2021 Boston Mayoral Race

Her answer on housing affordability:

Housing affordability is one of the most pressing issues facing Boston residents, and the pandemic has destabilized even more families. Prior to COVID-19, Boston was experiencing a building boom and population growth, but the number of kids living in the city has actually gone down over the last few decades. Families have been squeezed, and we need to ease the pressure on housing costs.

First is that when we talk about “affordable” units, we need to be specific about what that means. From 2011 to 2017, fewer than 9% of newly permitted units were affordable for residents making up to 60% of the Area Median Income — who make up nearly half of Boston’s residents. We may be in the middle of a building boom, but it’s not meeting the needs of Boston’s working families.

I led the charge to close corporate loopholes for short-term rentals when Airbnb and similar platforms were being used to displace tenants and drive rents up--our legislation set a national precedent and returned thousands of units back to long-term rental housing.

We need to use the tools of planning and zoning to be specific about where density and affordability should be streamlined, and to fully incorporate affirmatively furthering fair housing.

We also need more aggressive public investment to keep families from being pushed out of Boston. I’ve worked to start laying the groundwork for using green and social bonds to leverage our capital budget to build new housing that’s not only deeply affordable, but also energy-efficient, driving down utility costs for families and improving air quality and public health. We have a responsibility to use every financial tool at our disposal to expand housing options. As Mayor, I’ll work to expand the social housing sector, like cooperatives, non-profits, community land trusts, and public housing, which guarantees long-term affordability and stability for residents by removing housing from the speculative market.
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Granted, I can get a 150k-250k condo in a commutable urbane area in/outside Chicago, Philadelphia, New York City (Jersey City chiefly) and DC (Silver Springs, Tysons, PCG, etc) but cannot in the Greater Boston Area is truly sad. She is totally right and I respect her vision on this issue. Now what is her plan to improve the insanely overpriced city of Boston? Whole other ball game.
 
George_Apley said:
She sounds like she gets it regarding rezoning and density corridors. Sufficiently vague though.
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I get what you're saying, but..."We need to use the tools of planning and zoning to be specific about where density and affordability should be streamlined, and to fully incorporate affirmatively furthering fair housing"...is too vague to be useful. That's a highly politicized statement because it avoids calling out any particular neighborhoods or areas where she actually proposes re-zoning for density. To me this reads as "Yes, we should put more units somewhere...in that magical place that's not near YOU." You cannot promise people lower housing costs and few neighbors simultaneously. I will not be impressed until specifics are mentioned, because until then, she gets "free credit" for seeming to care about housing so long as she doesn't need to alienate any growth-scared residents or neighborhoods whose votes she wants. She has past sentiments of opposing dense development, so it is entirely unclear what she means by zoning for density. EDIT: and upon re-read, what does "where density...should be streamlined" even mean? Easier-to-build density, or density that's less dense ; )
 
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I like that she did an AMA. It’s at least a cool idea and gesture. Did no one try to follow up and force her into more specificity?
 
She’s definitely trying to tap into young non-establishment voters (read: gen-z, millenials) with things like a Reddit AMA.

Given how low voter turnout is usually for Boston elections this might be an interesting strategy.
 
George_Apley said:
To be very clear, I was not impressed.
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Her rhetoric on housing has generally been very disappointing. I like her personally (she's a neighbor) and definitely approve of her positions on transportation, biking, and walking. But the statement you posted does not give me confidence that she intends to actively support a large increase in housing stock throughout the city, which is the only meaningful solution.
 
John Barros is officially in.

From his website:
As Mayor, John will:
  • Take immediate steps to assist Bostonians at risk of eviction due to the COVID-19 economic crisis by providing rent assistance. Even beyond the COVID-19 crisis, John will work towards lifting up residents who are at risk of eviction and often living paycheck to paycheck.
  • Increase housing production in Boston in order to keep up with demand and stabilize rents and housing costs.
  • Dedicate more City resources for affordable homes and public housing options, including more affordable housing for seniors and people with disabilities. Use more City-owned land for affordable homes, and also call on the State and Federal governments to contribute more to housing affordability in Boston.
  • Leverage City-owned buildings to create housing adjacent to libraries, community centers, and other public assets.
  • Encourage cities and towns surrounding Boston to do their fair share in preserving and building affordable housing.
  • Build on the City’s homeownership programs and mortgage products, so more people have access to the stability that homeownership brings.
  • Call on colleges and universities to build more on-campus housing to preserve neighborhood homes for working families.
  • Grow the City’s Office of Housing Stability to make sure tenants know their rights and protect them from eviction.
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He'll represent those positions in the campaign. I'd be surprised if he breaks out of the pack.
 
