 | | Boston Mayor Michelle Wu |
BOSTON - Tuesday,
December 21, 2021 - Mayor Michelle Wu today announced a series of
actions to increase affordable housing and stabilize communities,
commissioning two feasibility studies to shape updates to Boston’s
policies. First, a study of the existing Inclusionary Development Program
requirements and market conditions will consider how Boston can achieve or
exceed 20 percent affordability in new construction, up from the current
level of 13 percent. The Mayor is also considering taking executive action
alongside the study to reduce the number of units that trigger
affordability rules and deepen affordability levels. Secondly, a study of
Linkage fees will assess the feasibility of increasing funding for
affordable housing and workforce training from new development, including
from lab space.
 | | Sheila Dillon新銜頭"房屋長"。 |
Mayor Wu also
announced the start of an audit of all City-owned property to leverage the
city’s significant real estate holdings to create more affordable and supportive
housing.
The Mayor confirmed
that she will be submitting a revised home rule petition in January for a
real estate transfer fee to generate new resources for affordable housing,
while expanding property tax relief for senior homeowners who have been
longtime owner-occupants of their homes.
 | | 波士頓市議員Kenzie Bok。 |
Finally, Mayor Wu
announced that she will be forming a Rent Stabilization Advisory Group to
consider the tools available and necessary to protect tenants and stem
displacement, with a goal of drafting legislation for the next state
legislative session.
“With these actions,
we’re taking our first major steps towards addressing Boston’s housing
crisis,” said Mayor Wu. “Our city must build more affordable
housing, leverage our wealth and resources to fight displacement, and
protect tenants. Housing must be the foundation for our recovery, and this
work begins immediately.”
“The Office of
Housing is ready to implement these new policies to create additional
affordable housing and increase tenant protections, ensuring that all
Bostonians have a safe, affordable home,” said Sheila Dillon, Chief of
Housing. “The pandemic has shown everyone what we always knew – safe,
affordable housing is critical to maintaining good health, economic
stability, and is the cornerstone of stable neighborhoods.”
"This is the
bold leadership that Boston needs. I am incredibly excited by these steps
and am confident that they are only the beginning of Mayor Wu's push for
housing equity,” said Councilor Lydia Edwards.
Inclusionary
Development Program
The newly-named
Mayor’s Office of Housing is commissioning a feasibility study, to be
completed within 150 days, to evaluate how to meet or exceed a 20 percent
affordability requirement, up from the current level of 13 percent.
The Inclusionary
Development Policy (IDP) was initiated in 2000 to require private
residential developers to contribute affordable housing resources as part
of their market rate development. Through November 2021, developers have
created a total of 3,627 units of income-restricted housing through on-site
or off-site units. Contributions by developers to the IDP Fund have led to
the creation or preservation of 2,319 additional income-restricted units,
for a total of 5,946 units created because of the IDP. The IDP was last
revised in December 2015.
“I applaud Mayor Wu
for putting our communities first with these steps to reform IDP and make
housing more affordable in Boston,” said Noemi Ramos, Executive Director
of New England United 4 Justice. “We are in a housing crisis with
rising rents and soaring costs. We need leadership to move quickly and
place housing at the top of the agenda, and that's exactly what the Wu
administration is doing today. I support these measures as a first step
toward delivering housing justice, and I look forward to partnering to make
the urgent changes we need."
Linkage
Mayor Wu also
announced today the commission of a new study required to make significant
changes to Boston’s commercial Linkage policy. Through the Linkage policy,
large commercial real estate developers building new commercial space are
required to make payments to the Neighborhood Housing Trust and the
Neighborhood Jobs Trust to fund affordable housing and workforce training.
This study is expected to be completed within 150 days.
As with the IDP
feasibility study, recent legislation requires the completion of a new
Linkage study in order for the City to make changes to the policy. Possible
changes that will be considered include: increasing the per-square foot fee
to invest in housing and job training, lowering the square footage
threshold that triggers Linkage payments, applying the fee to each square
foot of new developments that are subject to Linkage, speeding up the
payment schedule by requiring full linkage payment for each building at the
time that the building receives a building permit, and assuring that the
City is maximizing fees received from all commercial uses,
especially from Boston’s current lab space boom. These changes would
generate more funds for affordable housing and workforce training.
“We’re delighted
that Mayor Wu is moving forward on linkage, and that she’s committing to a
150 day timeline,” said Symone Crawford, Executive Director of the
Massachusetts Affordable Housing Alliance. “Linkage was designed to
mitigate the increased housing pressure and displacement of low- and moderate-income
residents caused by large scale commercial development. The current linkage
fee doesn’t do that. We look forward to working with Mayor Wu to fix this.”
“Linkage is the
primary source for job training funding through the City, so we are thrilled
that Mayor Wu is taking action on a nexus study,” says Amy Nishman,
Senior VP of Strategy at JVS Boston and president of the Job Training
Alliance. “As Boston continues to recover, the development
pipeline is strong, and the only way to ensure that Boston residents are
eligible for the jobs being created is to fully fund effective job training
programs.”
Audit of City-Owned
Property for Housing
Meeting a goal that
Mayor Wu established on the campaign trail, City agencies have begun an
audit of City-owned property and parcels to identify opportunities to
develop supportive housing and affordable housing. The audit will be
completed within the first 100 days of the Wu Administration.
Transfer Fee
Mayor Wu further
announced that she will be pursuing a revised Home Rule Petition to
establish a transfer fee to support the creation of affordable
housing. The petition would authorize the City of Boston to impose a
fee on real estate sales above a certain threshold value. The funding
generated would be dedicated to the Neighborhood Housing Trust for affordable housing development and
preservation. The Home Rule Petition would also include property tax
relief for senior homeowners who are longtime owner-occupants of their
homes. A previous version, passed by the City Council in 2019, failed to
pass the MA legislature. The Mayor will be submitting the new version of
the transfer fee legislation to the Boston City Council in the new
year.
Rent Stabilization
Mayor Wu is also
taking the first steps towards implementing rent stabilization in Boston by
forming a Rent Stabilization Advisory Group. The members of this new
advisory group will study local housing conditions, rent stabilization
programs being administered in other cities and be tasked with making
recommendations on the available and necessary means to protect tenants
from displacement, with a goal to shape language for the next legislative
session on Beacon Hill.
Mayor’s Office of
Housing
Finally, Mayor Wu
and Housing Chief Sheila Dillon announced that they are renaming the City
of Boston’s Department of Neighborhood Development (DND) as the Mayor’s
Office of Housing. This name change more accurately reflects the role that
the former DND plays in the creation and preservation of affordable
housing, and helping Bostonians obtain, maintain, and retain safe,
affordable housing. The Mayor’s Office of Housing (MOH) will develop and
implement the City of Boston’s housing creation and homelessness prevention
plans and collaborate with local and national partners to find new
solutions and build more housing affordable to all, particularly those with
lower incomes. For more information, please visit the website.
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