CREW Boston

January Luncheon Program: Unlocking the Commonwealth - Housing and growth policies to help Massachusetts realize its full potential

CREW Boston kicked off 2016 at the Hyatt Regency with a panel focused on the housing and growth policies that Massachusetts needs to implement in order to remain competitive as a state. Here are a few key takeaways from this panel, moderated by CREW Boston member Judy Jacobson, deputy director and general counsel at Massachusetts Housing Partnership (MHP).
 
Tim Reardon, director of data services at the Metropolitan Area Planning Council, said we need to create 435,000 housing units in Metro Boston to support long-term growth. He also stressed that housing production does not necessarily equate to household growth (Millennials, for example, are delaying starting families) and sometimes, boosting housing supply is necessary to prevent population decline. Furthermore, having a strong housing production is a pre-requisite to attracting young workers and creating long-term economic growth in Massachusetts. Click here for Tim Reardon's presentation.
 
Clark Ziegler, executive director at MHP, said the state is doing great things with smart growth and local development policy, but our zoning rules and local approval process can at times distort the market’s response to our housing needs. Some decisions that have been made in past decades are having enormous environmental ramifications and have resulted in inefficient sprawl. Many attendees were surprised to learn that we are actually allowing less housing production now than at almost any other point in recent history. As a result, our home prices (and rents) are now among the highest in the U.S., leading to vast competitive implications for us as it becomes increasingly difficult to attract young people to stay, move or take jobs here.
 
So what’s keeping us from building smart and producing the housing that we need? For starters, our 351 cities and towns are regulating land use with minimal accountability. It doesn’t have to be this way. And we have legislative proposals in play that will be game changing if passed, as they will bring greater regional collaboration and state-level planning among many, many other benefits. Click here for Clark's presentation.
 
Chryse Gibson, executive vice president of Oaktree Development, said her firm’s secret sauce to permitting mixed-use and mixed-income developments in the Greater Boston area is public-private partnerships, and a green modular building type that reduces building costs and time. Chryse shared insights into three of the firm’s local developments, including 30 Haven in Reading, which has all of the same finishes, regardless of the income or status of the occupant. Or as she put it, “There’s no poor doors in any of our buildings.” Each of the three projects that she presented is permitted in different ways with their own pros and cons; however, all three represent ways to successfully address housing that accommodates a range of incomes. Chryse stressed that it is up to everyone to take on this housing challenge. No single sector can take it on alone, and community approval is fundamental to any substantial implemented change. Strong partnerships are necessary to support all of the above.
 
Closing out the panel was Chrystal Kornegay, the state’s undersecretary for housing and community development. Click here for her presentation. According to Chrystal, our core issue is that the market does not produce housing that is affordable to the average, middle-income family. There are two paths that can get us to the needed rent level:
  • Market to higher-income tenants (which explains the high-end development that we are seeing in the City of Boston)
  • Provide a subsidy, either from public funds (such as Low-Income Housing Tax Credits) or the developer (inclusionary development)
 
Bottom line: we need to help communities in Massachusetts develop housing that meets their needs. This can be done through a number of ways, including pursuing additional resources for key policy goals and by leveraging external resources through public private partnerships for greater impact. We are in this together; the state can’t do it alone.























Register Online

Event Registration is either not opened yet, already closed or not available for this event. Please contact laura@crewboston.org with any questions.

