Municipalities and real estate coalition support the House-passed version of housing choices legislation in economic development bond bill

The Honorable Robert A. DeLeo
The Honorable Karen E. Spilka
The Honorable Aaron M. Michlewitz
The Honorable Michael J. Rodrigues
The Honorable Ann-Margaret Ferrante
The Honorable Eric Lesser

Dear Speaker DeLeo, President Spilka, Chairman Michlewitz, Chairman Rodrigues, Chairwoman Ferrante, and Chairman Lesser:

We are writing to express our appreciation for the many provisions in An Act Enabling Partnerships for Growth approved by the House (H. 4887) and the Senate (S. 2842 as amended) that are aimed at benefiting and supporting cities and towns, businesses, and the real estate industry, especially in this time of economic crisis for the Commonwealth.

As a coalition we remain committed to the Housing Choices Legislation as an integral part of economic development and recovery. We were pleased to see the core of the Housing Choices Legislation in both the House and Senate versions of the bill and urge you to include this language in the final bill without the inclusion of any provisions that would impose state-set zoning standards, override local decision-making, or create new avenues for costly and unnecessary litigation. For these reasons, we urge you to adopt the language included in H. 4887, which is the unamended version of the Housing Choices Legislation.

As our housing shortage grows, the need for this bill has never been greater. Enacting the Housing Choices Legislation would be a significant step towards meeting the Commonwealth’s housing needs by giving cities and towns the tools they need to increase housing production.

Again, we would like to express our deep appreciation to you, the House and Senate leadership, and the members of the House and Senate for your thoughtful consideration throughout the development of this bill. This is an extremely critical time for Massachusetts’s economic recovery and we look forward to continuing to work with all members of the Legislature to ensure this important legislation is passed.

Geoff Beckwith, Executive Director and CEO of the Massachusetts Municipal Association
Benjamin Fierro III, Counsel to the Home Builders and Remodelers Association of Massachusetts
Theresa Hatton, CEO of the Massachusetts Association of Realtors
James E. Rooney, President and CEO of the Greater Boston Chamber of Commerce
Tamara Small, CEO of NAIOP – The Commercial Real Estate Development Association
Greg Vasil, CEO of Greater Boston Real Estate Board