Massachusetts is finding it tough to stay competitive enough to keep workers and families living and working in the state. A new poll by UMass Amherst/WCVB found the top issue that residents want the governor and lawmakers to address is housing shortage and affordability. House lawmakers took their best stab at that issue last week, passing a $6.5 billion housing bond bill.
Reporter Chris Liskinski from the State House News Service explains what we should we know about what's tucked into that measure.
Chris Liskinski, SHNS: Obviously, you can tell from the bottom line that there is a ton of funding in this in the form of bond authorizations, significantly more than the $4.1 billion housing bond bill Governor [Maura] Healey filed to kick off debate.
There's also a bunch of noteworthy policy in this, including money to fund, potential expansion of the Massachusetts Water Resources Authority, which House Speaker Ron Mariano says is crucial to actually building more housing, that is, making sure there's the water and sewage infrastructure to support more housing.
There's also language allowing for more development of accessory dwelling units. You'll sometimes hear those referred to as granny flats, basically smaller additional units on the same parcel as single family homes. But one big omission here is real estate transfer taxes, something sought by the town of Amherst and more than a dozen other communities. Governor Healey backed that idea, but the House left it out, and representatives opted against making any kind of concrete push to put that provision in.
Carrie Healy, NEPM: I want to circle back and talk about those so-called granny flats or accessory dwelling units that you mentioned in Western Mass. Those are sort of a big deal. There are many communities here that aren't allowing those kind of units currently in their neighborhood zoning. Could those small homes have a big impact?
It should at least make a dent. The estimates vary. House Democrats have said they see that leading to something like 8,000 units in the next five years. Healey said her version of the language would lead to 10,000 units in the next five years. That's not nothing that could definitely be a help, especially for the kinds of people who would take advantage of it. Think of aging parents who want to live close to their adult children, or, adult children who want a first home for their own kids who are just coming out of college and need a place to put down roots.
So, it could definitely make a big difference for certain folks. That being said, even 10,000 units is just a drop in the bucket compared to what Massachusetts will really need to meet its housing demand.
And so now it's the state Senate's turn. Have senators signaled support for giving cities and towns that authority that you mentioned to approve taxes on high end property sales, with the money going into affordable housing? That's a provision the House lawmakers left out.
Some senators have I can think of, like Senator Jo Comerford in particular, and Julian Cyr from the Cape and Islands, have also been vocal proponents of the idea. What we don't know, crucially, is whether those pockets of support will translate into organized support from Senate Democratic leadership. So, stay tuned. We'll get an answer to that one, once that bill emerges.
And so that housing bill will be added to the budget and the stack of all the other measures yet to be finished. I guess it's natural to think of the things that can be listed and then checked off when complete. But, Chris, can we think about this legislative session more broadly for a moment? Over the past nearly two years, Massachusetts lawmakers have passed some measures. What stands out for you?
I think that they would cite one of their own biggest accomplishments as the tax relief law signed last year. Remember, that was something that started under former Governor Charlie Baker. But lawmakers abandoned it at the 11th hour. They got around to finishing it under Gov. Healey. And that'll be about $1 billion in combined relief per year, once it’s fully implemented. Other big accomplishments could be authorizing universal school meals. That's paid for in the annual budget. Making community college more accessible through the MassReconnect program is also in the annual budget. And there are some sizable reforms in place now that were made to the emergency shelter system, given that crisis is ongoing. Those updates include adding some time limits to how long families can stay in the emergency assistance shelters.
