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Did You Know?

• Since the 1980s, Massachusetts home prices have grown to among the highest in the nation.
• In that time, our per capita housing production sunk to as low as 47th out of 50 states.
• Not coincidentally, our job growth has lagged behind the nation for most of the last two decades.
• Zoning and land use restrictions are one of the principle reasons for high housing costs.
• Every one of our 351 cities and towns has its own land use regulations and has little or no incentive to allow reasonable growth.
• Most towns make little or no allowance for multi-family housing.
• On average, each new home requires more than an acre of land or about the size of a football field.
• In an analysis of 242 metro areas, a study commissioned by the Foundation for Growth found evidence that increased housing production was a precursor to economic growth.
• Next steps are to weigh the costs and benefits of increasing housing production and to propose policies to allow for housing production where it’s needed to sustain our economy preserve open space and create a more enduring fiscal partnership between the state and municipalities.