The price of housing has skyrocketed in Massachusetts over the past few decades and has even continued during the pandemic because people are moving from Boston to the suburbs.
The building of apartments is a almost non existent in posh suburb towns and the towns going on a building boom, like Salem isn't building anything that could be remotely considered affordable. In any of the new apartment complex that I have seen go up since moving to Salem, there hasn't been a single one I could afford a 1 bedroom apartment in.
And here is why that is happening. In Massachusetts as I have mentioned before in this thread, a super majority vote of the board is needed to approve zoning for the construction of any apartment complex as required by Massachusetts state law. The state law also requires a supermajority to change.
Thus a very loud and vocal minority are essentially able to block everything.
The vocal few don't want to change community dynamics, are afraid crime will come to their community and are worried about reductions to their property values.
In the case of posh suburb towns that only have single family homes, they don't want to bring in apartments because that will bring in that "riff raff".
In the case of communities like Salem that have tons of apartments, only ultra high end luxury apartment complex are being put up. Anything that is billed as affordable or working class gets blocked because the community is worried about increased crime and changing community dynamics.
In both scenarios, a reduction in property values is a big concern.
Governor Baker has a plan to get these towns to build apartments. It's pretty much telling them you have to build apartments or pay up kind of shake down.
Some towns will play along. Others will "have to go kicking and screaming."
slate.com
This is virtually all of Eastern Massachusetts / the Boston suburbs included in this new public transit zoning. The entire MBTA area.
What governor baker is telling towns is you need to build X amount of apartment complex or you need to pay the MBTA more money and you may lose state grants.
This is something that does not sit well with people in posh communities who wouldn't ever be caught dead using public transportation. There is a lot a screaming and finger pointing going on and protests outside of Governor Baker's mansion over this already.
Many of these communities think it's an overreach of the state to take more of their money if they don't build apartments.
Could this idea actually work? Or will these communities just pay higher taxes to avoid building apartments. Or will the building trend in Salem continue where anything that does get built is not affordable and does nothing to solve the "affordability crisis" the state is facing.
What is everyones thoughts on this?
www.theguardian.com
