Holliston is currently navigating two significant Massachusetts laws that will shape our town’s future housing landscape. The first, the new MBT3A Housing Law, requires communities with or adjacent to MBTA commuter rail stations to zone for multi-family housing at a minimum density of 15 units per acre over at least 50 acres. The second, MGL 40B, mandates that all Massachusetts communities must ensure 10% of their housing is affordable. As a town in Massachusetts, Holliston must comply with these laws to avoid penalties. To demonstrate how we plan to meet these housing requirements, Holliston needs to develop a Housing Production Plan and submit it to the state by year’s end.
Diverse Holliston aims to engage residents in key issues affecting our town, particularly those impacting our ability to be welcoming and inclusive to current and future residents of diverse backgrounds and experiences. This article seeks to inform you about the following questions, which we’ll be voting on at the October 21, 2024 Town Meeting:
- What exactly do these laws require?
- What are the consequences if Holliston does not comply?
- What benefits could Holliston experience with denser and more affordable housing?
- What are the common myths about affordable and dense housing, and what does the research say?
The Housing Production Plan: What It Is and Why It Matters
A Housing Production Plan is a strategic roadmap for meeting current and future housing needs over the next five years. Holliston’s plan must show how we’ll progress toward meeting the MGL 40B requirement of 10% affordable housing (currently, we’re at about 4%) and comply with the MBT3A Law, which demands zoning for multi-family housing at a density of at least 15 units per acre over 50 acres. This means Holliston must make room for 750 new homes within the designated area. MBT3A also specifies that no more than 10% of these units can be designated as affordable.
However, it’s important to note that making these zoning changes doesn’t guarantee housing will be built; it only sets the stage. Developers who wish to construct housing will still need approval from the Planning Board. The plan outlines where and how the required housing could be produced, but it doesn’t ensure that any housing will actually be developed.
Holliston has enlisted the consulting firm JM Goldson to help us craft our Housing Production Plan. So far, they’ve conducted a housing needs assessment through surveys, focus groups, and two town forums, and they’re now working with our Town Planner, Karen Sherman, and a Working Group to finalize the plan. The plan will be presented to the Planning Board in August and must be approved by both the Planning Board and the Select Board. It will include recommendations for zoning changes that support denser and more affordable housing, which will be voted on as a warrant at the October 21, 2024 Town Meeting.
If we fail to pass these zoning changes or submit an acceptable Housing Production Plan, the consequences will be significant. First, we could face legal action from the state. Second, we’d lose eligibility for state funding, such as the MassWorks Infrastructure Program, Housing Choice Grants, and Local Capital Fund Projects (like funding for a new roof at the High School). Third, our failure could affect our standing in other state agencies’ discretionary grant programs.
You can find more detailed information on the Holliston Town website under “Housing Production Plan Information.” If it’s not on the homepage, click on “View More.”
Additionally, if we don’t have a State-certified Housing Production Plan, the State might allow developers to build housing in Holliston without the town’s approval.
The Benefits of Denser and More Affordable Housing for Holliston
While the state mandates that Holliston completes a Housing Production Plan, it doesn’t require us to produce any housing. However, Holliston stands to benefit from developing more affordable and denser housing, aligning with our own Holliston Strategic Plan, which prioritizes Robust Infrastructure, stating:
“Increase and diversify the Town’s housing stock, especially rental and multi-family homes, to help ensure attainable, equitable, and affordable housing.”
Consider these points:
- In the JM Goldson Housing Survey, 47% of homeowners and 58% of renters indicated they couldn’t afford to move to Holliston today due to high housing costs.
- 89% of homeowners in the survey reported that their homes aren’t suited for someone with mobility needs. If they develop such needs, there are few options for them in Holliston.
- Older residents find it difficult to downsize, making it harder for new families to move to Holliston.
- Many children of Holliston residents can’t afford to raise their own families in the town where they grew up.
- Workers in Holliston often can’t afford to live here, which complicates staffing for new businesses.
A 2022 study of affordable housing units in Alexandria, Virginia by Christina Stacy and Christopher Davis found that affordable housing positively impacts all residents, improving health, educational outcomes, employment stability, quality of life, and long-term incomes while maximizing the independence of older adults. Having affordable housing benefits us all—current and future residents alike.
Debunking Myths about Affordable Housing
In 2023, Jessica Trounstine analyzed survey data from metropolitan areas across the U.S. and found that most people prefer single-family homes, largely because they believe denser housing will decrease property values, increase crime rates, lower school quality, increase traffic, and reduce the desirability of surrounding homes. However, empirical evidence doesn’t support these beliefs. As examples:
A study by Brandon Stanaway, published by the Metropolitan Area Planning Council of Massachusetts in 2017, found no link between increased housing development and increased school enrollment.
Research by Henry Pollakowski, David Ritchay, and Zoe Weinrobe on 70 MGL 40B projects in Massachusetts found no evidence that property values of single-family homes near subsidized housing decreased. In fact, Stacy and Davis’s earlier research found a slight increase in property values for homes near affordable units in Alexandria, Virginia.
A study by Douglas Albright, Len Derickson, and Elizabeth Massey on a 140-unit affordable housing development in Mt. Laurel, New Jersey, showed no impact on crime, property values, or taxes.
Key Takeaways
- Voting to approve changes in Holliston’s zoning doesn’t mean denser and more affordable housing will automatically be built. The Planning Board will still oversee any proposed developments, and concerns about traffic and environmental impacts will be thoroughly considered before any projects are approved.
- Voting to approve these zoning changes ensures that Holliston complies with state laws, protecting us from losing state funding for infrastructure projects, facing legal action, or allowing developers to bypass town approval.
- Approving these changes opens the door for Holliston to develop denser and more affordable housing, which aligns with our town’s Strategic Plan. There are numerous potential benefits for Holliston in pursuing these developments, and while there are arguments against denser and affordable housing, empirical research doesn’t back these concerns.
Please attend the October 21, 2024 Town Meeting to learn more about Holliston’s Housing Production Plan, ask questions, and consider the information shared in this article when casting your vote.
References
Albright, Len and Derickson, Elizabeth S. and Massey, Douglas S., Do Affordable Housing Projects Harm Suburban Communities? Crime, Property Values, and Property Taxes in Mt. Laurel, New Jersey (June 15, 2011). Available at SSRN: https://ssrn.com/abstract=1865231 or http://dx.doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.1865231
Pollakowski, Henry O. and Ritchay, David and Weinrobe, Zoe. Effects of Mixed-Income, Multi-Family Rental Housing Developments on Single-Family Housing Values. Center For Real Estate: Massachusetts Institute of Technology (2005). Available at: http://web.mit.edu/cre/research/hai/pdf/40B report HAI 0405.pdf
Stacy, Christina and Davis, Christopher. Assessing the impact of affordable housing on nearby property values in Alexandria, Virginia (April 2022). Available at: https://www.medfordoregon.gov/files/assets/public/v/1/planning/documents/6-steps/learningresources/all-attachments/other-assessing-the-impact-of-affordable-housing-on-nearby-property-values-urban-land-institute.pdf
Stanaway, Brandon. An update on housing production’s affect on public school enrollment (2017, updated Feb. 2024). Available at: https://www.mapc.org/learn/research-analysis/enrollment/
Trounstine, Jessica. You won’t be my neighbor: Opposition to high density development. Urban Affairs Journal (2023). Available at: https://escholarship.org/uc/item/3pt5t1gt