Why is this made so complicated? There isn’t sufficient affordable housing in Newton because there is too little housing in Newton. Simple economics. Artifically created shortage leads to higher prices.
Rather than add complicated regulatory solutions to a very real problem, as suggested by Joyce Picard in this week’s TAB, remove regulatory obstacles. Eliminate or loosen density restrictions in our zoning code, particularly around village centers and transit hubs.
Sean,
Do you differentiate between Senior Affordable Housing and low income family affordable housing ? Joyce Picard accentuated the Senior aspect of it. I think you’d agree that they have very different effects on the city. Do we make the distinction or is all affordable housing desirable?
Housing should be affordable for all.
Terry Malloy says:
The answer is, yes, all affordable housing is desirable.
Yes, all affordable housing is desirable. It builds a stronger and more diverse community. I wonder, however, how many developers would be interested in building in Newton if, as Joyce suggests, we add another layer of regulatory requirement.
Native Newtonian (can I call you Nat?),
Flip your scenario. How many developers would be willing to build multi-family housing stock in Newton if density requirements were eased or eliminated?
I attended a housing forum the other night presented by the Newton Fair Housing Committee (of which I am a member) and the Newton Housing Partnership. The speakers gave a power point presentation which outlined many of the economic and regulatory obstacles to creating affordable housing, zoning and the high cost of buying property in Massachusetts generally and Newton in particular among them. In addition, I am a member of the Massachusetts Housing Appeals Committee, which decides appeals from decisions on comprehensive permits to build affordable housing under Chapter 40B. This law allows developers to get comprehensive permits to create affordable housing which does not have to comply with zoning, where there is a demonstrated need for housing, like Newton, where fewer than 10% of the housing is affordable. I can say with absolute confidence that if not for Chapter 40B, most of the affordable housing we have in Massachusetts would never have been built.
I’m very much in favor of affordable housing, but completely opposed to 40B. A commitment to affordable housing should be something that a community supports for all the right reasons, not something that’s jammed down their throat by the state. And I say this as a developer who has used the 40B statute to pressure other communities into various development projects.
While Joyce Picard’s commentary in The Tab is well meaning, there are so many flaws in her logic and proposal that I’d have to right a full length commentary of my own just to rebut the things that don’t make sense.
In general, I think Sean’s got it right when he says, “…remove regulatory obstacles. Eliminate or loosen density restrictions in our zoning code, particularly around village centers and transit hubs.”
Mike, we “should” loosen restrictions on our zoning and eliminate regulatory obstacles, but no community ever does. I see it all the time in MHAC appeals where the city or town has gone out of its way to make it impossible for a developer to build affordable housing that is economically feasible for the developer. That is why Massachusetts has Chapter 40B: it circumvents “snob” zoning that makes it difficult to achieve the requisite density.
Our state’s economic future depends on being able to attract business and prospective employees to Massachusetts, and without sufficient housing, most people–particularly recent graduates those who are just out of college or grad school–are priced out of the market.
Ted– If Newton should loosen zoning restrictions [and we both agree Newton should], then that’s a matter for the residents of Newton and their elected representatives to decide. We live here. We should control our zoning, not the state.
If the state wants to incentivize affordable housing, they should do that financially, either through subsidies or tax breaks, not by allowing developers to come into a community like Newton and override our local zoning regulations.
We don’t have a problem attracting businesses to Massachusetts. They come here for a variety of reasons, and I don’t know of a specific example of our city or state losing a major prospective employer because of a lack of affordable housing. If that’s actually happening, I may change my opinion.
Mike,
There are a ton of reasons why access to housing in Newton shouldn’t be controlled solely by Newton. Let me offer one.
Every new housing unit that isn’t built in Newton has to be built elsewhere, likely farther away from major employment areas (like downtown Boston). As you build out farther you inevitably increase car dependence, as transit is not expanding. That’s more cars on the road, driving more miles, on more acres of asphalt. Those are regional impacts of our zoning. Why should the state permit Newton to impose those regional impacts, especially when the state has made investment in mass transit in Newton that could be exploited without added capital expenditures?
