Welcome to Abundant Housing Massachusetts January 26, 2026 edition of AHMA’s Dynamic Updates. In this edition you will find ways to take action, ways to get involved at AHMA, relevant housing news, and more!
A Message From Our Sr. Manager of Communications and Media Advocacy
On this wintry Wednesday, we want to remind you that housing is still the number one issue — and the fight for more homes isn’t getting canceled anytime soon.
Abundant Housing MA
So crank up your heaters and charge your devices, because we have a housing shortage to solve! In all seriousness, time and time again, housing remains one of the most talked-about issues across the airwaves. From ballot questions to the MBTA Communities Act, the demand for more homes is clear. We need every tool in our toolbox to address this shortage head-on and with urgency.
Being part of the pro-housing movement is a way to recharge and reignite the dream of more affordable, abundant homes. We need your support to make it happen!
Take Action!
We are partnering with the Legalize Starter Homes Ballot Campaign to host a press conference on Tuesday, February 3rd at 1 pm in front of the State House steps to kickoff the campaign and outline the positive impacts that this ballot question will have on addressing the housing crisis. We are encouraging our members to come and show support! This ballot question aims to reduce the minimum lot size across Massachusetts to facilitate the construction of smaller, relatively low cost homes.
The speakers include:
- Andrew Mikula; Chair of Legalize Starter Homes Campaign
- Jesse Kanson-Benanav; Executive Director of Abundant Housing Massachusetts
- Senator Jamie Eldridge (D-Acton)
- Judi Barrett; President of Barrett Planning Group, LLC
Date: Tuesday, February 3, 2026
Time: 1 pm
Location: Massachusetts State House (24 Beacon St., Boston, MA)
*This press conference has passed
Join a Committee
LAST CALL – HAA Zoning Text Working Group
AHMA will be convening a working group of Boston-based AHMA members to draft a zoning text that would incorporate our Housing Abundance Amendment into Boston’s zoning code. The working group will help clarify the specifics of each policy and discuss potential additional policies to be added.
Members of the working group will be responsible for:
- Attending regular zoom meetings
- Familiarizing with AHMA’s HAA
- Working with group members to draft zoning text language
- Please fill out our interest form if you would like to be a part of this working group.
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For now though, we are looking forward to getting back to work and are ready for a robust and productive second half of the legislative session.
Join a Committee
Communications Committee
Are you passionate about housing, storytelling and making an impact? We’re looking for creative, strategic, and enthusiastic members to join our Communications Committee!
This committee works closely with our Sr. Manager of Communications and Media Advocacy to help shape how our message reaches the Commonwealth. Members of the committee will:
- Brainstorm and develop housing campaign ideas,
- Contribute to upcoming housing reports,
- Assist with social media content
- Help amplify our advocacy efforts across multiple platforms
Whether you love writing, social media, strategy, design, or simply have great ideas to share, this is an exciting opportunity to use your skills to advance our mission and elevate housing issues in the public conversation
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Boston Committee
AHMA’s Boston Committee invites Boston-based neighbors to come together and explore housing through a local lens to focus on policies and decisions that directly impact our city. Committee members engage in thoughtful discussion on local politics. land use, zoning, and development, all while working to address Boston’s ongoing housing challenges- no prior knowledge or organizing experience needed.
Whether you’re new to housing advocacy or already engaged, this is a great opportunity to learn, connect, and make your voice heard.
Contact our Boston Organizer Elvira Mora for more information!
In The News
Five years later, MBTA Communities Act spurs ‘real but modest’ change, report finds
GBH News
Trajan Warren
Jesse Kanson-Benanav, executive director of the Boston nonprofit Abundant Housing Massachusetts, said the cities in noncompliance are a minority, and don’t reflect that great strides brought about by the MBTA Act over the last half-decade.
He said the law has helped drive the conversation about the housing crisis in Massachusetts and the variety of strategies being implemented to address the housing shortage. While there could be tweaks to improve the MBTA Act, it would be most impactful for the next five years to focus on other zoning and permitting reform statewide to address the housing crisis.
“It’s a very important tool to address our extreme housing shortage,” he said. “But the MBTA Communities Act itself is not the silver bullet.”
Top Dem: Senate ready to make run at “bold” housing policies
State House News
Alison Kuznitz
Senators are mulling over potential zoning and permitting reforms to incorporate into housing legislation this session, while balancing some of the lingering angst prompted by the MBTA Communities Act, a top Democrat indicated Tuesday.
Senate members of the Housing Committee in December favorably reported out the so-called “Yes in My Back Yard (YIMBY)” bill (S 2836) that would eliminate minimum lot sizes and boost the construction of starter homes, allow for larger lots to be split into smaller lots for residential use as of right, and reform parking minimum requirements, said Jesse Kanson-Benanav, executive director of Abundant Housing Massachusetts.
Relevant Reads
Massachusetts home sales rose 3% in 2025
Colin Young
State House News
There were slightly more single-family homes sold in Massachusetts in 2025 than in 2024 and the median price of those homes climbed at a faster clip, but observers say the housing market may be stabilizing. The Warren Group reported 43,240 single-family home sales here during 2025, a 3% increase over 2024’s 42,138 single-family sales. But during the course of the year, the median single-family home sale price rose 3.7% and ended the year at $638,000.
The long and winding road to housing legislation
Katherine Hapgood
Politico
Congressional Republicans are searching for a winning housing policy this election year as the issue of affordability dominates voters’ concerns. The problem they face now: an embarrassment of riches when it comes to legislative options and interest, but no clear path for getting a law passed.
Communities Act Holdouts Are Losing State Funding
Meghan Volcy
StreetsBlog Mass
Consequences are starting to set in for communities that are not in compliance with the state’s mandate to increase transit-oriented, affordable housing supply in a landscape that is in dire need of it. Over the holiday season, Tewksbury Public Schools received notice from the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE) that they were ineligible for certain grants due to being noncompliant with the MBTA Communities Act.
