State officials are making changes to 40B, the Massachusetts' anti-snob zoning law, in efforts to boost housing supply.
"Legislative leaders, responding to a Massachusetts-wide housing shortage, unveiled a bill yesterday that proposes substantial changes to the state's anti-snob-zoning law in hopes of spurring suburban communities to approve homebuilding projects. The bill...targets some of the most restrictive aspects of the law, known as Chapter 40B....the biggest alteration would allow towns to artificially double the number of homeownership units in a development. That will give municipalities a much greater chance of reaching the 10 percent affordable housing threshold....For example, a development with 25 affordable units could actually count 50 units for the purposes of meeting the threshold....Advocates of the affordable housing law yesterday said they were 'less than thrilled' with that aspect of the bill, but overall were guardedly optimistic about the legislation as a whole."
Thanks to Connie Chung
Read the full story: Legislative leaders push measure to boost suburban home building
Planetizen Federal Action Tracker
A weekly monitor of how Trump’s orders and actions are impacting planners and planning in America.
California plans to bury El Niño’s downpour
If the state plays its cards right, it may be able to store a billion acre-feet of El Niño’s water in aquifers.
Desperate measures: Advocates weigh draining Lake Powell to fill Colorado River
Draining the reservoir could reduce evaporation losses by a couple hundred thousand acre-feet.
Mamdani’s pied-à-terre tax survives legal challenge
A panel of judges found that the plaintiffs failed to demonstrate injury as a result of New York City's implementation of the tax.
Eastern Nebraska is running out of electricity
Data centers and electrification are straining eastern Nebraska’s grid, throttling economic development.
Seattle passes record-breaking transit services expansion
Proposition 1 will double the city’s transit tax to add 95,000 more bus trips and preserve 180,000 bus trips annually.
FREE Course: Walkable City 1: Why Walkability?
After describing his path towards focusing on walkability as the essence of good planning, Jeff Speck marches through his five principal reasons for making more walkable places.
Reinventing Malls: Planning Alchemy—Turning Gray Fields Into Gold
The course focuses on the opportunities and imperatives that shape reinvention of mall sites.
City of Rosemead
Rutgers University, Edward J. Bloustein School of Planning and Public Policy
One Hundred Miles
University of Michigan School for Environment and Sustainability (SEAS)
Hunter College, City University of New York (CUNY)
The Architects Foundation
City of Cambridge
Montrose County
The Pocatello Development Authority