2035
Gov. Maura Healey's administration says the state needs to add at least 222,000 housing units in the next 10 years in order to "stay competitive and lower costs," and it released a plan Thursday detailing how it aims to achieve that.
The administration released a report titled "A Home for Everyone: A Comprehensive Housing Plan for Massachusetts," which it says is the state's first-ever comprehensive housing plan.
It includes an analysis of the state's housing needs and a series of strategies for adding new housing units and upgrading and preserving existing housing.
"Our administration is not kicking the can down the road when it comes to addressing the high housing costs that are holding too many of our residents and our businesses back,” Healey said in a statement.
The report was created in partnership with the state's Housing Advisory Council, which heard from more than 3,000 people at 14 listening sessions as it studied the issue.
Many of the strategies it lays out are already underway, including investments from the state's $5.2B Affordable Homes Act that is expected to create or preserve 65,000 housing units. That bill allows for accessory dwelling units to be built as-of-right, a policy change that is expected to create 8,000 to 10,000 new units of housing.
The state is also implementing the MBTA Communities Act, signed into law by former Gov. Charlie Baker in 2021, and it has already seen 166 communities approve rezoning plans for new multifamily housing. The law has thus far spurred more than 3,000 new units to be proposed across the state.
The Healey administration's plan also calls for looking into "nontraditional" housing options, including protecting existing homes, preserving affordable homes and repurposing vacant or distressed housing.
The state still faces roadblocks on the way to hitting Healey's housing target, including the slowdown in new construction over the last couple of years due to high interest rates and construction costs. Real estate leaders have also said that some local government policies make it harder to build multifamily projects.
"The release of the administration's housing plan today is a necessary reminder that state and local leaders must prioritize reducing red tape to incentivize housing creation across all price points," Greg Vasil, CEO of the Greater Boston Real Estate Board, said in a statement. "Residents and employers are being driven out of the state due to astronomical housing costs that could be mitigated through significant increases in housing production. State leaders must be bold, forward thinking and avoid putting a bandaid on the problem."
