If subsidization proposals return to Boston and Massachusetts again next year, they will not be a silver bullet for affordability, but could be one ingredient in a successful strategy alongside more housing construction.
Could Arlington be better using its curb space? Here are some ways the curb can be used to create green infrastructure, promote public safety and accessibility, support sustainable transportation, strengthen business districts, and enable new ‘car-light’ development.
On Tuesday August 6, 2024, Governor Healey signed the Affordable Homes Act (H.4977) into law. At 181 pages, the Affordable Homes Act is a lengthy bill, but the things it does generally fall into three categories: funding, changes to state law, and changes to state agencies.
On the evening of Wednesday, June 12th, Equitable Arlington co-hosted with the Town’s Department of Planning and Community Development and Envision Arlington, a ninety-minute webinar entitled “What’s an ADU and How Do I Build One?”
Arlington has recently launched Arlington Civic Academy to provide interested residents with a pathway to becoming more civically literate and involved.
The Town of Arlington and the Arlington Affordable Housing Trust Fund have created the Acquisition, Creation and Conversion (ACC) Program to provide a flexible source of funding for creating deed-restricted affordable housing in Arlington. Up to $250,000 is available per restricted unit, and the Town has dedicated federal ARPA funds to support the ACC Program.
by Rebecca Gruber
by Arthur Prokosch
Arlington has a Representative Town Meeting form of government; each spring, our 252 elected town meeting members gather to consider a range of issues, including changes to town bylaws and zoning. While there were not any “big ticket” items this year, Town Meeting adopted a number of smaller, incremental changes that could make it easier to do mixed-use development (e.g., housing over retail), along with improving the sustainability of certain types of projects. These include:
Equitable Arlington, along with City Life/Vida Urbana and the Harvard Legal Aid Bureau, supports the legacy tenants of 840/846 Massachusetts Avenue in their resistance to rent increases of up to 50%.