The Sun Editorial Board makes the case for following Gov. Charlie Baker’s lead in incentivizing the construction of affordable housing by cutting red tape.
Some lawmakers and Gov. Charlie Baker recognize the need for more affordable-housing stock, as do many of the state’s business leaders.
The state needs at least 135,000 new housing units to quell the region’s housing shortage, experts say. But so far the Legislature has failed to act on a series of bills by Baker that would cut the red tape and make it easier for developers to build the kind of high-density, multifamily housing that would help drive costs down.
The governor’s legislation would allow municipal governments to change their zoning rules with a simple majority vote, rather than the existing two-thirds requirement.
The problem continues to be the reluctance of both the Legislature and developers to change the status quo.
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