Please see this important message from Judith Liben of Massachusetts Law Reform Institute:
On Wednesday, July 26, 2 pm – 5 pm, the Joint Committee on Housing will hear testimony on bills (S.870, S.863, H.1300) to include a share of affordable housing in the multimillion dollar Housing Development Incentive Program (HDIP) tax subsidy for market rate and often luxury housing in Gateway Cities. These bills need our voices in support!
To sign up to testify, please fill out this form by 5 p.m. July 24. To submit written testimony, please email it to Luke O’Roark at luke.oroark@mahouse.gov and Christianna Golden at christianna.golden@masenate.gov by Friday, 5 p.m. July 28.
HDIP ignores the devastating affordable housing crisis in these communities and excludes lower income and sometimes moderate income households.
These bills propose a more balanced HDIP that would support mixed income housing (both market rate and affordable) by requiring HDIP developments to include not less than 20% units affordable to households up to 50% of AMI.
We need these bills now because HDIP may soon be expanded by millions – still with no affordability. The Legislature will likely approve tripling the annual HDIP credit cap from $10 million to $57 million this year then $30 million every year thereafter. This could come to as much as $177 million in the next five years and up to $327 million in the next ten, exclusively for unaffordable housing. Supporters say this increase could result in 12,500 units in the next 10 years – none will be affordable.
Three bills – S.870 (Sen. Jamie Eldridge), H.1300 (Rep. Peter Capano) and S.863 (Senator Sal Di Domenico) – would provide the reform HDIP needs.
For HDIP basics, see the MLRI HDIP Report and also these recent eye popping top rents in HDIP subsidized luxury apartments.
Please consider testifying at the hearing or in writing – everything counts! Feel free to contact Pamela for any support at pschwartz@westernmasshousingfirst.org.