Sean– I’m not saying we shouldn’t build housing units in Newton. I favor additional housing through the same means you suggested in the lead to this thread. Eliminate or loosen density restrictions around village centers and transportation hubs. I think we could both agree it would result in an increase our housing stock. If the state offered financial incentives on top of loosened local zoning restrictions, that’s the way to create affordable housing.
The reason it’s important to target Senior affordable housing is because of the specific requirements seniors have. For example, some affordable housing has steps rather than being 1-level apartments which are important for seniors. It’s also important to have senior housing near T stops, so that seniors don’t need to drive when it’s no longer safe for them (or no longer safe at night, which comes at an earlier age.) I know I’ll probably be moving to Brookline within the next few years, despite loving my Newton neighborhood, because there are no 1-level dwellings there.
As someone that has rented to dozens of Section 8 families and further seen housing options need from clients of various shelters we support, I wish we could all stop pussyfooting around the term “affordable housing”. What exactly is this thread about? If it’s about government supported housing options, is that not how we describe things?
Hoss,
Here’s what it’s about: proposing government regulations (affordable housing requirements) to solve a problem created by another set of government regulations (zoning). Let’s treat the cause, not the symptoms.
I have never understood this need for affordable housing in a certain town. Why the need for more ‘affordable’ housing in Newton? Why more housing?
If you can’t afford Newton, go to Watertown, Waltham…
Why do we have to more real estate that is less money? I just don’t get this.
@Mike, @Kim and all:
Actually, housing affordability is a real problem regionally and has – in my experience as a corporate site selection consultant – been a factor in companies choosing to invest in locations other than Eastern Massachusetts. This has been specifically tied to the fact that these companies would not be able to attract the qualified talent they need due to the cost of housing.
When compared to other areas of the country, the Greater Boston Area is less affordable (measured as the relationship between area median home price and median household income) than 205 of the 226 metropolitan areas included in the National Association of Home Builders’ Housing Opportunity Index (http://www.nahb.org/reference_list.aspx?sectionID=132)
It is a regional problem (not just Newton), but there is a real role for us to play.
Chris– I’m aware of the shortage of affordable housing, here in Massachusetts and elsewhere. I agree it needs to be addressed, but we’re addressing it in the wrong way.
As a developer myself, I’ve been involved in a few 40B projects, so I have some knowledge about how the game works. I am absolutely opposed to allowing developers [like me] to come into Newton and disregard the zoning ordinances that have been established by our elected representatives. What’s the point of having zoning ordinances, if a for-profit developer is able to trump them with a 40B?
Seems to me that all of the talk and regulations re. affordable housing miss the point. We’re building affordable housing for low-income folks, and starting to think about stuff for seniors – but what about everybody else? Early/mid-career folks, particularly professionals, earn too much to qualify for “affordable” housing, but sure can’t afford Newton’s prices – i.e., there’s no way our kids can buy into Newton. Give me a break.
Many people can’t afford to live in Newton. Why should Newton kids be entitled to live in Newton?
@Kim, I don’t understand your thoughts on who can afford to live in Newton. Are you saying that Newton should only allow homeowners who earn large salaries or who have inherited wealth to live here? It sounds like you are “entitled”, and you suggest that others move to Watertown or Waltham. The city needs diversity, and first time buyers need not be shut out. We bought our 2br, 1ba house in 1989, and as our economic situation got better, we built 3 additions, so we now live in a 3br, 2 ba house with 2 new rooms on the first floor. We were in our late twenties when we bought. If we were starting out now, we couldn’t even buy our own house at its assessed value.
NAF of MCAS,
Not at all. I grew up in Braintree. I lived in Watertown when both my kids were born. It was my goal to move to Newton so that my girls could go to Newton schools. If that didn’t happen, well, that’s okay. It did happen, by the skin of my teeth. Entitled? Give me a break. I battled to get to this city. When you say this city needs diversity, what do you mean? We need more low income people? Seriously, what does that mean? I’m a democrat much like many people in this city but what does that mean? You want our property values to go down? If that happens then you, me and everyone else who can afford it will move to Wellesley, Andover, Weston and Brookline. Get of your high horse. Towns like Newton aren’t a right. They are a privilege.