Housing Forward-MA

A nonprofit organization dedicated to research-backed policies that support the creation of affordable and workforce housing across the Commonwealth.

[Josh Zakim @joshzakim]

Interesting case study from the Twin Cities: Rent Control led to nearly 80% drop in new building & 6% drop in existing property values for St. Paul. While neighboring Minneapolis adopted smartgrowth zoning reforms leading to lots of new housing production.
https://t.co/DxeSTmuVyI

[Jay Parsons @jayparsons]

Montgomery County, MD, (one of nation's most affluent counties) enacted rent control in July 2024.

Watch how multifamily building permits evaporated.

Poof.

Meanwhile, the rest of Maryland held steady on permits.

Incredibly effective NIMBY-ism.

[Josh Zakim @joshzakim]

Florida’s Live Local Act is a great model for pro-housing legislation! Effective too!

“Live Local is like the proof that if the politicians give us the right tools, the private sector can develop affordable and attainable housing,”

https://t.co/jQnNIf5JiB

[Housing Forward-MA @HousingFwdMA]

Great take from the @BostonGlobe on how excessive regulation is a direct cause of our high housing costs in Mass. Looking forward to the rest of this series!
#AffordableHousing #ZoningReform

https://t.co/Y7H1VqRPDn

[Josh Zakim @joshzakim]

This, right here, one of the unspoken, but potentially catastrophic results of a broken housing market. The only solution is to build more housing of all types to lower costs, allow more economic mobility and unlock our potential.
#Housing #ZoningReform

https://t.co/qEShYtX8rP

[Housing Forward-MA @HousingFwdMA]

Check out our latest policy review: What is Rent Control? Stabilizing the Debate.

https://t.co/LKE260rjOt

#affordablehousing #housing

[Josh Zakim @joshzakim]

Great news for housing production in California! These are the kind of bold reforms we need to lower the cost of #housing here in Mass & across the country! https://t.co/WEJZbhKLiX

[Mass. HLC @MA_EOHLC]

“We are pleased the courts have again affirmed the intent of the MBTA Communities Law, and we look forward to working with the remaining communities to complete their zoning changes.”

https://t.co/UmsSJyDAzK

[Housing Forward-MA @HousingFwdMA]

If the 3 towns governing Devens can't quickly approve more housing then the legislature must take action. We desperately needs more housing. Using the land & existing structures at Devens is an opportunity for new homes that we cannot afford to ignore.
https://t.co/vD4i84mObK

[Housing Forward-MA @HousingFwdMA]

This is the result of decades of deliberate underbuilding & obstruction of new #housing. We need #ZoningReform now to allow communities to build enough new housing so that ALL residents can afford a safe place to live! #AffordableHousing
https://t.co/hKxIOCKKxk

[Josh Zakim @joshzakim]

Great take on how restrictive zoning & our anti-democratic land use review processes have severely limited socioeconomic mobility in this country. We must build more reasonably priced housing now!
@YAppelbaum #ZoningReformNow #AffordableHousing

https://t.co/UTQjGL4lz0

[Josh Zakim @joshzakim]

Exciting news out of Cambridge! Great job by @realBurhanAzeem, @cllrsiddiqui, & the entire Cambridge City Council! This #ZoningReform will make a real difference, allowing more new #housing to be built, increasing supply, & ultimately lowering rents! https://t.co/AQ61MjQnlG

[Housing Forward-MA @HousingFwdMA]

Great take from @BostonGlobe on SJC decision upholding MBTA Communities Act; & just as importantly affirming that the @MassAGO can enforce the law directly. "The ruling is a victory...for the whole state economically." It's time to build more #housing now!
https://t.co/sbueeA8Mt8

[Housing Forward-MA @HousingFwdMA]

Great take from @BostonGlobe on SJC decision upholding MBTA Communities Act; & just as importantly affirming that the @MassAGO can enforce the law directly. "The ruling is a victory...for the whole state economically." It's time to build more #housing now!
https://t.co/sbueeA8Mt8

[Housing Forward-MA @HousingFwdMA]

Great job @MassAGO @AJCampbellMA! #housing #ZoningReform #AffordableHousing

[AG Andrea Joy Campbell @MassAGO]

Today's victory in our lawsuit against Milton is a BIG step forward in our work to address the unacceptably high cost of housing for Massachusetts residents.

The highest court in Massachusetts agrees: the MBTA Communities Law is mandatory, not voluntary.

[Governor Maura Healey @MassGovernor]

The MBTA Communities Law is already a success — 116 communities on board and 3,000 units in the pipeline.

Thanks to AG Campbell her stellar team for standing up for homes for teachers, nurses, first responders, seniors, service workers — people who make our communities strong.

[Josh Zakim @joshzakim]

Thank you @MassAGO @AJCampbellMA! Let’s build some housing!

[Housing Forward-MA @HousingFwdMA]

Incredible & very encouraging to see in Lexington! Would be great if more MA cities & towns embraced smart growth rezoning to create the new housing we need for individuals & families across the Commonwealth! #AffordableHousing #MBTAcommunities
https://t.co/zSMd45Qo77

[Josh Zakim @joshzakim]

Great series from @nytimes on solving that city's housing shortage. Almost all of these ideas would be applicable here in Massachusetts & can make a real difference in providing much needed new #housing! #AffordableHousing #zoningreform #cre #Development
https://t.co/08ar4HMzil

[Josh Zakim @joshzakim]

Today’s @BostonGlobe @GlobeOpinion describing the shameful misuse of public resources to block much needed new housing in towns across the Commonwealth. We must do better if we are ever going to solve the housing crisis!

https://t.co/ol2jPg4wEV