Confirmed Attending

  • John Achatz
  • Joanne Adkins
  • Kathleen Ahern
  • Marianne Ajemian
  • Vickie Alani
  • Amy Apfelbaum
  • Michelle Apigian
  • Lauren Armstrong
  • Doug Arsham
  • Halle Auerbach
  • Maureen Ayers
  • Rebecca Bachand
  • Kacy Bailey
  • LeeAnn Baker
  • JOhnna Barry
  • Julie Barry
  • Deborah Bayha
  • Richard Becker
  • Janet Bernardo
  • Caitlin Bevis
  • Danielle Blake
  • Amy Blomeke
  • Brooke Blue
  • Sarah Boehs
  • David Bois
  • Juliet Borja
  • Shanna Boughton
  • Gayle Bourdeau
  • Jean Bowe
  • Sarah Broughel
  • Amy Brown
  • Kirstin Brown
  • Donna Brown
  • Hillary Brown
  • Lynne Brown
  • Courtney Brummer
  • Polly Bryson
  • Ali Butler
  • Michelle Callahan
  • Debra Caminiti
  • Molly Canfield
  • Jane Carbone
  • Deborah Carlson
  • Pat Carlson
  • Janet Carlson
  • Pamela Carnovale
  • Kate Carter
  • Elizabeth Casey
  • Kristina Cecca
  • Erin Channel
  • Pheabe Chen
  • Denise Chicoine
  • Janet Chrisos
  • Christine Claffey
  • Kathryn Cochrane Murphy
  • Scott Cohen
  • Jason Cohen
  • Desiree Coleman
  • LeeAnn Coleman
  • Chelsea Condos
  • Julianna Connolly
  • Ellen Connolly
  • Kate Cook
  • Jennifer Crampton
  • Jen Cronan
  • Melissa DaCosta
  • Audra Dainora
  • Leslie D'Angelo
  • Gerry-Lynn Darcy
  • Andrea Daskalakis
  • Eliza Datta
  • Robin Davis
  • Danna Day
  • Abigail Day
  • Patricia DeAngelis
  • Megan Delehanty
  • Jessica Dellert
  • Ellen DeNooyer
  • Melissa Desingco
  • Olivia Deterling
  • lisa donfrancesco
  • Bonny Doorakian
  • Jessica Dowd
  • Carol Downs
  • Amy Dragani
  • Emily Earll
  • Bruce Ehrlich
  • Christine Elmore
  • Jesse Elton
  • Rachel Eng
  • Martha Faigen
  • Joan Falvey
  • Megan Fanning
  • Alicia Fannon
  • Julie Farrer
  • Deborah Favreau
  • Mary Feeney
  • Pam Fisher
  • Christine Flaherty
  • Jennifer Flanders
  • Joseph Flatley
  • Patty Flowers
  • Val Frias
  • Karen Friel
  • Samantha Gajewski
  • Shoshanah Garber
  • Jennifer Garner
  • Elizabeth Geary
  • Gemma Geldmacher
  • Susan Gittelman
  • Ileen Gladstone
  • Carol Gladstone
  • Deborah Goddard
  • Martha Goldsmith
  • Ceil Good
  • Lisa Goodheart
  • BONNIE Gossels
  • Shelly Gouin
  • Jeanine Grachuk
  • Peter Graham
  • stefanie greenfield
  • Laura Gregoriadis
  • Elizabeth Gruber
  • Thea Hahn
  • Kathryn Hanifan
  • Elyse Hanson
  • Tracey Hartford
  • Lucilla Haskovec
  • Nicole Hathaway
  • Despina Hatzipetrou
  • Scott Hayman
  • Emily Hedeman
  • Heather Heimarck
  • Julie Herbst Peabody
  • Kelsey Hochgraf
  • Nancy Hogan
  • heather hohenthal
  • Sarah Holton
  • Laura Homich
  • Sheryl Howard
  • Jane Howard
  • Britt Hultgren
  • Penelope Hunt
  • Jill Hyde
  • judy jacobson
  • Nidhi John
  • Andre Jones
  • Danielle Justo
  • Milica Kazic-Andretta
  • Cynthia Keliher
  • Jean Kelley
  • Karen Kepler
  • Hannah Kilson
  • Leslie Kivitz
  • Amy Korte
  • Courtney Koslow
  • Maria Krokidas
  • Elizabeth Krol
  • Sarah Lamitie
  • Alicia Larsen
  • Sarah Lawson
  • Rebecca A. Lee
  • Shara Lewis
  • Anne Lewis
  • Christine Lewis
  • Nancy J Ludwig
  • Samantha Lukacs
  • Linda Luo
  • Stephanie Maiona
  • Emily Maitin
  • Janis Mamayek
  • Crystal Maring
  • Kimberly Martin-Epstein
  • Gina Martinez
  • Nancy Martini
  • Jo-Ann Marzullo
  • Noah Maslan
  • Naomi Mayeux
  • Christopher McCarty
  • Katherine McGarr
  • Kathy McGilvray
  • Christine McVay
  • gledis memelli
  • Nicola Menchetti
  • Stephanie Mendez
  • Mary Merrill
  • Pam Messenger
  • Abby Middleton
  • Lauren Middleton-Pratt
  • Tara Mizrahi
  • Ann-Marie Morrell
  • Megan Mulcahy
  • Carlye Murphy
  • Janice Murphy-Shaw
  • Joanna Murray
  • Martha Nay
  • Shahpar Negah
  • Holly Nelson
  • Cara Nelson
  • Liz Nyman
  • Michelle O'Brien
  • Kathleen M. O'Donnell
  • Mary OLooney
  • Michelle ONeil
  • debbie orloff
  • Karol Ostberg
  • Carmen Panacopoulos
  • Emily Paparella
  • Oltiana Pappas
  • Maria Parlavecchio
  • Joan Parsons
  • Angela Parziale
  • Megan Pasquina
  • teresa patten
  • Brian Patten
  • Elizabeth Peart
  • Julie Perlman
  • Susan Phillips
  • Jennifer Pinck
  • Jennifer Pinck
  • Tricia Pinto
  • Claudia Piper
  • Jennifer Platt
  • Victoria Polito
  • Katie Pontes
  • Eileen Porras
  • Laura Portney
  • Amy Prange
  • Jen Price
  • Matthew Pritchard
  • Katie Provencher
  • Judy Ravech
  • Anne Reynolds
  • Lisa Richardson
  • Carol Ridge Martinez
  • Abby Roberts
  • Kim Rose
  • Daniel Rosen
  • Beth Rubenstein
  • Kim Rubin
  • Diane Rubin
  • Roberta Rubin
  • Jennifer Sacco Smith
  • Jennifer Sacco Smith
  • Leslie Saul
  • Lynn Scarbo
  • Cindy Schlessinger
  • Barbara Schmitt
  • Julie Schultz
  • Rita Schwantes
  • Paige Scott Reed
  • Miriam Sheehan
  • Susan Shelby
  • Aislynn Sherry
  • Lauren Shurtleff
  • Daniel Skolski
  • Daniel Skolski
  • Kimberly Sluter
  • Katie Britt Snyder
  • Laurie Soave
  • Lisa Soli
  • Kim Sousa
  • Suanne St. Charles
  • Stephanie Steckis
  • Sophie Stein
  • JOhanna Stone
  • AMANDA STRONG
  • Lisa Strope
  • Gail Sullivan
  • Rebecca Sullivan
  • Hayley Suminski
  • Lori Bliss Tambone
  • Jennifer Taranto
  • Jessica Tessler
  • sallaynn thomas
  • Alexandra Toteva
  • Macken Toussaint
  • Charleen Tyson
  • Megha Vadula
  • Dina Vargo
  • Anastasia Vassos
  • Kimberly Vermeer
  • Christine Vincenti
  • Michelle Volpe
  • Daniel Watt
  • LaNitra Webb
  • Zoe Weinrobe
  • Jessica Willhoft
  • Stacie Yomtov
  • Gemma Ypparila
  • Mathieu Zahler
  • Elsiana Zhaka