Boston is in a housing crisis and city leaders can no longer afford to delay obvious solutions. Families are being priced out, seniors are struggling to age in place, young people are leaving the city, and essential workers increasingly cannot afford to live where they work.
The problem is clear: Boston has not built enough homes.
Accessory Dwelling Units (ADUs) are one of the simplest and fastest ways to create more housing. These small homes, detached from or built behind existing homes, can provide more affordable rental options, help families stay together, support seniors aging in place, and give homeowners added financial stability.
Mayor Michelle Wu recognized this years ago. In her January 2023 State of the City address, she pledged to legalize ADUs by-right in Boston. While Boston allows many homeowners to convert basements to ADUs, by-right the city has failed to legalize detached ADUs citywide without unnecessary and costly discretionary approvals.
Boston has already demonstrated that this approach can work. Detached ADUs are currently allowed by-right in Mattapan, giving homeowners there more flexibility and creating gentle new housing opportunities. There is no reason homeowners in the rest of the city should be denied the same opportunity.
Yet more than three years later, Boston continued to stall while the rest of Massachusetts moved forward and allowed ADUs by-right statewide. That is unacceptable. Tell Mayor Wu it’s time to give Boston homeowners the same rights that homeowners in every other MA community have – ADU’s by-right!
Join Abundant Housing MA in our collective letter of support for legalizing ADUs in Boston. Your name helps send a clear message: Boston residents demand action, accountability, and more housing choices for everyone.