CHAPA Urges Legislature to Swiftly Pass Housing Choices Legislation (H.3507)

October 28, 2019 - CHAPA urges the Legislature to swiftly pass H.3507, An Act to promote housing choices, in time for spring Town Meetings so that cities and towns can immediately start planning for zoning changes that will allow for more housing.

H.3507 would enable a municipality to pass by a simple majority vote certain zoning changes that would help to advance housing production and smart growth, as opposed to the currently required super majority vote. The bill would also allow a simple majority vote to approve certain special permits for affordable housing developments around public transit or in mixed-use developments.

For a one-page summary of the bill, click here.

Passing this bill would be a significant step towards meeting the Commonwealth’s housing needs. H.3507 will make a substantial impact in communities working to encourage housing development and undo policies that prevent housing production and perpetuate segregation.

H.3507 will empower the simple majority of people in a community to vote “Yes” for housing. It is imperative that we provide these tools to communities who are actively working to create more housing, including affordable housing, and to put smart growth policies into place.

In order to help communities as they prepare for spring Town Meetings, we respectfully ask the House and Senate to enact H.3507 before the end of November.

The Housing Choices legislation is not a standalone solution to Massachusetts’ affordable housing crisis. Additional strategies will be needed to address the many challenges faced by the people of this state. We look forward to working with the Legislature to expand opportunities for people with extremely low-, low-, and moderate-incomes to have a safe, healthy, and affordable place to call home.

At CHAPA, we will work to pass policies this session that further increase access to affordable housing, prevent displacement, reduce homelessness, grow the housing stock for people across income levels, and expand opportunities for people to live in the communities they choose.

For more information, please contact Eric Shupin, Director of Public Policy, eshupin@chapa.org or (617) 682-9712.