Administration applauds communities working to increase the supply of housing across the state, emphasizes need for collaboration

LYNN - On May 6, 2024, Governor Maura Healey and Lieutenant Governor Kim Driscoll held the first event of their Housing Campaign by standing with municipal leaders from across the state to highlight the ways in which increasing housing production will help municipalities meet the needs of their residents. Over the next few weeks, the administration will host events across the state to call attention to the urgent need to lower housing costs across Massachusetts and the ways in which the high cost of housing impacts everyday life. 

“We wanted to hold the inaugural event of our Housing Campaign with municipal leaders because we know that cities and towns are where the rubber hits the road when it comes to our statewide housing shortage,” said Governor Maura Healey. “High housing costs impact local residents, local economies, and local governments – and many of the most impactful solutions are going to be local solutions. It was wonderful to connect with municipal leaders to discuss how the state can be a partner in their efforts to address their housing challenges and improve quality of life in their communities.”

Held at the Lynn Housing Authority, the Governor and Lieutenant Governor met with 17 municipal leaders from around the state. The administration and local elected leaders discussed the administration’s housing strategy, including the MBTA Communities law, the Affordable Homes Act, the HousingWorks program and an aging public housing stock.

"As a former municipal leader, I understand the give and take our communities are balancing to create more housing,” said Lieutenant Governor Driscoll. “That’s why tools like the MBTA Communities law, the local option transfer fee and allowing accessory dwelling units are important pieces of the puzzle. There is not a single silver bullet, but we can give our towns the tools they need to increase housing production. Many communities are already embracing these solutions – including more than 40 that have already approved MBTA Communities zoning.”

The discussion, moderated by Housing and Livable Communities Secretary Ed Augustus, focused on the various tools and strategies that would be most effective in creating more housing supply across the state in order to meet the demand.

Many of those tools are included in Governor Healey’s Affordable Homes Act, including allowing accessory dwelling units as of right throughout the state with the ability for communities to set some reasonable restrictions and providing the local option of adopting a real estate transaction fee of 0.5 percent to 2 percent on the portion of a property sale over $1 million to fund affordable housing developments.

Another critical tool is the MBTA Communities Law, which requires certain municipalities to create multi-family zoning districts to increase housing production near public transportation and lower costs. As of today, 45 communities have passed multi-family zoning intended to comply with the law.

"The foundation of the Healey-Driscoll administration’s housing strategy is built on working with communities and providing them with tools to build the housing they need,” said Secretary Ed Augustus. “These are tough challenges for communities to solve on their own, but by working collectively and having these productive conversations we can solve them together.”

The next stop of the Housing Campaign will be on Tuesday, May 7, to discuss the ways in which veterans are impacted by the high cost of housing and the administration’s End Veteran Homelessness campaign. Veterans Services Secretary Dr. Jon Santiago and Secretary Augustus will visit Brighton Marine, an affordable housing development for veterans, at 77 Warren St Brighton, MA 02135 at 1:30 pm.

On Wednesday, May 8, Governor Healey and Lieutenant Governor Driscoll will join business leaders in Worcester for a roundtable discussion about how building more housing and lowering costs is essential for the economic growth, competitiveness and innovation of communities across the state.

Statements of Support:

Adam Chapdelaine, Executive Director, Massachusetts Municipal Association: 

"We appreciate the administration’s steadfast commitment to addressing the state’s housing crisis and its efforts to work in partnership with municipal leaders, who fully understand how the crisis is affecting their residents, workforce and economic development. Local leaders appreciate the funding, tools, and incentives — such as a real estate transfer fee, inclusionary zoning, and grant programs - that will help them make progress on this complicated challenge. The MMA is supportive of proposals and policies that empower communities, who stand ready to be vital partners in this effort."

Marc Draisen, Executive Director, Metropolitan Area Planning Council:

“There is nothing we can do right now to address the state’s housing crisis that is more important than passing Governor Healey’s Affordable Homes Act, including not only much-needed funding, but also critical policy changes like Accessory Dwelling Units (ADUs) by right in all communities, a local option real estate transfer fee for affordable housing, and lowering the threshold to adopt inclusionary zoning,”

Lynn Mayor Jared Nicholson:

“We are honored to host Governor Healey, Lieutenant Governor Driscoll, Secretary Augustus and leaders from so many communities around the commonwealth for a discussion on this vitally important topic. While our residents continue to feel the pain of the housing crunch, we’ve taken a number of proactive steps with state support to set a vision for inclusive growth and encourage housing production at all income levels through strong planning efforts, smart infrastructure investments, streamlined development processes, and policy decisions that support positive growth and affordability. I’m grateful to the Healey-Driscoll Administration for their leadership on this issue in partnership with Lynn and communities around the commonwealth. The stakes are incredibly high for our residents on a personal level and for the commonwealth as a whole.”

