Doing their part? : proactive planning and deliberate avoidance of affordable housing by Massachusetts communities in response to Chapter 40B

Abstract

Chapter 40B is an innovative Massachusetts law adopted in 1969 to expand the supply and distribution of subsidized housing throughout the state. The statute creates a streamlined permitting process through which municipalities may waive local regulations that impede the construction of affordable units. Chapter 40B also establishes a state appeals court to which developers may appeal local permitting decisions if less than 10% of a community's housing stock is affordable to low- income households. In the last half-decade, Chapter 40B has become more controversial as a strong housing market and regulatory changes have increased affordable housing development activity under the law. This thesis examines how Chapter 40B has influenced community planning for the development of affordable housing since 2000. Municipal planning staff, land-use board members, and elected officials in five communities on the rapidly-growing edge of metropolitan Boston (Bellingham, Framingham, Marlborough, Norfolk and Southborough) were interviewed about locally-driven affordability initiatives and community attitudes toward affordable housing. This research was supplemented by analysis of building permit data and zoning ordinances. The results suggest that Chapter 40B has increased local attention to affordable housing needs. However, the extent to which communities are prioritizing affordable housing creation - and the type of households that will be served by local programs - is shaped by community identity and vision.

(cont.) State policy-makers and housing advocates should find this investigation useful in determining how to ensure that all segments of the population are served by local housing affordability initiatives.