We received exciting news from Beacon Hill! A hearing has been scheduled for our priority bill “An Act to Promote Yes in My Backyard.” The hearing will be held on Wednesday July 26th at 2 p.m.
Hearings are an integral part of the legislative process, as they give you a chance to speak directly to legislators about a particular bill. You can participate in a hearing by testifying for up to 3 minutes, either in-person or online. You also have the option of submitting written testimony. Your testimony would be particularly powerful for this bill because legislators rarely get to hear from the public on the need for pro-housing zoning reform.
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Top Priority 2023-24 Legislative Session
HB3252 / SB2006 – An Act to Promote Yes in My Backyard
Sponsors: Rep. Andres Vargas (D) & Rep. Kevin Honan (D) / Sen. Brendan Crighton (D)
As its name suggests, this comprehensive bill will increase housing opportunities in every city and town in Massachusetts by:
- Establishing a statewide housing production goal of 427,000 new units by 2040, 85,400 of which will be income restricted.
- Requiring multi-family zoning and removing costly parking mandates around public transportation and other suitable locations throughout the state
- Legalizing accessory dwelling units (ADUs) as of right statewide
- Creating a streamlined process for turning vacant land and commercial properties into multi-family housing
- Prioritizing the disposition of state-owned land for affordable housing
- Allowing communities to adopt inclusionary zoning ordinances so long as they do not overly restrict housing development
- Restricting the ability of municipalities to adopt septic regulations that limit housing development
Thank you to the following coalition partners who are supporting HB1379 / SB858 – An Act to Promote Yes in My Backyard: Citizens’ Housing and Planning Association (CHAPA), Community TeamWork, Embrace Boston, Mass Climate Action Network, Mothers Out Front, Metro Housing Boston, Dorchester Growing Together, Central MA Housing Alliance Inc., Walk Massachusetts, Progressive MA, Black Economic Council of MA and the City of Cambridge.