Affordable Housing Law Comes Under Fire in State, but City's Support Stands Firm

BOSTON-State lawmakers here have filed two dozen proposals to change or do away with Chapter 40B, the state law that was adopted to encourage the development of affordable housing in communities. Those proposals are being met with increasing opposition from local housing advocates and religious leaders who champion the law as the only hope for those who can’t afford housing in various areas.

Cardinal Bernard Law, head of the Archdiocese here, recently released a study conducted by the Center for Urban and Regional Policy at Northeastern University that states that 78,000 units of affordable housing will be needed in the Boston area over the next five years. Law has been increasingly vocal in his support of Chapter 40B.

Mayor Thomas M. Menino is also committed to supporting this law. “The mayor is very supportive of 40B,” Howard Leibowitz, director of intergovernmental relations in the mayor’s office, tells GlobeSt.com. “Unless and until there is such a time that communities comply and develop more housing that families can afford, we need to have it in place.”