Neighbors working together to preserve our neighborhoods and beyond.

MBTA Communities Act Steve Stearns MBTA Communities Act Steve Stearns

23 Bills To Repeal Or Amend The MBTA Communities Act So Far

Our legislative body appears to be responding to the backlash, taking steps to push back against what many view as government overreach with this one-size-fits-all approach to addressing what is being labeled a housing crisis. In reality, the issue is a housing affordability crisis. In a true statewide housing crisis, all 351 communities should be contributing to the solution—not just a random selection of 50% of them.

A neighbor from Sutton took the time to share this well-researched information, and their efforts are deeply appreciated. It’s thoughtful contributions like this that help inform and strengthen our communities.

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MBTA Communities Act Steve Stearns MBTA Communities Act Steve Stearns

The Motivations Of Massachusetts Housing Policies

Gordon Gekko’s infamous declaration, “Greed, for lack of a better word, is good,” epitomizes the mindset that has seeped into housing policy, where profit takes precedence over people. This ideology, embraced by profit-driven developers and supported by policymakers who prioritize economic metrics over human needs, has transformed a housing crisis into a lucrative opportunity for exploitation. Instead of creating genuine solutions that ensure safe, affordable homes for working families, these policies encourage the construction of market-rate units masked as “affordable,” catering to investors rather than communities. The result is a system that exacerbates inequality and displacement, perpetuating the illusion of progress while leaving the most vulnerable further behind.

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Rice Pond Village Project Steve Stearns Rice Pond Village Project Steve Stearns

Millbury Board Of Appeals Approved Chapter 40B Rice Pond Village Project

On Wednesday, August 14, 2024, the Millbury Board of Appeals approved the proposed Chapter 40B Rice Pond Village project, largely granting developers Steven Venincasa and James Venincasa their project as submitted with some conditions. The Millbury Board of Appeals largely dismissed the neighborhood's legitimate public safety concerns, suggesting that residents could appeal in superior court.

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The Myth of Housing Supply and Demand: A Modern Trickle-Down Fallacy

In contemporary debates about affordable housing, a common argument suggests that increasing the overall supply of housing will naturally lead to more affordable homes for everyone. Proponents claim that by simply building more units, market forces will drive down prices, benefiting even those at the lower end of the income spectrum. This argument parallels the principles of trickle-down economics, which posits that benefits provided to the wealthy will eventually “trickle down” to the less fortunate, improving economic conditions for all. However, just as trickle-down economics has been widely criticized and debunked, the simplistic notion that increasing housing supply alone will solve affordability issues is fundamentally flawed.

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Rice Pond Village Project Steve Stearns Rice Pond Village Project Steve Stearns

Developers Reject Most Of The Neighborhood Conditions

Our neighborhood had hoped for cooperation from the developers, expecting them to engage positively and act as responsible developers by agreeing to many of our reasonable requests. However, that optimism was not realized. This further solidifies the perception that Steven Venincasa and James Venincasa disregard the community's well-being, which we fear will be adversely affected, worsening the previously identified public safety issues with their proposed Rice Pond Village project.

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Introduction to Chapter 40B Subsidized Housing Inventory

It is important to understand that the MBTA Communities Act (Chapter 40A §3A) and the Affordable Homes Act do not inherently provide “affordable” housing and will likely decrease a community’s SHI compliance. This means that growth could lead to more Chapter 40B projects in the future. The Chapter 40B statutory minimum of 10% is a constantly moving target as community growth occurs.

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