Affordable Boston Housing
Could Boston Really Build $100,000 Homes? A recent opinion piece in Commonwealth Beacon proposed ...
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Could Boston Really Build $100,000 Homes? A recent opinion piece in Commonwealth Beacon proposed something that sounds almost impossible in today’s Massachusetts housing market: market-rate homes in Boston for around $100,000. Surprisingly, the idea is not completely unrealistic.
The proposal centers around three major concepts:
- Using publicly owned vacant lots
- Separating land ownership from homeownership through long-term ground leases
- Building smaller modular multi-family homes instead of traditional site-built housing
Whether or not the exact $100,000 figure is achievable at scale, the article highlights something I talk about often: Massachusetts does not have an affordability problem because people suddenly want housing. We have an affordability problem because we stopped building enough of it.
I recently covered this in my article on Massachusetts’ housing affordability crisis, where I explained how restrictive zoning, slow permitting, and limited housing production continue pushing prices higher across Greater Boston and the North Shore.
Why Land Costs Matter So Much
One of the more interesting parts of the proposal is the idea of removing land speculation from the equation. In many Boston neighborhoods, the land underneath a home is worth more than the structure itself. That creates a major barrier for first-time buyers.
The proposal suggests that municipalities could retain ownership of the land through long-term leases while homeowners purchase only the structure. Similar models already exist in some affordable housing programs and community land trusts.
This would not magically solve the housing shortage overnight, but it could create more attainable entry points into homeownership for middle-income buyers who are currently priced out.
The Return of Smaller Multi-Family Housing
Another key point in the article is the focus on triple-deckers and small-scale infill housing. Ironically, these are exactly the types of homes that historically helped Massachusetts remain relatively affordable.
Much of Greater Boston and the North Shore was built on modest density: duplexes, triple-deckers, mixed-use buildings, carriage houses, and accessory apartments. Over time, many communities heavily restricted these housing types through zoning.
That is finally beginning to change. Massachusetts has recently taken steps to encourage more housing production through policies like ADUs by right. I covered these changes in both my article on the Affordable Homes Act and my breakdown of the new Massachusetts ADU law.
While ADUs alone will not solve the crisis, they are part of a broader shift toward allowing more incremental housing growth in communities that desperately need it.
Why Modular Housing Could Become More Important
The proposal also leans heavily on modular construction to reduce costs and speed up timelines. Modular housing has improved dramatically over the last decade, especially as labor shortages and construction costs continue rising.
In Massachusetts, where energy efficiency standards are becoming stricter and utility costs continue climbing, newer modular homes may also offer long-term savings through better insulation and lower operating costs. That matters more than ever as electricity demand and rates continue increasing statewide, something I recently explored in my article about rising electricity demand and rates in Massachusetts.
Efficient housing is not just about environmental sustainability anymore. It is increasingly becoming an affordability issue.
The Bigger Issue: Supply
At the end of the day, the exact number is less important than the underlying concept. Whether homes cost $100,000, $250,000, or $400,000, Massachusetts needs substantially more housing supply across nearly every category.
That means:
- More starter homes
- More small multi-family buildings
- More transit-oriented housing
- Faster permitting
- Smarter zoning
- Incremental density instead of only mega-projects
There is no single silver bullet. But continuing to underbuild while demand grows is simply not sustainable for the future of Greater Boston or the North Shore.
The good news is that conversations around housing policy are finally shifting from “whether we should build” to “how we can build smarter.” That is an important step in the right direction and one that I hope other progressive and future thinking towns like Malden, Medford and Somerville take!
If you have questions about the housing market, buying in Greater Boston or the North Shore, or how these housing policy changes may affect your property value, feel free to reach out through my contact page.
```Information is Power
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