TBF Housing Resource Library  Special Reports Chapter 40R School Cost Analysis and Proposed Smart Growth School Cost Insurance Supplement.  Click the cover to download a pdf copy of this report containing recommendations from the Commonwealth Housing Task Force. "Building Our Heritage: A Housing Strategy for Smart Growth and Economic Development," Nov. 2003.  Click the cover to learn more about the report or download a copy. Report Cards The Greater Boston Housing Report Card 2002 The Greater Boston Housing Report Card 2003 The Greater Boston Housing Report Card 2004 The Greater Boston Housing Report Card 2005 - 2006 The Greater Boston Housing Report Card 2006 - 2007 The Greater Boston Housing Report Card 2008 Slide Presentations The 2002 Housing Report Card The 2003 Housing Report Card The 2004 Housing Report Card The 2005 - 2006 Housing Report Card The 2006 - 2007 Housing Report Card The 2008 Housing Report Card

 

The 2003 Housing Report Card

Download a pdf version of the 2003 Housing Report Card

TBF President Paul S. Grogan called the Commonwealth  Housing Task Force, “an unprecedented  coalition of leaders that has managed to put aside potentially polarizing issues in favor of addressing the housing crisis.”

Eleanor White, President of Housing Partners, Inc. and CHAPA, co-chairs the Commonwealth Housing Task Force with Larry DiCara, Jerry Rappaport, Jr., and Tom Hollister, President of Citizens Bank of Massachusetts.

Attorney Larry DiCara, who has extensive experience in legislative matters on federal and state levels, bemoaned the fact that the state legislature has been dominated by the issues of gay marriage and redistricting, and suggested that it simply must “take the issue of housing now and put it first.”

Two related housing events came together on April 6, 2004 with the release of the Greater Boston Housing Report Card 2003 and a briefing on the work of the Commonwealth Housing Task Force, which is dedicated to increasing housing production in Massachusetts. The Report Card, which covers 161 cities and towns in Greater Boston, revealed that median housing prices actually increased by 9.3 percent in 2003—despite a sluggish economy, high unemployment, and a slight decline in the number of households. Better news was that average rents dipped by almost two percent. 

TBF President and housing expert Paul S. Grogan opened the proceedings by commenting on the findings. “This really should quash any notion that housing prices will be corrected by the market,” he said. “While rental prices have moderated somewhat, single-family homes are still out of reach for first-time homebuyers. And the poor suffer terribly in this rental market, with one in five families paying more than 50 percent of their income on housing.” The rule of thumb for renters hoping to balance their household budgets is to pay no more than 30 percent of their income. 

“The importance of solving Boston’s housing crisis cannot be overstated,” he continued. “We all know that the ‘gas in the tank’ of our economy, which is human capital, is being compromised because young scientists, engineers, doctors, and business people find it difficult to afford, even with substantial salaries, the purchase price on homes that meet their family needs.” 

Barry Bluestone, Director of the Center for Urban and Regional    Policy (CURP) at Northeastern University and one of the authors of the report, echoed his concerns. “Unless there is a concerted effort to increase housing production beyond even the improved level we saw in 2003,” he said, “more and more households will be priced out of the market or pay an exorbitant share of their incomes to cover rent or mortgage.” He added, “Ultimately, this trend might be self-correcting if firms find it too difficult to recruit workers in such a costly market and the economy of Greater Boston and the region stagnates as a result.” 

According to Bonnie Heudorfer, who codirected the study, more than 44,000 units of housing above current production levels will have to be produced between now and 2010 to moderate housing prices and rents. “Moreover,” she said, “we will need to find a way to produce this new housing in the locations where people want to live and at prices they can afford.” 

The report held some good news. Requests for building permits were up 22 percent, multifamily housing production increased substantially, and there was continued strong performance by nonprofit developers. Much of the progress was attributed the 34-year-old Chapter 40B law, sometimes called the “anti-snob zoning” law, which allows developers to skirt local zoning codes if they commit to 25 percent affordable housing in their projects. 

Following the unveiling of the Report Card, Paul Grogan introduced Jerry Rappaport, Co-Chair of the Commonwealth Housing Task Force, a coalition of leaders from a wide range of sectors who have come together to develop a strategy to increase housing production throughout the state. The Task Force, which is convened by the Boston Foundation, has proposed legislation that would increase the supply of housing by offering a range of incentives to towns and cities to encourage them to produce new units of housing in “smart growth areas.” 

Barry Bluestone, Director of the Center for Urban and Regional Policy at Northeastern University, and Bonnie Heudorfer, Senior Fellow at the Center, co-wrote the Greater Boston Housing Report Card 2003 with Stein Helmrich.

Panelist Aaron Gornstein, (right) Executive Director of Citizens’ Housing and Planning Association, raised the issue of impending cuts to the Section 8 program, which provides vouchers that subsidize rent for low-income families.  “As we forge ahead to build new housing,” he said,“it is essential to preserve the affordable housing that we already have.”

“We have to build the political will to meet this challenge,” said Mr. Rappaport. The proposed legislative agenda has already earned positive reviews from state legislators and municipal officials, as well as from leaders in the business, labor, higher education, environmental, and housing and real estate development sectors. 

“The Task Force is performing a remarkable public service,” said Geoff Beckwith, Executive Director of the Massachusetts Municipal Association, and a participant in a panel discussion following the report. “Its members know that the solution lies with maintaining local control and that we cannot address this problem without money.” 

Panelist Larry DiCara, an expert in real estate and public finance, agreed. “We must impress upon the legislature that we have to commit the dollars necessary to produce more housing for our economy—for the sake of our future as a vibrant community.”

Download a pdf version of the 2003 Housing Report Card

Read the 2002 Housing Report Card