THE SUDDEN SPOTLIGHT on Massachusetts’ painfully strained shelter system – creaking under growing demand driven by new migrant arrivals – has mostly glanced past a group that was already struggling to find safe haven before the crunch hit “unsustainable” levels. Survivors of domestic violence and sexual abuse sit at the uneasy intersection of the system’s […]
Housing
Posted inOpinion
Why Newton’s zoning plan is so controversial — and needed
Three percent. That’s the total amount of land area that would be affected by a plan now before the Newton Council to update the zoning code in the city’s village centers. Just 3 percent. Which means 97 percent of Newton won’t change. Still, hundreds of passionate opponents and proponents gathered at City Hall and on Zoom […]
Posted inCourts, Housing, State Government, State House News Service
Bill would ensure tenant access to lawyers in eviction cases
STATE HOUSE NEWS SERVICE LOW-INCOME TENANTS who are at risk of being evicted could gain access to free legal representation through a proposed program that garnered support from housing attorneys during a legislative hearing Wednesday. The program, outlined in a Sen. Sal DiDomenico bill (S 864), is meant to level the playing field for vulnerable […]
Posted inEconomy
Report says Boston region teetering on ‘the precipice’
THE GOOD NEWS is the Boston area is hardly alone in facing serious headwinds from the pandemic’s upending of work patterns and the uncertainty it’s introduced about our economic future. The bad news: simply having plenty of company in our misery does not mean we can sit back and wait to ride some broad trend […]
Posted inHousing, State House News Service
Wu cool to Widett Circle proposal
STATE HOUSE NEWS SERVICE BOSTON MAYOR Michelle Wu was cool Monday to the idea that Widett Circle could be used as a recovery campus to help address persistent drug use and homelessness at the nearby intersection of Massachusetts Avenue and Melnea Cass Boulevard, and said she is not troubled by the amount of time the […]
Posted inHousing, State Government
Reckoning looms over ‘home equity theft’
IN LATE MAY, the US Supreme Court ruled in favor of 94-year-old Geraldine Tyler, a Minnesota woman who did not get the surplus back after her condo was foreclosed on and sold off for $40,000 — $25,000 more than what she owed. By keeping the excess, the court held the Minnesota county where Tyler lived […]
Posted inHousing, State Government
Addressing the racial gap in home ownership
STATE PROGRAMS DESIGNED to boost home ownership by people of color are working, but more funding, outreach, and affordable homes are needed to significantly reduce the historical racial gap in home ownership, according to a new report put out by the research arm of the Boston Foundation. The Boston Indicators report says decades of explicit […]
Posted inHousing, Opinion, Politics
Massachusetts voters want rent control option
THERE IS AN intense debate in progressive circles (behind the scenes, for the most part) on whether to pursue a ballot initiative for the 2024 election to enable municipalities to enact policies to stabilize rents in their communities. Some advocates and lobbyists argue against pursuing such a measure, claiming that it is unlikely to win […]
Posted inCourts, Environment, Housing
Norwell homeowners pit affordable housing against conservation
WHEN MEMBERS of a Norwell town meeting voted almost 20 years ago to make a 6.3-acre piece of land available for affordable housing, they might have considered being a bit more specific. Because of some uncertainty surrounding the designation, the affluent suburban town is now in the middle of a classic land use showdown while […]
Posted inGovernment, Housing
Wu hints at housing tax incentives, moves to overhaul zoning
FRUSTRATED BY THE slow pace of housing development in the city, Boston Mayor Michelle Wu on Wednesday said she is moving forward with a zoning reform initiative and also considering new tax incentives to speed up production. Speaking to the Greater Boston Chamber of Commerce, Wu offered few details on the tax incentives, but said […]