A housing shortage that one mayor called “an emergency” has spurred a regional initiative in the Boston area to build more residential units.
The mayors of 15 cities and towns close to the Bay State capitol pledged to sharply accelerate the pace of home construction. The goal is to add 185,000 new homes by 2030 in the 15 communities.
Since 2010, just 32,500 housing units have been permitted in the same municipalities, so the goal represents a pace of housing construction that is three times as fast as the region has built over this decade. Boston Mayor Marty Walsh recently increased his city’s new-housing target by 30% to 69,000 additional units by 2030.
The goal of the suburban cities and towns may be difficult to achieve because of resistance from residents worried about the effects on traffic, schools, and quality of life. A bill proposed by Gov. Charlie Baker that would have allowed communities to lower the threshold for zoning changes from a two-thirds approval vote by a local government council to a simple majority failed to get through the state legislature this year. That is an indicator of how tough it is to create new housing in the densely populated municipalities surrounding Boston.
Related Stories
| Sep 5, 2013
New CM-at-risk and design-build options create controversy in Ohio
Some contractors say Ohio's new system puts small and midsize construction companies at a disadvantage.
| Sep 5, 2013
Outdated codes slowed disaster recovery in Tuscaloosa, Ala.
Outdated building codes and lack of a master plan slowed the initial rebuilding stage after a devastating tornado leveled parts of Tuscaloosa, Ala. in 2011, according to the city’s mayor.
| Aug 28, 2013
Building collapse prompts legislation to beef up demolition regulations in Philadelphia
Philadelphia City Council will introduce legislation next month to strengthen the regulation of building demolition practices.
| Aug 28, 2013
Rules requiring contractors to boost hiring of veterans criticized
Some businesses are pushing back against proposed rules requiring federal contractors to step up their hiring of returning military service personnel.
| Aug 28, 2013
OSHA moves to reduced exposure to crystalline silica
Under a proposal from the Occupational Safety and Health Administration, the new permissible exposure limit to crystalline silica per cubic meter of air could be changed from 250 micrograms to 50 micrograms.
| Aug 28, 2013
IPMSC chooses members of committee for global property measurement standard
The International Property Measurement Standards Coalition (IPMSC) has selected 19 real estate experts from around the world to join its Standards Setting Committee to develop a global standard for measuring property.
| Aug 20, 2013
Code amendment in Dallas would limit building exterior reflectivity
The Dallas City Council is expected to vote soon on a proposed code amendment that would limit a building’s exterior reflectivity of “visible light” to 15%.
| Aug 20, 2013
Developers of Hollywood skyscraper will dig to see if earthquake fault is on site
New York-based Millennium Partners have agreed to dig a trench on a Hollywood, Calif., property to help determine whether an earthquake fault runs under it.
| Aug 20, 2013
Chinese-made resilient flooring products achieve FloorScore Indoor Air Quality certification
Five of China's leading manufacturers of resilient flooring recently received FloorScore Indoor Air Quality certification from SCS Global Services for their luxury vinyl tile (LVT) products.
| Aug 20, 2013
Florida to get $1 million federal grant to study sinkhole vulnerability
The Florida Geological Survey and the state’s emergency department will receive a $1.08 million federal grant to study sinkhole vulnerability.
