The Blueprint will aggregate the top headlines, upcoming events, and opportunities for pro-housing engagement across Massachusetts.
Welcome to The Blueprint by One Commonwealth
The Blueprint will aggregate the top headlines, upcoming events, and opportunities for pro-housing engagement across Massachusetts. We look forward to keeping you informed and working alongside you to reduce the cost of housing for working people while welcoming the kind of improvements that will help sustain and grow our local economies.
Just In: $15.3 Million Awarded to Convert Vacant Offices into 856 New Rental Homes
The Healey-Driscoll Administration announced $15.3 million in Commercial Conversion Tax Credit Initiative awards for five projects in the Commonwealth. The state is targeting vacant or underutilized commercial properties to create 856 new homes.
Funding from the Executive Office of Housing and Livable Communities is heading directly to five transit-oriented communities:
Boston: $4 million awarded to create 255 units at 294 Washington Street.
Westford: $3 million to overhaul a former hotel into 300 new units.
Dedham: $3 million to transform the Vantage Apartments into 154 units.
Springfield: $3 million for 99 units through Main Street Redevelopment.
Worcester: $2.3 million to fund 48 homes in the Historic Clark Block.
The Commercial Conversion Tax Credit Initiative was created through the Affordable Homes Act passed last year.
Over 2,000 Accessory Dwelling Units Approved!
New data released by the state shows that Accessory Dwelling Units (ADUs) are rapidly growing in popularity across the Commonwealth. 70% of communities in Massachusetts have approved at least one ADU with 854 ADU permits in the first half of this year alone. This brings the total statewide pipeline to 2,084 approved units since the launch of the initiative. Under the state's recent housing laws, building an ADU "by-right" is becoming one of the fastest ways to inject naturally affordable housing into established neighborhoods.
Poll Finds Support for Starter-Home Zoning Reform
A recently released statewide poll shows broad voter support for the proposed Massachusetts Limit on Required Lot Size for Single-Family Homes Initiative. The proposal aims to loosen local zoning and allow developers to construct smaller, downsized starter homes by-right on lots of 5,000 square feet throughout the state.
If you’re interested in getting involved with the campaign to promote Question 7:
Abundant Housing Massachusetts is currently hiring for their field program.
