Other cities and towns, take note.
It is easy to comply with the Commonwealth’s 40B regulation.
Just look at what Concord has done (or is attempting to do, I should say).
Town seeks housing goal in a fell swoop – By Jennifer Fenn Lefferts, The Boston Globe
With a 350-unit housing development in the works, Concord is on the verge of meeting a state mandate for affordable housing and regaining control over future development …
… Currently, about 5.4 percent of the town’s housing stock (330 of 6,095 units) is considered affordable; the new project in West Concord proposed by Trammell Crow Residential would be enough to put the town over the required 10 percent mark set by the state.
See how easy it is?
All you need is a bunch of lands (preferably bordering a neighboring town!).
And the will to make it happen.
Also, it helps if the developer gets along with its neighbors.
There will be 19 low-rise buildings (2-3 stories) in the Concord development, all rentals. Many will be one-bedroom units; others will be large enough for families starting out (oh, god, the schools!), but presumably will be filled with young couples looking to get a start on their adult lives.
Only fifty-one of the Commonwealth’s 351 cities and towns have met the mandated 10% affordable housing mark.
Memo to the other 300 cities and towns: get with it.
