40B Report: Effects of Mixed-Income, Multi-Family Rental Housing Developments on Single-Family Housing Values
April, 2005
Do mixed-income, high-density rental developments negatively impact nearby single family property values? This question has been at the core of the controversies surrounding mixed-income housing in suburban Boston communities. Chapter 40B, enacted through the Comprehensive Permit Law and Anti-Snob Zoning Act, is a Massachusetts statute that enables developers to obtain state-authorized comprehensive permits in municipalities that are not in compliance with state affordability criteria: If less than ten percent of a municipality’s housing stock is defined as affordable, developers with comprehensive permits can build developments that override local zoning regulations. Because zoning rules are viewed by some as regulatory mechanisms that protect property values by controlling local land use, the ability of developers to circumvent such regulations has given rise to fears that the values of homes surrounding these mixed-income, multi-family developments will decline. These fears are considered one of the strongest motives for residents’ opposition to proposed 40B developments. But are such fears justified by the facts? This is the question investigated by CRE’s Housing Affordability Initiative (HAI) in this 40B Report.
40B Report: Effects of Mixed-Income, Multi-Family Rental Housing Developments on Single-Family Housing Values, April, 2005. (PDF, 11MB)
40B Report Release
The 40B Report was released on April 27, 2005.
- Presentation (PDF, 910k)
- Speaker Bios (PDF, 112k)
- Press Release (PDF, 44k)
40B
Report Release Slide Show (Flash
player required)
Program
- Continental breakfast
- Welcoming remarks: David Geltner, Director, MIT Center for Real Estate and Thomas Gleason, Executive Director, MassHousing
- Overview of study results: Henry O. Pollakowski, Director, Affordable Housing Initiative, MIT Center for Real Estate
Panel discussion
Chair: Terry Egan, Editor, Banker and Tradesman
Panelists:
- Marc Draisen, Executive Director, Metropolitan Area Planning Council
- Matthew Feher, Legislative Analyst, Massachusetts Municipal Association
- Andrew Gottlieb, Deputy Secretary, Massachusetts Office of Commonwealth Development
- Fred Habib, Deputy Director, Massachusetts Department of Housing and Community Development
- W. Tod McGrath, Lecturer, MIT Center for Real Estate; President, advisoRE, LLC
