Affordability and Abundance
As Cambridge City Councilor, I helped tackle our housing shortage, bringing down rent prices and creating new homes for thousands of families.
I will pass six key policies so that every Massachusetts family can afford to put down roots in the city they choose.
Why Housing Got This Expensive
For the last 100 years, it has been illegal to build a triple-decker anywhere in Massachusetts.
Immigrants, people of color, and lower-income families moved to the cities in search of a better life. Meanwhile, wealthy communities enacted zoning policies that restricted building denser, cheaper housing to ensure that only the "right" kind of people could live in the neighborhoods they chose.
Cambridge's zoning code literally stated they only wanted millionaires to live there. (Don't worry, I cut that out once I got into office.)
Medford and Somerville's populations were greater in the 1930s than they are today. Cambridge and Winchester's population have only just reached the same levels as their previous peak. By and large, cities' populations have gotten smaller or stayed the same, and no new housing has been built. That means that for children who are born here, if they want to live near their parents, they physically cannot.
It's beyond time to change all that on the state level.
The Austin Benchmark
Austin, Texas was facing a housing crisis ten years ago. New jobs and the city's reputation were drawing in more people, but there wasn't enough housing for everyone. From 2010 to 2019, rents surged by 93%.
Beginning in 2015, Austin instituted new policies to make it easier to build housing. The city changed zoning to allow construction of large apartment buildings. It invested $250 million into affordable housing. And it sped up permitting for those who wanted to build.
The reforms worked. After increasing housing by 30%, Austin's rents started to fall. And they've continued to fall year after year ever since.
The National Picture
On average, the population within blue states is decreasing, while red states are increasing in numbers. Why? Because red states are building housing.
Because of these changes, California is likely to lose four congressional seats by 2030, while Texas is set to gain four. In our political system, people are power.
Massachusetts already lost one congressional seat in 2010. With the Supreme Court allowing partisan gerrymandering and the decreasing political power of blue states, building more housing allows us to regain affordability and reclaim our democracy at the same time.
Massachusetts already lost this seat in 2010. California and Texas figures are projections based on current population trends.
How We Will Create More Housing
Uniform zoning
Enact statewide zoning reform. We need one single statewide standard that will make building housing easy and predictable in every municipality. If you can build something in Cambridge, you can build it in Winchester. This doesn't have to be radical — Beacon Hill is already thinking of allowing duplexes everywhere. That's a start. I'll make sure we keep going.
Reform the permitting process
Right now, it takes months to get approvals, and there are multiple hoops to jump through. We should speed up the process and make it less confusing.
Build affordable housing
In Cambridge, I updated the Affordable Housing Overlay, which made it easier to build 100% affordable housing. We need to fund and prioritize affordable housing so that everyone can stay here, regardless of income level.
Single-stair reform
We are losing housing because of outdated fire codes that haven't been proven to make us safer. Larger buildings need to have two stairwells, not one — that takes up square footage that could be someone's home. Right now, we're "studying" this measure. I'll make sure it passes.
Denser housing near transit hubs
Regardless of where you live, we can agree that an apartment building near an MBTA station just makes sense. As State Senator, I'll push the MBTA to develop housing near Alewife and other transit hubs.
Land value tax
Right now, if you do nothing with the land you own, you pay nothing while it increases in value. That leads to empty storefronts and vacant buildings. We should tax the value of the land, not what's on it.
Alewife Should Already Be Full of Housing
Alewife Station is the perfect place to build denser housing. So why does nobody want to? The MBTA sent out the worst request for proposal I've ever seen. It was vague and unfocused and lacking in vision. When nobody bid on it, the MBTA claimed that market conditions were unfavorable. That's not true.
As State Senator, I'll push the MBTA to develop housing near Alewife and other transit hubs.
I've spent the last decade winning the fight to build more housing.
I founded Abundant Housing Massachusetts and the Welcoming Neighbors Network, the largest national coalition of pro-housing groups. I helped successfully push to get Massachusetts' starter homes initiative on this year's ballot and advocated for the recently passed ROAD to Housing Act.
In Cambridge, I was instrumental in passing the Affordable Housing Overlay. I also ensured we ended exclusionary zoning citywide.
Every step of the way, people told me it couldn't be done. They said it was impossible, but I refused to take no for an answer. And now, Cambridge's Affordable Housing Overlay is being replicated across the country. Our multifamily housing zoning made national headlines and even international news.
Massachusetts is the first in a lot of things: the most educated state, the best public school system, and best state economy. But we are dead last in housing production. It's time for Massachusetts to lead the way.