Massachusetts House and Senate move toward housing goals

Massachusetts is grappling with a housing crisis, as the state requires the construction of 222,000 new homes by 2035 to keep up with demand, according to Governor Maura Healey's office. Advocates emphasize that these homes must be affordable to households across all income levels, not just luxury properties. The housing shortage correlates with the state's population shift, with more people moving out and businesses struggling to fill vacant positions.

In response, the Massachusetts House and Senate incorporated several housing-related provisions into their economic development bills, adopted in July. The bills are currently undergoing review in a conference committee, where representatives from each chamber are deliberating on the provisions to be included in the final legislation.

Despite this progress, advocates and lawmakers acknowledge that additional efforts are needed to spur housing growth in the coming year. A key component of the House bill, known as the Yes in God's Backyard (YIGBY) provision, would permit faith-based organizations to construct multifamily housing on up to four acres of land they already own, bypassing local approval processes.

These developments could accommodate up to 30 units per acre, with 20% of the units set aside for low-income households. The YIGBY measure is derived from multiple bills that failed to pass as standalone measures this legislative session. According to an analysis by the Lincoln Institute of Land Policy and The Lynch Foundation, religious institutions in Massachusetts own nearly 5,000 developable parcels, totaling over 20,000 acres, which could potentially accommodate more than 60,000 new homes.