It’s the quintessential housing story for many Boston area residents in their twenties and thirties. An apartment with three bedrooms, each commanding $1,100-plus, one bathroom, questionable maintenance, lead paint, and […]
Housing
Posted inCriminal Justice
Walsh flooding the Mass. and Cass zone
BOSTON MAYOR MARTY WALSH intends to flood the area around Melnea Cass Boulevard and Massachusetts Avenue with outreach workers, public works staff, and police officers in a bid to ease […]
Posted inUncategorized
All politics is local
Though he made his biggest mark in Washington as speaker of the House, famous son of Cambridge Tip O’Neill’s most quoted aphorism was his claim that “all politics is local.” […]
Posted inEconomy
Following Lynch scandal, zoning review may not be enough
BOSTON MAYOR Marty Walsh is launching a review of the city’s Zoning Board of Appeal after a Boston Planning and Development Agency official agreed to plead guilty to accepting a […]
Posted inUncategorized
‘Methadone Mile’ problems mounting on Boston Common
TODAY’S Globe profiles William “Buddy” Christopher, the longtime Boston City Hall insider tapped by Mayor Marty Walsh to coordinate the city’s response to the problems centered around the area known as […]
Posted inThe Download
‘Methadone Mile’ problems mounting on Boston Common
Today’s Globe profiles William “Buddy” Christopher, the longtime Boston City Hall insider tapped by Mayor Marty Walsh to coordinate the city’s response to the problems centered around the area known […]
Posted inUncategorized
Breaking down “Operation Clean Sweep”
How do you balance public safety and neighborhood quality of life concerns with support for the most marginalized people in a community? Those issues exploded into public view with the […]
Posted inThe Download
Finding a more ‘perfect fit’ for parking
IN THE EFFORT to get more housing built to meet demand — and to temper the continued run-up in costs that make the Boston region one of the most expensive […]
Posted inTransportation
Unused parking spots driving up cost of housing
A WIDESPREAD OVER-SUPPLY of parking in metro Boston residential developments is driving up the cost of housing and may encourage people to own cars who otherwise would not, according to […]
Posted inOpinion
Court database shouldn’t be landlord screening tool
ACCESS TO STABLE HOUSING is critical for economic security. With the very high cost of living in Massachusetts, finding housing is a challenge for everyone, particularly for low income people […]
Posted inOpinion
Climate, housing activists find common ground on tax
EARLIER THIS YEAR, Gov. Charlie Baker made waves when he announced a proposal to increase the real estate deeds excise tax by 50 percent to help fund critical municipal climate […]
Posted inUncategorized
Putting out a welcome mat for housing
GREATER BOSTON’S BOOMING HOUSING MARKET may be lucrative to real estate speculators, but the constricted supply of housing isn’t helping those who make long-term investments in their homes, according to […]
Posted inOpinion
Time to stop zoning out children
DEMOGRAPHIC CHANGES have accelerated in Boston and elsewhere in recent years. There has been an increase in healthy older people who may no longer want to live in single-family housing […]
Posted inUncategorized
Beacon Hill housing debate centers around local control
THE LATEST BATTLE over state housing laws and what can be built where is a familiar one, pitting those who prize local control against those who think more top-down requirements […]
Posted inOpinion
Stop trashing an affordable housing option
PEOPLE ARE BAD-MOUTHING my house. Well, not my house in particular – though it could use a few upgrades, truth be told – but the model itself. After a lifetime […]
Posted inOpinion
As mayors, we need Warren’s housing bill
AFFORDABLE HOUSING and access to home ownership are cornerstones of a strong middle class. For generations, affordable rental housing was the first step in the American Dream. For generations, homeownership […]
Posted inOpinion
Eviction rates alarming in Gateway Cities
THE HOUSING MARKETS in Gateway Cities are characterized by blighted properties, an increased vacancy rate, and tepid long-term growth in home values, according to a recent report by MassINC and […]
Posted inOpinion
First-gen homebuyers need support
ON CAMPUSES ACROSS the nation, a combination of guidance and financial assistance has sprung up to support first-generation college students. Academic institutions – big and small as well as public and […]
Posted inOpinion
Say yes to redeveloping former Edison plant
THE REDEVELOPMENT OF the former Edison power plant has the potential to further revitalize South Boston and should be given the green light to move forward. The plan, which includes 1,344 […]
Posted inOpinion
It’s time to act on housing
THE 347 FAMILIES living in the Fairlawn apartments in Mattapan have good reason to be scared. Last year, when the owner put the property on the market, city officials worked […]
Posted inOpinion
To end homelessness, let’s rethink housing subsidies
ON A FRIGID NIGHT in January, a team from Project Place bundled up and hit the streets to participate in the City of Boston’s annual homeless census. Volunteers canvassed every neighborhood […]
Posted inEconomy
Baker renews call for housing bill
STATE HOUSE NEWS SERVICE GOV. CHARLIE BAKER doubled down Wednesday on legislation to make it easier for cities and towns to relax zoning restrictions to facilitate the construction of new […]
Posted inOpinion
Lifting up homeless children
WHEN WE THINK of the homeless, we often imagine adults who might be battling addiction and mental health issues, but the truth is that 18,000 children experience homelessness in Massachusetts […]
Posted inOpinion
Family homelessness in Mass. is staggering
IT’S TIME TO OPEN OUR EYES, pull our fingers from our ears, and talk about a crisis in our community — family homelessness. Many don’t realize or can’t fathom the […]