HIGH RENTAL HOUSING costs have long been a source of concern among Greater Boston housing advocates. Rapidly rising inflation and a continued shortage of new housing construction have amplified activists’ fears in recent years, with strong emotions directed at landlords. As a small residential property owner, I should know. Last fall, my investment group purchased […]
Housing
Posted inOpinion
Falmouth is demonstrating that ‘Housing Choice’ can work
IT HAS BEEN A LITTLE over a year since Gov. Charlie Baker’s “Housing Choice” legislation was signed into law, providing an innovative bundle of tools for municipalities to incentivize housing construction. In a state which has among the nation’s highest home sale prices and lowest residential production numbers, the reaction in many communities seems to […]
Posted inOpinion, Race/Racism
Zoning has played a major role in racial segregation
IN RESPONSE TO decades of rising housing costs across the Commonwealth, Massachusetts recently amended the state zoning act to require local governments to reform their zoning laws. The amendments are part of a broader goal of addressing the barriers that prevent the supply of housing from keeping up with growing demand. In many communities, local […]
Posted inOpinion
Right to counsel needed on housing issues
WHEN A DISABLED VETERAN with diabetes fell behind on his rent in 2020, his landlord illegally denied him heat during the winter, forcing him to reside in inhumane and unlivable conditions. Without knowing his rights, this veteran had to move out of his home and into a transitional shelter, giving the landlord control of the […]
Posted inOpinion
A strategy for tackling housing, climate crises simultaneously
TWO CRISES are bearing down on our state. There’s the critical shortage of affordable housing, which leaves ever more of our neighbors unable to keep a roof over their heads. And there is the climate crisis, which promises more powerful storms, flooding, and deadly heat waves. These crises demand urgent action. Now, a diverse coalition […]
Posted inEconomy
Nantucket voters send short-term rental regs back for more work
AFTER CONTENTIOUS months of debate, Nantucket voters at town meeting Monday night passed basic regulations for short-term rentals, but declined to take any action on dueling proposals that would have either dramatically curtailed who can offer short-term rentals or largely given the green light for them across the island. “The best way to think […]
Posted inEconomy
Bold action needed to close the racial homeownership gap
APRIL 11, 2022, marked 100 days since I became the executive director of a nonprofit organization that has become near and dear to me. In 2004, my real estate agent suggested I take a first-time homebuyer class with the Massachusetts Affordable Housing Alliance in Dorchester. I took her advice and it changed my life. My husband and […]
Posted inEconomy
Short-term rental battle riles Nantucket
THE REAL ESTATE listing for the four-bedroom home on Nantucket portrays an idyllic setting for a summer vacation, a mile from the beach. There’s a deck overlooking a large yard; a light-filled, newly renovated, living area; and a second floor comprised solely of the master suite and balcony. The price tag: $11,000 a week in […]
Posted inUncategorized
Lawsuit challenges statute that denies homeowners profit from foreclosed homes
DEBORAH FOSS, a 66-year-old disabled retiree, used her life savings in 2015 to buy a two-family house in New Bedford. A year later, dealing with medical and financial problems and tenants who stopped paying rent, Foss fell behind on her property taxes. According to a court brief filed by Foss, by 2018, her debt […]
Posted inOpinion
Rethink governance of the East Boston waterfront
THERE’S A NEW KIND of “tragedy of the commons” occurring on the shores of East Boston. It pits fear of luxury condo development against public access and climate resiliency measures. And it includes state governance relics that are unable—or unwilling—to meet the needs of the present. The “tragedy of the commons,” coined by ecologist Garret […]