Welcome to Abundant Housing Massachusetts February 6, 2026 edition of AHMA’s Dynamic Updates. In this edition you will find Legalize Starter Homes Press Conference, AHMA’s newest affiliate group- South Coast Places for People, relevant housing news, and more!
A Message From Our Sr. Manager of Communications and Media Advocacy
The Legalize Starter Homes Campaign is in full swing! Earlier this week, the campaign, alongside Abundant Housing Massachusetts, announced a coalition of supporters backing the ballot initiative at a press conference on Tuesday.
“The middle class is shrinking because the price of housing has exploded over the last 10 to 15 years,” said Andrew Mikula, chairman of the Legalize Starter Homes Ballot Campaign. “Seniors in the suburbs are trapped in their homes because there’s nowhere nearby to downsize, and as a result, we’ve seen record numbers of Massachusetts residents leaving the state in recent years.”
Housing has emerged as the number one issue in Massachusetts over the past year, and this ballot question targets one solution to a multifaceted problem: starter homes. The proposal aims to reduce minimum lot size requirements across Massachusetts to facilitate the construction of smaller, relatively low-cost homes.
“Most people can’t afford the big, expensive homes on the market, like McMansions and luxury renovations,” said Jesse Kanson-Benanav, executive director of Abundant Housing Massachusetts, at Tuesday’s press conference. “It’s almost impossible to find an affordable starter home, townhouse, or condo to gain a foothold.”
Housing advocates are eager to use every available tool to address the state’s housing shortage as Governor Healey has projected that Massachusetts will need 220,000 new homes by 2030. Additional speakers at the press conference included State Senator Jamie Eldridge of Acton, Urban Planning Consultant Judi Barrett of Hingham, and Haverhill housing advocate and planning board member Mike Morales.
As the Legalize Starter Homes Ballot Campaign continues its fundraising efforts, supporters await the Legislature’s decision to either adopt the measure as written or advance the campaign to a final round of signature gathering before it appears on the November ballot.
To learn more or get involved, visit legalizestarterhomes.com.
Read more here:
Zoning in on starter homes– Politico
Ballot campaign to increase starter homes holds press conference– WWLP, 22 News
Abundant Housing MA
Statewide Housing
New Affiliate Group- SouthCoast Places for People (SCPFP)
Abundant Housing MA is excited to welcome SouthCoast Places for People (SCPFP) to our network!
SCPFP is a new regional nonprofit working to improve quality of life across the South Coast by supporting people-centered approaches to housing, transportation, and public space. Through public meetups and hands-on projects, SCPFP brings neighbors together to explore how our streets and neighborhoods can work better for everyone.
If you live in New Bedford, Fall River, or any other South Coast municipality; connect with our Eastern MA Regional Organizer, Montell Khaldi, at montell@abundanthousing.org and find out more about SCPFP at https://www.southcoastplacesforpeople.org.
Relevant Reads
The verdict on the MBTA law is in: It worked
The Editorial Board
Boston Globe
The good news about Attorney General Andrea Campbell’s lawsuit against nine cities and towns that have ignored the MBTA Communities law is that it’s only nine…Housing researchers say the impacts are already materializing: About 7,000 housing units are now in the pipeline because of the law, according to a study released Wednesday.
AG’s lawsuit over noncompliance with MBTA Communities Law draws pushback
Grace Zokovitch
Boston Herald
Some local lawmakers are pushing back after the Massachusetts Attorney General sued nine towns to ensure compliance with a 2021 law aimed at creating more housing near MBTA public transportation throughout the state. “It is unacceptable that taxpayer dollars are being used to sue our towns while those same towns are forced to use taxpayer funds to defend themselves,” said State Rep. Kenneth Sweezey, a Duxbury Republican. “This amounts to punishment, not support.” Attorney General Andrea Campbell filed a lawsuit last week against nine towns that were out of compliance with the 2021 MBTA Communities Law. The law required communities to create compliant zoning districts to boost housing near MBTA stations by July 14, 2025, and 165 out of 177 communities have met the mandate so far. The towns of Dracut, East Bridgewater, Halifax, Holden, Marblehead, Middleton, Tewksbury, Wilmington and Winthrop were named in Campbell’s lawsuit.
Hundreds of apartments proposed for former Weylu’s site
Beth Treffeisen
Boston.com
Developers are eyeing the long-vacant site of the former Chinese restaurant Weylu’s on Route 1 in Saugus for a 300-unit rental complex, but the proposal may face a significant roadblock. The town recently surpassed the state threshold of 10% affordable housing, making it eligible for “Safe Harbor” — a status that would give local officials the power to deny or scale back so-called 40B projects that would otherwise bypass zoning rules. If Saugus secures Safe Harbor, the Zoning Board of Appeals could block the project despite the broad authority of Chapter 40B.
How the sale of a brand-new, empty office building in Cambridge will reshape real estate market
Catherine Carlock
Boston Globe
In 2018, a vacant one-acre lot in the center of Kendall Square sold for $50 million — a sign from the real estate world of just how much investors would pay to build in East Cambridge. Today, just a half-mile away, the bank that financed the conversion of the old Sullivan Courthouse into a brand-new 20-story office tower said it has already lost $72.4 million on the project, and will soon force a fire sale if the developers can’t either start filling it or find new investors.