Amesbury Mayor Kassandra Gove:

“Amesbury is committed to exploring creative ways to encourage housing development. Although developable land is scarce in our city, reevaluating zoning laws to increase density, encourage affordable housing and creating a permitting track for Accessory Dwelling Units are actions we have taken to influence production in Amesbury. In September of 2023, our second 40R Smart Growth Overlay District was approved by City Council which includes 20% of its units being affordable housing for individuals and families. We are also actively working on our MBTA Communities Zoning update. The housing crisis is being felt here in Amesbury, and it is critical that we adapt to make Amesbury affordable to those who want to live here.”

Gardner Mayor Michael Nicholson:

“Every city and town across the commonwealth has been dealing with issues of housing. As someone in their late 20s, I have seen most of the people I went to school with have left the area due to lack of available and affordable housing options. As a first-time home buyer- it took me 37 offers before I finally got one accepted, due to the lack of housing stock. However, after seven months of extensions, I got a call notifying me that the individuals who had accepted my offer could not find a house to purchase so they could move out of the house they were selling to me. As a result, it was back to the drawing board, and finally, on offer 38, I was able to purchase the house I now live in. But that’s just my situation. Between 2015 and 2024, the certified average valuation for a single-family home in Gardner has increased by 54%. That makes it so that the people who live here need to find new ways to either work elsewhere or live elsewhere just to be able to afford a place to live. In order to communities to succeed, we need the people here to succeed. That means being able to find a home that meets their needs for their situations in life – first-time home buyers, young professionals, new families, those looking to downsize, and seniors looking for more manageable properties to work with. We, as a commonwealth, need to take a comprehensive look at how to grow and develop our housing stock – from single-family homes, multi-family units, accessory dwellings, and more – if we want to tackle this crisis head-on and not fall behind. I’m proud to see Governor Healey and Lt. Governor Driscoll taking a stand to make housing a top priority and bringing municipal officials to the table in these discussions to come up with an “on the ground approach” to dealing with the crisis at hand.”

Salem Mayor Dominick Pangallo:

“Affordable, attainable housing is the foremost challenge facing Salem today. If we want to maintain the character of our community, ensure a roof over the head of every resident, and keep our city thriving and vibrant, we must prioritize our work on housing. While I’m proud of the positive steps we’ve taken in Salem, there’s so clearly much more to be done. I’m also grateful that the Healey-Driscoll administration recognizes the importance of this issue and is elevating it to a place of priority for the Commonwealth overall. This crisis requires and demands a unified effort across all of Massachusetts.”

Somerville Mayor Katjana Ballantyne:

“Our city, our people, and the Commonwealth thrive when everyone has a place to call home.  That's why Governor Healey’s leadership on housing is so vital, and why here in Somerville will be working right alongside her to use all possible tools both to create more housing and to deliver expanded housing supports,” said Somerville Mayor Katjana Ballantyne. “By building more affordable options alongside market-rate units, we'll ease the financial burden on families and all residents, attract a skilled workforce, and ensure Massachusetts remains a vibrant and inclusive place for all.”

Franklin Town Administrator Jamie Hellen:

“I am honored to participate in today’s housing roundtable with the Healey-Driscoll Administration, continuing to highlight and work on one of the Commonwealth's most pressing issues. I applaud the Administration’s continued leadership and focus on this issue.” 

Amherst Town Manager Paul Brockelman:

“Housing is a local, regional, and state-wide challenge. Failure to address the need for housing will strangle economic development. We see it here in Amherst, where higher education is our largest employer. The lack of housing that is affordable across the board has presented a real challenge to our local higher education institutions when recruiting new faculty and staff. We – public, private, and non-profit – are all in this together. We can do better and I appreciate that the Healey-Driscoll administration is making this a high priority.” 

Arlington Town Manager James Feeney:

The provisions of the Affordable Homes Act will unlock tools Arlington has long desired to support the supply of affordable housing locally, including the real estate transfer fee and further enabling Accessory Dwellings Units (ADUs). Private housing development does not always occur in areas or on a timeline that is aligned with municipal capital improvement plans, so the targeted funding available through HousingWorks will enable cities and towns like Arlington to respond in a timely way to infrastructure needs in neighborhoods experiencing development that may not otherwise be provided for.”

Chelsea City Manager Fidel Maltez:

“The regional housing crisis affects our residents every day. The City of Chelsea is excited to partner with the Commonwealth to develop solutions to this crisis. We are ready to work hand in hand with the Healy-Driscoll administration to creatively increase housing production, support to our residents who are experiencing housing insecurity, and develop policies that will transform our community and the region.”

Ludlow Town Administrator Marc Strange:

“Ludlow has multi-year waiting lists for workforce and retiree housing units. We look forward to partnering with the Healey-Driscoll Administration to create more housing options for these Ludlow residents.”