Posted on September 29, 2015
BOSTON, Sept. 29, 2015 --- MHP Executive Director Clark Ziegler presented a summary on housing supply in Massachusettsto to the state legislature’s Joint Committee on Housing this morning, which convened to hear testimony on a proposed bill that will allow the Commonwealth to build the housing it needs to meet demand and grow its economy.
To view MHP's summary on housing supply in Massachusetts, click here.
An Act Relative to Housing Production (H.1111) proposed by Rep. Kevin G. Honan (D-Boston) proposes several zoning, administrative changes and financial incentives to help the Commonwealth meet demand for housing. Many of these were based on recomendations made by MHP in its Unlock the Commonwealth report released in November, 2014.
Highlights of Honan's proposal include:
- Require that all Massachusetts zoning ordinances and bylaws provide reasonable opportunity to build multifamily housing.
- Require cluster development to be allowed as-of-right in all zoning districts that allow the construction of detached single-family homes.
- Allow cities and towns to regionalize land use regulation and engage in inter-local development compacts at a local option.
- Expand funding formulas to reimburse communities for demonstrated increased school costs resulting from multifamily and cluster developments.
Ziegler was joined by Metropolitan Area Planning Council Assistant Data Director Tim Reardon, whose organization has done analysis on how much housing Massachusetts will need to build to house its workforce and baby boomers who will be leaving the work force in the next 25-30 years.
Ziegler highlighted the current lack of housing production compared to almost any point in the state’s history, leading to both rental and homeownership prices to be among highest in the U.S. He also presented findings from U.S. Census data that points to Massachusetts losing population to metro regions that offer better housing choices at a lower costs.
Reardon discussed the impending wave of Baby Boomers retiring from the workforce through 2040. He emphasized that attracting and retaining young workers, to fill the void left by Baby Boomers, is an economic imperative for the Commonwealth. He also discussed the need for more urban and multifamily housing production to respond to the demand for these types of units. To view Reardon's analysis, click here.
Ziegler and Reardon were followed by testimony from state leaders, housing advocates, and the private sector.
Chrystal Kornegay, the state's Undersecretary of Housing and Community Development, acknowledged on behalf of the Baker Administration the state's need for more housing, especially in what she called the broad "middle band" between high-end luxury and subsidized band for low-income individuals and families.
"If we get production right in this middle market band, we increase family stability by providing enough moderately priced housing to meet market demands; we aid efforts by the Commonwealth to attract and retain talented workers; and we meet seismic demographic shifts head on," she said.
Kornegay also offfered some perspective on the flurry of housing developments currently going up in and around Boston.
"Let’s put all the cranes we see around Boston in some perspective. Colorado has 1.4 million fewer residents than Massachusetts does. But over the past four years alone, Colorado has issued 16,000 more multifamily building permits than Massachusetts has. It shouldn’t be surprising, then, that tech employment is growing more than twice as quickly in Colorado than it is here in Massachusetts.
"The skilled workers who form the backbone of our economy are highly mobile," she continued. "If Massachusetts can’t produce the type of housing these workers demand, at a price point they can afford, we shouldn’t be surprised when they look somewhere else."
To read Kornegay's full testimony click here.
Michael Hogan, President and CEO of A.D. Makepeace Company of Wareham, spoke on behalf of the Massachusetts Business Roundtable, where he is currently serving as chairman. Hogan noted that the lack of housing is forcing young professionals to move farther from Boston.
"What happens when young professionals living and working in Boston start thinking about family and schools," he said. "All of a sudden they find themselves living in Uxbridge or Kingston because that's where they can afford a home and all of a sudden they are commuting three to four hours a day to work."
Susan Schlesinger, president of the Life Initiative, acknowledged the state's healthy economy but cited previous statements on Massachusetts historically low housing production and said, "When it comes to housing production in Massachusetts, we're losers."
Brenda Clement, executive director of the Citizens' Housing and Planning Association, offered her support by noting that the lack of zoning for multifamily housing. "Local regulations impedes the development of housing except for large-lot housing," she said.
For additional information about the hearing and H. 1111, visit CHAPA’s website at www.chapa.org or contact Director of Public Policy Rachel Heller at rheller@chapa.org or 617-742-0820 x103.