  • Leverage City-owned buildings to create housing adjacent to libraries, community centers, and other public assets.
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Apartments atop the Copely BPL please and thank you
 
Massachoicetts said:
Granted, I can get a 150k-250k condo in a commutable urbane area in/outside Chicago, Philadelphia, New York City (Jersey City chiefly) and DC (Silver Springs, Tysons, PCG, etc) but cannot in the Greater Boston Area is truly sad. She is totally right and I respect her vision on this issue. Now what is her plan to improve the insanely overpriced city of Boston? Whole other ball game.
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Whereas I agree with your sentiments, we must also factor in the fact that in NY and NJ the HOA rates can be double or triple the rates I've seen in and around Boston. It may make it easier for you to make a down payment, but after a few years, those numbers add up.
 
MrDee12345 said:
Whereas I agree with your sentiments, we must also factor in the fact that in NY and NJ the HOA rates can be double or triple the rates I've seen in and around Boston. It may make it easier for you to make a down payment, but after a few years, those numbers add up.
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Most HOAs here in Nj Run 300-400 in a solid complex.

The ones in Fort Lee are over 1k, but they include everything including property taxes. Maddening, but It is Fort Lee.
 
realestate.boston.com

Here's how Boston's mayoral candidates would expand affordable housing

"We need to be sure that we are building housing that will enable Bostonians to live in the city they've contributed so much to."
realestate.boston.com realestate.boston.com

What do folks think of this? Barros’ answer seems the most worrying to me: basically “I love the BPDA and think NIMBYs deserve absolute power in the city’s planning process”.

I think I like Wu’s response best followed by Santiago and Campbell. George’s was fine, but she lacked the specificity of Santiago and Campbell. Hopefully it’s not just that Boston.com only chose wishy/washy excerpts for her.

Anyone watch the actual debate? Was it recorded?
 
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I like Santiago's idea of selling bonds to fund low income housing construction. Realistically, the market is not going to do that without a big assist.
 
Interesting they didn't get Janey's thoughts. I'm not in love with anyone's answer honestly, and it's really hard to parse the candidates views right now. The Barros answer honestly surprised me.

I'm warming on Wu. I'm not sure I necessarily like her positions, but I am definitely starting to feel like she is the most intelligent, coherent, and visionary candidate.
 
Campbell and Barros both wrote pieces about their development strategies for the Banker & Tradesman recently. I like what both of them have to say.

www.bankerandtradesman.com

Growth Must Lead to Shared Prosperity in Boston - Banker & Tradesman

Boston needs a development process that makes the most of our remarkable assets. First, we need to shake up the BPDA. Second, we need to speed up the development process. Third, we need to make Boston's zoning more predictable.
www.bankerandtradesman.com www.bankerandtradesman.com
www.bankerandtradesman.com

Boston Needs a Bold and Inclusive Development Strategy

As Boston recovers from the pandemic, we must approach growth and development in a way that is forward-thinking, sustainable and above all, inclusive. We have an opportunity to make housing more affordable while getting creative about placemaking to bring vibrancy back to our neighborhoods as...
www.bankerandtradesman.com www.bankerandtradesman.com
 
I like what Andrea Campbell had to say in general - seems like she is more familiar with problems and solutions based off the wording, compared to Barros, where I kept asking "how?"

I especially appreciate the permitting comment - time is money and the government is adding on to the costs of the very projects it demands be affordable just by stretching out the permitting process over months and years.

Has any candidate discussed parking minimums? I'd like to see some change in that space. Easing/eliminating parking minimums could drastically cut construction costs.
 
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