Chief of Planning Kairos Shen said she would not make changes to Boston’s affordability requirements for new housing, which critics say have slowed down development.
Boston is a difficult place to develop housing: Chief of Planning Kairos Shen says that won’t change anytime soon. At a forum hosted by the MIT Center for Real Estate, Shen said she wouldn’t lower the affordability requirements in Boston that opponents say have slowed down production.
Gayla Cawley writes for the Boston Herald:
“It’s hard to develop here. It should be,” Shen said. “We’re developing good stuff, you know? You guys want us to lower our standards. Part of my job is to hold those standards and try to still make them work.”
Right now, the city requires Boston housing projects to make 20% of their units income-restricted, which opponents claim have made it more difficult for developers to obtain financing and start building. The Boston Herald reports that last month, Boston City Councilor Ed Flynn said, “Twenty percent of zero units is zero.”
Read the full story: Mayor Wu’s planning chief under fire for saying ‘it should be’ hard to build in Boston
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