More Buzz About 40B

Massachusetts "anti-snob" zoning law continues to foreground tension over the need for affordable housing and how many units communities are willing to accept.

1 minute read

July 12, 2003, 5:00 AM PDT

By Connie Chung

"The resistance to new affordable housing in communities such as Salisbury -- so fierce that higher prices are an acceptable tradeoff for fewer homes -- has become a prominent theme as lawmakers on Beacon Hill consider changes to the state's affordable-housing law, known as Chapter 40B." However, despite their distaste for density, some residents in communities like Salisbury are, in fact, acknowledging the need for more affordable housing. Furthermore, many housing advocates and developers in Massachusetts contend that "without the law, which fast-tracks residential projects in communities where less than 10 percent of the housing stock is affordable by state guidelines, many towns would not build moderate- or low-income housing. Town leaders pay lip service to the need for affordable housing -- so local workers, police, and teachers can live where they work -- but don't actually want to see any built, these advocates say."

Thanks to Connie Chung

FULL STORY: Mixed signals on affordable housing

Thursday, July 10, 2003 in The Boston Globe

Housing Massachusetts

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