As reported earlier this month, the Massachusetts Legislature is poised to approve historic statewide land use reforms that would preempt local control of residential development. Here's a detailed account of how the state arrived at this moment.
"Massachusetts is expected to soon pass a bill that will include a housing choice provision that can help cities and suburbs build housing and end exclusionary zoning," according to an article by Randy Shaw, picking up on news shared on Planetizen earlier this month. The new legislation is the third iteration of the "Housing Choice" first proposed by Governor Charlie Baker in 2017. "Housing advocates have fought hard for the measure, which enables city councils to pass rezoning changes by a simple majority vote rather than a two-thirds supermajority vote," explains Shaw.
The bill approved by the Massachusetts Senate in July, titled An Act Enabling Partnerships for Growth, includes housing choice provisions, according to Shaw, and advocates believe the bill is close enough to the House version of the bill that passage is all but assured, although approval might wait until September. In the meantime, Shaw mines the experience of getting this historic legislation to the finish line for lessons that can be applied nationally.
With more details included in the source article, Shaw offers these three lessons:
- Voters are pro-housing. Compare this to the recent political machinations of the Trump administration, which is pinning its electoral strategy on messages designed to provoke fear about the potential of liberal housing policies to change suburban communities.
- Activists must end state barriers. Shaw gives credit to the advocacy organizations that have spurred the legislation in Massachusetts, while also crediting predecessor legislation in Oregon, California, New York, and Connecticut. More action should follow, according o Shaw. "State laws in Colorado, Illinois, Texas, Washington, and other states block cities from enacting essential affordability measures. The passage of housing choice legislation should encourage activists to keep battling at the state level to win real change."
- Governor support is ket to passing housing choice. Compare the experience of Massachusetts, with support from Governor Baker, to the history of failed up zoning bills in California, which failed at the finish line without support from Governor Gavin Newsom. "New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo also fails to walk the talk on housing. You’d never think that he was a great former HUD secretary after his failure to prioritize new housing production as governor," writes Shaw.
FULL STORY: Massachusetts Strikes a Blow Against Exclusionary Zoning
Oregon Passes Exemption to Urban Growth Boundary
Cities have a one-time chance to acquire new land for development in a bid to increase housing supply and affordability.
Where Urban Design Is Headed in 2024
A forecast of likely trends in urban design and architecture.
Savannah: A City of Planning Contrasts
From a human-scales, plaza-anchored grid to suburban sprawl, the oldest planned city in the United States has seen wildly different development patterns.
Washington Tribes Receive Resilience Funding
The 28 grants support projects including relocation efforts as coastal communities face the growing impacts of climate change.
Adaptive Reuse Bills Introduced in California Assembly
The legislation would expand eligibility for economic incentives and let cities loosen regulations to allow for more building conversions.
LA's Top Parks, Ranked
TimeOut just released its list of the top 26 parks in the L.A. area, which is home to some of the best green spaces around.
City of Rochester
Boston Harbor Now
City of Bellevue
HUD's Office of Policy Development and Research
Mpact Transit + Community
HUD's Office of Policy Development and Research
City of Birmingham, Alabama
City of Laramie, Wyoming
Colorado Department of Local Affairs
Urban Design for Planners 1: Software Tools
This six-course series explores essential urban design concepts using open source software and equips planners with the tools they need to participate fully in the urban design process.
Planning for Universal Design
Learn the tools for implementing Universal Design in planning regulations.