Housing Policy Ripe for Reforms

By Edward R. Bradford AIA NCARB LEED AP, Principal

Like most of the country, Massachusetts is in the midst of a widely acknowledged housing crisis. As architects with a focus on the multifamily sector, our firm, The Architectural Team (TAT), has collaborated for decades with leading developers, nonprofits, municipal officials, and public agencies to uncover creative opportunities for maximizing apartment production and improving livability and affordability in cities and towns across the state.

But truly addressing the shortage requires a holistic and proactive approach to every aspect of housing production – including at the statewide policy level.

Fortunately, state leaders are prioritizing solutions. The final report from Gov. Maura Healey’s Unlocking Housing Production Commission outlines important potential policy shifts and new approaches that should excite any real estate leader committed to housing issues. To understand the potentially dramatic impact of these recommendations, it’s worth zooming in on two proposed reforms, one to the building code and one to land use policy, that could on their own in fact generate thousands of new housing units.

Read the full article here outlining the simple solutions to unlock infill development sites.

Edward R. Bradford is a principal at The Architectural Team Inc. in Chelsea.